Picture Book Review - Where's Lenny? by Ken Wilson-Max

A little tip for all those folks who have emergent readers in your house -- don't box up the board books just yet. You may have felt like you could move on from these super-simple titles once your little one entered grade school, but the truth is that board books are perfect for kids just learning to read. The pictures are simple, giving lots of clues to support the interpretation of text. And the words tend to be manageable as well, with plenty of repetition and catchy phrases that inspire emergent readers. Plus your kids will be proud as punch to read some of their "baby" books on their own!

I was reminded of this as I sat down to blog about tonight's pick, Where's Lenny? by Ken Wilson-Max. Sprout wandered in, delaying his trip to the bath, and began immediately to puzzle through this cheery picture book. Though not a board book per se, the paper style and trim size definitely lend themselves to the youngest set. But Sprout was lured to it by the bright colors and that cover photo of Lenny, which made him want to read the book for himself. And really, who wouldn't want to read about this adorable chap?

Where's Lenny? features a game of hide-and-seek between the title character and his dad. The game takes the pair all over the house, encountering the dog, the goldfish and even Mummy. Lenny is clearly delighted to be leading his father on a wild goose chase, and the more Daddy guesses wrong, the more fun the sturdy toddler is having. At long last, Daddy and Mummy join forces and find their boy hiding under a blanket. And the escapade ends with a good bunch of cuddles, and some tickling for good measure. So fun!

Where's Lenny? is just one of several Lenny adventures by Wilson-Max. I love these titles because they include a multiracial family - it's always great to find books with parents of two different races, especially when the titles are as fun and upbeat as the Lenny books. Colorful and happy, these titles are a pure joy to read. Once you've read one, you'll be on the lookout for the rest!

Where's Lenny? by Ken Wilson-Max, published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Ages 2-5
Source: Library

Look for Lenny Has Lunch, Lenny in the Garden, and Lenny Goes to Nursery School too!

30 Days of Diverse Picture Books - Snug by Carol Thompson

It's Day 24 of our 30 Days of Diverse Picture Books. I'm struggling today, in the wake of the Ferguson grand jury non-indictment. My heart is heavy for my son and for all the sons and daughters of Black America. But we press on, working for justice, inclusion, representation, equality. So, diverse books - because that's where my hope lies, for the next generation to change this world.

Tonight's pick is a gentle one, because that's what my spirit needs right now. Snug by Carol Thompson is a board book, one that seems the kind of book that a toddler would seize on and need to have read over and over. It makes me a little sad that Sprout's outgrown these types of books - time was, he would have obsessed over Snug, I'm pretty sure. But it's definitely something I'll be giving to friends for their little ones, because it's not only sweet but very inclusive.

With Snug, Thompson describes the snugness of various things in nature, starting of course with the bug in the rug, but then branching out to include a bulb deep in the earth, a mouse in a house, even a slug in the mud (why not?). Thompson juxtaposes the images of nature with adorable chubby-cheeked kiddos exploring the world, whether that's burrowing under a quilt or digging in the soil. And the pictures show a range of ethnicities and genders, plus even abilities, with one girl in a wheelchair. Love!

Check out Snug if you want a simple and sweet title for bedtime with your kiddo. And hold them close as you read it, just as I'll be holding my kiddo tonight.

Snug by Carol Thompson, published by Child's Play

30 Days of Diverse Picture Books - I Know a Lot! by Stephen Krensky

It's Day 9 of our 30 Days of Diverse Picture Books. What's your favorite thing about picture books? At the top of my list has to be the closeness that they engender. When you read a picture book to a young child, you are building memories and relationships that will last a lifetime.

Tonight's pick is a board book that I absolutely love -- I Know a Lot! by Stephen Krensky. I first saw this title on a cart of new materials at work; the cover jumped right out at me, for the colors and retro feel as well as the adorable braided girl on the front cover. Sara Gillingham did the illustrations and they are terrific, the feel of classics updated for a new generation.

The other thing I really love about I Know a Lot! is the confidence-building aspect. The heroine is a preschooler, and she's proud of what she knows, sharing many facts with readers as she goes through her day with family and friends. Krensky works in opposites and other concepts quite cleverly, for an added bonus. And the diverse cast plus comforting rhythms of the text make this a winner for babies on up through preschool.

Put I Know a Lot! in a bin or on a shelf at eye level and little ones will be reaching for it every time. Look for more in Krensky and Gillingham's Empowerment Series (I Am So Brave! is another favorite of ours) for high-quality board books you and your kiddos will adore!

I Know a Lot! by Stephen Krensky, published by Abrams Appleseed

Color Your Bookshelf: 39 Diverse Board Books to Give a Baby or Toddler

I'm of the strong opinion that books are some of the best gifts to give families adding a new member. Onesies and diaper bags are all fine, of course, but books lay the foundation of early learning that rewards a child for his or her entire life. Also, books are a great choice if the child isn't a newborn. Sprout came into our family at 12 months old, and so it was hard to judge just what he needed, but the board books we got as gifts still occupy a prominent place on his bookshelf.

