Use Your Imagination

Jamberry by Bruce Degan
The ultimate in fruit based daydreams as berries run in the rivers and fall from the sky until everything is a Jamberry. For my little fruitatarian this is a book he'd love to live in.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood
A sweet take on the modern archetype of the American con artist. Our smooth talking narrator manages to convince the mouse that there’s a big hungry bear coming and the best thing he can do to protect his strawberry is to share it with us and eat it. When you’ve finished the book, ask your toddler to find the picture of the bear in the book. Of course, there isn’t one.

If... by Sarah Perry
There are some real leaps of imagination in this book. I especially like "if ugly was beautiful" of course you have to see the illustrations to really kickstart some imaginative thinking.

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
"there's no such thing as a Gruffal...oh". A clever little mouse talks his way out of trouble with the unwitting help of a creature he thought he'd invented. I love this book, it's smart and funny and a real example of how not to be scared of monsters.

Dinosaur versus Bedtime by Bob Shea
The little dinosaur in this book is pretty resourceful, he wins out against a pile of leaves, a bowl of spaghetti and even some talking grownups, but can he win against his greatest foe. Bedtime. The stars around the illustrations when the diosaur wins always make me want to say "ta-dah", so when I'm reading it aloud, that's just what I do.

We'll be singing "I'm a Little Airplane", "There's a Monster in my Closet" and "The Ants Go Marching".

What Grows in Your Garden?

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

A small boy singlehandedly turns a drab town into a beautiful colourful garden. This is a new book which has received rave reviews. The illustrations are crisp without being sharp and the words are simple and honest. It's an amazing book to describe the power of nature and how the choices we make can shape our environment.

The Happy Bee by Ian Beck

This very colourful book for the babies is very simply a close up look at some well known types of flowers, Daisy, Poppy, Rose and Lily. The bee flies from one to another in all kinds of weather and is happiest when there is a rainbow. Extremely simple and continually popular.

My Garden by Kevin Henkes

A little girl helps her mother in the garden and dreams about having her own garden where the carrots would be invisible and jellybeans would grow on big bushes. Another beautiful work by Kevin Henkes, packed with imagination and vibrant illustration.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

I'm sure it feels as though I read this book every week, but it is undeniably appealing. This week my excuse is that it's not just plants growing in the garden.

Over in the Meadow by Ezra Jack Keats

Everyone knows this traditional counting song and this book version by the author of Snowy Day has some great illustrations. The Mother Muskrat has a particularly brilliant facial expression.

We will be singing "Mr Sun", "I Can Sing a Rainbow" and "The Farmer Plants the Seeds"

Opposites

Dos and Don'ts - Tod Parr
The opposites in this book are just the do and don't. And the examples are some of the silliest I've ever seen. I'm sure the page about underpants is going to get a big laugh.

Dinosaur Roar - Paul and Henrietta Strickland
A great opposites book with some happy friendly dinosaurs in it. I love the unconventional opposites too, like "clean and slimy" or "spiky and lumpy". It makes a nice change from "up and down".

Noisy Nora - Rosemary Wells
Nora is a mouse who's little brother and sister are (in her opinion) getting way too much attention. She bangs around the house, but eventually it goes quiet, then they really notice her. Rosemary Wells is the author/illustrator of Max and Ruby, this is one of her earlier books for younger children, although her distinctive style is still apparent.

Opposites - Sandra Boynton
Sandra Boynton is an indispensable young children's author. Her small board books are very silly and very popular. This one is exactly as the title suggests. A standard book of opposites; in and out, whisper and shout. We will be whispering and shouting.

June and August - Vivian Walsh
June and August meet in the jungle when it's dark and they get on very well, but in the light of day, they realise that they are very different. This doesn't stop them from being friends though, as they get as close to the moon and the stars as they can.

We'll be singing the Hokey Cokey, the Up and Down song and Open Shut Them.

Seasons

One Hot Summer Day by Nina Crews.

A really simple book, illustrated with photo collage, it tells the story of one very hot day in the city when it's too hot to play outside until the rain comes. Lots of adults think this book is very strange, but it appeals to children because it tells the story of something real using real pictures of a real little girl.

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes.

Old Bear The illustrations are extremely beautiful and the dream sequence is a real treat for the imagination, especially the blueberry rain.

Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

I've recently been struck by exactly how well tuned these classic American books are. Peter wakes up one morning and everything is snowy, he makes pictures in the snow, hits a tree with a stick and decides he's not old enough yet for a snowball fight. No wonder that books by Keats are so well loved by toddlers and preschoolers.

