Put Me in the Zoo and Poker Chip Play

My mom taught me that play should be organic and built off of simple things. She claims that I could keep myself occupied for hours by putting cloths pins into containers, dumping them out, and then dropping the pins back into the container.
In our house, the equivalent to cloths pins has to be poker chips. Years ago, we were given poker chips as a Christmas gift. The problem is we don't play poker. They sat in the closet collecting dust until I decided to pull them out to occupy my oldest daughter one day when I was desperate for a few minutes peace. I was amazed how much she enjoyed playing with them. I am certain that the poker chips have been played with more than any other toy in our house.In fact, when we have play dates, the kids are always drawn to the beautiful clink of these gorgeous clay chips.

The way my kids play with the chips reminds me of the way Spot plays with his spots in the book Put Me in the Zoo (Beginner Books(R)). This book was indeed one of my favorite books growing up.

In the book, Spot believes that he belongs in the zoo. He spends the entire book showing all these clever ways to play and show off his spots to the kids in the book. Finally, at the end of the book, the children suggest to the fabulous leopard that he actually belongs in a circus. The book is great for teaching colors, and is the type of fun, whimsical book that kids will love to hear again and again.

There are so many ways that we play with our "spots" in the house, but I thought I would share with you ten different ways I kept my toddler calm and occupied when she was home sick yesterday.

1. Read the book Put Me in the Zoo (Beginner Books(R)) to see all the ways Spot shows off his magical spots. 

2. Fill a container with spots. Old Tupperware works great. This one had a nice lid to open and close. 

3. Drop the spots into a slot. This is a great activity for fine motor skills. I cut a slit into the lid of an old sour cream container and a plastic container that I pulled from our recycling bin. I guess the trendy term to use would be upcycle your trash.

4. Decorate the spots with stickers. My go-to for a few minutes of peace and quiet (especially when traveling) is to pull out some stickers. Kids love stickers, and it is great fine motor skill practice to pull the stickers off the sheet and put them on paper or "spots" in this case.

5. Cover up the empty spots. I used a scrap piece of cardboard and traced several spots onto it using a poker chip. I then let Little J cover the circles with spots. 

6. Line up the spots. My kids love to make long lines of poker chips and then have animals or Little People hop from chip to chip. It cracks me up, and it keeps them busy for a long time.

7. Sort the spots. I used plastic Ikea bowls for sorting. Even though the colors didn't match exactly, she got the point.

8. Make a tower of spots. Seriously what is more entertaining than building a tower and knocking it down? 

9. Count the spots. All throughout the play, as we placed the spots into containers or lined them up, we counted. I had a proud mommy moment when I left the room to do something and could hear Little J pretending to count as she dropped each spot into the slot. She can count to two, but after that she kept babbling, keeping the cadence of counting. 

10. Put letters on the spots. I had picked up a packet of stickers from the Dollar Spot that had letters on them. We sat and lined up the letters of the alphabet on the spots and sang the ABC song. While she is too young to know her letters, learning takes place through constant exposure and repetition. Meanwhile, my oldest enjoyed making words out of the spots.

Zen and the Art of Reading- What blogging for a year has taught me.

 

February 22 marks the one year anniversary of this blog. Funny enough, I mentioned this factoid to my husband, and he looked surprised, remarking that he was certain it had only been a couple of months. I spent the better part of my five mile run today (which included long stretches of walking) to reflect on the past year. Actually, I spent a long time asking myself, "Why in the world do I blog?" I certainly have ample obligations to keep me more than busy throughout each day that blogging seems superfluous. 

Many of my mom friends ask me just that, "Why in the world would you choose to do more? How do you do it?" I usually brush off the question by stating some joke about how I really don't sleep or that I am only happy if my plate is overflowing. It does indeed seem counter-intuitive to my type A, research scientist mind that I should take a busy, hectic, life and add something else to my plate. When I started the blog a year ago, I was completely overwhelmed with life. I kept thinking that something\had to give. I went round and round in my head what I could do to help my situation. And of COURSE, instead of  taking up yoga or meditation, I decided to start a blog about the stories and discussions I shared with my two girls. 