Generally I just do single-title reviews here on the Bookshelf, because I think each title is a gem and should shine all on its own. But I'm breaking with tradition to come up with this list of titles that make a perfect gift for anyone adding a baby or toddler to their family. Please note: these are NOT book recommendations solely for children of color. White kids need these books too. I cannot stress this enough. If we're going to raise global citizens, if we're going to foster inclusion and tolerance, we've got to start diversifying every single child's bookshelf. And we need to do that from day one.

So - on to the list!

First up is one Sprout adored as a baby himself, and which we've given to several families -- Global Babies by the Global Fund for Children. Babies love to look at other babies, so this is a sure-fire hit. We received two copies of this when Sprout came home, and it's a good thing because we've worn both out! Also look for other Global Fund for Children titles: Global Baby Girls and American Babies.



Another pair of titles Sprout read a lot as a toddler are the board books Whose Knees Are These? and Whose Toes Are Those? by Jabari Asim. Bright and cheerful, with colorful graphics, these simple titles speak directly to a young child's interest in his/her own person. And, they are super fun to boot. I can still quote chunks of this: "knees like these don't grow on trees!" Also fun are Asim's Girl of Mine and Boy of Mine -- all are illustrated by the incomparable LeUyen Pham.


We recently read Anna McQuinn's new book Leo Loves Baby Time, the companion to her series featuring African American toddler Lola and her little brother Leo. (It isn't a board book, but does have reinforced pages for small kiddos.) Though he's a little old for it now, Sprout loved revisiting these favorite characters and seeing Leo in the starring role in McQuinn's comforting and happy title. Lola at the Library is available in board book form, and we read it nearly every week, either before or after our Friday visit to stock up on books.


Cheryl Willis Hudson did a few terrific board books several years ago, and I'm glad to see they are still in print for families and libraries to add to their collections. Good Morning, Baby and Good Night, Baby deal with routines familiar to any little one, and it's nice to see African American kids in the main roles here. These are solid stories likely to earn a central place in your read-aloud routine. Also look for Let's Count, Baby and Animal Sounds for Baby, in the same series but maybe a little harder to find.

Two new books that are widely available, and which we just adore, are both written by Mary Brigid Barrett. Pat-A-Cake and All Fall Down sound like they are based on the familiar rhymes, and while there are some similarities, Barrett has put an entirely new spin on things. These are breezy, easy reads, bound to capture -- and keep -- the attention of a toddler. Oh, and if those illustrations look familiar, it's because the artist probably is: LeUyen Pham, whose work I was just raving about a little bit ago.


Another recent title that is a real visual treat is Julie Morstad's take on the poem The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson. I have a soft spot for this poem, it being my particular childhood favorite from Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses. Morstad has reimagined this verse and set it in a classic format, depicting a gaggle of children experiencing the swing in various venues. I love that the diversity is woven so seamlessly into this quietly striking title, never feeling forced or premeditated, just natural, as all kinds of kids do love to swing!



Free Spirit Publishing has produced the "Happy Healthy Baby" series of board books by Elizabeth Verdick and Marjorie Lisovskis. Each one works well on its own, but giving the whole series to a family would be so much fun. Sprout and I read Reach, all about babies engaging with the world by reaching out. He liked seeing the pictures, which are striking black-and-white photos of babies of various ethnicities. The series also contains Eat, Move, and Cuddle, and every entry looks even cuter than the one before.


Little Scholastic did a line of board books a few years ago that are nicely diverse. We bought Welcome Fall for our bookshelf before Sprout joined our family, and he was pretty much obsessed with it for quite a long while. The series includes books for each season (Welcome Spring is a nice one too), books on manners like Please and Thank You and Uh-Oh! I'm Sorry and informative titles like My Body. There are interactive components in most of these titles, which really adds to the enjoyment for babies and toddlers.



A colleague recommended Karen Baicker's books to me, and they were among the first we checked out of the library, before Sprout was totally ready to handle books with paper pages. I Can Do It Too! and You Can Do It Too! stand alone just fine, but work quite nicely together. The illustrations by Ken Wilson-Max bring these titles to life, and the gentle reassurance of the message is a nice identity boost for all children.


Roberta Grobel Intrater wrote a series of board books called Baby Faces, and they are just about as cute as can be. The photos are gorgeous, clear and bold to draw the attention of little ones and keep it. Most libraries have these (or should - suggest if your library doesn't!) and I've seen them in many bookstores as well. We've read and loved several, including Splash!, Smile!, and Peek-A-Boo!, and there are quite a few more. A couple of these books, plus some small toys and a onesie, would make a terrific basket for a new baby.