I Am A Bunny by Ole Risom and Richard Scarry

Yes, that Richard Scarry. But from before he was famous for drawing apple cars. The illustrations in this little board book are actually very realistic, each of the butterflies, frogs, flowers and animals are all recognisable. It's surprising and if you haven't seen it before I would recommend it.

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson and Tiphanie Beeke

This book is beautiful and poetic. A slightly neurotic fox named Fletcher is terrified that his favourite tree is dying. His mother's assertions that it's "just autumn" don't help. Luckily the tree ends up being more beautiful than ever and Fletcher gets a nice warm breakfast.

We'll be singing Mr Sun, It's Freezing, It's Freezing I hope I don't Start Sneezing, Incy Wincy Spider and The Leaves are Falling Down and the poem will be one of Ted Hughes' Autumn Nature Notes

123 - Books with Numbers

My Truck is Stuck by Kevin Lewis and Daniel Kirk
This is a strange book, the meter is complicated and the rhymes are seemingly random. But the subject matter and bright illustrations, make it a really popular choice. It also has some sneaky counting in it.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
This is a classic, with a caterpillar so hungry he eats through pages of fruits, counting them as he goes and then moves on to cake and sausage, which gives him a tummy ache. There are many different editions of this book, including a beautiful pop up version, which I'll be reading from.

Over in the Jungle by Marianne Berkes and Jeanette Canyon

This sing-a-long book is full of actual jungle animals in their actual jungle settings. The crazy half sculpture half illustrations are fascinating and strange.

Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang
A bedtime countdown book, my favourite is 7, because surprisingly, that's shoes.

The Three Little Pigs
I have a ladybird board book version of this story, but I change the words so that the pigs say "no no not by the hair on my chinny chin chin". I will encourage huffing and puffing by all.

We'll be singing "Zoom, Zoom, Zoom", "Five Little Monkeys" and "Five Little Ducks"

On Wheels

The Adventures of Taxi Dog by Debra Barracca, Sal Barracca, and Mark Buehner.

From the people who brought you the Escape of Marvin the Ape this is a heartfelt story about a stray dog who finds a new home with a New York taxi driver. The illustrations are full of little jokes and so is the heavily rhythmic text. One small thing, I always have to skip the page that says "to the hospital quick, my wife is quite sick" the wife in question is a pregnant woman, she's not sick, she's having a baby! But apart from that it's a fun book.

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Kevin Lewis and Daniel Kirk.

This little train goes chugs through a bedroom littered with toys. It has great colourful illustrations, very crisp and clear, which helps us all to understand that this is an imaginary journey. It also ends in a sleepy bedtime (always useful in a potential bedtime story).

Melvin Might by Jon Scieszka, David Shannon, David Gordon, and Loren Long.

The authors of this book read like the who's who of contemporary American children's books. It's one of the Trucktown books, a new series of picture books designed specifically to engage boys in reading. Melvin the Concrete Mixer is a worrier, but he's forced to stop worrying and start acting when his friend's little sister gets stuck in a hole. Some parents have been uncomfortable with the boistrous nature of this series. The little sister wouldn't have been stuck in the hole if they hadn't been playing a reckless game of jumping a half finished bridge and perhaps a more conservative book would have sent Melvin to get some help, not to jump into the hole after her. But if you can get over that, the core message about helping your friends is a good one and it certainly engages my son.

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon.

I never miss an opportunity to read this book. I think I've mentioned it previously on this blog, but I'll happily do so again. A duck rides a bike whilst his farmyard friends look on. What the animals say and what they think is cleverly different. Plus the action packed illustrations add a fast pace to the thoughtfulness. I also love how this book jumps in feet first to the story, it starts "One day duck thought to himself 'I bet I could ride a bike'" and then he does

Rescue Vehicles by Gill Davies.

This is a foil pop up book, not much to read, but the pop ups are fun to look at.

I'll be singing "This Train is Going to the City", "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Tractor". I think I'll do the William Carlos Williams poem about the red wheelbarrow, that should keep them on their toes.

Dogs

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

Harry comes from a 1950's perfect household, which is probably why he's even more endearingly naughty. Harry runs away from home, just to avoid a bath, but when he returns he's too dirty for his family to recognise. He'll have to think fast. This book has been a favourite of mine ever since I was a child and I still love it now.

Dogfish by Gillian Shields

Sometimes, you find a book that reads like a child thinks. Where "we'll see" really means "no" and there's a chance that maybe, just maybe your hypnotising eyes will work on a grown up and you'll get what you want. What this little boy wants is a puppy, but it's the goldfish who has mastered the hypnosis, and more besides.

Angus and the Ducks by Marjorie Flack

This book was written in America in the 1930s and tells the cautionary tale of a curious little dog who upsets a couple of ducks. It hasn't dated badly, although I'm not sure any "gentlemen" would wear "suspenders" any more.

