Book 110: Over in the Forest, Come and Take a Peek

Over in the Forest, Come and Take a Peek, written by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jill Dubin, Dawn Publication, 2012.  (Toddler/Preschool)

Question:  How much does my little boy love this book?  Answer:  I've had this book for about ten days and have read it easily over twenty times.  Simple Answer:  A whole lot.

Just like every other Over In... book by the talented Marianne Berkes, this one is set to the tune of Over in the Meadow.  That premise make this an easy book to read to toddlers.  Not to give anything away, once again, I learned something from Marianne Berkes' text.

The illustrations are delightful.  My favorite part, though, is the ascending number of animal tracks, because I learned something from the illustrations.

Any time a book entertains a child and educates an adult, it is a winner.

Book 109: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and other bedtime lullabies

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Other Bedtime Lullabies, Grandreams Limited, 1989.  (Baby/Toddler)

  Two weeks ago I broke my left leg, and, yes, last May, I shattered my right. So, once again I am hobbling around the downstairs on crutches. And once again, my choice of books is pretty limited. In fact all the ones my son brought downstairs have been reviewed. This one was sitting by the computer so I could look up the tunes. Now that I have looked up a few a the tunes for Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Other Bedtime Lullabies, I do like it better.

 I thought at three-and-a-half, my little boy might have outgrown lullabies, but at least once a day he climbs into my lap and wants me to sing to him. Awww. It is good to have a choice of songs. The reason I picked this book up in the first place was because of the illustrations. They have a bit of the Joan Walsh Anglund quality that I grew up with, and so, to my was comforting and familiar. I swear I had a pink robe just like the one a girl is wearing in one of the illustrations. Not only do I have a stash of new songs for my son, but also, I can share with him some of the features of my childhood.

Book 108: Dog Train

Dog Train, Words and Illustrations by Sandra Boynton, Workman Publishing Company 2005.  (Toddler/Preschool)

Yet another of Sandra Boynton's brilliant book/CD combinations. Michael Ford wrote the music for this one, again; and, again, the music is brilliant. And the recording artists for this collaboration are phenomenal: Alison Krauss and Blues Traveler to just name two. So we have Sandra Boynton's silly illustrations and lyrics, great music and some stellar performers: What's not to like?

This is my little boy's fourth Boynton book/CD. What is really wonderful them is that I keep a couple of the CDs in the car and when he starts to get fussy, I can just pop one into the player and he calms right down. Even better, the music is quite sophisticated -- even if the lyrics are ridiculous -- so I don't feel compelled to jump out of the car when I should in fact be driving.

Everybody's happy!




*For reviews on books to borrow, please see Louise's Blog in Blogs I Follow.

Book 107: Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins, written by P.L. Travers. illustrated by Mary Shepard, Harcourt Book 1931

I've talked about, and recommended, this book so often that I can't believe I haven't reviewed it before now. But I haven't. So here is the review: I love this book!

More specifically, I love how this book is written. If you ever have had a three-yeard-old, you probably know they will not sit still through an entire children's novel, nor will they follow the thread of a story from one night to the next. A book in which each chapter tells a complete story and tell a larger story on the whole is an entirely different matter. Add to that the wonderful illustrations of Mary Shepard -- daughter of E. H. Shepard -- and you have a delightfully charming children's book.

Don't look for the penguin waiters, runaway carousel horses or rooftop dances scenes -- Yeah, I love that about the movie, too -- but the chapter on the dancing cow will more than make up for it, I promise.

Book 106: Ten in the Bed

Ten in the Bed by Jane Cabrera, Holiday House 2010

This is another book that my little always picks out for himself, so I would guess that makes this a perfect book for a toddler/preschooler.

You probably remember the song from your childhood -- if not the tune is simple and easy to pick up -- but Jane Cabrera changes the words a bit. For example, the first one out of bed is the snorer -- Hooray! Those slight changes in the text make for some fun illustrations.



*For reviews on books to borrow, please see Louise's Blog in Blogs I Follow

Book 105: Hop on Pop

Hop on Pop, by Dr. Seuss, Random House 1963

This was another book that I thought my son would soon tire. I was wrong. Oh, that Dr. Seuss! I couldn't tell you why he likes the book, even when he is not paying any attention to the illustrations. He just does.

I'll tell you why I like reading it out loud. It is fun in a rhymy-whymy way. It has the cadence of a chant. It is funny. And the illustrations -- even upside down and backwards, the illustrations are colorful and whimsical. Even if my son is too busy dancing to the rhythm of the text to notice the illustrations, I find them a delight.

Enjoy Seuss' birthday month with this or another favorite of his books.




For reviews on books to borrow, please see Louise's Blog in Blogs I Follow.

Book 104: The Berenstains' B Book

The Berenstains' B Book, Random House 1971

During the night, my little boy tipped over his toy bin and used it to scale his bookshelves. This morning there were a pile of about twenty books on the floor and he wanted me to read every one of them. For the most part, he would lose interest after a page or two, but a few he listened to right until the end. Those books deserve a write-up.

That he listened all the way through The Berenstains' B Book surprised me. I did lose interest after about the fourth page, but he was loving all those Bs, so I read it to the end. This is a silly little book, which, not shockingly emphasizes the letter B. It becomes quite a tricky tongue-twister long before you reach the end of the book. I couldn't really tell you what specifically my three-year-old liked about the book, but he did really enjoy it.

The illustrations feature the funnel-snouted animals of the Berenstains -- cute and colorful, but not easily recognizable, and, therefore not my favorite style. Again, my little boy liked all the silly images and colors, even if he didn't believe me that the bear was supposed to be a bear.





*For reviews on books to borrow, please see Louise's Blog in Blogs I Follow