Rachel Fuller is another author/illustrator who has done several board books with diversity. Each title is bright and colorful, just the thing for stimulating a young child's curiosity in books. The stories are simple enough that kiddos won't get lost, which is a nice feature of books like these that truly are written to be board books. Most of the titles are geared around the addition of a new sibling, so they can work for kids of varying ages, something not all board books do well. Among the titles: Look at Me!, Waiting for Baby (multiracial family in this one!), and You and Me.


We were fortunate to get some really terrific board books as shower gifts, some of which we still read together almost four years later. Among these was Susan Meyers' Everywhere Babies, illustrated by Marla Frazee. (This is available in a hardcover edition or board book - you can't go wrong either way, I promise you.) I adore the way Frazee incorporates diversity seamlessly into almost every one of her books, and this is no exception. Little ones will love looking at all the babies, and the sweetly sentimental text will appeal to their grownups as well.

No diverse bookshelf is complete without books by Helen Oxenbury. Her delightfully chubby babies and toddlers make the perfect complement to her simple phrases and plots. We loved so many of her board books when Sprout was younger, and even now I can quote large swatches of text from some of them. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes was a gift from a sweet friend, a total classic that we read every night during bathtime. Say Goodnight, Clap Hands, Tickle Tickle, All Fall Down-- all of these are fabulous and bound to become part of a baby's daily book time.

You can't go wrong with any of the titles we've compiled above, so add these and other diverse titles to your gift list for new families. What are your favorite multicultural books to read with a baby or toddler?

30 Days of Picture Books - The Tiny King by Taro Miura

It's Day 23 in our 30 Days of Picture Books. Hopefully you've found some new titles to read this past three weeks. We certainly have, and we continue to explore more authors and illustrators who are unfamiliar to us, as well as our old standbys. I'm fortunate to work at a day job that gives me near-constant exposure to picture books. But if you don't have that luxury, blogs like Pragmatic Mom, What Do We Do All Day?, Delightful Children's Books, Growing Book by Book and Jen Robinson's Book Page are all terrific sources for awesome new picture book finds, just to name a few.

Tonight's pick is one that I probably never would have noticed but for the fact that it came across my desk. I'm so glad it did, because Taro Miura's The Tiny King is a powerhouse of a concept book. It's a fantastic choice for even the littlest readers, because visually it's quite stimulating, with its primary colors and blocky bold artwork. And the simplicity of the story means it works for a wide age range, with different points to explore with readers at different stages.

The Tiny King (pictured actual size on the cover of the book) lives a very lonely life. He's got a big house, a big table and a big bed, but no one to keep him company except his army of soldiers. Then one day the Tiny King meets a Big Princess and falls in love. Marriage soon follows and suddenly the Tiny King finds his household bustling with the addition of 10 children! Now the house isn't too big, the table of food is easily consumed, and everyone sleeps better at night all snuggled up together in the big, big bed.

The use of color and shape are quite dynamic in The Tiny King. Miura contrasts the Tiny King's lonely state at the beginning of the book, marked by black backgrounds, with his blossoming as a family comes into his life. Then the color palette shifts abruptly, with brights and pastels the order of the day. Each spread is more and more joyful, to emphasize how much happier the Tiny King is now, as Sprout pointed out tonight when we read this for about the tenth time. You can't help but smile at the sight of all those adorable kiddos, numbered 1 through 10, cavorting through the previously forlorn castle.

My library has categorized The Tiny King in our concepts area, and it works beautifully there, but don't ignore the depths that the story contains, and the opportunity to talk with kids about life and relationships. This one's a winner for sure - hoping to read more from Miura soon!

The Tiny King by Taro Miura, published by Candlewick Press

30 Days of Picture Books - Pouch! by David Ezra Stein

It's Day 7 of our 30 Days of Picture Books Series. We have loads more wonderful titles to come, and I hope you're planning to follow along with each entry in the series. Follow us on Facebook and you'll be getting two picks per day - our selection in the 30 Days of Picture Books Series, plus the Picture Book of the Day choice, nominated by a rotating selection of bloggers. Either way, you can't lose with all this good stuff.

Today's pick is so vibrant, it just about leaps off the page at you - and it stars a kangaroo, so I'm almost being literal here! David Ezra Stein has written a host of fantastic picture books, but Pouch! is one of our favorites. It's perfect for every very young kids, as the illustrations, while colorful and complex, are also sketchy and full of movement. You may find yourself doing what Sprout and I did the first time we read it -- acting out the hops of the baby kangaroo and counting each one. Hey, books + movement = a total win-win from my perspective!

