Books for a 3 year old boy

 My friend Jen asked me to recommend some books for a 3 year old boy. Easy! I have a 3 year old boy at home right now. 

Sam loves reading, and we read to him every night as part of his bedtime routine. The books that he has "on repeat" right now are the Stanley books by Williambee. We own Stanley's Garage and Stanley the Builder. Sam has told us that he wants to read "dat one!" pointing to Stanley's Diner on the back cover of the other books. 

Sam also loves books by Leslie Patricelli. My personal favorite of these is Yummy Yucky, which I reviewed here. But I also really like Quiet Loud, Tubby, Higher Higher!, and Big Kid Bed. 

Because Sam has good reading stamina, we've been reading The Princess in Black series together lately. They're early chapter books with lots of illustrations and action. Would I read them with every 3 year old? No. But Sam's a big fan. 

If your three-year old is less likely to sit still, I recommend a lift-the flap book, or a book that's interactive in some way. Sam's recent favorite of these is Stir Crack Whisk Bake: A Little Book About Little Cakes. Sam has checked this one out of the library multiple times, and was very sad when we turned it in last week.

 

We also have a large and well-loved collection of books by Karen Katz. I recommend Vroom, Vroom, Trucks! for its inclusion of both animals AND construction trucks. We like the "big reveal" at the end and flipping back in the book to find each animal and truck that's in the final spread. 

Speaking of trucks, we are both fans of The Little Blue Truck, a rhyming book (really well done poem!) about a truck, animals, and friendship. We've checked out the Springtime sequels and the Christmas sequel from the library and the lights on the Christmas one are impressive. But, I still like the first one the best. 

Enjoy reading with that 3 year old, Jen!

p.s. What do you guys think of the amazon widget links I did this time? I think the yellow is a little overwhelming, but I like that the price shows up (and will update automatically). Tell me your feelings. 

Both Disgusting and Delicious: Compare 2 Yummy Board Books

Sam is officially two years old! I don't know if I can believe it. In some ways the time seems longer and in others I feel like he was just born yesterday. Our whole family loves this kiddo with all our hearts and he loves us back.

Our local library is running the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program. Is yours? When I attempted the program with Jubilee a few years back, I got discouraged and off-track. I would fill up a reading log for her, but not have the next one ready to go. I learned from that experience (growth mindset!) and decided to try the program again with Sam. I asked the librarians to give me multiple reading logs at a time, so that I could tape them all to my walls (next to the bookshelf) and just keep the log running, even when we had to peel one down to return it to the library (and it ended up lingering in my bag for a while before it got turned into a prize.)

Well, Sam loves to read and not only did he read 1000 books before kindergarten; he read 1000 books before age 2. I read a lot with my kids but I didn't know we were that good!

In celebration of Sam's second birthday, and his increasing discernment between edible and non-edible objects, here is a comparison of two board books on the subject. Spoiler: We love them both!

10 Perfect Books for a Woodland Nursery

Hi guys! 

I have a friend named Meghan Read. She's fantastic. We met at book club. She's the mother to an adorable little boy who is nearly two years old. She loves the idea of a woodland nursery, and has the Pinterest board to prove it. She even has an adorable wall hanging made from a tree branch in her son's room. 

But there is a hole in Meghan's life. . . .

Hi, it's Meghan. When I think of a woodland-themed nursery, there are certain words that come to mind: rustic, wild, brave, and adventurous. This is my dream nursery, folks. Probably because I love nature and the outdoors, but who doesn't? And what is a dream nursery without books? Rhetorical questions aside though, this is a serious matter. HOW has a woodland nursery book list been overlooked by every single woodland nursery pin on the planet?! 

I asked my friend Alysa, who is conveniently a children's lit expert, to help me create a book list for my dream nursery. (I mean for my child.) And before we get into it, let me share the 2 qualifications for books that made this list:

1) The book illustrations had to reflect the natural woodsy feel of nature. I was thinking simple and rustic, nothing too bright or crazy.

2) The literary themes had to match the feelings embodied by a woodlands nursery—bravery and adventure. And a little bit of humor doesn't hurt!

