I Am Me

Yes we will still be at Cover to Cover for storytime on Monday, even though it's MLK day.

Mama Do You Love Me? by Barbara M Joose
Toddler's love to push their parents and test the limits of the love. In this charming book with an Innuit theme, the Mama in question calmly explains that Mama's love knows no limits, no matter what side of your personality you show and even if you turn into the meanest polar bear there ever was.

Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood
A charming list of analogies with nature that all add together to make the fully rounded personality of one little boy. The illustrations are really vibrant and familiar. It's a great book to stop reading and talk about the pictures as there's a lot going on in there.

The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper and Loren Long
This 1950s classic is seen throughout the world as a truly American tale. A struggle over adversity and a triumph for the little engine who wants to be helpful and try her best. I read from a version with the original text and modern illustrations by Loren Long, but I edit as I read. The idea of giving a child a "jack knife" now seems too odd to read aloud. I also edit the mean-spiritedness of the unhelpful trains, although mostly because my audience is normally 3 years and under and expecting them to sit still for the full length of the original text is a little unreasonable.

Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees
Gerald the Giraffe is a little different on the dancefloor and the other animals tease him about it. Then he learns something new about music and he ends up charming the whole jungle. This "dance to your own tune" story has some amazing illustrations that really kickstart your imagination, especially when "the lions danced a tango that was elegant and bold".

Big Sister Little Sister by LeUyen Pham
Told from the younger sister's perspective, this is a great younger sibling book exploring the concepts of the similarity between you and your family and the differences that make you who you are. We'll be singing This is Me, If You're Happy and You Know It and This Train is Going to Grandmas