POTTY TRAINING FOR GOLDI

Goldilocks and the Just Right Potty by Leigh Hodgkinson  is an adorable twist on Goldilocks and the you know whos.  The girl knows what she likes in a potty, something that's just right!  And in the end she gets it  just right ... and so does a familiar bear.  Check out the end pages in the back of the book.   

A fun read for toddlers up to Kindergarteners. 

HELLO, THIEF

In Hello Door by Alistair Heim and Alisa Coburn,  Fox burgles the Three Bears' home.  He climbs through the window, saying hello to each inanimate object as he rifles through their house, eats their food, messes up their bed and steals their things.  I'm not advocating thievery here, but if I did, it's because of this very cute and silly B&B.  Finally, Fox gets tossed out the window, to an even bigger house, to commit yet another crime.  Fox didn't learn his lesson I guess. 

For preschoolers through second graders who enjoy a fractured fairy tale and a some great illustrations. Be sure to look at each framed picture at the end pages of the book.

Bye-bye, Reader.

ROCK STAR

Rocky hops from from one rocky location to another and becomes a rockstar when he plays an important part in keeping Mount Rushmore together. 

Don't skip the rock types and description about Rocky's Rock Star Family in the back of the book.  This mix o  f humor and facts and  perfect way of getting information across to those who think geology is boring. 

For example: 
Rocky's Dad
Happy to sit at home and gather moss.
Type:  sedimentary

Get it?

A Chip Off the Old Block by Jody Jensen Shaffer and illustrated by Daniel Miyares is a fun romp through the rocky countryside with lots of rock puns and wordplay. 

For readers in preschool through second grade.

DUCK AND BEAR CAMPING

Bear goes fishing without letting Duck know and when Duck finds Bear's house is empty he sets off to find Bear with map in hand.  Meanwhile, Bear finds that fishing and being rained on is not much fun.  Eventually Duck and Bear find each other and spend the night camping under the stars until they decide they've had enough camping and head back home together, where they will be together forever.  

Forever?   
Yes.  Forever.  

Come Home Already by Dory John and Benji Davies (together forever!) is a fun read- aloud for preschoolers through 2nd grade.

WHAT A TODDLER NEEDS A TODDLER GETS

A little girl tells her daddy how mommy is needed by her more than he needs her because he already has his own mommy who can help him sleep.  She goes through a list of things that she thinks may help him have a good night's rest like a cot or a big boy bassinet because she and mommy need the big bed to themselves.  

The Big Bed by Bunmi Laditan and illustrated by Tom Knight  is a very funny take on how sleeping arrangements can be overtaken by a little one.  Parents who have had to curl up in a corner of the bed or have been kicked by a child mid-slumber will get a good chuckle while reading this book. 

For preschoolers and up.

SAME BUT DIFFERENT

An amazing book about how diverse we  are. I love the great photographs of all the children in the story.  What's the Difference? by Doyin Richards is for preschoolers and up. 

TIME WITH GRANDPA

There aren't many stories about grandfathers and these two deserve a special mention.  Check out my all time favorite, Grandpa Green by Lane Smith from a few years ago, too. 

The Lost Picnic by b.b. Cronin is a very unusual and intensely colorful story of going on a picnic with grandad.  Instead of following the classic rhyme of putting something into the basket, something falls out of the basket on each double page spread.  At the end of the story, everyone realizes the basket is empty and they have to go back and search for the picnic food.  Now the reader must retrace page by page to help the family find everything.  See if you can find all the food falling out at each turn and stop.  

My Grandfather's Chair by Jiyeon Pak
Grandpa needs a new chair and so the search begins for that one special chair, but after trying many, many chairs none feel right.  Eventually he gets a brand new custom made chair fitting only him but he worries about bad things happening to the chair, so he puts it away for safe keeping.  Grandpa goes for a walk, a rest and a bit of reading when he realizes he has just found the perfect seat - a tree stump.  

These two books are great reads for preschool up to second grade readers.

THE EGG AND THE FALL

After the Fall - How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat is the follow up story to that famous incident where Humpty Dumpty fell and was put back together again, but he didn't escape unscathed. Humpty now fears heights. He can't sleep on the top bunk. He can't climb to reach the "good" cereal on the top shelf.  
Humpty discovers a new hobby making and flying paper birds, which allows him to watch beautiful birds fly high again. His acrophobia comes to a head one day, when one of them gets stuck wayyyy up high.  

What now? Can Humpty climb up to get it? 

Humpty's emotions are illustrated beautifully to evoke sadness and joy with different colors and hues. Everyone talks about being surprised by the ending and I agree. You will too. 

For readers in preschool and up.  

SCHOOL'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Everyone always talks about how they feel about going to school, but does anyone know how the school feels? No one really knows the difficulties the school faces with waking up to noisy children.  

School's First Day of School by Adam Rex is a hilarious book describing the first day of school...from the school's point of view. The school building is the main character who shares his feelings and purpose. This is a wonderful picture book to share with young readers ages 4 through 7.  

WAY UP HIGH IN THE APPLE TREE

The Starry Giraffe is very very tall.  He's so tall that all the shorter animals ask him to reach for an apple from the way too tall apple tree for them.  Mouse would like one, then the raccoons, and even the tiny inch worm.  Will there be any apples left on the apple tree for the hungry giraffe?  Illustrated with bold yet simple graphic images and text, this is an adorable read-aloud with a gentle message about sharing and reward by Andy Bergmann. 

For toddlers through 2nd grade. 

WHAT'S ON THE POND?

The pond is a beautiful place as the young boy and his dog in this story come to find out. Be still and you can observe the sounds and chatter of many different animals surrounding the pond. There's a commotion that connects all of the animals together. Though in the end all is forgotten, and peace and tranquility come back to the pond as the day ends. 

On Duck Pond written by Jane Yolen, with art by Bob Marshall, beautifully illustrates the habitat of animals that live around the duck pond. Descriptive words are used to spark your imagination as you flip through the pages.  What animals do you see at the duck pond? How does the duck pond make you feel? 

This book is a perfect read-aloud for children ages 4 and up. 

WRITING TAKES PRACTICE, LITTLE PLANE

Little Plane is ready to learn how to write, but first he must go to school to practice. Little Plane learns writing by flying in arcs, dives, and loopity-loops.  He's excited to practice every day, but has trouble completing the loopity-loops, which make him too dizzy. How will Little Plane become the perfect writer that he so desperately wants to be? 

Little Plane Learns to Write, written and illustrated by Stephen Savage, is a beautiful picture book about learning to write the ABC's. A perfect book for airplane lovers, it also teaches children that writing takes practice... and with enough practice, you can accomplish anything.

This is a great read-aloud for children ages 3 and up.

SECRETS

Secrets always start off with a whisper, but that whisper can be heard by many beautiful things in this world. Where does a secret travel to after a little girl shares it with her puppy? 

Secrets I Know written by Kallie George and art by Paola Zakimi, is beautifully illustrated. This book needs to be read more than once as it may start off slow at first. In the end, the whisper that the girl is seen sharing with her puppy carries itself to the stars in the night sky. The illustrations and words in this story are descriptive and colorful.

A perfect read for children ages 4 and up.