Read with Me Page 4

  No

  By Claudia Rueda. Illustrated by the author. Groundwood, 2010. Ages 3–5.

  The little bear doesn’t want to settle down for his long winter sleep and tries his best to convince his mother to let him stay awake. At the same time, his mother tries her best to change his mind, reminding him there won’t be any food, and the snow will be cold and deep. He’s not too concerned, however, until he realizes he’ll be all alone. In very simple terms, Rueda acknowledges children’s desire for independence as it coexists with their need for love and security.

  No More Cookies!

  By Paeony Lewis. Illustrated by Brita Granström. Chicken House, 2005. Ages 3–5.

  Florence has a problem. She loves cookies to the point where Mom lays down the law: “No More Cookies!” With the help of Arnold, her stuffed monkey, Florence does her best to get around the rule: Arnold has a boo-boo and needs a cookie to survive! Eventually Mom and Florence find common ground: something that satisfies Florence’s sweet tooth and also addresses Mom’s drive toward healthier snacks. A recipe at book’s end will lead parents and kids right to the kitchen.

  Oscar’s Half Birthday

  By Bob Graham. Illustrated by the author. Candlewick, 2005. Ages 2–4.

  Oscar is six months old, and his loving interracial family is celebrating with a picnic in the park. The family (mother and father both with braided hair, and sister Milly in her floaty fairy costume) travel to the park. Baby Oscar is, of course, the star of the show. He attracts lots of oohs and ahs from others at the park, all of whom join in lively round of the happy birthday song. Oscar’s unabashed joy in it all is contagious. What child wouldn’t relish that kind of attention?

  ¡Pío Peep! Traditional Spanish Nursery Rhymes

  By Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. Adapted into English by Alice Schertle. Illustrated by Viví Escrivá. HarperCollins, 2003. Ages 2–5.

  With English translations that preserve the poetic flavor of the original verses, this book brings together twenty-nine rhymes that remain popular throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Fingerplays parents can use with their children accompany many of the rhymes. The book is also available with a CD, so children (and parents) unacquainted with spoken Spanish can hear the poems in their original musical language.

  A Plane Goes Ka-Zoom!

  By Jonathan London. Illustrated by Denis Roche. Holt, 2010. Ages 3–5.

  Like A Truck Goes Rattley-Bumpa and A Train Goes Clickety-Clack, this book uses a few words on a page and a simple rhyme to introduce facts about planes: what they look like (blue or silver), how some fly high and some fly low, and so on. That leaves plenty of room for parent-child discussion of what it’s like to fly in one.

  Polar Bear Night

  By Lauren Thompson. Illustrated by Stephen Savage. Scholastic, 2004. Ages 2–4.

  “Something in the moonlit stillness” beckons. A little polar bear cub leaves its warm den to investigate. Kids will accompany the tiny creature as it explores a hushed Arctic world, depicted by Stephen Savage in crisp yet calming shades of blue and gray and white. No glitzy effects here, just minimal text and art to prepare little listeners for sleep.

  Press Here

  By Hervé Tullet. Illustrated by the author. Chronicle, 2011. Ages 3–5.

  Tullet eschews the dye cuts and pull tabs characterizing most interactive books, relying instead on plain colored circles, which strangely enough turn out to be hard to resist. On the first page a colored dot (in this case, it’s yellow) invites children to “Press here and turn the page.” As they follow subsequent instructions, they’ll find themselves rubbing a dot, shaking the book, even blowing on a page. Parents will have just as much fun as their children as they help their kids follow the directions.

  Push Button

  By Aliki. Illustrated by the author. Greenwillow, 2010. Ages 2–4.

  Like his real-life toddler counterparts, the little boy in this book loves to push buttons. Unfortunately, he’s mostly oblivious to the consequences. Lights go on, umbrellas pop open, a hose squirts him in the face: “Push button ROARRR! Clean the floor.” It’s probably a blessing when his button-pushing finger conks out, forcing him to take a break and look for something a little more ordinary to do. The story probably won’t convince like-minded toddlers to stop the annoying habit, but parents can always hope.