And so I wrote. And much to my surprise people actual have been reading my blog! What I didn't realize would happen, besides the whole people actually reading the blog part, was that the act of writing, reflecting, and completely focusing all my attention on one aspect of my life would not only help me find my voice but would make me a happier person. Why? The best answer I can give is that this whole process has forced me to stop ALWAYS doing "things"- dishes, laundry, work, working from home after the kids are put to bed, and working my mind to a pulp. Instead, I have been spending more time being mindful of the conversations I have with my kids and the meanings behind what we are reading.  

If you told me to sit and meditate for even one minute to feel less overwhelmed, I would spend the entire minute compiling a list of things to do. Believe me, I have tried desperately to meditate, but I always end up making lists, checking email, or somehow doing anything but clearing out my mind. Ironically, when I sit down to compose a post, I am able to fully focus on something without checking Facebook, Twitter, or any of the other zillion distractions there are today. I am not sure why this is the case, but I have noticed that these "mindfulness" exercises I partake in each time I sit down to think about a post have had a positive impact on so many aspects of my life. To maintain this concentration, there are some basic ground-rules I have given myself like being authentic to the purpose of the blog, always writing honestly, and not setting a specific number of posts to write in any given time-frame to make it feel like a job. 

If I had to choose the top five posts that were most instrumental at prompting this change for the good, these would be the posts that prompted my mindfulness:

1. 30 Books of Kindness the Complete List- Last March, I made it my goal to read a book that fostered kindness with my girls each day. This is the reading list we compiled with links to reviews of each of the books. I spent so much time obsessively thinking about what book we could read each night, that my obsessive thoughts about kindness became infectious. 

 

2. My Very Own Grandpa Green- In this post, I talk about how the book Grandpa Green by Lane Smith took my breath away and reminded me of my grandfather. 

 

3. A Book Challenge to Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns- A Muslim Book of Colors- In this post, I share my first hand experience with a challenge to a book. The response from people from all over the world overwhelmed me. 

4.To my Dearest Little Women- A Letter to my Daughters- This post is deeply personal, but it contains the whole of my heart. If you want to know why I blog about reading with my daughters, read this post. 

5. The Giving Tree- An Open Letter to the Amazing Women in my Life- This one is particularly special in my heart because it is the 50th Anniversary of The Giving Tree. This was indeed one of those moments where I really learned so much about myself in the process of writing. I realized that no matter how rooted we feel in our current situation, we can still raise our arms up and grow.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to reflect on how amazing this part year has been from the perspective of YOU! Yes, you the reader. Some of you are my amazing friends that have supported this journey from the beginning, and some of you are people that I came to know along the way and now consider my friends. I have "met" authors, illustrators, moms, and educators. I have felt so inspired by the children's literature community. My cup of gratitude runs over with the outpouring of support I have had from so many people. So...

March Reading Madness

Read Aloud 15 MINUTES is gearing up to celebrate March Read Aloud Month with a National Campaign. I am getting excited because there are so many ways to celebrate reading and writing in the month of March.

 Check out some of the amazing events happening in March:

March 2, 2014 is Dr. Seuss's birthday!

There are so many great suggestions on how to celebrate in this Hats off to Dr. Seuss Activity Guide.

March 3, 2014 marks the National Education Association's Read Across America Day. I love this image they have on their Facebook page, and their Facebook page is a great place to learn about events.

 March 4, 2014- March forth on March 4th to celebrate National Grammar Day. We love reading Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! in our house.

March forth on March 4 to speak well, write well, and help others do the same! - See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/national-grammar-day#sthash.l3qWJMn5.dpuf4th

March forth on March 4 to speak well, write well, and help others do the same! - See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/national-grammar-day#sthash.l3qWJMn5.dpuf

March forth on March 4 to speak well, write well, and help others do the same! - See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/national-grammar-day#sthash.l3qWJMn5.dpuf

March 5, 2014 is World Read Aloud Day. Check out how you can get involved. Be the story!

