Busy, Busy July

Yay for July! July is such a great month, the month that really makes me think "summer".  There's always plenty going on, right from the start with Fourth of July celebrations. Add in a sprinkling of trips to the beach, cookouts, bonfires, tending to the garden, afternoons at the playground or in the pool, and it just seems to speed by.  We also have the added fun of two pretty big July birthdays in our family.  Both my actual first born and practice first born (aka little sister), are July babies, so we really get to pack in some celebrating this month! Clearly there are lots of places where a July book theme could take me, but to me no summer is complete with some time at the beach.

Here are a few of the beach and ocean themed books we will be reading this month:

Beachy Book #shelfie

"Theo at the Beach" by Jaclyn Crupi:

Theo is an adorable little puppy who has lost his sense of smell.  He decides to take a trip to the beach, hoping that some of the seaside scents will awaken his sense of smell again!  As readers follow Theo on his adventure at the beach, they will find that the book includes a few rub and sniff scented illustrations. We have two Theo books in our library, and E is currently loving them! He loves sniffing each page to see if he can find a scent, and its pretty adorable to watch! The stories are cute, however I do wish a few more scent pages were included.  It is a fun book to read when talking about the senses, especially soon after a trip to the beach, when your child has a fresh memory of what sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings they had while at the beach!  If you love Theo, he also has a trip to the park book, as well as a trip to the grocery store!

Sadly, this is only a smelling book, no taste samples included

"Penguin on Vacation" by Salina Yoon:

Salina Yoon's Penguin books are some of our favorites, and following Penguin on all of his adventures is fun! This time, Penguin decides that he needs a break from the cold and snow of his home (who can blame him?), and sets off on a little vacation.  He hits the beach and makes a new friend who shows him how much fun the beach can be.  When Penguin is ready to leave, he is sad that his friend can't join him. But Penguin soon learns he isn't the only one who needs a vacation.

Don't we all, Penguin. Don't we all...

"Duck & Goose Go to the Beach" by Tad Hills

Yet another adorable Duck and Goose tale (tail?).  Duck and Goose are happy in their meadow, until one day when Duck decides they should go on an adventure, see something different.  Goose needs a bit of convincing, but reluctantly follows his friend.  Lots of exciting new sights await them, the biggest being the ocean.  Suddenly, Duck isn't feeling quite as adventurous, although Goose is quite excited!  Although they both end up enjoying part of their adventures, they agree that home in the meadow is where they are happiest.

Meeting the locals is always...interesting...

"Under the Sea" by Redd Byrd:

This simple, interactive book is fun for toddlers.  It features three spinning pieces with different sea creatures.  Each page has a few different questions about the animals and your little one can answer the question by turning the piece to show the correct creature under the question.  The cover of the book clearly says 2+, and I'd agree.  E just turned 2 at the beginning of the month, and we haven't really used the book in it's intended way yet.  There isn't really a story outside of the questions, but this book really is great for practice with identifying traits and asking questions.  The illustrations are bright and colorful, and easily lend themselves to more questions you can make up on your own. 

2 out of 3, not too bad...

Whatever fun summer experiences you and your children have this summer, I hope you are able to find a fun book or two that relates.  The best part of reading these beachy stories was asking E if he remembered our recent beach trip and seeing him smile and nod yes.  I can't  wait until he is smiling and talking about it too!

Dads Read Too!

Sometimes scrolling through my social media accounts it seems like we forget this simple fact-dads read too! There are plenty of images and anecdotes of moms reading with their little ones, but I seldom stubble upon a dad sharing their favorite bookish discoveries or library adventures. There of course be many reasons why dads aren't showing off their story time skills on Instagram and Facebook, but I think it is so important for all of us to realize that dads can read-and they can do a pretty great job.  I'd love to see more kids being read to by all of the important people in their lives-moms and dads, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, friends...everyone! So in honor of the upcoming Father's Day holiday, I'm sharing a few of our famiy's books about dads, and hoping you will think about shaking up your daily story time routine with an extra read aloud by dad (or another special family member or friend).