  Red Truck

  By Kersten Hamilton. Illustrated by Valeria Petrone. Viking, 2008. Ages 3–5.

  “I think I can. I think I can”—a phrase made famous by The Little Engine That Could—could easily be the mantra of the red tow truck in this uplifting story. On a wintry day the truck is called out to rescue a school bus stuck in the muck. Other vehicles have tried and failed to climb the slippery hill and extricate the bus. Listeners will feel the tension as the truck accepts the challenge as well as the relief when the work is successfully done.

  Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy

  By Denise Fleming. Illustrated by the author. Holt, 2010. Ages 3–5.

  In the words of a parent lulling a child to sleep, this tender bedtime book links the tiny baby on the cover to other sleepy animal: “Tiny baby panda, / sleepy, oh so sleepy. / Tiny baby ostrich, / sleepy, oh so sleepy.” On each double-page spread, a different animal parent watches as its baby closes its eyes and drifts off to sleep. The focus momentarily shifts to human babies, then broadens to encompass sleeping little ones across the world. A soothing tale, certain to make parents yawn and send little ones off to untroubled dreams.

  Stretch

  By Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Scott Menchin. Atheneum, 2009. Ages 3–5.

  The flop-ear canine who wiggled and bounced his way through two previous picture books (Wiggle and Bounce) is on the move again, this time in what might seem to be a less taxing activity. Wrong. Dog manages to be just as vigorous as before as, decked out in a leotard, he leads a yoga class, rides the waves stretched out on a surfboard, watches as his bubble gum bubble gets bigger and bigger, and more—managing to prove that the more you put into something, the more you get out of it. The words stretch out, shrink, or tilt on the page according to Dog’s particular activity. All three books are clear invitations for kids to limber up and get moving.

  Ten Little Caterpillars

  By Bill Martin Jr. Illustrated by Lois Ehlert. Beach Lane, 2011. Ages 2–4.

  All new art gives Martin’s jaunty, rhyming text, first published in 1967, an updated, more colorful look. Ten different kinds of caterpillars wiggle their way through a lovely garden: the first crawls “into a bower”; the next, up the stalk of a flower, and so on. The main text appears in large print on the page; smaller print is used to identify the various animals and plants that fill the garden. The closing picture shows all the caterpillars and the butterflies and moths they eventually become.

  There’s Going to Be a Baby

  By John Burningham. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. Candlewick, 2010. Ages 2–4.

  “There’s going to be a baby,” a mother tells her son, a declaration prompting all sorts of questions from the boy. When will the baby come? What’s the baby’s name? The answers, straightforward though they are, never quite hit home, which leaves the sibling-to-be speculating wildly about his new brother or sister. The obviously close relationship between mother and son (no father appears in the book) will comfort young listeners who face similar changes in their family.

  Truck Driver Tom

  By Monica Wellington. Illustrated by the author. Dutton, 2007. Ages 3–5.

  Traveling along a road, up hills, and over bridges and train tracks, a busy trucker, accompanied by his dog, drives his big rig from the farm to the city. Along the way he encounters nearly fifty vehicles—from large to small, from fast to slow. Allow plenty of time for children to peruse the illustrated roundup of vehicles at the end of the book, decide which ones they like best, and go back to the story to find them on the roadway. The bold colors of the pictures make this field guide for drivers-in-the-making just about perfect.

&nbs
p; What Brothers Do Best/What Sisters Do Best

  By Laura Numeroff. Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Chronicle, 2009. Ages 2–4.

  The author and the illustrator who created What Mommies Do Best/What Daddies Do Best, What Grandmas Do Best/What Grandpas Do Best, and similar books about other relatives continue their focus on family in back-to-back appraisals of brothers’ and sisters’ activities. The talents of siblings are applauded in simple sentences and demonstrated in pictures of adorable animal pairs. A big sister can teach you how to play soccer or climb a tree. A big brother can teach you how to swim. Who can do what isn’t the important thing here. What counts is the admiration and devotion that underlies all.

  What If?

  By Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Illustrated by the author. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter, 2010. Ages 3–5.