Stein's main character, predictably named Joey, is a baby kangaroo who feels he is more than ready to leave the nest -- er, pouch. "I want to hop!" Joey tells his mama. And Mama encourages him to climb out of the pouch so he can do just that. Right away Joey encounters an unfamiliar creature, namely a bee. That's enough to scare Joey right back into the pouch, where he stays until he is able to muster up the bravery to do it again. Of course on the next hop he runs into yet another stranger, and on and on the book goes. Finally, though, Joey runs into someone with whom he has more than a little in common, and finally finds the courage to stay out of the pouch on his own.

Pouch! provides plenty of reassurance for little ones on the verge of venturing out themselves - whether that's going to preschool for the first time or spending time with a new friend. Stein gently encourages kids to push their boundaries a little at a time, just like Joey does, each time finding a little more security in the otherwise unfamiliar world. I love that Stein dwells more on the surprises that Joey finds, and doesn't diminish Joey's need to recharge in his mama's pouch. Haven't we all been just like Joey at one time or another?

For a sweet and spunky title that's great for the toddler set, look no further than Pouch! Just don't forget to explore the world around with some hops of your own!

Pouch! by David Ezra Stein, published by G.P. Putnam's Sons

Bonus: a fun look behind the scenes at the making of Pouch!

Mad, Mad, Mad! - 4 Picture Books for Taming Tantrums

Whoever dubbed them "the terrible twos" must have never have spent time with a three-year-old. I'm here to tell you that two has nothing on three when it comes to testing, challenging and fighting for control over every.little.thing. Seriously! And because Mama can't, or won't, give in to the incessant demands for things to be done Sprout's way, we inevitably run smack into the dreaded temper tantrum.

(And to the nice elderly lady who smiles and says "Enjoy every moment" when my kid is melting down in the checkout line at Target - surely you didn't mean this particular moment, right?)

Anyway, in an effort to give Sprout words for his emotions, and to help him understand that his feelings are all part of life as we know it, I of course turned to books. There are, thankfully, a number of picture books about anger and tantrums, but here are a few that especially resonated with us, and maybe helped a little with that anger management too.

First up is Rachel Vail's Sometimes I'm Bombaloo, a great springboard for discussion about the changeable nature of moods. Katie is a pretty easygoing kid, usually. She loves her family and she has great manners, even at the table. But every so often Katie gets pushed to the edge - and that's when she becomes Bombaloo, an angry monster who acts first and thinks later. Vail does a great job of exploring Katie's emotions, even hinting at what might have driven Katie to go Bombaloo (her brother knocking over her block tower. Sprout understands this one completely.) Bombaloo has consequences, as Vail demonstrates, but just as quickly as she disappeared, Katie is back to herself again. I love that there are apologies and hugs after the Bombaloo phase, showing that being sorry for your actions is an important part of the process. And it's given us a great new term for expressing our anger, which we now call "going Bombaloo".

Finn Throws a Fit by David Elliott follows a household through the rages and stages of one little boy's tantrums. Again, we have a generally mellow kid who, when his mommy offers him his favorite peaches, is suddenly overcome by a temper fit resulting in all kinds of crazy consequences. There are storm clouds in the nursery, then lightning in the kitchen, and before you know it Finn's hapless parents are trying to survive a storm of apocalyptic proportions. But it all passes soon enough, and Finn is back to his sweet self. Though Elliott doesn't delve into as deep an examination of mood as Vail does, he does chart the escalation of the temper tantrum effectively (Sprout says, "uh-oh, he's getting really mad now!"). And the messy, sketchy artwork by Timothy Basil Ering suits the varying moods of a tantruming toddler to the T. Peaches, anyone?

In Linda Urban's Mouse Was Mad, the title character is peeved from the get-go. We never do find out what set him off, but the more Mouse tries to act out his frustrations, the more angry he gets. He's hopping mad - but he can't hop near as well as Hare. He's stomping mad - but Bear's the king of stomping. And with each successive failure to properly demonstrate anger, Mouse gets more and more explosive. Finally Mouse is so mad that he can't even move. . . and he finds that in standing still, his anger suddenly evaporates. We talked about the solution Mouse comes to at some length as we read this book, and even tried it once, with shockingly effective results. Of course, the trick is getting Sprout to stand still, but Urban's incredibly important lesson - that sometimes you need to step away and just cool off - seems to be sticking with him. And anyway, it's better than being "rolling on the ground" mad!

I usually limit these quick review posts to three titles, but I just have to mention one of my favorites, Norton Juster's Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie. Readers will recognize the multiracial family from Juster's earlier book The Hello Goodbye Window, one of our all-time favorites. This time our little girl shows off her dual personalities, the contentious Sourpuss and compliant Sweetie Pie, as she visits her grandparents. It's hard to know just what makes one show up and the other disappear, but it's very clear that these two couldn't be more dissimilar. Sprout loves to pick out which one is Sourpuss (she of screwed-up face and crossed arms) and which one is Sweetie Pie (smiles and laughter, of course). And sometimes both girls are there at once, to Nanna and Poppy's great consternation. Tracking the evolution of moods isn't easy, but Juster and illustrator Chris Raschka give us one especially genius spread that does just that, as our heroine turns from angry to happy in the space of a few sentences. Parents especially will identify with the exhausted Nanna and Poppy, who hope for nothing more than to see just Sweetie Pie at the breakfast table.

