We've received two of these Golden Book Collections as gifts. They are probably geared towards kids more in the preschool age range, but there are a few stories that Caleb likes. Each collection has nine classic Golden Book stories, all bound into one big book.
And guess who showed up a few times in each book? Margaret Wise Brown. I think we have most of her books now. The Wonderful House and Home for a Bunny are probably my favorites in these books. I've starred all the books by MWB.
Animal Tales includes: The Saggy Baggy Elephant, The Kitten Who Thought He Was a Mouse, How the Leopard Got Its Spots, Mister Dog*, Animal Friends, The Big Brown Bear, Home for a Bunny*, How the Camel Got Its Hump, Tawny Scrawny Lion.
Sleepytime Tales includes: The Poky Little Puppy, Baby Dear, The Color Kittens*, Good Night Little Bear, The Wonderful House*, The Sleepy Book*, The Three Bears, The Boy and the Tigers, How the Turtle Got Its Shell.
See any that you loved growing up?
Showing posts with label children's books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's books. Show all posts
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Little Blue Truck
We love Little Blue Truck. Our wonderful library has many of the picture/kids fiction books in bins by author last name so you can just flip through them without taking them off a shelf.
I usually do judge a book by the cover...if it has an appealing cover, I'll grab it and scan it to see how much text there is. If it looks like something that will hold Caleb's attention, I get it. I often pick books about things he is interested in - animals and vehicles primarily.
Little Blue Truck has plenty of both and it's a feel good story with a little moral. It rhymes and has a rhythm. Little Blue Truck Leads the Way takes the hero of the first book in to the city.
"Little Blue Truck rolled into the city. Beep! Beep! Beep! Isn't it pretty?" How can you not like a book that starts out like that? If my kids needed any more books for their personal library (ha!) then I would definitely purchase these!
I usually do judge a book by the cover...if it has an appealing cover, I'll grab it and scan it to see how much text there is. If it looks like something that will hold Caleb's attention, I get it. I often pick books about things he is interested in - animals and vehicles primarily.
Little Blue Truck has plenty of both and it's a feel good story with a little moral. It rhymes and has a rhythm. Little Blue Truck Leads the Way takes the hero of the first book in to the city.
"Little Blue Truck rolled into the city. Beep! Beep! Beep! Isn't it pretty?" How can you not like a book that starts out like that? If my kids needed any more books for their personal library (ha!) then I would definitely purchase these!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Reporting In
After my post on Margaret Wise Brown, I did go to Amazon and buy a couple of her books. Imagine my joy at finding a book about trains, which my two-year-old loves.
This book has the same cadence as Goodnight Moon and The Big Red Barn. At times, it nearly rhymes. From what I can gather, after MWB passed away, she left the rights to her unpublished novels to her sister, who has since published some of them. I think this book is one of them. The illustrations are well-done although Caleb has asked what several of the pictures are, so maybe they are not that clear to a two-year-old. The book shows the travel of two trains side by side - one an actual streamlined train, the other a wooden toy train. One is going through the countryside, the other going through the house. The comparison between the trains on each page is creatively illustrated. We've already read this book about two dozen times and I'm not sick of it yet, and needless to say, neither is Caleb.
I also ordered The Fathers Are Coming Home, thinking it might be a good one to have on hand when we start reading books about homecomings when my husband's deployment is over. This one is cute, but not as interesting as the other book. The text is simple. The pictures are more cartoon-like. There really isn't a storyline, just a series of animal daddies coming home to their babies, and then a sailor daddy coming home to his little boy. The one thing that bugs me about the book (and others commented on it in their reviews), is that one line is about the lion daddy who lives alone and comes home to himself. That just seemed weird to me, given the point of the book. Overall, though, it's a pretty cute book and I think will be one I'll pull out when the time comes to read our other homecoming books.
This book has the same cadence as Goodnight Moon and The Big Red Barn. At times, it nearly rhymes. From what I can gather, after MWB passed away, she left the rights to her unpublished novels to her sister, who has since published some of them. I think this book is one of them. The illustrations are well-done although Caleb has asked what several of the pictures are, so maybe they are not that clear to a two-year-old. The book shows the travel of two trains side by side - one an actual streamlined train, the other a wooden toy train. One is going through the countryside, the other going through the house. The comparison between the trains on each page is creatively illustrated. We've already read this book about two dozen times and I'm not sick of it yet, and needless to say, neither is Caleb.