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

"I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet, they sent me a..." so begins this classic board book with little flaps to open the packages from the zoo. None of the animals that come from the zoo are good pets, except for the last one. A puppy!

Hondo and Fabian by Peter McCarty

The illustrations in this book are subtle and beautiful. The story compares the day had by hondo the dog and Fabian the cat, as Hondo goes to the beach and Fabian tries to avoid playing with the baby.

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

Loud!

Noisy City Night by Sara Anderson.
There are lots of good noises in this excellent board book, the weeeeee you of firetrucks the rumble of underground trains and the old man muttering. It's a delight to read aloud and always catches the toddler's attention. The book is also made of cityscape cut outs and has a number of jokes for the grown ups, take a look at the wording on the billboards, my favourite is "you never did like peas".

Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
Nora is a mouse who's little brother and sister are (in her opinion) getting way too much attention. She bangs around the house, but eventually it goes quiet, then they really notice her. Rosemary Wells is the author/illustrator of Max and Ruby, this is one of her earlier books for younger children, although her distinctive style is still apparent.

Slinky Malinki by Lynley Dodd
A cat of dubious character spends his nights collecting interesting things from around the neighbourhood. It ends in disgrace. This book reads like a real action adventure story, lots of building tension and intrigue. And a huge CRASH!

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
A familiar tale of the little guy saving the day, set in a very noisy countryside. The illustrations (by Jill McElmurry) have a great American Naive feel to them and the rhyming text has a light touch.

Mama Don't Allow by Thacher Hurd
Miles gets a saxophone for his birthday but he makes such a noise with it that his parents send him out into the swamp. There he meets more musicians (also familiarly named) Al, Bert and Doc. They form a band, but the band need their wits about them when they play their first gig at the alligator ball, because those alligators are hungry!

We'll be singing Old Macdonald, Ants go Marching and Ole King Cole.

Christmas!

The Gruffalo's Child by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
The Gruffalo's child is pretty certain that the big bad mouse is just a fairy tale, he sets out through the snow to try and find some answers. Instead he meets a mouse and a big bad one at that. A charming follow up to the classic Gruffalo story, all set in snowy woods.

Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Peter wakes up one day to find everything covered in snow, then he has a lot of snow based adventures on his city block. My favourite thing about this 1960s classic is the way the narrative collapses from time to time, it reminds me of the way my son retells events. Also the pocket full of snowball is a brilliant illustration.

One Year With Kipper by Mick Inkpen
Kipper documents his whole year with his new camera then makes the photos into a poster for a Christmas present for his friend Tiger.

Santa's Twinkly Christmas Eve by Janine Amos and Lucy Pearce
Although not a great work of children's literature this little board book has a special feature, it is studded with lights that twinkle when you press the button. Absolutely captivating for the under 3s.

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
There are so many excellent illustrated versions of this poem, I like the Jan Brett one or the newish one by Matt Tavares. The poem itself is a little archaic in parts, but the naming of the reindeer is essential Christmas stuff.

Monsters and Dinosaurs

Bootsie Barker Bites by Barbara Bottner.

Sometimes, people are not very nice. And sometimes children are downright monstrous (even girls). Bootsie Barker Bites addresses this issue with style. Wit, wisdom, dinosaurs, a rocket, chocolate donuts and a salamander all make an appearance in an ideal book for kindergardeners who are just discovering the meaner side of their sweet little friends.

Horns to Toes and Inbetween by Sandra Boynton.

A simple board book with catchy rhymes about parts of the body. I ask the children to point to the part we're talking about, someone always laughs when I ask where their tail is.

Dinosaur Roar by Paul & Henrietta Strickland.

A great opposites book with some happy friendly dinosaurs in it. I love the unconventional opposites too, like "clean and slimy" or "spiky and lumpy". It makes a nice change from "up and down".

The Wild Things by Maurice Sendak.

A classic in which Max becomes the King of All the Wild Things but gets lonely and goes home for his still warm supper. Cover to Cover has a resident Wild Thing, he's about the size of a toddler and a bit dogeared, he often gets sat on. He's stuffed, of course.

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson.

"there's no such thing as a Gruffal...oh". A clever little mouse talks his way out of trouble with the unwitting help of a creature he thought he'd invented. I love this book, it's smart and funny and a real example of how not to be scared of monsters.

We'll sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" (including the verse "if you see the Wild Things don't forget to scream"), "Heads and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and "There's a Monster in my Closet" which is to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it" where we get to choose what colour it is and what noise it makes before we finally get to meet it. And the poem will be "the Dark" by Carol-Ann Duffy.