March 7-9, 2014- Here in Cobb County, Georgia, the library will be hosting its bi-annual Book Sale! This sale will be held at Jim R Miller Park from 9 am to 5 pm Friday and Saturday way to Prices   om 1 to 5 pm on Sunday. Books will range in price from 10 cents to $4.00. All the money raised is used to buy new books for the libraries. Check out our finds from last March. (Jim R Miller Park is at 2245 Callaway Road, Marietta, GA 30008, and there is plenty of free parking.)

March 8, 2014 is National Proofreading Day. My teacher friends will appreciate this one:

March 16, 2014- This day is Freedom of Information Day and birthday of James Madison. Go forth and submit a FOIA request. It is your right!

March 20, 2014 is World Story Telling Day. This one makes me sad because there are so many stories I would love to go back and ask my grandparents to tell me. In particular, after my grandfather passed, my mom gave my brother my grandfather's hat he wore in WWII. However, it was at that moment that my brother noticed that the hat was not an American military hat but instead it was a Nazi hat. We all had a good laugh, considering the hat sat on top of my grandfathers coffin while they played taps. I would give anything to find out the story behind that hat.

March 25, 2014 is Tolkien Reading Day. Yes, there is a whole day dedicated to reading The Lord of the Rings.

There is a great list of recommended children's books to read in the month of March. Check it out here.

I *think* I covered all the important reading events for March. Did I miss anything?

I declare for March that Book People Unite! But, before we all unite, I am totally going over to Wonder Shirts to pick out some good gear to wear in March. They have the greatest shirts with children's book illustrations on them. Not only that, they are also the official US Licensee for Downton Abby T-Shirts. Check them out on Facebook.

Warning: Do Not Open This Book! by Adam Lehrhaupt

Warning: Not Open This Book! by Adam Lehrhaupt (Author) and Matthew Forsythe (Illustrator) happily made its way home with us from the library today. Since then, the book has been read no less than ten times. (I know this because my oldest was counting each time I started the book over as my toddler kept shouting "Again!!")

This book hysterically warns readers to not open the book for fear of letting the monkeys out. However, Mr. Lehrhaupt obviously knows that the best way to get someone to read a book is by telling them not to read it. It worked for us. Not only was my toddler crying out to hear the book over and over, but my seven year old was also entertained.

The book uses muted colors, sparse words, and a seamless interplay between the illustrations and text to keep the reader playing along. It made reading the book feel like an activity instead of reading a story. Each time I slammed the book at the end to trap the animals my girls were in stitches laughing their heads off. It was the perfect read for my ornery little monkeys.

Our favorite page was where the narrator illustrates "The Plan" to trap the alligators, toucans and monkeys in the book. It is sketched out on graph paper with all sorts of arrows and instructions.

I personally liked how from the front cover to the back cover, every part of the physical book played into the story.

I am certain this book will be read constantly until we regretfully will have to return it to the library. However, I already know this one will be added to our wish list.

I would recommend pairing this books with We Are in a Book! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems. Both books use narration to talk to the reader. My kids love being spoken to directly and drawn into the story as one of the players.

Do you have a favorite book that makes the book itself part of the story?

Snow Day Fun- Almost Wordless Wednesday

Today was our second snow day, and my little southern belles are not used to be stuck inside all day. In an attempt to curb cabin fever, I made a plan for the day, which we subsequently ignored. My husband was not pleased at the kids in the kitchen part. I am not a very tidy baker, and I am sure you can imagine how tidy a toddler and seven year old can be baking. 

 

After we finished the baking, I made this adorable collage for Instagram.  But it is basically lying to say the actual act of baking with my kids is this tidy.

This is what baking with my kids really looks like...

For starters there was baking powder everywhere.

 

And we had to add a lot of flour to handle the sticky batter in order to use our Olivia cookie cutters.

(We got these adorable Olivia cookie cutters from this book and cookie cutter set I purchased: Chef Olivia Cookbook and Cookie Cutters Kit)

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The original cinnamon glaze looked disgusting. We had no pastry brushes so we had to use a brush for basting meat. And what you don't see is that I actually cropped out the bottle of Tanqueray that my husband and I were using to make drinks. Blushing.)

