Goodnight Moon “A little rabbit bids goodnight to each familiar thing in his moonlit room. Rhythmic, gently lulling words combined with warm and equally lulling pictures make this beloved classic an ideal bedtime book.”
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?“Children on the verge of reading learn best with plenty of identifiable images and rhythmic repetition.”…”Blue Horse, Blue Horse, What do you see? I see a green frog looking at me.” This pattern is repeated over and over, until the pre-reader can chime in with the reader, easily predicting the next rhyme.”
Love You Forever“The mother sings to her sleeping baby: “I’ll love you forever / I’ll love you for always / As long as I’m living / My baby you’ll be.” She still sings the same song when her baby has turned into a fractious 2-year-old, a slovenly 9-year-old, and then a raucous teen. So far so ordinary–but this is one persistent lady. When her son grows up and leaves home, she takes to driving across town with a ladder on the car roof, climbing through her grown son’s window, and rocking the sleeping man in the same way. Then, inevitably, the day comes when she’s too old and sick to hold him, and the roles are at last reversed.”
Where the Wild Things Are “The wild things–with their mismatched parts and giant eyes–manage somehow to be scary-looking without ever really being scary; at times they’re downright hilarious. Sendak’s defiantly run-on sentences–one of his trademarks–lend the perfect touch of stream of consciousness to the tale, which floats between the land of dreams and a child’s imagination.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie“Who would ever suspect that a tiny little mouse could wear out an energetic young boy? Well, if you’re going to go around giving an exuberantly bossy rodent a cookie, you’d best be prepared to do one or two more favors for it before your day is through. “…”Laura Joffe Numeroff’s tale of warped logic is a sure-fire winner in the giggle-generator category. But concerned parents can rest assured, there’s even a little education thrown in for good measure: underneath the folly rest valuable lessons about cause and effect.” Lesson: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Toot & Puddle : Puddle’s ABC “Ages 3-6. Fans of this adorable series will welcome this fourth episode featuring pig friends Toot and Puddle. This time, Puddle takes center stage when he decides to teach Otto the turtle to write his name.”
Corduroy “Have you ever dreamed of being locked in a department store at night? The endearing story of Corduroy paints a picture of the adventures that might unfold (for a teddy bear at least) in such a situation.”
Blueberries for Sal (Picture Puffins) “Robert McCloskey’s classic is a magical tale of the irrepressible curiosity–not to mention appetite–of youth. Sal and her mother set off in search of blueberries for the winter at the same time as a mother bear and her cub. A quiet comedy of errors ensues when the young ones wander off and absentmindedly trail the wrong mothers.”
Sheep in a Jeep “When five foolish sheep cram into one jeep, their high spirits and occasional lack of foresight (like forgetting to steer) combine to make a riotous, if ill-fated, road trip.”
Giggle Bugs : A Lift-And-Laugh Book “What do you get when you cross two Banana Peel Bugs? Lift the flaps and find out! 58 lift-the-flap riddles and a hilarious giggling sound chip will make you laugh out loud with the Giggle Bugs!”
Olivia (Caldecott Honor Book, 2001) “Olivia would be
Eloise, if Eloise were a pig. Preschoolers (and their parents) will see themselves in Olivia–a typical high-energy, over-the-top kid who likes the beach and Degas paintings, but hates naps. On the other hand, she combs her ears and is unusually gifted at sandcastle building.”