What are your favorite titles for coping with emotions? Drop me a line and we'll check them out - we can always use one more!

Picture Book Review - Oscar's Half Birthday by Bob Graham

I first encountered Bob Graham's work eons ago as a bookseller, when his title "Let's Get a Pup!" Said Kate was newly published. The book resonated with me for a lot of reasons - the nontraditional vibe about the family (tattoos! nose rings!), the really-real household environment (clutter and all), the fact that the family ends up with not one dog but two. It was one of those I bought and stuck away for my own kiddo, someday.

Fast forward to today when I actually do have my own wee one, and what do you know, Bob Graham's one of his favorite author/illustrators. We've read not only Kate, but also Graham's April and Esme, Tooth Fairies and most recently (and repeatedly) A Bus Called Heaven, which can and probably will be the subject of its own post. How this talented man hasn't received more awards and accolades I'll never know - just to pick up one of his titles is to be transported into a world where the prosaic and magical intersect in the form of angelic toddlers with messy hands and fairy godmother-esque grandmas bearing chocolate cakes. The books Graham creates are equal parts unique and comforting, the kinds of experiences you never knew you always wanted.

One of my personal picks from among Graham's excellent catalog of titles is 2005's Oscar's Half Birthday. It's fair to say that this one probably stands out because of its multiracial family - Mom's dark-skinned with braids, Dad's light-skinned with a soul patch, and the kiddos, Millie and Oscar, are a beautiful blend of both. We don't have enough of this in kidlit, and it's especially nice that the family just is, no mention of skin color necessary, thank you very much. I love how deftly Graham mixes in diversity with all of his titles, like a pinch of spice that livens up the whole concoction.

But beyond the broad color palette, Oscar's Half Birthday is just a solidly built piece of children's literature. Oscar's having a half-birthday party - mostly because no one can wait for his real birthday - and that forms the central plot of this cozy tale. Mom and Dad and Millie pack up picnic fixings and set out for a hilltop park, pushing Oscar in his stroller and led by Boris the dog. Along the way there are adventures, none too scary but just thrilling enough: squawking gulls overhead, a train rocketing down the tracks, a meandering path through the woods as Oscar slumbers. One really feels that the journey is most of the adventure. At last the family makes it to the hilltop and finds the perfect picnic place. Suddenly the family's circle has expanded to take in a whole crowd of bystanders, and all join in the chorus of "Happy Birthday" to Oscar.

Like so many of his other works, Oscar's Half Birthday celebrates not only family and camaraderie but also community and the place we all have in one another's lives. That all the characters are drawn to the birthday celebrations seems natural, simple and perfect. And the ending is pitch-perfect too. After the action on the hilltop, Graham brings his characters back to their comfy apartment home, for the tried-and-true ritual of bath and cuddles for Millie and Oscar, a little slow dancing for Mom and Dad.

Reading this together at bedtime is like slipping into a pair of favorite pjs, soft and familiar. There's something new to look at each time through, so much detail for Sprout to examine and exclaim over. It affords us plenty of chances to talk about our own day's activities, the perfect key-down to another busy day of fun and family.

Oscar's Half Birthday by Bob Graham, published by Candlewick Press
Ages 3-7
Source: Library
Sample: "Near the top, the path goes through woods. They listen to the wind in the trees and the drone of distant traffic. Boris chases rabbits. / Oscar frowns in the dim light -- six different expressions on his face in the time it takes a leaf to fall."
Highly recommended

Bonus: Author Suzy Becker on her visit to Bob Graham, from Publisher's Weekly (file this under "things about which I am profoundly jealous")

Wayback Wednesday - Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989)

Alphabet books. If there's one thing that picture book shelves are bursting with, it's books for the abecedarian set. And for good reason - print awareness and letter recognition are two of the building blocks of early literacy, so we try to get kiddos interested in written characters pretty early. In fact some of the first books published for children were alphabet books. This was a popular topic for hornbooks, which consisted of a page covered with a thin protective sheet and bound to a handle (take a look at the history of hornbooks and similar productions).

Fast-forward to modern times, when new books on the subject are being produced every season.There are all sorts of conceits employed with alphabet-themed reads. Books are populated with adorable critters, paired with high-interest topics, and feature letters that are literally turned on their heads. Some of these are excellent, modern classics that will surely be around for generations - but sadly, many of them are mediocre at best. If you don't have a great idea for an alphabet book, a truly original spin on the topic, you should just leave the subject alone, in my opinion.