There isn't much that makes my heart happier than listening to my husband reading to E. Hubs has an inconsistent work schedule, with some nights only ending well after our kiddos are in bed. It can be a bummer sometimes, but also makes nights when he is here extra special! Usually bedtime becomes a divide and conquer task, since little C still needs some quiet time with me before she is ready to sleep for the night. That means E gets some special one on one time with his Daddy, which includes a good long tubby and a read through three or four of his favorite books, before being tucked into bed (burrito style, like only Daddy can do, of course). I love hearing them reading from the other room as I take care of C. Even though my husband is reading the same books with E that I usually do, the story becomes totally different with his silly voices, expert sound effects, little asides, and always plenty of belly laughs from E. Harvard University even backs me up on this one. They released a study not too long ago outlining the differences between mom and dad reading styles, and why reading with dads can be so important for little ones.  You can read a little about it here. So to celebrate that special energy comes with a new perspective on an old read aloud, here are a few of our books about Dads.

A Daddy #shelfie

"Following Papa's Song" by Giannna Marino:

We received this book through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. The illustrations are simply stunning, dreamily depicting the whales' underwater environs. They beautifully transport the reader from dawn to dusk, as the Little Blue travels across the ocean and learns from his Papa's wisdom. When Little Blue strays from his path, he finds that his papa is always waiting to guide him back. This is one of my favorite Imagination Library books thus far. If you have a child under age 5, I highly recommend checking here to see if the program is available in your area (who wouldn't love a free book each month?!)

I want to spend a day swimming in Little Blue's ocean

"I Love My Daddy Because"  by Laurel Porter-Gaylord:

This cute board book shows animal fathers taking care of their babies. Animals are seen building homes, finding food, keeping babies safe, or playing. There are many learning opportunities with this book, ranging from a simple discussion of different types of animals, comparing animal fathers to a child's father (Daddy loves to chase you in the yard, just like the animals daddy plays with him), and even an opportunity to learn some Spanish words. The book includes both Spanish and English text, as well as labels or animal names.

Dads teach lots of good things, but apparently getting laundry into the hamper isn't one of them.

"Your Baby's First Word Will Be DADA" by Jimmy Fallon:

Fallon's popular books is seen on the shelves at many stores year round, and especially near Father's Day. If you haven't checked it out yet and know a soon to be or new dad, it is worth a peek. Very simple conversational text and bold, geometric animal graphics easily capture the eye of 0-2 year olds. Animal sounds are always fun, and E enjoys joining in on the few sounds he knows, which includes Dada...still waiting to really hear Mama over here!

Your baby's first word will be Dada...but Dada will swear it's Mama at 2am

"I Love You Daddy" by Melanie Joyce:

Although this book isn't especially remarkable, it is a sweet read. The story follows bear cub and his daddy through the forest and shows the simple things that bear cub appreciates about his daddy.  It's not a book we read frequently, but it is a nice story to bring out occasionally, especially when feeling a little extra lovey towards Daddy. There is also a companion book geared towards moms.  

Cuddles with Dad are sweet, even for a bear

"When Dads Don't Grow Up" by Marjorie Blain Parker:

This is easily my favorite book on the list. I came across it at a fun little used book store, back when I was pregnant with E. I had actually been looking for some old field guides for a nursery project, but when I spotted "When Dads Don't Grow Up" it immediately made me think of my husband. He wasn't a dad just yet, but E was due just a few days after Father's Day, and this book became my husband's first Father's Day gift. Hubs still gets a little teary when he reads the note I wrote to him on the inside cover...so that's my little emotional connection with this book, but really you've got to believe me that it is seriously cute. It's all about dads who know how to be silly and fun loving, who know how to embrace the messy and the ordinary and make them into memories. It celebrates dads who are kids at heart, even if they are grown ups on the outside.

Bubble wrap dad = my husband

"What Daddies Do Best"/"What Mommies Do Best" by Laura Numeroff:

This fun book is really two books in one. Simply flip over for the second story! That novel aspect makes it pretty neat for little ones. The two stories celebrate all the ordinary things that dads (and moms) do for their children. If you are looking for a book that goes beyond the typical gendered roles of moms vs. dads, this book definitely checks that box (dads can sew buttons, garden, etc). Because really, when you are a parent there's no job you don't do for your child, regardless of stereotypes...sometimes the job just needs to get done. And that's truly what daddies AND mommies do best.

Snowman or snow-hippo?

I'd love to hear from you! Do you celebrate Father's Day with books? 

March Books on the Move

I've been waiting for March as the perfect time to highlight some of  E's vehicle books!  Here in New England, we can count on March to bring us at least a few good thawing out days.  That is before Mother Nature reminds us that it's never really safe to assume it is spring in New England, until sometime in April.  Regardless, those early sunny days are perfect for getting back outside and into some dirt and mud to play with your trucks! After an entire winter longing to spend the afternoons outside, E is loving every moment of his outdoors time over the past few days.  Since he has been big time loving on his trucks lately, and is bound to become even more enamored in the coming weeks, it is a perfect time to focus on all things vehicular in his reading as well!