Meghan had a few ideas of what books would be perfect for a woodland nursery, and I helped her round out the list. Some of these books are board books, some are pictures books, some are chapter books, so this list will help you start the woodland themed library for your little one that will last as the man-cub grows. For your convenience I've linked the cover images to Amazon.

Take it away, Meghan!

10 Perfect Books for a Woodland Nursery

1. I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. This is hands down my favorite children's book to read as an adult. Which is fortunate because I often find myself reading it over and over again, sometimes multiple times in a row. (Thank you, child who loves repetition.) In this book, a bear asks several animals if they have seen his hat, but none say they have. The bear is about to give up when he realizes that he saw one of the animals wearing his hat. A key to enjoying this book is over-exaggerating everything the bear says at this point. He gets his hat back, but I won't ruin the story for you by saying how! I like to think about what age my son will be when he actually "gets it."  I hope we'll be reading this book for years to come.

2. We're Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. What's more to do with nature and being brave and adventurous than a bear hunt through impassible obstacles? This is my absolute favorite children's book because of the memories that I have of my dad reading it to me as a little girl. My dad worked long days and traveled a lot, so he wasn't always home. I cherish this book not only for those memories, but also for the story. It's a story of a dad taking his kids on a fun adventure, and who doesn't want that? I loved sharing in this story with my dad.

3. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  A quick and classic page-turner with exceptional illustrations, this adventure story makes me happy. Never overestimate the power of a good monster story! Is there anyone who doesn't know this book?

Now I'm out of ideas. So I'm going to turn it over to Alysa.

Hello again! I have lots of ideas! Here are books 4-10.

4. Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown. This book turns the woodland narrative on it's head, as you can tell from the title. A young bear in the forest finds an adorable little human and wants to keep it for a pet. 

5. Up The Creek by Nicholas Oldland. Moose, Bear, and Beaver go on a canoeing trip together but they soon disagree on the best way to go about it. When I was looking up this book I discovered there are more books with these characters, too! I check out Big Bear Hug as well and it's quite fun. 

6. Peek-a-who! by Nina Ladon. There is no animal that represents the woodland as well as the owl. Am I right? Peek-a-who! Is a cute board book with cut-outs that plays with the "peek-a-boo" theme and different animal noises. Totally adorable. 

7. The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth. What could be more adventurous than chasing a cookie through the woods, only to see it gobbled up by a hungry fox? This is the edition that my family has of The Gingerbread Man and let me tell you it is timeless. One side-benefit I experienced from reading this to the kids is what Jubilee, age 2, said a few days after we had read it: "Run, run, fast as you can. You can't catch me; I'm a girl and you not a gingerbread man!"

8, Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes. I guess I think of woodland rabbits being more brown than white, but I couldn't resist including this book on the list. Little White Rabbit goes on an adventure in his imagination, and returns home to mother. 

9. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. Here are those brown forest hares! I admit that having to say "little nut brown hare" over and over is my least favorite part about the book. But I discussed it with Meghan and she thinks the adorableness of the story outweighs the length of the characters names. So here you go. You could call this the most controversial pick on the list. ;-)

10. Shh We Have A Plan! by Chris Haughton. In this superbly illustrated book, four brothers are trying to catch a bird in the forest. The super simple text paired with the hilarious illustrations makes our whole family laugh. It's definitely an adventure!

Bonus chapter books!

Because it is only a couple of years before you're wanting to read something longer to your little one, here are three chapter books that also fit the bill with rustic illustrations and themes of adventure and bravery.  

  

Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you found something that looks good! If you have other recommendations, definitely leave those in the comments. If you're looking for more books little ones, check out my list of great board books to read to groups!. I also have two posts about books to give at baby showers, here and here. 

A Quick Shout-Out to 3 Picture Books

Hello all! 

Sometimes I post photos of books on my instagram. Sometimes I take photos of books and just never post them. Tonight from this treasure trove, I present you with three picture books worth talking about.

1. I Am The Wolf...And Here I Come! by Bénédicte Guettier - 

This is a board book we found at the library.  

As you can see below, its pages turn from top to bottom.