And that's where Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault comes in.  Far from your average ABC tome, this alphabet book made it onto School Library Journal's list of 100 Books that Shaped the Century and is #23 on Elizabeth Bird's Top 100 Picture Books List from this year. I can just imagine the pitch for this book: "all the letters of the alphabet make their way to the top of a coconut tree, and then they all fall over." Mmm-hmmm. It doesn't sound like much, and I think that's probably the appeal of it. Certainly the vivid cover art by Lois Ehlert is enough to draw most young ones toward it - those colors! that ever-so-slightly leaning tree with its jaunty palm boughs! - but the real genius is in the way Martin and Archambault's text marries itself perfectly to the graphic style. The minute you crack the book open you know this isn't just another ho-hum abecedarian treatment, but rather a lively jumble of letters and colors and action that just make you want to read it over again the second you've finished.

What I think makes Chicka Chicka Boom Boom most compelling are the quirks of personality the letters manifest. A is a trickster, daring everyone else into the climb, and D isn't much better. H is along for the ride, and L, M, N, O, and P are pretty much giving in to peer pressure. And when everybody falls out of the tree - well, poor E and F are injured, and J and K just get overwhelmed. Sounds like common occurrence with a bunch of preschoolers, right? And that's got to be a big part of why this title has such staying power.

Sprout's at the age where he's just starting to recognize letters from his name on signs and in the books we read. He was endlessly thrilled to crack open Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and see HIS letters right there, big as life, inside the front cover. It wasn't long before he was reciting the tag line just as I'm sure the authors imagined it, loud and exuberantly. Dare I hope that this cake might be in our future??

Wayback Wednesday Verdict? Tons of ABC fun!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, published by Simon & Schuster
All ages
Source: Library
Sample: "A told B and B told C, 'I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree.'"

Let Us Eat Cake!

May's a festive month around our household: two birthdays, Mother's Day, and the anniversary of the day we became a family. This year we're throwing a big shindig for Sprout's third birthday, and the excitement is really starting to build, with lots of talk about cake, presents, cake, decorations, cake and friends who are coming. Oh, and cake - did I say cake?

Sprout's kind of obsessed with the birthday cake this time around. I blame Betty Bunny. Just about every night the book of choice is Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake by Michael Kaplan. I can completely understand why: it's funny and clever, populated by some fantastic characters (our favorites: wiseacre brother Bill and Betty Bunny herself, a real "handful") and full of the kind of real dilemmas kids face. Like, for instance, how you handle it when you want to eat chocolate cake for dinner and Mommy insists on healthy dinner first. (I'm pretty sure Betty Bunny's solution, throwing veggies at her siblings, is probably not the best.) Preschoolers will gobble this one up as surely as Betty Bunny makes short work of her chocolate cake, and the ending is guaranteed to get a laugh every time. Luscious!

If Betty Bunny can't get enough cake, Sugar's on the other end of the spectrum. In Emily Jenkins' Sugar Would Not Eat It, Leo's newly adopted cat Sugar gets hungry, so Leo offers her a piece of his leftover birthday cake. But Sugar refuses, and the more Leo cajoles, the less interested Sugar becomes. In desperation, Leo solicits advice from everyone in his neighborhood. But nothing he tries seems to work: not getting mad, not punishment, not limiting her to only four bites. At last the hungry kitty makes her own preferences clear, and Leo finally realizes that for cats, maybe birthday cake isn't the meal of choice. The illustrations by Giselle Potter add just the right amount of whimsy - we especially love Sugar's vibrant blue fur. A great message here for picky eaters and their parents!

Who Made This Cake? by Chihiro Nakagawa was a hit for Sprout right from the cover - a huge crane and loads of little workmen getting ready for a big project. Turns out the tiny workmen are taking on a massive project: making a birthday cake for a full-size human boy. Think Gulliver and the Lilliputians. This is a resourceful bunch, and they've got plenty of heavy equipment to help with the job: diggers and backhoes, tractors and dump trucks, and an enormouse flatbed to transport the cake pan to the oven. Pumper trucks spread the icing, and a helicopter loads in the final touch, a giant sign reading "Happy Birthday". For little ones obsessed with trucks, trains and all things construction, here's an ingenious twist on the birthday theme. We love it!

Cake-themed reads are fun no matter what time of year your birthday falls. But be forewarned: these delicious titles might just drive you to crack out the baking pans!

Picture Book Review - Lola Reads to Leo by Anna McQuinn

I've blogged before about the powerful draw of series characters. Publishers certainly have tapped into this trend, as it's increasingly rare to see a chapter book that's a stand-alone and not part of a trilogy or longer series. Older kids, even those who aren't otherwise avid readers, often cannot wait for the next installment of their favorite series, whether that's Nancy Drew or Wimpy Kid. And of course graphic novels are all about the series conceit, which keeps readers coming back for more of the further adventures of their favorite superhero or kid next door.

