Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
Here’s a wonderful birthday book! A Birthday for Bear by Bonnie Becker and illustrated by Katie MacDonald Denton (Candlewick, September 2009) tells the story of Bear, who is not a fan of birthdays and is determined to be grouchy and clean his house all day. It’s a very busy day. His friend Mouse keeps trying
Bear’s Birthday by Stella Blackstone and illustrated by Debbie Harter (Barefoot Books, June 2011) lets us celebrate Bear’s birthday with all of his friends. Apparently, this is part of a series about Bear and his bear friends; I’ll be first to admit this is the first I’ve found. I’ll have to keep an eye out
Baby Says “Moo” by JoAnn Early Macken and illustrated by David Walker (Hyperion, March 2011) is a humorous story of a young baby who cannot yet distinguish between the different animal sounds, but rather insists that each animal says “Moo.” As a family drives toward their picnic destination, they see different animals from the car
The Goodnight Train by June Sobel (illustrated by Laura Heiliska-Beith; Harcourt Children’s Books, 2006) is a perfect goodnight book for the train lover in our house. With bright detailed paintings on each page, there are plenty of amusing tidbits to observe. My preschooler loved the cookie coal and we pretended to eat it. The steam
Good Night, Baby Ruby by Rohan Henry (Abrams Books, 2009) tells of a young baby’s bedtime routine. Since my son is eager to become a big brother next year, he enjoyed helping put the young girl to bed by reading this story and giggling over her escape from her parents. I love the simple illustrations
My preschooler’s favorite in-the-car game is “I spy” which usually ends up being “something green” (grass and trees). Needless to say, then, when I spied I Spy with My Little Eye by Edward Gibbs (Templar, 2011) on the new books shelf at the library, I had to check it out. Using bright colors and a
My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall (Greenwillow Books, 2009) became an interactive picture book for us. Graphic designer Michael Hall has designed a zoo full of animals, each one created by hearts. The text provides similes comparing one’s heart to the animals (such as “eager as a beaver”). My preschooler loved counting
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner (first published 1924) is the first in a series for children about four orphaned children striking out on their own. I haven’t read the others in the series since I was a child and I don’t remember them very well, but the first book was a fun trip
On a humorous note, Too Big by Holly Keller (William Morrow, 1983) showed the potential jealousy that a new baby might bring for an older child. Young possum Henry finds that he is no longer the center of attention when his little brother Jake is brought home from the hospital. He wants to have a
I found Big Brother Now by Annette Sheldon (Magination Press, 2008) in the Parent-Teacher collection of picture books, and it does a wonderful job of explaining rather matter-of-factly the ways in which life changes for a preschool-aged boy when there is a new baby. The illustrations are realistic, and the text is too. When baby
There’s a House Inside My Mommy by Giles Andreae (illustrated by Vanessa Cabban; Albert Whitman, 2002) is the perfect balance between a technical “how a baby grows” and exciting “a baby is coming.” Told in rhyme, this book doesn’t have sketches of the life changes for an older child when a new baby comes, and it
How You Were Born by Joanna Cole (Harper Collins, 1994) is unlike the other books I’ve read by Joanna Cole. This book is illustrated with photographs of babies in utero, newborn babies, and happy families, as well as with a few illustrations and diagrams. It’s also written for slightly older children. Although the words are quite
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