And glazing is a messy event. Note- one of the Olivia's is already missing an ear and there is a missing "O."

We calmed down after a messy time in the kitchen by reading these two great books by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman:Bear Snores On (Classic Board Books) and Where Is Home, Little Pip?

 

Did you have a snow day?

Make Valentine's Day Sweeter with International Book Giving Day!

You may all be well aware that this Friday is Valentine's Day. As much as I love the idea of Valentine's day, I just spent over $5 on a card for my husband. (Seems really silly to invest in a simple card that will be discarded a week later when books don't cost much more than that amount.) This year I found a much better alternative to Valentine's day.   

Make Valentine's Day even sweeter by celebrating International Book Giving Day.

Give a book, and share the love of reading. Invite your friends! Spread the word. 

And if you do give a book, please post of picture of the book with the hashtag #giveabook.

The group of non-profits organizing this event have so many great suggestions on how to give a book: by giving a book to someone, donating a book, or leaving a book for someone to find. If you check out their website, they have some amazing book plates you can print out to give with the books you have chosen to share. They also share some amazing bookmarks and other cool images on their Facebook page.

I would love for you to share pictures of the books you give for International Book Giving Day on the Facebook Event I created.

This is how we will be celebrating International Book Giving Day in our home...

Each of my girls will be receiving a Valentine's Day theme book. 

And then we decided to add some books to my daughter's classroom at school. I have noticed that the books they have for the children to read during free time are VERY worn. And by very worn, I really mean they are hanging by a few pages and tape. My little one is in the 2 year old classroom, and as you may know, two year old kids can be a little rough with books.

We purchased two Eric Carle books to give the teachers.

And then, we went through our own library and found a bunch of books to donate. 

I can't wait to bring these in to school on Friday.

And Mary has some great ideas over at her blog for ways to celebrate and enjoy books with toddlers.

How will you be participating in International Book Giving Day?

125+ Must Have Children's Books

This past week we were lucky for a variety of reasons. To start off, I am lucky my coworker warned me to leave work at 11 a.m. last Tuesday after his wife sent him a picture of snow accumulating near their house. The second reason I am lucky is because I was able to pick both girls up from their schools and get home safely before Metro Atlanta became a giant parking lot. Did you see it on the news? Well, two inches of snow in Atlanta provided me with 3 1/2 snow days to spend with my girls. I am lucky to have spent this extra, unexpected time with them.

After spending hours playing outside in the snow, my oldest started lugging books into our living room. She informed me that she was going to be playing library and I should get a bag for Little Miss J to borrow some books. I will admit that my immediate thought was dismay at all the books I was going to have to carry back up to their rooms. However, once I sat back and watched their play unfold, I noticed one very important thing. I noticed that the books they brought to their library were the ones that they wanted there. They also were the books that were worn from so much use. This inspired me to share with you the books that they would never be able to live without. I cross-posted this to a page on my blog for easy access. The scientist in me categorized the books based on what type of learning the book inspires. Let me know what you think. So without further ado, here are 125+ of the favorite books from our home library.

Our Favorite Books from our Little Home Library

Over the years, we have grown our little home library from just a couple books (most of which were from my own childhood) to a very large library of children's books. Many of these books are read once or twice, and then they find a sheltered place on the shelf to keep the other books company. However, other books are read over and over until the pages are worn and the characters live within our souls making us richer for having read them. All the books in a child's library need not be classic literature, but a diverse collection to inspire little renaissance kids. I thought I would create a place to store all of our favorites that we have read again and again. This is not a list created by a literary expert. Instead, it is a list created by a real mom who knows what books her girls are constantly taking off the bookshelf, carrying in their book bag, or leaving lying next to their bed. These are the books that my daughters bring to me, asking me to read them “AGAIN!” Some of these books I do not particularly like, but all of these books my children love. 

What is the right book for a child? The right book is the one that the child wants to read.