But let's not overlook the impact of series for younger kiddos, because I think it can be just as significant. Sprout delights at pulling a book off the shelf and recognizing the characters populating it. It all began with Thomas for us, but he's really branched out, and now on our weekly library outing, we look for titles featuring Elephant and Piggie, Llama Llama, and even Dinosaur. He's really getting to know the personalities of the characters, and it thrills him to no end when certain elements carry over from one book to the next (and I love that he's making these connections!).

So a few weeks ago we were browsing the shelves at the library and stumbled across a new entry in a series Sprout just adores - the Lola books by Anna McQuinn. Our love affair with these books began with Lola at the Library, which I found even before Sprout joined our family. I eagerly awaited the day when we'd share Lola together, and we have many times since, in both Library and Lola Loves Stories. The simple plots revolve around activities that are very familiar to Sprout: trips to the library, bedtime reading, playing pretend with friends or on your own. We love Lola's energy and her abundant imagination.

And now the fun continues with Lola Reads to Leo, in which Lola gets a new little brother, and begins to share the joy of stories with him. Lola learns a lot about babies: they cry a lot, even in the bath, and they sleep just as much (Lola plays with her teddies while Leo is sleeping). But Lola finds that there's a book for just about any mood Leo is in, whether that's a potty book during diaper changes or a sleepy book when Leo needs a nap. Sprout was so overjoyed to see a new Lola adventure that we read it about three times in the library, and innumerable times since bringing it home (which reminds me - better go renew it!)

I love the warm family dynamic in these stories, the way that parents and children draw together to share books with one another. Since this goes deeply to the heart of our parenting philosophy with Sprout, the notion of presenting him with quality literature that reflects a vast spectrum of cultures and colors and experiences, the Lola stories embody a special meaning for us. And, they are gentle choices that are perfect for winding down at the end of the night or transitioning to a new activity. Rosalind Beardshaw's illustrations are absolutely pitch perfect with Anna McQuinn's text - really a marriage of two skilled artists that has produced the kind of books that will endure for a long time to come.

We can't wait to read more about Lola and Leo - would love to see spunky Lola pulling a wagon full of loads of books, and Leo, sometime very soon!

Veggies Rock!

My name is Mary, and I'm raising a veggie-phobe.

It didn't start out that way. When Sprout first joined our family he would eat anything and everything. We were so proud of our non-picky child! But as he got older, things changed, and his aversion to meat has spread to veggies. While he adores fruit and would eat nothing but that at every meal, veggies (with the exception of "dippy" carrots) are firmly on the "no, not like it" list.

It's more than a little frustrating.

In an effort to move through this phase a little quicker, I decided recently that a little bibliotherapy was in order. First up was Lois Ehlert's Eating the Alphabet. We've read and enjoyed a few of Ehlert's other books, and this is similarly engaging. The illustrations are what Eating the Alphabet is all about: huge, vivid, graphic representations of a variety of fruits and vegetables. Sprout enjoyed pointing out the ones he knew (pumpkin, broccoli, oranges) and trying out new words like rhubarb or kumquat. He was a little confused by some things, though - for instance, gooseberry, about which he says "dat not goose, Mama."

Next we tried Rah, Rah Radishes by April Pulley Sayre. This was a HUGE hit, more so than I could have anticipated . It's not too hard to see why. For starters, Sayre's included some gorgeous color photos of veggies in all their glory, and the pictures really make the vegetables look succulent. Sprout's always excited to act out taking a bite of the carrots, and they look mighty delicious, I must say. Plus, the rhymes in this book are absolutely infectious. After we'd read it a couple of nights in a row (it has become one of the most-requested titles in our rotation), Sprout could quote chunks of the veggie-centric chants verbatim. You should have seen the looks we got in the grocery store produce section when he yelled "Broccoli, cauliflower, give a cheer!".

Then we decided to bring the topic full circle with Soup Day by Melissa Iwai. Just looking at the cover of this book, you know you're in for a treat. I love this gentle title, not only because it shows off veggies like celery and zucchini, but also because it's all about a cozy afternoon at home making soup. Sprout loves the part where the narrator, a little girl with straight black hair, shows off the pasta shapes she picks to go with her veggies. And he never fails to say "Yum!" when she displays her finished soup, steaming hot and delicious. The illustrations here are engaging and soothing, a perfect match to the rhythm of the story and of the little girl's day. We even made our own pot of soup (there's a recipe included, though we used a different one), and Sprout pronounced it "Yum" too.

Best of all, when we sat down to dinner the other night, suddenly Sprout was far less averse to the veggie portion of the plate. He even discovered one new veggie that he likes - cucumbers! It may be a baby step, but we're headed in the right direction. And it's all thanks to picture books, naturally.

