One of my favorite things to do is to discover new books for R that I enjoy reading again and again. Here are a few books we've had a lot of fun with recently:
Amy Wilson Sanger has a series of "World Snacks" books that are beautifully illustrated and so so fun to read aloud. We've borrowed Yum Yum Dim Sum as well as Let's Nosh!, both of which I heartily recommend. I hope we'll find others as well-- and these are board books so excellent for reading to R with.
Another one of my favorite library finds (albeit this one was back in Texas) was a book called Bee Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park. It tells the story of a mother preparing this traditional Korean dish for her family, from going to the grocery store to pick out ingredients to chopping and cooking the dish at home to setting the table and eating with the family. Primarily told from the young daughter's perspective, the book is super-catchy and excellent to read aloud, with prose such as "Hurry, Mama, hurry! Hungry hungry hungry for some bee bim bop!" In the back of the book there's a really nice explanation of the dish and a recipe.
The other book I'm going to mention is another one we found in the library in Texas before we moved-- 17 Kings and 42 Elephants. J and I are a little bit divided on this book. J doesn't love it quite as much as I do. I think he finds some of the text a little weird. But for me, there are two major things selling this book to me: first, the artwork is amazing. It's interesting, beautiful, and just fun fun fun to look at, and second, I LOVE the rhythm of the prose. It moves like a march set in the jungle (which is essentially the story of the book)--and it evokes all kinds of imaginative possibilities for me. (Sample text: "Forty-two elephants--oh, what a lot of 'ums,/Big feet beating in the wet wood shade,/Proud and ponderous hippopotomums/Danced to the music that the marchers made")
I want to post more about the books we love-- but I'm also eager to get some ideas about other books to look for for R! What books do you love reading to your kids?
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I love the World Snacks books! Simon only has the sushi book, but we've read a few of the others through the library. We also like the Sandra Boynton books, especially the Going to Sleep book, the Belly Button book, and Blue Hat Green Hat.
ReplyDeleteHis latest obsession, though, is Zen Shorts, which has some pretty amazing artwork.
I love:
ReplyDeleteMy Little Sister Ate One Hare
Oh No! Gotta Go!
Oh No! Gotta Go #2! (even better than the first)
Baby Dear (in perparation)
A's current faves are:
The Gas We Pass
Everyone Poops
Curious George Eats Pizza
A Pocket for Corduroy
Busy Lizzie
When G was here this summer he loved one that we had at home called I Love you, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt. It is really cute and M loved it too. momK.
ReplyDeletecraftyqueen, your daughter sure likes to think about bodily functions! i'm sure that will happen with us too once we get closer to potty training. i'm jealous you're just about done with it!! I have never heard of My Sister Ate One Hare but just from the name it sounds fun to read aloud.
ReplyDeletet, omg, we LOVE zen shorts, too! i found it at half-price books in texas and actually bought it for both of r's two little friends for their joint birthday party back in june. it's not one she's gotten into yet but J and I love it. Have you seen the other books about the panda? I can't remember the names but I've seen them at bookstores and liked them but thought zen shorts was the best one.
LOL at "I love you Stinky Face"-- I'll have to see if I can find that somewhere! it sounds adorable!
yah, she is a little fixated on the bodily functions, but it's a big part of your day when you're potty-training!
ReplyDeleteWe also wanted to make sure that she grew up with a sense of "My body's okay, in everything it does," so i made sure we had plenty of opportunity to talk about her body openly. Books are a great way to do that.
Eventually, we'll have to open that up to "baby making" books, but not for another year or two, I think. LOL.