What you cannot see is that it is the story of the wolf getting dressed. First he puts on his socks. Then he puts on his undies (that gets a giggle at our house). Then he puts on his shirt and sweater and boots and coat and hat and the surprise kicker at the end is that he gets real close to the camera (you know what I mean) and says "And I'm coming to get you!" It's hysterical. I love reading it to kids. It provokes huge physical reactions from them and makes us all laugh. It's genius, I tell you.

2. Waiting by Kevin Henkes

I had heard a lot about how lovely this book was, from my internets. (My internets are all full of lovely books). I really like Kevin Henkes, but I confess I was worried that this one wouldn't be that great. It was great. So, yeah.  Needn't have worried.

Each of the animals pictured on the cover is a little toy that sits in the windowsill. Each is waiting for something to happen. Each, in turn, is satisfied. It's just a lovely book and a metaphor for life and mindfulness, friendship, loss, time. Y'know, all the big ones. I definitely recommend it.

3. Dinosaur Vs. Mommy by Bob Shea
I think the first "Dinosaur vs." book I read was Dinosaur vs. The Potty. That one was hilarious and I checked out a few more of them, but the first always kept the top spot. Until now.

I was trying to describe this book to my book club (of adult women, most of whom are mothers). One of them asked, "Is it like the 'How Do Dinosaurs...' books by Jane Yolen?" No, it is not. It is very punchy. There is a lot of roaring. And this little red dinosaur is just totally, totally a toddler. If you have a toddler, you should read this book. Then you will say to yourself, "Ah, someone understands my life." Also you might laugh so much that it's hard to breathe. That's what I did.

So there you have it! Three great picture books I found at the library lately. I'll put affiliate links to Amazon in here, so you can read more about the books if you like. If you shop through my affiliate links I make a small commission. And that kind of delights me. So thanks. :)



Found anything good at your library lately? Do tell. And if you're on instagram, definitely say hello to me over there so that we can connect. 

My First Comics: A review + a funny story

I don't know about you, but my first comics were the kind I read in the Sunday newspaper.

We don't have a newspaper subscription, and I'm a little bit sad that my kids won't grow up fighting over the funnies. (I'm not too sad though. They have a blast playing with the Skype call testing service. Each generation has something new, I guess!)

Anyway, today I'm reviewing  I'm Grumpy and I'm Sunny, the first two books in the "My First Comics" series by Jenni and Matt Holm. I was excited to hear that these books would be coming out, since I love the work the Holm's have done so far. I credit Shannon Hale's recommendation of their Babymouse series with getting me into graphic novels as an adult. I love Jenni's non-graphic novels, and have been to several of her signings. So I requested review copies of these books from Random House and was pleased that they sent them.

Here's the rundown:

These books are great for teaching emotional intelligence. Not just naming emotions but also recognizing emotions in facial expressions, and considering how one's actions affect others. These books are also great for teaching pre-reading skills. As the back of the book says, "Reading pictures is the first step toward reading words!" And I can tell you that's true. Heard all about it in my literacy classes in college. What's more, these books are a great place to start if you want to teach your kids how to read comics. They have panels and bleeds, word balloons, narrator boxes, sound effects, motion lines, and so on.

These books are not phonics books. They're not designed to allow your kids to sound words out or read a book that only contains words they already recognize. I'm Sunny contains words like "meanwhile" and "tornado." Since they're board books, I think it's safe to say they're meant for young kids. But I definitely took my time with the books when I was reading them to Jubilee. We talked about what was happening in panels. I explained the things that made Grumpy Cloud feel grumpy. I asked her to tell me how characters were feeling. We had a great time with the books, but I didn't just read the words and turn the pages. I think if you want to get the most out of these books, you're going to have to be active in reading and discussing. These books were definitely not too baby-ish for my kindergartener, Levi.

The whole family has really enjoyed these, and I look forward to more books in the series.

A couple of days ago I was pretty grouchy and knew that I had been grumping at the family. I ended up on the couch with Jubilee next to me and Jacob nearby, when I saw this pair of books on the floor.

"See that book?" I said to Jubilee. "That's me. I'm grumpy."

In her most chipper voice she piped up, "I'm Sunny!" and it made both Jacob and I laugh.