Many of these books I have committed to memory. All of these books live in our hearts. All the books shared are ones we loved enough to purchase.

The goal is that this list will grow as our library grows. (The holiday section is sparse because most of these get packed away when the holiday passes, except a few.) Keep checking back to see what we have added. And please share your own suggestions in the comment section below. 

A quick note about taste: I should mention that I have two girls. My youngest is almost two, and the other is seven. My youngest is obsessed with dogs, so there will be quite a few books with dogs in them. 

Best Books for Babies

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Are You My Mother? (cloth book)	P.D. Eastman	P.D. Eastman	We have this beautiful cloth version of it.
Oh, David!: A Pocket Library	David Shannon	David Shannon	These three Diaper David Books are perfect first reads and read nightly in our house.
Tails	Matthew Van Fleet	Matthew Van Fleet	Babies will love to feel the fuzzy fur of the tails.
That's Not My Dinosaur (Usborne Touchy Feely)	Fiona Watt	Rachel Wells	Any of the many Usborne “That’s not my…” books are great. I just happen to have a kid obsessed with dinosaurs.
Hop on Pop (I Can Read It All By Myself)	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	We have the unabridged version and a small, board book version. Both have been read countless times.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar	Eric Carle	Eric Carle	Children love to follow the caterpillar through the holes in the book, waiting for the transformation into a butterfly.
Snuggle Puppy (Boynton on Board)	Sandra Boynton	Sandra Boynton	I usually sing the words to this book.

My First Grader’s Favorite Books 

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Bad Kitty Boxed Set #1	Nick Bruel	Nick Bruel	My daughter cannot get enough of these books. Perfect combination of pictures and words for the early reader.
The Adventures of Captain Underpants	Dav Pilkey	Dav Pilkey	What seven year old doesn’t love potty humor?
Mercy Watson Boxed Set: Adventures of a Porcine Wonder	Kate DiCamillo	Chris Van Dusen	We love to the give these characters interesting voices when we read.
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by O'Hara. Mo ( 2013 ) Paperback	Mo O’Hara	Marek Jagucki	My mom thought this was the most disturbing book ever. It only made my oldest want to read it more. I despise the book, but it keeps her reading.
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me	Roald Dahl	Quentin Blake	“No book ever ends/ When it’s full of your fiends/ The Giraffe and the Pell and me.”
Gabby and Gator	James Burks	James Burks	A graphic novel at its best. My oldest carries this one around, reading it over and over.

My Toddler’s Favorite Books

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Biscuit Storybook Collection	Alyssa Satin Capucilli	Pat Schories	We have Biscuit books for all occasions.
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb (Bright & Early Board Books)	Al Perkins	Eric Gurney	I read this at least 5 times a night to Miss J.
Move Over, Rover!	Karen Beaumont	Jane Dyer	Great rhyming to keep the wiggliest kid listening.
Good Boy, Fergus!	David Shannon	David Shannon	From the author that created the lovable character David, here is a book about David’s dog.
Mirabelle and the Bouncy Red Ball (Happy Dog Adventure)	Michael Muller	Michael Muller	We met Mirabelle and Mr. Muller at the Decatur Book Festival, and Little Miss has been hooked ever since.
BOO! Puppy	Sarah Phillips		Love that early on my little on started shouting, “Boo!” as we read this book.
Rawr!	Todd H. Doodler	Todd H. Doodler	Little Miss will listen to this one five times a night.
Baa Baa Black Sheep	Nursery Rhyme		We have a little board book with this nursery rhyme, and she will have me sing this song 10 times before bed.

Books That Teach Letters

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Z Is for Moose (Booklist Editor's Choice. Books for Youth (Awards))	Kelly Bingham	Paul O. Zelinsky	Giggles and Laughter
Eric Carle's ABC (The World of Eric Carle)	Eric Carle	Eric Carle	Flaps with animals
Dr. Seuss's ABC (Beginner Books, I Can Read It All By Myself)	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	Committed to Memory
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Classic Board Books)	Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault	Lois Ehlert	I also have this one committed to memory.

