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.

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