Things That Go

Yes, we'll be reading stories as usual on Monday morning at 10.30am.

This week we're doing an old favorite. Things That Go.

Smash Crash by Jon Scieszka, David Shannon, Loren Long, and David Gordon
The first of the excellent Trucktown series by Scieszka and what can only be described as contemporary children's illustrator royalty. These books are intened to interest young boys in reading. As such, some parents find them a little difficult to sanction. As the title suggests, two trucks, who are best friends, ride around the town smashing and crashing, sometimes this is helpful and sometimes it isn't. They try to avoid the adult presence in the book, but they can't zoom away forever.

The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper and Loren Long
his 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.

Machines go to Work by William Low
One of those beautiful books which is more about the illustration than the story. A series of machines at work and some whole page flaps make this a very popular one with the under 3s.

B is for Bulldozer by June Sobel and Melissa Iwai
We can find all the letters of the alphabet on this construction site and the last page gives us a great and eXciting surprise.

Tractor Trouble
A little board book about a cow who thinks she can drive a tractor and the chaos that ensues. This one is not available to buy, unfortunately as it is published by UK retailer Marks & Spencer. Good old M&S :)

You, Me and Everyone

(This is a slightly nebulous theme which allows me to include some great new books. Although it could also be titled "being ourselves and being together")

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee

A brand new book with warm illustrations and a simple rhyming scheme which links together everything and everyone in the world. It's an inspirational read, just in time for the holidays.

Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty

Jeremy never plays outside with the other children from the neighborhood, so when he draws a very demanding monster who comes to life, he has to rely on his own wits to get it out of the house. A book about tackling your inner demons and about joining the group to save yourself, from yourself. I also think that this book gives children the opportunity to see an abusive relationship where one party is unequivocally monstrous.

On a lighter note, that's the funniest hat I've ever seen a monster wear.

My Truck is Stuck by Kevin Lewis and Daniel Kirk

From the dream team that brought us the classic Chugga Chugga Choo Choo is a truck related story with some sneaky counting and off kilter rhythms. Fun all round.

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

A little boy discovers a small patch of green growing in the city and helps it along until the city is full of garden and gardeners. Crisp modern illustration, with a fantastical twist and a simple storyline make this one of my favorite new books of 2009. It's actually the story of the Highlands railway, a disused railway track in NYC which has been converted to a community garden.

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

Duck decides to ride a bike and show off to all the other farm animals. Their responses are complex, they say moo, or squeak, or oink or maaa, but they think something different and then they do something else entirely! It's difficult to know what other people really think, but it's easy to have fun playing together.

The songs will be “This is Me” by Laurie Berkner, "Heads, Shoulders Knees and Toes" and "Old Macdonald"

How Does Your Garden Grow?

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

A small boy singlehandedly turns a drab town into a beautiful colourful garden. This is a new book which has received rave reviews. The illustrations are crisp without being sharp and the words are simple and honest. It's an amazing book to describe the power of nature and how the choices we make can shape our environment.

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson

This book is 65 years old and is interesting not only because it has stood the test of time, but also because it makes us more aware of shifting attitudes. The little boy who plants and waters his seed does so in the face of the dismissive ignorance of his family and friends, but we are now living in a world with a vegetable garden in the grounds of The Whitehouse and it would be hard to find a parent who wouldn't encourage growing a carrots. Meanwhile the book still encourages children to want to grow something, especially if it proves those fictional grown-ups were wrong.

Jack's Garden by Henry Cole

The text is based on the nursery rhyme "The House That Jack Built" and describes the way that a garden is planted an grows. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. The book is also what we call a "whatthatthere" book, named after what my some used to say when he found something he couldn't identify in a picture book. Intricate labeled drawings of tools, plants, bugs and flowers make this a book to linger over.

The Happy Bee by Ian Beck

This very colourful book for the babies is very simply a close up look at some well known types of flowers, Daisy, Poppy, Rose and Lily. The bee flies from one to another in all kinds of weather and is happiest when there is a rainbow. Extremely simple and continually popular.

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves - by Julia Rawlinson

Fletcher is a fox, who takes life a little too seriously. He has a favourite tree which as the weather gets colder is starting to lose its leaves. Fletcher is distraught and wants to help the tree keep hold of its leaves, of course he doesn't succeed, but he does learn something about the changes in the seasons. This is a beautifully poetic book and the illustrations are soft and colourful. I understand that there will be a Fletcher for all seasons, we already have Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms and eagerly await the next installment.

We will be singing "Mr Sun", "I can sing a Rainbow" and I'll be looking through a Ted Hughes for children collection for a good growing things poem.