Books That Teach Numbers

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
One Spotted Giraffe	Petr Horacek	Petr Horacek	Counting Pop-up book
Lyle, Lyle Crocodile: Lyle Walks the Dogs	Bernard Waber	Paulis Waber	Our old friend Lyle comes back to be a dog walker!
Hippos Go Berserk	Sandra Boynton	Sandra Boynton	Silly hippos all show up for a party and go berserk
Doggies (Boynton on Board)	Sandra Boynton	Sandra Boynton	Great for toddlers
The Berenstain Bears Bears on Wheels (Step into Reading)	Stan and Jan Berenstain	Stan and Jan Berenstain	A book from my childhood to share with my girls
10 Little Rubber Ducks	Eric Carle	Eric Carle	Based on a true story, Eric Carle takes a tale of ducks being lost at sea and turns it into a lovable children’s book.
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (A Five Little Monkeys Story)	Retold by Eileen Christelow	Eileen Christelow	What kid doesn’t like this story?

Books That Teach Colors

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
The Mixed-Up Chameleon	Eric Carle	Eric Carle	Great for colors, animals, and being yourself
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?	Eric Carle	Eric Carle	Memorized by all
Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors	Hena Khan	Mehrdokht Amini	Beautifully illustrates another culture
Good Night, Sweet Butterflies: A Color Dreamland	Dawn Bentley	Heather Cahoon	From the creator of Ten Little Ladybugs, both girls have loved running their fingers over the glittery butterflies and count them as they disappear in the die cut book.

Books that Teach Opposites

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Big Dog...Little Dog (Beginner Books(R))	P.D. Eastman	Peter Anthony Eastman	A classic from my childhood.
Old Hat New Hat (Bright & Early Board Books(TM))	Stan and Jan Berenstain	Stan and Jan Berenstain	I cannot tell you how many times I have read this board book.
Opposites	Sandra Boynton	Sandra Boynton	Great illustrations of opposites with classic Boynton characters.

Books for Going to Bed

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Llama Llama Red Pajama	Anna Dewdney	Anna Dewdney	I am mama Llama.
Good Night, Gorilla	Peggy Rathmann	Peggy Rathmann	Sparse with words, but rich in fun, you will love this book for a quiet moment.
Dr Seuss's Sleep Book	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	Just try to read this book without yawning. I am yawning just thinking about reading it.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?	Jane Yolen	Mark Teague	Does a dinosaur stomp his feet on the floor and shout: “I want to hear one book more!”?
The Going-To-Bed Book	Sandra Boynton	Sandra Boynton	A great read for little toddlers.
Bear Snores On (Classic Board Books)	Karma Wilson	Jane Chapman	A great bedtime read during the cold, winter months.

Animal Books

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Animal Sounds (A Golden Sturdy Book)	A Golden Sturdy Book	Aurelius Battaglia	Given to me by my grandmother, cherished always
The Very Busy Spider	Eric Carle	Eric Carle	Kids are captivated by Eric Carle’s paintings of animals.
Is Your Mama a Llama?	Deborah Guarino	Steven Kellogg	This is such a sweet story. The book is taped together because it has been read so many times.
Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? Board Book	Bill Martin Jr.	Eric Carle	Love the lesson on endangered animals in this book.
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?	Bill Martin Jr.	Eric Carle	Kids love making the animal noises along with this book.
Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? Board Book (World of Eric Carle)	Bill Martin Jr.	Eric Carle	Another book like Brown Bear, but this one focuses on animals from North America.

Dr. Seuss Must Haves

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Green Eggs and Ham	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	My favorite book as a child. I remember my dad reading this one to me.
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You : Dr. Seuss's Book of Wonderful Noises (Bright and Early Board Books)	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	It truly is a book of wonderful noises!
Horton Hears A Who!	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	“We are here! We are here! We are here!”
Fox in Socks (Beginner Books)	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	“Take it slowly. This book is dangerous!”
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	“Oh, the Thinks you can think up if only you try!”
The Lorax (Classic Seuss)	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
The Cat in the Hat (Beginner Books(R))	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	So basic they should give every parent this book in the hospital.
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish (I Can Read It All by Myself)	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	“For there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.”

