Roar of a Snore by Marsha Diane Arnold, Pictures by Pierre Scott

This is the story of the Huffle family and their pursuit of the person or animal responsible for a huge snore that keeps them awake. The story has repetition as each family member joins in the search.

It's a cute story and the pictures suit the story very well. It's funny to see who the culprit is in the end.

2007

David Goes To School by David Shannon

To be honest, I stayed away from the David books when I saw them at the bookstore because I was afraid they would give my son some bad ideas on how to behave. But a few weeks ago Ricky told me that his teacher read a David book during library time so I relented. I ordered this book with his Scholastic book order.

In this book, David does all the things you shouldn't be doing at school - is late, won't sit down, chews gum, won't keep his hands to himself, you name it. At the end he does a good job with his punishment so he's "good" and is allowed to go home. That's the entire plot. This book is based on a book the author wrote as a young boy - with David and no as the only words he could spell - showing all kinds of naughty things David is doing.

I do like the illustrations though. I see the humor in the book. Ricky always says that David is a bad boy.

Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie H. Harris; Illustrated by Michael Emberley

This book is about a dog/cat (I can't tell what the heck it is) who reads a book in bed, dozes off, and somehow loses the book. It goes through all these possibilities as to what may have happened to the book- "maybe a bear ate it, maybe a stegasaurus stomped on it, etc."

I think Ricky will enjoy this book because the story line is funny and something he can relate to as he is always asking me where this toy and that toy went - but also because the illustrations are so cute. I hate using "cute" all the time but there really is no other word that best describes these pictures.

This book would be good for 2-3 year olds. It may be too babyish beyond 3.

Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray

When Ricky received this book for Christmas a few years ago I had to admit I was skeptical. But I loosened up and now that he is three, he actually asks for this book by name. He laughs and thinks it's hilarious. So if he is happy before bedtime, then the book is fine with me.

This is the story of Walter, a dog who has a farting problem. The kids love him but their parents aren't so sure because his farts are so stinky. But Walter turns out to be a good dog to have because one night, burglars break into the house and Walter saves the day by farting all over them.

There is also a sequel to this book which I will blog about at a later time. This is an instance when I actually changed my mind about a book. I thought it was a grotesque story - farting is so crude. But I guess little boys eat it all up!!

Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

I just had to blog about this book because I've read it to Ricky every night for the last 5 nights per his request.

This is the story about a monster named Leonardo who is not very good at being a monster. He isn't scary, doesn't have thousands of teeth, and isn't big. He meets a boy named Sam and is unsuccesful at scaring him so just decides they will be friends.

Very cute story. I liked the illustrations as well. This is a good book because it diffuses all the notions about monsters - kind of like Sesame Street does. I had to return it today because it was due but may need to purchase for Ricky afterall.

What Do Wheels Do All Day? By April Jones Prince, Illustrated by Giles LaRoche

This book is interesting because it shows wheels on all kinds of vehicles (cars, trucks) , construction uses, and everyday uses (shopping carts, skateboards, etc.). This is good for also reinforcing shapes. There isn't much of a story - but the point is that it shows wheels being used in all kinds of scenarios - for pulling, pushing, and carrying loads.

This is a repeat request at bedtime. Too bad I had to return it today because I reached my renewal limit!!

Hansel and Diesel by David Gordon

Not sure how I missed this one since I reviewed David Gordon's other books . Like the others, this book follows the story of the traditional folk tale of Hansel and Gretel. I tried not to chuckle while reading it to Ricky because instead of the house made of candy, Hansel and Gretel, who are trucks, of course - stumble upon "brightly colored lights, shiny gas pumps, huge tanks of fuel, and piles and piles of brand new tires." The gas pumps are striped like candy canes. Very cute! The evil winch then tries to shred Hansel and Gretel with saw blades.

It has a good ending and it is done well. At times it can be a bit wordy, but it's a good story overall. Ricky loved it. I always love David Gordon's books. He's a great children's writer and illustrator. Great to be able to do it all!

Potty Training Books!