Who am I kidding, we play with trucks outside no matter the weather!

Here are a few highlights of what we are reading this month: 

#shelfie

#bookstack

"Digger, Dozer, Dumper" by Hope Vestergaard:

I can already tell that this book is going to be a favorite of E for a long time! A nice rhyming verse with an explanation of each vehicles purpose is accompanied by adorable illustrations of  each vehicle going about it's job.  There are quite a few different vehicles highlighted, including construction vehicles, and others you might see within your community.  E can't sit for the whole book right now, but it is so easy to pick up where we left off previously, or even just let him choose random pages with whichever vehicles appeal to him at that moment.  Not to mention it works as a resource for this momma, who has about zero knowledge of which truck is which.  Seriously, I can identify a dump truck and that's about it.  Thank goodness that I will be able to learn alongside E as we are bound to read this book over and over!

Love the humor in this book!

"B is for Bulldozer" by June Sobel:

This nice little alphabet board book highlights each letter, as they might be used to describe  the sights and sounds of a construction sight.  What I really enjoy about this book, is that rather than a string of alphabet letters with theme related words, it actually tells a complete story.  If the reader pays close attention to the illustrations, you can follow along as the children observe the construction project come along through the seasons, leading up to a fun surprise at the end!  I'm not one to spoil a surprise, but I can give a hint--the construction project ends with something that can ZOOM!  A quick read, perfect for little ones.

"E" happens to be a favorite letter in this house.

"Dig, Dig, Digging" by Margaret Mayo:

This book came highly recommended to me when I was gifted a copy at my baby shower.  It was gifted to me by a coworker, who happily reminisced about her son's love of the book.  My own son definitely enjoys it as well, and it is one that we read frequently.  The pages each feature a different truck, and carry on a predictable pattern and rhyme to describe the tasks the truck does each day.  Little ones watch the busy vehicles work hard all day, and the story finishes with a time to rest message for the trucks, and equally busy little movers.

Bulldozer...another one of the few vehicles I can identify

Side note: While I fully appreciate any gift, and especially books, I really love when people give their personal favorites, and anything a little out of the ordinary. It's so special to be able to think about the giver when enjoying the books with your child.  When the book is one that is a little out of the ordinary, it is just so much easier to connect with the gift giver than when it is the third copy of "Goodnight Moon".  So I encourage everyone to think outside the box a little next time they gift a book to a child-your personal favorite just might inspire a new fan!

"Old MacDonald had a Truck" by Steve Goetz:

This book really is so much fun.  I love that it takes a song most kiddos are familiar with, and adds a different twist to it!   Old MacDonald actually has more than just a truck in this story, he has a whole bunch of trucks.  Preschoolers will love singing along with the familiar Old MacDonald tune and enjoy the surprise at the end of each E-I-E-I-O.  Plus, Old MacDonald has a little something up his sleeve, with all the busy working trucks.  You'll have to check out the book to see what it is!

"E-I-E-I-FLOW"

"I am a Fire Truck" by Josephine Page:

This super cute fire truck shape book is great for toddlers!  E loves to "drive" this book around, and anything that gets him engaged with a book makes me happy!  It's a really quick read, with just a few pages of a sentence or two each, to explain different types of fire department vehicles.  "I am a Fire Truck" is my perfect diaper bar book--I keep it in there for something different to pull out while waiting at the doctor's office, or for E to look at while in his car seat, and it never gets old! Also available are dump truck, train, and garbage truck versions.

How cute is this?!

I really love our little collection of vehicle books, and find that they give so many opportunities for conversations outside of our reading nook. It is great to see these vehicles out and about, doing their jobs in our community, and be able to use or reading time to learn more about them!  And of course, all this truck talk carries right over into playtime as well!

Dump truck or food truck?

What about you? Do you have any favorite vehicle books?

February Book Picks

Ah, February, the month of all things sweet. Lots of hugs and kisses, love, friendship, and sweet treats (extra for me since it's my birthday month)! This month I highlighted a few books that fit these themes for our monthly book shelf. Plus I've included a super quick and easy fun Valentine's Day craft. It's "sleep deprived mom of 2 under 2" tested and approved, so you know it will be low effort but still cute! Oh man, I could say a lot about that sleep deprived thing right now...the 4 month sleep regression is alive and well in this house, let me tell you! Good thing Miss C is super cute and cuddly...although I do appreciate her cute-and-cuddliness way more at times that don't fall between the hours of 11pm and 5 am. Anyhow, enough of my complaining, let's get down to business!

