Funny Farm by Mark Teague

As a fan of Mark Teague's books, I knew this book would be a winner when I saw it. I bought it for Ricky's 5th birthday although I think it's more for the 2-5 year old group. I can still read it to Ricky, but it will be more for Teddy pretty soon.

The story is about a dog named Edward who visits his aunt and uncle on the farm. Each page has one sentence with great illustrations - also by Teague - that describe Edward's adventure on the farm.

Very cute, simple, and great illustrations. A great book for little ones who like to hear stories about the farm.

Orchard Books, 2009

The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen

The author of this book also has a book called If I Built a Car - which we actually own. I can't believe I didn't review that book! It's on my list of books to review in the near future. He's also written and illustrated Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee - which is also quite good.

We got hammered with snow last night and Ricky didn't go to preschool today so I read this book to him. The story is about a circus ship that has an accident and all the animals swim to shore to a town in Maine. They all grow to love living in the town and want to stay. The circus owner comes to town, looking for his animals. The animals hide and blend into their surroundings so they cannot be found. The mean circus owner goes home empty-handed.

The book is written very well - in a rhyming fashion - and the illustrations are great. They made Ricky laugh at many points.

Chris Van Dusen's books are not your ordinary children's books and do not follow the usual cookie cutter formula. They are original stories that grasp your child's attention. I really enjoy his books and so does Ricky. Our book is overdue and he's asked me to keep it for another day - that's how much he likes it.

Candlewick Press, 2009.

Crow Call by Lois Lowry, Illustrated By Bagram Ibatoulline

I can't read the name Lois Lowry without thinking of Anastasia Krupnik - one of my favorite characters as a young adult. Lois Lowry wrote some great books for kids and is partially responsible for the book lover I have become as an adult. So when I saw this book at the library, I had to check it out - because I knew it was going to be good - and because I was curious.

Crow Call is based on a real life experience of Lois Lowry as a young girl. This book is about a young girl and her connection to her father, who has just returned from the war. She and her father set out on an autumn morning in Pennsylvania and share some cherry pie in town. Then they go out in hills and call the crows. Having lived in Chicago my whole life, I never heard of crow calling. So this was educational for me too.

Since Ricky is a soon-to-be 5 year old boy, he was a bit bored by this book. I think he might be too young for it and doesn't really appreciate the book's merits quite yet. He knows about war from Star Wars but we haven't told him about the actual world wars yet - and the killing, death, etc. He also has no concept of being apart from either of his parents for more than just a day while he sleeps at grandma's house. Living in Chicago, he has gone to the park several times, but has never been out in the woods or anything close to the beautiful Pennsylvania hills. Gosh, this book is pointing out so many things I have yet to show my son!

This book would be perfect for a girl who is ages 6 to 8. I will definitely read this book to my son when he is bit older and can appreciate it. As a young girl, I know I would have loved this book myself. The story is sweet and the illustrations are breathtaking.

Scholastic Press, 2009

More then Just Your Typical Numbers Book - One Wolf Howls by Scotti Cohn, Illustrated by Susan Detwiler

When you go to the bookstore or your local library, there are tons of number books to choose from. We probably own a good 20 of them - they mostly count to 10, involve animals, and rhyme. This is a pretty successful formula. This particular book - One Wolf Howls by Scotti Cohn, kicks things up a notch and takes the learning thing to higher levels. My soon-to-be 5 year old son really enjoys this book - and it has done more than just reinforce the numbers 1 through 12.

Ricky's impression of wolves was largely based on the mean wolves who served the Ice Queen in the Chronicles of Narnia movie and the mysterious pack of wolves in the Polar Express. When we read this book he is able to view them as animals who have a family, who hunt for food, and take care of their pups.

In addition to the nature element, the book has reinforced the months of the year - along with the corresponding seasons and the weather those months bring. Scotti Cohns' writing is appropriate and engaging for preschoolers and very enjoyable to read aloud for parents. The illustrations are picturesque and look very life-like. I feel that this age group has too many books that are cartoon-like already - and they are old enough to start looking at more accurate and life-like pictures. In other words, it's good to mix it up!!

There is a surprise at the end of the book for readers - a matching activity, fun facts, life cycle, and a calendar activity. There is also a page that discusses hunting and endangered wolves.

I highly recommend this book for preschoolers. It goes beyond your ordinary numbers book and tricks your child into learning months and seasons. Since I'm committed to looking into more educational materials for my kids, I've chosen this as my very first review for the new year.

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.

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

An Absolute MUST When Travelling With Your Toddler: Little Sticker Books!!!

When Mark and I were planning our trip to visit my sister in Boston over the summer, I was on a mission to find new and exciting things to occupy Ricky throughout the trip. I am talking about situations when he wants to whine because he is bored. This could be when you are waiting in the security line at the airport, waiting at the gate, waiting to take-off, waiting to de-plane, etc etc. The situations are limitless. I discovered these little sticker books at 2 mom-and-pop book/toy shops in Chicago and they saved my life!

These books are small - about 3 x 5 inches and they fit in your purse or diaper bag very well. They come in multiple themes - as you can see from my picture. Some have a scene where you have to put the stickers (for example, a railroad station where you have to put the boxcars, people, luggage, etc.) and some are just stickers to play with. They only cost me $1 to $1.50 each and they proved to be one of the best inventions (besides the portable DVD player) for travelling with your toddler.

THE BEST Sticker Activity Book for Toddlers EVER!!!

If you have a toddler, this book and other variations of it are an absolute must. This book keeps my 2 1/2 year old busy for 20-30 minute intervals at a time and it is incredibly fun and educational.

There are sections of this book devoted to ABCs -uppercase and lower case, Phonics, Numbers, Counting, Colors, Shapes, Trucks, Animals, and Vocabulary. There are stickers that go along with corresponding workbook-type pages and you sit with your child, peel off the stickers he/she wants and have him/her put it in the right spot. This reinforces so many different important concepts that they need to learn at this age.

The book is so big that it will take your toddler months to actually finish the book, but there are so many different sections that he/she will never be bored. Admittedly, Ricky is devoted to the Trucks section and we always start there but then we do manage to navigate to other sections of the book.

I have seen variations of this book by the same publisher and I am hoping and praying to God that they manage to produce more kinds. This is by far the best activity book I have come across for Ricky. It is engaging and so very educational. I have recommended this book to all my mommy friends. But the funny part is that I have only seen these books sold at Toys R Us. Not sure why.

We're Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael J. Rosen

This book tells the story of a family who goes on a bear hunt and the consequences of their curiosity. I don't think Mark and I will ever go on a deliberate bear hunt, so when I saw this book, I had to get it. Why not live through other people's experiences - even if they are fictionalized?

This is a book that Ricky likes, but I try not to read it too often. It requires lots of repetition - which is good for kids, but if your child expects you to read about 10 books in one sitting like Ricky, you will definitely lose your voice when you read this one. My husband is not fond of this book because of the noises you read (ie "squishy, squashy, squishy, squashy) but I appreciate this book for its sense of sequencing of events. Sequencing is an important pre-school concept, so I am all for reading this book once in a while - when I am only reading 2 books in one sitting.