12 Days of Christmas Picture Books - It's Christmas, David!

Nobody quite captures the spirit of a little boy like David Shannon, in his "David" series. The first entry in the series, No David, is based on a book that Shannon wrote when he was a child, in which every page featured a picture of him doing something he shouldn't, with the caption "No David!". (Hmmm, wonder where he got that idea?)

It's Christmas, David! is much along the same line. It's the holiday season, all right, and poor David can't catch a break. Everywhere he goes there's something fascinating to look at or touch, and adults always telling him not to. And then there's that constant reminder that "Santa's watching!", which seems to crop up whenever things get good. In the final pages, David wakes up on Christmas morning to discover that he's gotten a lump of coal! Could that really be how David's Christmas will end??

We can totally relate to David's predicament around here these days. Sprout's got exactly one present under the tree at the moment, and he's asked us if he can open it approximately 3000 times. In the past 3 days.

But at least Sprout's not emulating all of David's behavior. . . he just giggles whenever this page comes up.

Library Find -- Roadwork by Sally Sutton

On our weekly trips to the library, we are constantly on the lookout for books about trains, cars, trucks and all things transportation-related. Sprout is a HUGE fan of big rigs and thus any book which offers photos or drawings of heavy equipment is a guaranteed checkout for us. Since we have to read these books right away, the minute we find them, it often results in me reading aloud to a group of several toddler boys in the library picture book section. Pretty awesome!

A few weeks ago I stumbled across Roadwork by Sally Sutton, illustrated by Brian Lovelock. This was an instant hit with Sprout. The rhythmic, rhyming text is fun to read and yet substantive, so the reader really learns something about building a road. The entire construction process is spelled out step by step, with each page illustrating another phase in road-building. Best of all, each page features sound effects, which of course any toddler is going to love yelling out loud -- "Bump! Whump! Whop!". What could be better?

I suspect the success for us is in large part due to the illustrations, which are realistic, detailed, and vividly colored. Sprout pores over each spread, pointing out small things he notices, like the hook on the crane truck, or the liftgate on the dumptruck. Apparently this was Brian Lovelock's first children's book, and the jacket copy mentions that he tried very hard to capture all the points of the road equipment as best he could. Lovelock did an amazing job setting the main characters, the diggers and loaders and dump trucks, against backgrounds that emphasize the vastness of the project. I also love the way he seamlessly integrates diversity among the workers, so much so that I didn't at first notice that there are people of all colors and both genders included. Kudos!

If your little one is mesmerized when you drive past a construction zone, Roadwork is guaranteed to be a storytime favorite. Don't miss it!

Roadwork by Sally Sutton, published by Candlewick Press
Ages 2-5
Source: Library
Sample quote: "Roll the tar. Roll the tar. / Make it firm and flat. / Squash it down and press it out. / Squelch! Spluck! Splat!"

Library Find - Uh-Oh by Rachel Isadora

It's especially wonderful to me when Sprout pulls a book off the library shelves that truly delights him. As a toddler, most of his choices are completely random and don't even make it home with us -- not that there aren't some fine books in there, but they are usually selections that are too long or complex for a two year old to have patience with.

That's not the case with Uh-Oh by Rachel Isadora. Sprout originally ran across this a couple of months ago, and since then we've had it checked it pretty much constantly. This is actually the second of Isadora's titles we've tried out, having checked out her version of The Twelve Days of Christmas this past holiday season (and if you haven't seen that one yet, I'd highly recommend it -- I suspect it's one that will become part of our family Christmas traditions due to its vibrant color palette and spirited African interpretation of the familiar song). I can't wait to read more of her books with Sprout, in particular her interpretations of familiar fairy tales, which feature her stunning artwork, a feast for the eyes of parent and child.

Uh-Oh is the perfect toddler read-aloud, in part because of its near wordlessness. The little boy at the center of the story is a typical two- to three-year-old, whose best intentions often result in messy outcomes. "Clean clothes" reads one spread, and on the next page, a blizzard of clothing items is captioned "Uh-Oh". "Ice cream" shows our hero sharing a friend's cone, then "Uh-oh", the cone is spilled on the ground. You get the drift. The conceit is just about as simple as it gets, yet never fails to delight Sprout, who gleefully points out the mistake, accident or mess in question and shouts "Uh-oh!". We also like to talk about what might have happened in the picture -- maybe the messy toybox came about because the little boy was looking for his train, for example. Talking through the pictures like this helps Sprout make connections between story and images, one of the building blocks of literacy.

Uh-Oh couldn't be a simpler title, and yet has so much to offer: humor, expressive characters, charmingly comic set-ups and a multicultural emphasis to boot. Snap this one up!

Uh-Oh by Rachel Isadora, published by Harcourt
Source: Library
Ages 0-4
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