#shelfie

Here's what we are reading this month:

"Love is a Truck" and "Love is a Tutu" by Amy Novesky:

I first spotted these two books a few months ago, back before Christmas.  I was tempted, but I resisted the urge to buy them around the holidays, knowing they would make the perfect gifts for E and C to "give" each other. Not that either of them is even remotely aware of getting or giving gifts, but it's a great excuse to buy a couple cute books never to early to foster a little sibling love right?

"Love is a Truck" and "Love is a Tutu" show the many faces that love can take on. From a toddler's loving obsession with a favorite toy, pastime, or category, all the way to the unique love with have with a special person. These books just hit home so easily when you are living in toddler land. I mean, the little boy who loves all things trucks is just so spot on my son. He is always pushing a truck, riding a truck, collecting his truck puzzle pieces, reading truck books, zooming and vrooming.  I love how these books made me think about all the little "loves" that our kiddos take on as they grow, and how silly they can be sometimes. Seriously, over the past two weeks, E's favorite "toy" has been a handful of pencils-he certainly would be saying "Love is a pencil" right now, if he could form sentences, that is! Plus, the bright, bold, tricolor illustrations are totally awesome as well, and make these books easy to spot on the shelf!

You make my heart go Vroom Vroom!

You love me?! I love you tutu!

"Three Little Words" by Clemency Pearce:

This adorably illustrated picture book explores three special little words, and all the instances where hearing them makes you feel so much better! Friendly little forest animals experience some common negative experiences that preschoolers may also go through...losing a race, scary dreams, meeting new friends...and find that hearing "I love you!" from a family member can make those yucky feelings disappear!  The final pages turn it around and give little ones a chance to think about how they can make someone else's yucky feelings disappear...I'll give you a hint-it's by saying "four little words". Any book that gives toddlers and preschoolers the opportunity to explore their feelings and help open up discussion about them is certainly a great resource, and this book could definitely do that!

A Perfect Cuddle Bedtime Story

"Duck and Goose: Goose Needs a Hug" by Tad Hills:

Well, with my over tired Mommy brain, I pulled out the "wrong" Duck and Goose book...I was totally thinking of "Duck and Goose: How Are You Feeling?" for Valentine's Day, but this one works too!  I actually forgot about a bunch of our love themed books while I was planning out which books to feature this month, oops!  Anyways, we love all the "Duck and Goose" books! Duck, Goose, and their friends are lovable in the same way my toddler is lately-adorable, silly, a little bossy at times, and occasionally misunderstood!  In this story, Goose is feeling a little sad.  His friends want to cheer him up, and try lots of different things,  Eventually they find out just what Goose needs, simply by listening to what he has to say! A perfect lesson for littles (and a reminder for moms and dads too), that sometimes the best way to help someone out is by hearing what they have to say! This book works pretty well in combination with "Three Little Words" to get kiddos talking about their own feelings, and feelings that others have too!

A glass of wine?

**Bonus** Busy Mommy Craft-Conversation Heart inspired garland:

So I love Pinterest as much as the next girl. And I've actually made my share of Pinterest projects that have turned out pretty good (and a few fails too). However, sometimes I want to just do a craft that can be completed in less than one nap time (the dishes aren't going to do themselves, and all that), with materials that I already have laying around.

E's shelf garland relocated to a toddler safe zone.
He doesn't always approve of my Mom crafts, obviously.

 Enter the Busy Mommy Craft. As easy as one, two, three (four):

1.  Using construction paper or scrapbook paper, cut out some simple heart shapes.
2. Write love themed sayings on each heart.  You could choose your favorite traditional Conversation Heart sayings, or make up your own! You could even have your little ones help by making up their own creative phrases. If you need some inspiration, check out this Smithsonian article that details the history of this favorite candy, and is sprinkled with favorite sayings both old and new.
3. If you have a hole punch, use that to create holes on each side of your heart, about 1/3 of the way down from the top. 
4. Using a length of wide ribbon or tulle, thread through the two holes in each heart. You can adjust the spacing of the hearts after they are all strung on, and to fit how you like them in the space of your choosing. 

Multicultural Children's Book Day!

Welcome to my post in celebration of the Multicultural Children's Book Day! This year, I have had the pleasure of being a book reviewer! I'll let you know all about that in just a sec, but first, here's some info from the lovely people who set this whole day up!