  In three very simple related scenarios, Seeger depicts the pain of being left out. In the first one a brown seal and a gray seal are playing with a ball. What if a purple seal wants to join and the brown seal is left out? The second one poses the question “What if the purple seal is left out? The book ends on a happy note: What if everyone plays together?

  What James Likes Best

  By Amy Schwartz. Illustrated by the author. Atheneum, 2003. Ages 3–5.

  Four brief stories follow toddler James when he goes visiting. In the first one he travels by bus to see a family with twins. Next he takes a taxi to Grandma’s. After that he rides with his parents to a county fair, and last but not least, he visits his friend who lives down the block. Then comes Schwartz’s question “What do you think James liked best?” Prepare for some great parent-child discussion about traveling, how to have fun, and making choices.

  What Puppies Do Best

  By Laura Numeroff. Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Chronicle, 2011. Ages 2–3.

  In this collection of unrelated scenes, dogs do what they do best: play with kids. Puppies give children sloppy kisses to wake them; they sit when asked (sometimes) and run around (a lot). They love to play with balls and with one another, and they snuggle up with kids at the end of the day. The cute pictures do the heavy lifting here; there are only five or six words on each page. Include this in your read-aloud library anyway. It’s a good choice for new readers to read aloud to younger siblings. You can simply sit by and enjoy the goings-on.

  Where Is the Green Sheep?

  By Mem Fox. Illustrated by Judy Horacek. Harcourt, 2004. Ages 2–4.

  Little ones will quickly catch on to the rhythm of Fox’s text and be eager to yell, “Where is the green sheep?” at the turn of each page. The pictures make the rounds of a flock as everyone looks for the green sheep. There’s a red sheep, a blue sheep, romping sheep, singing sheep—all kinds of sheep, except the green sheep. It doesn’t appear until the very last page, where children will finally spot it, snoozing away under a bright green bush.

  Zoo Day ¡Olé! A Counting Book

  By Phillis Gershator. Illustrated by Santiago Cohen. Marshall Cavendish, 2009. Ages 3–5.

  Gershator’s bilingual picture book combines a charming story with a counting lesson in English and Spanish. A preschooler talks about counting the animals she sees at the zoo during a trip with her brother and grandmother. Each page offers little ones a look at how the numbers appear written out in both languages as well as several opportunities to count along with the narrator. At the end of the journey/story, there’s a picture showing all the animals the trio saw on their outing. When it’s time to go to bed, Abuelita gives the children dos besos, two kisses, to carry them off to sleep.

  3

  ME, ME, ME

  As children’s attention spans increase and they are able to listen to more intricate stories, they start making connections between the characters and events in a book and what’s happening in their everyday lives. The picture books in this chapter, which are longer and more complicated than first reads, address everyday routines and feelings—longing for a pet, moving away, testing limits, finding a special talent, experiencing new things, feeling happy, being sad. Animal characters substitute for children in many of these books, giving listeners a little extra space to think through what the story says to them.

  All in a Day

  By Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Nikki McClure. Abrams, 2009. Ages 4–6.

  A positive message about opportunity and the value of life runs through a book that follows along as a farm boy feeds the chickens, helps in the garden, explores the fields, and naps in the warming sun. The intricate illustrations, cut from black paper and mounted on gold and blue backgrounds, add a retro feel to the contemplative story, which reflects “a perfect piece of time to live a life.” Try reading this at the end of a busy day.

  Baby Brains

  By Simon James. Illustrated by the author. Candlewick, 2007. Ages 4–6.

  According to everyone, including himself, Baby Brains is the smartest baby in the world. He handles his extraordinary abilities with composure until he is sent into space. While free-floating miles above Earth, he concludes that being home and doing things other babies do may not be so bad after all. James provides proof that there’s no place like home. Read more about the toddling Einstein in Baby Brains and Robomom and Baby Brains Superstar.

  All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant

  A Beach Tail

  By Karen Lynn Williams. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Boyds Mills, 2010. Ages 4–7.