We are in the long process of potty training Ricky. I keep a few books in there to entertain him while he goes to the bathroom. I've been trying to buy books rather than borrow them because of the whole sanitary issue - with these books probably being in bathrooms. So far, I have run across these storybooks that have been just great:

Ricky likes Once Upon A Potty a lot and asks me to read it multiple times while he sits on the potty. He is particularly fascinated with the pictures of the poo poo.

I liked the way the author pointed out a toddler's anatomical parts in the way they know and understand them. I think Ricky finds this book really inspiring and encouraging.

The story is told from the perspective of Joshua's mother - and she tells the story of how she has been changing Joshua's diapers and how he slowly makes the transition to the potty. Although nobody uses chamber pots anymore, it was really cute!

Ricky really likes No More Diapers for Ducky! too. This is a story about a Ducky who wears diapers and goes to his friend's house. His friend is busy on the potty, so Ducky is playing alone with his friend's toys in his friend's room - wondering what is *so* important that his friend isn't playing with him.

His friend explains that he is on the potty, but Ducky wears diapers so Ducky won't be interested. Ducky takes off his diaper and starts using the potty while his friend plays inthe room alone.

This is especially cute considering that Ricky thinks he is Little Quack these days!

When Dinosaurs Came With Everything by Elise Broach, Illustrated By David Small

Whenever we go to our local Trader Joe's market, Ricky always gets a balloon - his reward for putting up with boring grocery shopping. Now if I imagine if Trader Joe's gave out dinosaurs instead of balloons.....well that would be something to see!

This is the story of a boy who does errands with his mother all day - they go to the bakery, the barber - and instead of giving away balloons as usual, businesses are giving out dinosaurs. As a result, they avoid going to the shoestore (buy 2 pairs get 1 dinosaur free), the movies, etc. Ricky and I really enjoyed this story and it has lots of funny parts.

Published 2007 by Simon & Schuster

Must Have Books for Toddlers - If You Give Books by Laura Numeroff, Illustrated by Felicia Bond

These books are an absolute must for toddlers because they are so darn cute. When Ricky was just a baby, I took my bookstore gift card and bought all the Laura Numeroff books - If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, and If You Take a Mouse to School. We read them all the time - and he never gets tired of them.

All the books follow the same formula - one thing leads to another. Full of consequences and utter chaos but lots of fun. Felicia's Bond's illustrations are really cute and they trigger lots of vocabulary expansion since the illustrations are pretty detailed. There are lots of things to name.

ELMER by David McKee

Even though this book was published in 1968, I had never heard of it nor read it until I became a mother. Call me a deprived child. I wish I had read this book when I was young, in grammar school, and wanting to fit in.

This is the story of Elmer, the patchwork elephant. He is the only elephant in the herd who is not all gray-colored. He has a great sense of humor and always makes the other elephants laugh. They all love him. But Elmer wasn't happy - he wanted to be all gray-colored like the rest of the herd. So he found a bush with gray berries and smushed them all over himself until he looked all gray like the rest of the elephants. When he went back to the herd, nobody recognized him but they were looking for Elmer, the patchwork elephant.

This is a great book because it discusses how special and unique you are - and why fitting in and looking like everyone else isn't all that great. This book would be good to re-visit during the ugly stages of puberty!!

Published 1968 by HarperCollins

Timothy and the Strong Pajamas by Viviane Schwarz

This book reads like a comic book - which is why I was drawn to it in the first place. The only problem is since it does read in this fashion, it may be suitable for older kids - closer to 4 years old and up. Ricky has a pretty good attention span, and there were a few instances while we were reading this book where I lost him.

This is the story of Timothy and his strong pajamas. The pajamas give him strength so he rushes to aid those in need - he catches an elephant falling off a cliff, carries 5 grocery bags for an old lady, saves a ship from sinking, etc.

This book is really cute. Your typical superhero story wrapped in great illustrations. I am curious to read Viviane Schwarz's other books - The Adventures of a Nose and Shark and Lobster's Amazing Underseas Adventure.

Published 2007 by Scholastic Books

Puff the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton, With Paintings by Eric Puybaret

I bought this book for Ricky's birthday. I remembered it as a child and it comes with a CD of the song. The story itself is sad - it tells of a dragon named Puff who befriends Little Jack Paper and they have lots of adventures together. But "a dragon lives forever, but not so little girls and boys....One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more.." so of course Puff mourns the loss of his friend. It is a sad story but you can't help liking it.