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2017 (1/27/17) is its fourth year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness on the ongoing need to include kid’s books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators.  Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day holiday, the MCBD Team are on a mission to change all of that. Current Sponsors:  MCBD 2017 is honored to have some amazing Sponsors on board. Platinum Sponsors include Scholastic, Barefoot Books and Broccoli. Other Medallion Level Sponsors include heavy-hitters like Author Carole P. Roman, Audrey Press, Candlewick Press,  Fathers Incorporated, KidLitTV, Capstone Young Readers, ChildsPlayUsa, Author Gayle Swift, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee& Low Books, The Pack-n-Go Girls, Live Oak Media, Author Charlotte Riggle, Chronicle Books and Pomelo Books Author Sponsor include: Karen Leggett Abouraya, Veronica Appleton, Susan Bernardo, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Maria Dismondy, D.G. Driver, Geoff Griffin,  Savannah Hendricks, Stephen Hodges, Carmen Bernier-Grand,Vahid Imani, Gwen Jackson,  Hena, Kahn, David Kelly, Mariana Llanos, Natasha Moulton-Levy, Teddy O'Malley, Stacy McAnulty,  Cerece Murphy, Miranda Paul, Annette Pimentel, Greg Ransom, Sandra Richards, Elsa Takaoka, Graciela Tiscareño-Sato,  Sarah Stevenson, Monica Mathis-Stowe SmartChoiceNation, Andrea Y. Wang

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also work tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

MCBD Links to remember:MCBD site: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrtaFree Kindness Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teachers-classroom-kindness-kit/Free Diversity Book Lists and Activities for Teachers and Parents: http://bit.ly/1sZ5s8i

What a fun day it was when I opened my mailbox and found that my review books had arrived! I received a beautiful little set of board books, "Little Artists Books" by Niki Daly, published by Kane Miller Books. Little E and I were immediately drawn in by the cherry illustrations, and simple, happy stories.  This sweet little set comes together in a cute little slipcase, which Little E quickly took to carrying around the house.  The books are just the right size for little hands to grasp onto, and make it easy for toddlers to turn the pages all on their own.  Each story follows a different child on a different artistic endeavor-music, painting, dancing, or fashion design.  The stories depict children of different races taking part in these beloved childhood activities.  I find that the simplistic nature of the stories and settings make it easy for a young child to connect to. What little toddler doesn't love painting or music; dancing or dress up?  I love that my kiddos can see children that look a little different from them, as well as some who look similar, all engaging in activities that my little ones enjoy!

The four "Little Artists Books" by Niki Daly

To expand on the fun of the "Little Artists Books", I decided to do a little art and music infusion project with my 1.5 year old, Little E. Little E has been having a blast ignoring his lovely store bought toys after Christmas, in favor for a more homemade, recycling bin variety.  I'm totally one to embrace that, which is what, along with the music and art themes in the "Little Artists Books", inspired me to help him out with a "Recycle Bin Rock Band".

I decided to break the fun up into three days, to encourage a few repeated readings of the books.  Also, I'm not that much of a crazy person to believe that we would continue to have fun with this all in one sitting, while I also entertained 4 month old Miss C. On our first day we did some recycle bin art and focused on the Little Artist story "Carlos".  Carlos makes some pretty awesome paintings, and his story points out different colors, shapes, and lines.  I wanted to give Little E a chance to play around with those same elements, so we broke out the finger paint and got to work. With a little scurrying around the house, I found Little E some tools that he could use to create different types on lines and shapes with his finger paints. Awesome stuff  we used included a plastic fork (great for tiny dots and straight lines), a cotton ball (for big dots), a foam brush, the cap from a fruit and yogurt pouch (perfect circles!), and a q-tip.

Our paint exploration materials and "Carlos" book

With a little quick prep (high chair for mess containment, baby wipes for clean up) it was easy to let Little E go crazy for a bit as he explored with his different tools.

Forks make great dots and sets of stripes!

A nice blue smear from a foam brush.

Mixing colors and tools!

On Day 2 we focused on the Little Artist story "Mondi".   Mondi loves to make music! So we went scurrying around the house yet again and found all the supplies we needed for a fun, homemade rain marker instrument.  It is so easy, and you can do it too!

