Childrens Book Reviews

Some folks are AMAZING at giving reviews of children books... amazing in that they do it often and give concise, clear, and compelling reviews of their favorite children's books. Check out Preschoolathome if you're interested in one.

This is my first time, so be patient with me! I'll definitely save figuring out how to post pictures of the books for another day or year.

The boys and I had a very successful trip to the library a few weeks ago. I discovered the "New Children's Books" section. My other strategy was to look through all the children's books on display. I figured they were on display for a reason (someone must love 'em!) and loaded up. Usually I wander around in circles, if i haven't placed specific books on hold or don't have specific books in mind, randomly pulling books off the shelves... a frustrating process producing few quality books to be checked out.

Here are a few gems we found and recommend... the first is a board book and the rest are picture books.

The Big Book of Beautiful Babies Board Book by David Ellwand
Actually a small board book, Justin loved the pictures of the babies and loved practicing the opposites.

Hush Little Digger by Ellen Olson-Brown
is sung to the tune of "Hush Little Baby." How amusing to sing about trucks to the soothing tune of a lullaby! The illustrations by Lee White were fun and modern.

The Wheels on the School Bus by Mary-Alice Moore
is a modern take on the traditional song, including all our favorite school characters such as "The librarian on the bus says read more books!" etc. Its illustrations, by Laura Huliska-Beith, are also fun and modern. It's a fun book to play an "I spy" type of game with your child, "Who is wearing purple glasses?" or "Where is the basketball?"

Full, Full, Full of Love by Trish Cooke
is about beloved Sunday dinners at Grandma's house from the grandson's point of view. Its joyful and sing-songy... and the illustrations by Paul Howard are precious, leaving me wanting to jump in that grandma's lap! Seriously, her eyes are so comforting and her lap so squooshy-looking!

Goodnight Me, Goodnight You, by Tony Mitton
ends a long term search of mine to find a book as well-written, calming, simple, and easy-to-read as Big Red Barn and Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown. (Thanks for the gift of that book, Aunty Bets!) I almost gave up until I found this jewel! The rhyme is so beautiful and the modern pictures (illustrated by Mandy Sutcliffe) are captivating. I'd love to own this one! It was my favorite out of the bunch.

This Way, Ruby!, by Jonathan Emmett
is one of a series of books about Ruby Duck, the late bloomer. We loved the tales of this sweet duck, slower in speed but faster to "stop and smell the flowers" than her siblings. I loved being reminded to care more about quality than quantity, slow moments than efficiency.

Smash! Mash! Crash! There Goes The Trash! by Barbara Odanaka
is perfect for all the kids out there who love a good garbage truck. I love books like these that embellish everyday situations- making them even more fun and interesting for children and for us. As demonstrated in the title, this book masters onomatopoeia and alliteration.