The CD has 4 songs on it and you can listen to the CD while you flip the pages for your child. The songs are written by Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary and they flow nicely for a child. I was a tot in the 1970s so maybe that's why I kind of like the CD, I don't know. Shhh!

Little Ricky liked it and didn't ask why Jackie Paper stopped visiting Puff. But at three years old, I wasn't in a rush to point out the whole death thing quite yet. I would suggest this book as a good gift for a child.

Published 2007 by Sterling

SMASH! CRASH! by Jon Scieszka, Illustrations by David Shannon, Loren Long, David Gordon, & Dan Potash

Finally! This is what I've been looking for in books - Trucktown!! Nothing like a bunch of creative people making all kinds of truck and vehicle characters! There are several interesting names attached to this book.

You may recognize the name of David Gordon whose books The Three Little Rigs and The Ugly Truckling appeared on my blog last year. I am a big fan of his - as well as Loren Long - whose illustrations for The Little Engine That Could were just classic. A review on that is soon to come. Jon Scieszka's Stinky Cheese book is really funny - and I plan on reading it to Ricky soon.

But back to the book! Best friend trucks Jack and Dan run around smashing and crashing throughout the book. Tons of visual fun for those kids in love with all kinds of trucks. I can't wait to see what other books these guys come up with!! Check out their Trucktown website - there is a section for kids, parents, and librarians (cool).

Published 2008 by Simon and Schuster

I Saw an Ant on the Railroad Track by Joshua Prince, Illustrated by Macky Pamintuan

This is one of Ricky's favorites - I know I say that a lot- we own lots of books!

This book is terrific - especially for the kids who love trains. This is the story of an ant who decides to walk along a railroad track and does not realize that a train is coming! Switchman Jack is nice enough to save him by switching the track so the train does not run over the ant. The ant and Switchman Jack become friends and share a sandwich. Very cute!

I do have to say that I was very drawn to the illustrations of this book and am curious to read the other books Macky Pamintuan has illustrated.

Published 2006 by Sterling Publishing Co.

I Miss You Every Day by Simms Tayback

This is a great book for kids who have a loved one who lives far away that they miss. Ricky could identify with this book because his aunt and uncle live several states away and he misses them and thinks of them all the time.

The little girl in the story wraps herself and sends herself as a letter to her loved one. The book follows the journey she takes through the postal system. There is also a picture and envelope in the front that your child can view.

Published 2007 by Viking

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems

I saw this book at the bookstore when I was selecting books to give Ricky on his third birthday. What could be better than the sequel to Knuffle Bunny?

This time Trixie is older and can speak her mind. She takes Knuffle Bunny with her to preschool to show all her friends and teacher her bunny. But then she sees that her friend has the exact same Knuffle Bunny too. The girls argued and the teacher had to take their Knuffle Bunnies away. Later that night, Trixie realizes she is sleeping with the wrong Knuffle Bunny and knows her friend has her Knuffle Bunny.

The middle-of-the-night exchange is done by the fathers and Trixie and her friend are both glad they each have their own respective Knuffle Bunnies. Very cute.

Once again, I love the illustrations which are described as "a melding of hand-drawn ink sketches and photography." The story is well-written and Ricky really enjoyed this book.

Published 2007 by Hyperion Books

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

I was at my girlfriend's house for a playdate and was looking through the stack of books she had on the floor. Her daughter and my son are just a week apart and have similar tastes so I love talking about children's books with her. I was first drawn to this book because of its unique illustrations and the Caldecott Honor Book sticker on its cover.

This book is about a toddler named Trixie who goes to the laudromat with her daddy and brings her Knuffle Bunny with her. She walks home with her daddy only to realize that her Knuffle Bunny was not with her and was missing. It describes how she and her parents frantically backtrack to find Knuffle Bunny.

After a few reads, I just had to buy this book for Ricky. We both loved it. The story is very simple and easy to follow and since there aren't many words on each page, you can try reading it to your child after the age of 1. Regard it as a nicer and larger board book if you will.