1. Raid your recycle bin for a long container-we used a Pringles can!
2. Fill the can with about 10 sticks, collected from the back yard. 
3. Add in some small filler material (rice, dried beads, small beads, etc). We used birdseed, because it happened to be the first thing I found. Obviously, if you have little ones, use your judgement and appropriate supervision with this project and any chokeable parts. The twigs will filter the filler material giving it a rain like sound. Play around with how much filler you add based off of what sound you like best-it will vary based on your container shape, number of sticks, type of material used. This is a great way to get older kiddos involved-they will love making predictions about how the sounds change based on all of these variables.
4. Use duct tape to secure the lid to the container. We simply wrapped a piece around where the two pieces meet.
5. We used our lovely art from Day 1 to cover our container and make our instrument beautiful!
6. That's it-you are ready to enjoy!

Our "Mondi" book and rain maker instrument

To celebrate all of our hard work, on Day 3 we had our "Recycle Bin Rock Band" concert, in front of all our favorite teddy bear friends! We are looking forward to seeing all the other books and ideas shared throughout the day today to celebrate and bring awareness to the importance of multicultural books!

Rock on!

Let it Snow!

It's safe to say winter has arrived here in New England, with several snow storms throughout the region in the past few weeks! This month E's bookshelf is spotlighting books about snow, and the many different experiences we can have with it!

I spy, with my little eye, someone RED!

"The Mitten" by Jan Brett: Many are familiar with Brett's retelling of this classic Ukrainian folk tale. Her beautiful illustrations bring to life winter scenes from a time and place far away. The story is of a little boy who has lost one of his snowy white mittens, and the animals who find it. It is simple enough for the youngest readers to follow along, but the illustrations add plenty of interest for older children as well.

"White Snow, Bright Snow" by Alvin Tresselt: This story, originally published in 1947, depicts the first snowfall in a small town. It has an old time classic charm, as we follow the activities of several different members of the community. There are great opportunities for children to compare and contrast with the different activities of characters at the first snow and first sign of spring, or between the different ways each neighbor reacts to the snow.

"The Little Snowplow" by Lora Koehler: A sweet story for younger children who might feel like being little isn't great. A new little snowplow has joined the city garage, but the other vehicles don't think he will be much of a help with the impending winter storms. Little Snowplow spends his time practicing and practicing, and when the biggest storm of all arrives, he finds out that being little-and working hard-can have there advantages.

"Snowmen at Night" by Caralyn Buehner: This is when of those books that makes me think "Why didn't I think of that?"! Find out what snowmen do at night, and why they sometimes end up looking so different from when they were first built. As a bonus, the illustrations have hidden pictures on each page. A great story full of imagination!

"Hideaway Husky" by Lisa McCue: This story is surprisingly cute for a book written to go along with a toy. I had low expectations but it turned out to be a nice read with cute illustrations. Paw is the smallest husky at the ranch, and really wants to be a part of the dogsled team. He proves his worth when a young child gets lost in a snowstorm and Paw comes to the rescue!

#shelfie

Winter is such a great time to cozy up with some books! What are your favorite reads during the winter?

Bears, and Bears, and Bears...Oh My!

With winter just around the corner (I know, I don't want to hear it either), we are getting to know one of our favorite hibernaters this month. Here are a few of our favorite books about bears.

#shelfie

"Little Cub" by Olivier Dunrea: This sweet board book reminds me a little of my Dad and my son! Grumbly Old Bear and innocent Little Cub find each other in the forest, and find that each has something perfect to offer the other in their little relationship. Conversation starter about how everyone brings a little something to a relationship. 

*Bonus: Great as a tool for compare/contrast.

"Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" & "Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?" by Bill Martin Jr.: I'd venture a guess that most are familiar with these classics! They are delighting my toddler at the moment. A perfect combination of rhythm, bold pictures, and familiar animals, what more could a 16 month old ask for?

*Bonus: We are using these as a tool for teaching and reinforcing color identification.

"Charlie Goes Camping" by Carrie Weston: I love this book for preschoolers. Charlie is a gentle bear who helps his teacher and classmates to have the best field trip ever!

*Bonus:  So cute and has so many talking points and lessons offered! Try talking about what it's like to judge someone by what they look like, listening and being safe on a field trip, or to introduce the topic of camping.

"Bear Snores On" by Karma Wilson: If your family hasn't been introduced to Bear and his friends yet, now is the time! The sing song text and beautiful illustrations make this series a big hit at my house. 

We're all about those bears

*Bonus: While you're at it, grab "Bear Stays Up For Christmas" just in time for the start of the holiday season. You won't be disappointed!

What bear books should we check out next?