I also ordered The Fathers Are Coming Home, thinking it might be a good one to have on hand when we start reading books about homecomings when my husband's deployment is over. This one is cute, but not as interesting as the other book. The text is simple. The pictures are more cartoon-like. There really isn't a storyline, just a series of animal daddies coming home to their babies, and then a sailor daddy coming home to his little boy. The one thing that bugs me about the book (and others commented on it in their reviews), is that one line is about the lion daddy who lives alone and comes home to himself. That just seemed weird to me, given the point of the book. Overall, though, it's a pretty cute book and I think will be one I'll pull out when the time comes to read our other homecoming books.
In order to get free shipping, I also ordered this boxed set, which was an incredibly good deal. I had checked out Mommy Hugs and Daddy Kisses from the library and my son had loved both books. The additional two books in this set aren't quite as good, but still really cute. The illustrations in this series are adorable. The animals look lovable and somehow convey quite a bit of emotion. These books work well as an avenue of expressing love to your child. As I read them to Caleb, he always has a big smile on his face and if I act them out (Mommy monkey hugs her baby with a pat), I always get a happy giggle. This would make a great baby shower gift, or just a collection into your board book library. I don't foresee these books being entertaining beyond the toddler years but we are sure enjoying them now.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Margaret Wise Brown
I was browsing in Barnes and Noble with a friend, looking at the Easter display in the children's section, when she exclaimed, "OH! I had this book when I was little. I loved it." and she hugged it to her chest. I picked it up and leafed through it and it was adorable. Then I noticed the author, Margaret Wise Brown.
I had no idea the author of Goodnight Moon was such a prolific writer. We love Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. And The Big Red Barn is one of my all-time favorite books. We've also bought The Train to Timbucktoo.
I love classic/retro books. Of course, some are too wordy or the pictures are too dull for my 21st century kiddos to enjoy. But many of Brown's books are not like that. Illustrated by different authors, the pictures certainly evoke different feelings but the overall cadence and almost-rhyming nature of most of her books draw my kids and I both in, making reading it over and over again an actually enjoyable experience. Heading to Amazon now!
I had no idea the author of Goodnight Moon was such a prolific writer. We love Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. And The Big Red Barn is one of my all-time favorite books. We've also bought The Train to Timbucktoo.
I love classic/retro books. Of course, some are too wordy or the pictures are too dull for my 21st century kiddos to enjoy. But many of Brown's books are not like that. Illustrated by different authors, the pictures certainly evoke different feelings but the overall cadence and almost-rhyming nature of most of her books draw my kids and I both in, making reading it over and over again an actually enjoyable experience. Heading to Amazon now!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Christmas Stack
We all got books for Christmas this year. I have to say my favorite was the Pioneer Woman cookbook. I have been wanting that ever since I started reading her blog! My husband is a meat-n-potatoes man so he is going to be happy. We've probably read the Train to Timbuctoo and Picture This a few dozen times already. I am not sure why the books are tiled diagonally (and it is driving me nuts) but you get the idea. Hooray for books!
Monday, November 1, 2010
A Box of Books
A friend of mine just gave me a box of books her children have outgrown. Imagine how happy I was to discover classics, like Make Way for Ducklings, The Polar Express and Stellaluna. It made me realize how many good children's books are out there.
Top 10 Baby/Toddler Books
In my opinion, that is. They are fun for me to read, even over and over, which is necessary for this age group. They all have great illustrations and really captivate my kids:
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| Beautiful illustrations, I am still noticing new details after dozens of reads. |
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| Love the illustrations, love the cadence of the book. |
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| Great book for photos and labeling pictures. |
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| My toddler loves these books, especially when I act them out. |
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| Fun pop-outs but a sturdy board book that can't be easily destroyed |
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| It's a classic. Better for toddlers than babies. |
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| Another classic by this wonderful author. |
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| Great textures for baby to feel. |
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I like almost all the books by Boynton. |
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