Published 2004 by Hyperion Books

Little Quack's Bedtime by Lauren Thompson, Illustrated By Derek Anderson

Little Quack and his siblings try to fall asleep next to their mother and have a hard time. Every little thing in the night scares them and their mother keeps reassuring them. One by one, each duckling falls asleep after each reassurance and the last one to sleep is Little Quack.

The story is really easy to read and the illustrations are really cute - there really is no other word. So even if your little one asks you to read this book a few times before bed, you won't lose your voice and you won't get tired of reading it.

Ricky really identified himself with Little Quack - so much so that now he quacks all the time whenever he is in a happy mood. Little Quack kind of reminds me of the baby Duck on the Tom and Jerry cartoon - who Ricky loves also.

Ricky has asked me to check out the other Little Quack books. So I guess I am on a Little Quack mission.

Published 2005, Simon & Schuster

The Adventure of Taking Kids to the Zoo: Class Two at the Zoo by Julia Jarman, Illustrated by Lynne Chapman

This book tells the story of what happens when Class Two visits the zoo. From the illustration, one might say that the anaconda eats a few children. That assumption would be correct.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book, thought it was funny and would recommend it. However, I made the mistake of not reading this book myself before reading it to Ricky. The concept of going to the zoo and having a giant snake eat a few children might be scary to some toddlers. I was unable to stop reading and had to finish the book with him and he seemed fine. He thought it was funny - lucky me. I'm glad that he didn't express fear at visiting the zoo or anything like that.

I think I will be checking this book out of the library again - but maybe later on - when he is 4 or 5. We haven't talked about animals really hurting people (as in the Crocodile Hunter's fate) or death yet and we would like to keep him innocent as long as we possibly can. It is every parent's choice when to introduce such concepts and we have chosen to wait.

Aha - the book states Ages 5-8 for a reason!!! My mistake for not looking and reading to my almost-three-year-old. Oh well.

Published in 2007 by CarolRhoda Books.

Many thanks to the book's illustrator, Lynne Chapman for providing the jacket photo

New Book: Llama, Llama Mad At Mama by Anna Dewdney

I loved Dewdney's Red Pajama book - and so did Ricky - afterall, who are the books for, right? So I grabbed this one and I liked it as well. It's a cute story and the rhyming of words is engaging for Ricky. I find that he pays more attention to the words I read if they rhyme.

Adorable Baby Llama goes to the Shop-O-Rama with his Mama and after a while- wants to go home. He has a tantrum in the shopping cart - which is something many moms can relate to. Mama gets Baby Llama to calm down so they can finish their shopping trip and go home. Now if he gets whiney in the cart and says he wants to go, I say "Come on - you don't want to be like Baby Llama, do you" and he says no and is an angel the rest of the trip. Thanks Anna Dewdney!

Here is a passage: "Cheezee Puffs and Oatie Crunch. What would llama like for lunch? Llama llama doesn't know. Llama Llama wants to GO."

This book was published by Viking in 2007.

Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

This is a really cute book but it has actually caused some problems for me. This is a book about how Baby Llama calls out for his busy mama from bed repeatedly. He keeps calling and when she doesn't come, he pretends that there is something really wrong - needless to say, she leaps upstairs as fast as she can and gets upset when there is nothing wrong afterall.

Ricky used to go to bed and we wouldn't hear a peep from him until the morning. Now, when he gets tucked in, he calls for me repeatedly - at least 4 times before he goes to bed. He wants water, he wants extra kisses, you name it. I would never blame a book for anything but it is quite the coincidence that he started doing this after we started reading this book. I intend to still read it to him until it's time to return it to the library. A cute read

My Big Boy Bed by Eve Bunting, Illustrated by Maggie Smith

Although we moved Ricky into a big boy bed (took one side off his crib) a year ago, I still find this book helpful to remind him that he does have his own big boy bed. Every so often, he goes a few days where he hates his bed and only wants to sleep in mommy and daddy's bed. I found this book at the library just to remind him of all the perks of having your own bed.

The book also mentions how the boy in the story had to give up his crib to his new sibling - so this book may be useful for parents who are also introducing a new family member to the family - and the changes that take place. Easy to read - perfect for a 1 year old but almost too easy for my almost 3 year old. Still, the discussion of the advantages of having your own big boy bed is a concept that he will not out-grow for a long time!