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!