Yesterday there was a conversation on my local mom’s listserv about the best birthday gift for a 1-year-old. I chimed in, saying I would skip the toys as my boys enjoyed my wooden spoons, nesting measuring cups and measuring spoons, empty toilet paper rolls and egg cartons, and other such household items far more than toys at that age.… Continue reading
We have several children’s books written by Julia Donaldson, and we enjoy them all. However, there are two that get read over and over and over in our house, and The Gruffalo is one of them (I’ll post a review of the other one in the future).
The Gruffalo is a fun book about a mouse who shrewdly outsmarts all of the animals who want to eat him.… Continue reading
Last night as I lay down with my 2-year-old to fall asleep, I whispered to him, as I always do, “Good night. I love you.” Instead of the simple, “G’night” he normally whispers in reply, he launched into a string of good nights, “G’night, Mama. G’night, Daddy. G’night, Brother [he calls his brother “Brother” as he has trouble pronouncing his name].… Continue reading
Woolbur is a fun, charming book about a young sheep who likes to do everything in his own way. If your little one prefers running with the dogs to standing still with the herd, you may see your child’s free spirit reflected in Woolbur’s own. This is a great story for helping kids to see that being who you are, even if it’s very different from everybody else, is part of what makes life – and the world around us – a delightful place to be.… Continue reading
Something From Nothing is a book that we’ve read over and over and over again. In fact, we love it so much, that when we loaned it to our friends and they accidentally left it on an airplane, I had to go out and find another copy so we’d still have one to read (Thankfully they had a copy at our favorite used book store!).… Continue reading
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes is a very simple, but wonderfully put together book. In this book, we meet Pete the Cat, a hip blue cat who loves his shoes. The illustrations reveal Pete to be a hipster-esque cat, who walks through life to the tune of his own internal groove.
As Pete takes a walk outside, he steps in all sorts of things: strawberries, blueberries, mud, and water.… Continue reading
Muth’s Zen Shorts is one of our favorite picture books. His accessible retelling of famous Zen stories packaged in a visually delightful format make this book a great way to encourage mindfulness in children and adults.
My boys were initially drawn in by the gorgeous illustrations. Muth’s beautifully rendered watercolors are full of color and light, and wonderfully express the humor and serenity of the points he’s trying to convey.… Continue reading
My boys and I love silly rhymes, so I was excited when I stumbled upon this wonderful book of whimsical poems and illustrations. Florian filled Omnibeasts full of delightful short poems that seamlessly combine fun, wit, and fact.
In one of our favorites, Florian writes [in successively smaller font], “The itty-bitty, pretty tetra / Is small, minute, petite, et cetra.” In another, he describes the praying mantis: “Upon a twig / I sit and pray / For something big / To wend my way; / A caterpillar, / Moth, / Or bee — / I swallow them / Religiously.”… Continue reading
The other day, my boys were digging through one of our bookshelves, and pulled out a stack of books that we haven’t read in a long time. We have hundreds of children’s books, so while we read every day, it isn’t too difficult to find some books that have sat unread for a period.
One of the books they pulled out was Jenni Overend’s Hello Baby.… Continue reading