Good job lightening the mood, babe. :)

Things you might find interesting

I also used this book to help my kids with emotions.

I interviewed Matt and Jenni Holm.

I reviewed another set of board book comics.

And, last but not least, affiliate links to shop for these books!

 

Give the Perfect Gift at the Baby Shower: 7 Proven Board Books

Hi, everybody!



Books are such a great gift for baby showers, aren't they? I mean honestly, especially when I was about to have my first child, I had been out of the world of board books for so long. Having a couple of really good ones handpicked by friends was totally great. That was how I discovered Sandra Boynton! I don't even remember who it was that gave me her book Barnyard Dance, but I'm forever indebted.

I've shared some book recommendations before, for those who want to give a book at a baby shower. (That post is here.) But what makes a book a good choice for a shower gift?

1. It's got to be enjoyable for the parents to read. Parents will be reading this book for years before the baby-of-honor can read independently. 
2. It's got to be developmentally appropriate. Rhyming develops kids language skills. Picture cues and repetition help them learn to read. High contrast helps with eye development. 
3. It's best if they don't already own it. Obviously. 

With those guidelines in mind, I teamed up with Michelle, a friend of mine who was in 4-H with me back in the day, and is now an Usborne Books consultant. My recs link to Amazon, and hers link to her Usborne page. Here are the recommendations we came up with!

Time for a Hug - A mama rabbit and her little bunny spend the day together doing all kinds of things, and pausing frequently for hugs. This one will grow well with a child. It's fun to read to them, and also a good one for them once they begin to read. I discovered it through Bookroo (a monthly box that sends either board books or picture books). I wrote more about Bookroo here, and Bookroo would also make a great shower gift!

Little Blue Truck - A friendly truck helps others, and later gets the help that he needs. I discovered this book when I was shopping with my friend Nicole and she started gushing about how much her toddler loved it, and saying that she enjoyed reading it to him. I gave it to Camille at her baby shower this past year and a few weeks ago she told me, "I have to tell you, that is my son's favorite book!"

How Many Kisses Do You Want Tonight? - Different animals each ask their babies how many kisses they want, and the book counts from one to ten. My kids (ages 5 and 2) love this book so, so much. I give it the side eye a little bit, just because some of the featured animals don't actually care for their young. But I recommend it anyway because it gives me a chance to talk about that with my older kids, plus it's so sweet and the rhyme scheme is very nice and it always ends in kisses.

Moo Baa La La La - Animals each make their sounds. I decided I couldn't just say ALL Sandra Boynton books were perfect shower gifts, because that's not helpful if you're just trying to pick one. This one is a super solid choice and is still a pleasure to read even though I've had it for years and years.

Now it's time for Michelle's books! Here are three picks from the Usborne line, and Michelle's take on them:

That's Not My Train - Any of the board books in the "That's Not My..." Series are great. These books have bright, bold, pictures and touchy-feely patches on every page. The pages are really thick and durable! My baby has loved them ever since he was just a couple months old and my three-year-old loves them too because he can "read" them since they have a predictable pattern. (That's not my train, it's roof is too rough..., that's not my train, it's wheels are too squashy...). There are over 30 in the series.

Baby's Very First Slide and See books - There are three titles in this series: Under the Sea, Animals, and Farm. These are really fun and interactive. They have pieces that slide, finger trails so that little ones can practice fine motor skills, and bright pictures! This is another book that has kept my son's attention since he was a newborn!

On the Farm - This is a fold out board book so it is perfect for brand new babies! You can stand it up on the floor and they can look at it while they do tummy time. It's color on one side and black and white on the other. My one-month-old nephew is already enjoying this book, but my three-and-a-half year old likes it too! Usborne has a similar book called 123 Counting.

Michelle even has a video of herself talking about these awesome books. The whole thing is five minutes, but she covers these three books in the first two minutes. I loved seeing the slides in action!

If this list is missing a great book, please add it in the comments, below!

And I'm curious: If you've been on the receiving end of a baby shower, what was your favorite gift? My favorite non-book gift might have to be the Mei Tai carrier some friends got for me. I like it a lot.