Classic Books Every Library Must Have

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Where the Wild Things Are	Maurice Sendak	Maurice Sendak	And Max said, “I’ll eat you up.”
Harry the Dirty Dog	Gene Zion	Margaret Bloy Graham	Where is Harry?
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If You Give...)	Laura Numeroff	Felicia Bond	There are so many great “If You Give a…” books to choose from now.
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel	Virginia Lee Burton	Virginia Lee Burton	The ultimate up-cycle story.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs	Judi Barrett	Ron Barrett	Please keep reading this book to kids so they don’t end up with a distorted view of the book from the movie.
Put Me in the Zoo (I can read it all by myself' Beginner Books)	Robert Lopshire	Robert Lopshire	I have distinct memories of this book being read to me as a child. I hope my girls grow up with the same memories.
Go, Dog. Go! (I Can Read It All By Myself Beginner Books)	P.D. Eastman	P.D. Eastman	Colors, opposites, a little bit of everything is taught in this classic book.

Books about Life, Love, and Everything in Between

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Grandpa Green	Lane Smith	Lane Smith	It was as if it was written about my grandfather.
The Giving Tree with CD	Shel Silverstein	Shel Silverstein	This book teaches a valuable lesson, but it isn’t the one you think.
Guess How Much I Love You	Sam McBratney	Anita Jeram	I love you to the moon and back.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day	Judith Viorst	Ray Cruz	“It has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. My mom says some days are like that.”
You Can Do It, Sam	Amy Hest	Anita Jeram	Sam’s mom encourages him to be brave and deliver the warm, baked goodness to their neighbors.

Poetry Books

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
A Light in the Attic Special Edition	Shel Silverstein	Shel Silverstein	My grandparents gave me this book when I was a kid.
A Child's Garden of Verses	Robert Louis Stevenson	Eulalie (In my edition)	My copy is from the 70’s and is well loved.
My Dog May Be a Genius	Jack Prelutsky	James Stevenson	Silly and fun
Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition: Poems and Drawings	Shel Silverstein	Shel Silverstein	Another classic from my childhood.
A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers	Nancy Willard	Alice and Marin Provensen	I remember purchasing this book from the Scholastic Book Fair when I was a child. I still wish I could visit William Blake’s Inn.

Books That Teach History 

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.	Doreen Rappaport	Bryan Collier	The illustrations in this book are absolutely captivating.
Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters	Barack Obama	Loren Long	This book introduces so many great figures in history in a beautiful way.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Books 

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?	Steve Jenkins & Robin Page	Steve Jenkins & Robin Page	A delightful picture book that talks about the different body parts of animals.
underGROUND	Denise Fleming	Denise Fleming	Teaching the youngest of readers about all that lives in the dirt. A big hit with our toddler.
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909	Michelle Markel	Melissa Sweet	This book exemplifies the American spirit.

Books That Foster Kindness

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
The BFG	Roald Dahl	Quentin Blake	“Two rights don’t equal a left.”
One	Kathryn Otoshi	Kathryn Otoshi	Simplicity at its best.
Miss Rumphius	Barbara Cooney	Barbara Cooney	A strong female character teaching about kindness.
god bless the gargoyles	Dav Pilkey	Dav Pilkey	To say that I love this book would be an understatement.
Boy and Bot	Ame Dykeman	Dan Yaccarino	A beautiful story of friendship and kindness between an unlikely pair.
A Bad Case of Stripes (Scholastic Bookshelf)	David Shannon	David Shannon	Such a great story to read with any child (or adult for that matter) that worries about what other people think.

Books for Learning about the Body

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
The Ear Book (Bright & Early Board Books(TM))	Al Perkins	Henry Payne	A simple board book to help a baby learn about their ears.
The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	This book also teaches opposites.
The Nose Book	Al Perkins	Joe Mathieu	Noses of every shape and size!
No More Diapers for Ducky!	Bernette Ford	Sam Williams	This book motivated my oldest to potty train.