  Gregory, an African American boy who wants to explore the beach, is sternly reminded to stay near the picture of the lion he has drawn in the sand. Bored, the child occupies himself by using his stick to draw a tail on the beast. By extending the tail farther and farther, he manages to explore his surroundings without technically disobeying the order. Before he knows it, however, he has gone so far he can’t even see Dad’s beach umbrella. After a few moments of panic, he knows just what to do. He follows the zigzagging trail of the lion’s tail right back to its beginning. Whether the topic is testing limits or creativity, this ultimately reassuring story opens the way for parent-child discussion.

  Bella and Stella Come Home

  By Anika Denise. Illustrated by Christopher Denise. Philomel, 2010. Ages 4–6.

  Moving to a new house turns a little girl’s life topsy-turvy, but she learns to cope with the help of her imagination. Bella is lucky; she has Stella, her stuffed elephant friend, to keep her company. When Bella is worried, Stella grows to into a giant, becoming Bella’s faithful elephant protector. When Bella is curious and calm, Stella is a small, cuddly, stuffed-toy pal. Together, they can handle anything. Libby Gleeson’s Clancy and Millie and the Very Fine House is another good story about how a family’s move can affect a child.

  Buster

  By Denise Fleming. Illustrated by the author. Henry Holt, 2003. Ages 4–6.

  Buster the dog is king of the castle until his (certainly misguided) owner brings an interloper into the house. Betty, a cat, makes herself right at home, leaving Buster both a tiny bit fearful and more than a little put out. She steals his toys! Twiddling with his favorite radio station is the last straw for Buster. He runs off to the park to blow off some steam—only to forget how to find his way home. Guess who comes to the rescue. Don’t miss the map showing Buster’s route.

  Caramba

  By Marie-Louise Gay. Illustrated by the author. Groundwood, 2005. Ages 4–6.

  Cats can fly—all cats except Caramba. He’s as earthbound as his friend Portia the Pig. Unwilling to admit his difficulty, he practices in secret. When cat cousins Bijou and Bug find out, they help him test his progress by dropping him off a cliff. Unfortunately, Caramba still can’t fly—but to his delight, he discovers he can swim. Gay has written a variety of equally charming picture books, including Stella, Queen of Snow, and What Are You Doing, Sam?

  Buster by Denise Fleming

  Celestine, Drama Queen

  By Penny Ives. Illustrated by the author. Arthur A. Levine, 2009. Ages 4–6.

  Celestine is no ordinary duckling. She’s convinced she’
s bound for stardom, and she’s thrilled when her teacher announces a class play. When the time to act comes, however, she suffers such a case of stage fright she can’t say her part. Mrs. Gobble comes to the rescue by playing a lively tune, which helps Celestine take another swing at stardom. Although her stage debut isn’t quite what she hoped, Celestine knows that to Mama Duck she will always be a star. Celestine is Everychild in feathers.

  Children Make Terrible Pets

  By Peter Brown. Illustrated by the author. Little, Brown, 2010. Ages 4–6.

  In a whimsical twist on a familiar family scenario, a little girl bear, Lucy, wants a child for a pet. Almost like magic she finds one in the forest. Mother Bear warns, “Children make terrible pets,” but Lucy is unconvinced. Squeakers, as she calls him, will be different. He’s not. He wreaks havoc on the household and proves less than cooperative when it comes to potty training. What’s a pet owner to do? The problem is soon solved, with a happy ending that comes with a message that having a pet isn’t all fun and games. In Fiona Roberton’s Wanted: The Perfect Pet, a duck sets out to convince a little boy that a duck can be the ideal pet companion.

  David Gets in Trouble

  By David Shannon. Illustrated by the author. Scholastic, 2003. Ages 4–7.

  Shannon’s previous books about unruly David were about a child testing limits of behavior. This one is about making excuses. That’s just what David does, whether at home or at school. “But she likes it!” he says while pulling the cat’s tail; “But Dad says it!” he mumbles around bubbles from the bar of soap in his mouth. Each hapless act begets a different excuse, but there’s hope for the future when he owns up at the end of the day. Both parents and children will find a lot that rings true in David’s story.