The Big Hungry Bear

Who wouldn't love to pick a red, ripe strawberry? Little mouse does. But an unseen narrator puts words in the reader's mouth and together you try to persuade him to share. Will little mouse share his strawberry with you? He just may...if you tell him there is a big hungry bear out there. Maybe he'll hide with you and cut it in two.

I've never met a child that didn't like this book. Don and Audrey Wood have become one of my favorite literary teams. I've loved every book I've ever read that was written and illustrated by them. Start your youngest reader out with The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear. Then move onto Silly Sally, Alphabet Mystery, and more!

The Puddle

One of our favorite things to do is go puddle jumping. It rains a lot where we live so my boys and I have learned to make the most of it. We have rain coats, umbrellas, and rain boots (which they love to wear even when it's not raining). So puddle adventures are commonplace around here. Not surprisingly, our favorite rainy day book is The Puddle by David McPhail.

A little boy takes his boat outside to look for puddles and ends up having a very imaginative adventure. At one particularly inviting puddle, he meets a turtle, an alligator, a frog, etc., who each contribute to this fanciful story. When he returns home, he is greeted by his mother and a nice warm bath where his sailing adventures can continue.

This book is a fun read after spending a day splashing in puddles. The use of water color for the illustrations really helps to establish that rainy day feeling. The kids will want to craft a sail boat and try it themselves!

Caps for Sale

I only post books here that my kids ask me to read to them again and again. This book by Esphyr Slobodkina is one of those. Some mischievous monkeys steal a peddler's caps while he rests beneath a tree. When he awakes the pesky monkeys begin to imitate everything the peddler does.

He grows more and more furious with the pesky thieves until in his frustration he throws his own cap to the ground. And wouldn't you know it? The monkeys imitate that too. Unknowingly, the peddler outsmarts those monkeys, gathers his caps atop his head, and carries on his merry way. Personalize the reading with your own monkey noises and this book becomes a hilarious favorite.

The Day It Rained Hearts

Felicia Bond, illustrator of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, has written and illustrated our favorite February read. When it starts to rain hearts, a little girl decides Valentine's Day must be getting close. She catches as many hearts as she can in her raincoat then sets to work making Valentines. Each heart is different and she must carefully choose the right one for each of her friends.

She threads some hearts on a string, glues a cotton ball onto another, cuts circles from one, and makes a picture from the rest. After finishing her four curious Valentines, she adds a stamp and puts them in the mail. Dog, rabbit, mouse and turtle are all delighted with the homemade Valentine suited perfectly for them. And although it never rains hearts again, you'll discover that little Cornelia Augusta soon finds other ways to make Valentine's...If only hearts really did grow on trees!

The Mitten

This traditional folktale is a classic. One by one, the animals of the forest squeeze into a lost mitten to take shelter from the snow.

I prefer Alvin Tresselt's version of this story. Perhaps because it's the one that I read when I was a child. Perhaps it's because Jan Brett's illustrations are too busy and don't particularly appeal to me. You can decide for yourself, of course. Either way, the story is a great read on a cold winter's day.

Santa Claus: The World's Number One Toy Expert

This book by Marla Frazee is by far our favorite Christmas book.
No one knows more about toys, kids and gifts than Santa. He is definitely the expert. Get an inside look at how hard Santa works to match each particular toy to each particular child. How does he do it? He knows and loves each child so well.

He spends the whole year studying each child, takes lots of notes and compiles all his research. Then he finds (not makes) the best toys in the whole world. He makes sure they are fun to play with. And after changing his mind many times, he chooses the one toy that is sure to make each child the happiest.

The illustrations are playful and very humorous. And, I found it refreshing to see Santa depicted as a thoughtful giver rather than a boss of toymakers. So whether you're falling in love with Santa for the first time or all over again, you'll enjoy this read. Check it out.

What Grandmas/Grandpas Do Best

We live in a whole different state than our grandparents. We miss them. I think that's why we love this book by Laura Numeroff so much. But who doesn't love their grandparents?

Our grandad tells stories about knights and dragons; Nana can turn any chore into play. Grandpa has fun dogs to play with, and Grandma buys us toys and takes us to McDonalds. But best of all they give Collin and Luke "lots and lots of love."

November is a time we often gather with extended family. Read this book with your special grand parents and reflect on all the fun memories you have made.