Holiday Books

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Classic Seuss)	Dr. Seuss	Dr. Seuss	You’re a mean one. Mister Grinch.
Little Children's Christmas Music Book	Fiona Watt	Elisa Squillace	Check out my daughter’s reaction to reading this book.
Biscuit Is Thankful	Alyssa Satin Capucilli	Pat Schories	My little one loves Biscuit. This book meant for Thanksgiving gets read all year round.

Books That Make Us Laugh

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Skippyjon Jones	Judy Schachner	Judy Schachner	Be ready to work on your best Spanish accent.
Everyone Poops (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)	Taro Gomi	Amanda Mayer Stinchecum	Just saying the title makes me giggle.
Click, Clack, Moo (Classic Board Books)	Doreen Cronin	Betsy Lewin	It is as if the cows formed a union.
Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes	Eric Litwin	James Dean	Ask any kindergartner and they will tell you they LOVE Pete the Cat
Diary of a Worm	Doreen Cronin	Harry Bliss	There are several books in this series, and they are all great additions to a library.
Down by the Cool of the Pool	Tony Mitton	Guy Parker-Rees	Terrific, silly toddler fun.
Giraffes Can't Dance	Giles Andrede	Guy Parker-Rees	You will dance like no one is watching.
Pigsty (Scholastic Bookshelf: Humor)	Mark Teague	Mark Teague	A lesson on cleaning rooms.
Duck Soup	Jackie Urbanovic	Jackie Urbanovic	The way the author uses text and illustrations to convey the humor is spot on.
Splat the Cat	Rob Scotton	Rob Scotton	You will fall in love with Splat.
Fancy That!	Pamela Allen	Pamela Allen	Wish they sold this book in the States. A friend of mine brought it back from Australia. We love it.
Who Sank the Boat? (Paperstar)	Pamela Allen	Pamela Allen	Do you know who sank the boat?

Characters We Love 

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
Harry Potter Series	J.K. Rowling		We have only read book one, but we plan to read the rest when my oldest is ready.
Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter Books	Mercer Mayer	Mercer Mayer	Our favorite title is Just Me and My Mom.
Clifford	Norman Bridwell	Norman Bridwell	Who doesn’t Love Emily Elizabeth and Clifford?
Curious George	H.A. and Margret Rey	H.A. and Margret Rey	He was a good little monkey, and always very curious.
Piggie and Gerald	Mo Willems	Mo Willems	These books have us in stitches. They keep both my toddler and 7 year old engaged.
Beezus and Ramona	Beverly Cleary	Tracy Dockray	If you have girls, just buy the complete set.
The Berenstain Bears	Stan and Jan Berenstain	Stan and Jan Berenstain	A great go-to for when you have a specific lesson you want to teach your kids.
Judy Moody	Megan McDonald	Peter H. Reynolds	Is your child ever in a mood? Not a good moon. A bad mood?

Chapter Books

Title	Author	Illustrator	Comments
The One and Only Ivan	Katherine Applegate	Patricia Casteleo	This is Miss M's all-time favorite book.
A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet)	Madeleine L'Engle		This is my all-time favorite book.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Full-Color Collector's Edition)	C. S. Lewis		If you could get in a child’s mind, I imagine this is the sort of adventure they would dream up.
The Twits	Roald Dahl	Quentin Blake	I cannot tell you how many lessons in life this book teaches while you think you are just reading whimsy.
Matilda	Roald Dahl	Quentin Blake	The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory	Roald Dahl	Quentin Blake	I know you have seen the movie. Now go read the book.
Alice in Wonderland	Lewis Carroll		I cannot imagine a childhood without this story being a part of it.
Stuart Little	E.B. White		We loved reading the book and then watching the movie to compare.
The Trumpet of the Swan (full color)	E.B. White		This story is just beautifully written.
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle	Betty MacDonald	Alexandra Boiger	You will be wondering why no once call child protective services. Some of her cures were just cruel.
The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo	Judy Blume		A short chapter book that can be read in one sitting, this is Blume’s first published book.