Hush Little Polar Bear by Jeff Mack

Hush Little Polar Bear is a very sweet bedtime book that you will just have to sing.

The artwork is big and little ones will have no trouble following the little polar bear as he travels all over the world until it’s time to settle down and sleep soundly in bed.

This is a great book for a bedtime storytime, Jeff Mack is the author and illustrator and he’s created a beautiful book.

Check the WRL catalog for Hush Little Polar Bear.

 

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Red Green Blue: A First Book of Colors by Alison Jay

Alison Jay has managed to start with a book about colors, a beautiful book about colors, and by combining that with Mother Goose rhymes has ended up with a spectacular book you will want to read over and over again.
“Little boy Blue’s asleep in the hay. His sheep and his cow have run away.” “Poor Humpty’s purple from his fall. These men will try to mend it all.” “The Owl and the Pussycat set to sea…in a beautiful boat as green as a pea.” Each page, like the examples above, will combine a rhyme and a color and give you the chance to search for the hidden character, recall and recite the rhyme and talk about all of the other colors on the beautifully illustrated pages.

Check the WRL catalog for Red Green Blue: A First Book of Colors.

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Bunion Burt by Marsha Hayles, illus. by Jack E. Davis

Kids will love this fun rhyming book about Bunion Burt who has feet that hurt. Everyone that Burt comes into contact with tries to help him feel better. They suggest home remedies like mud and ice and sun but absolutely nothing works. While most young readers won’t know about bunions, they most likely will be able to guess why it is that Burt’s feet hurt so badly.
The characters have silly rhyming names like Granny Gert, Mama Myrt, Cousin Kurt and Old Doc Smurt. The illustrations are big, bold, amusing and just plain goofy. The plot is engaging and will keep a kid’s attention right up until the end. Be sure to check this one out!

Check the WRL catalog for Bunion Burt.

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Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson, illus. by Jane Chapman

Bear is back! This series by Karma Wilson is one of my favorites. Bear is bored and misses his friends. He decides to make a dinner and invite them over. But, when he goes to check his cupboards they are empty. Serendipitously, one by one, Bear’s friends stop by, bringing something to eat: huckleberry pie, muffins, fish, nuts, pears, and tea. Each time his woodland friends bring something, Bear says thanks. Bear gets depressed when he realizes that he has nothing to add to the feast. His friends reassure him that Bear does have something to share – his stories!
This is a great book for reading to a group. The rhyming text flows smoothly. The phrase, “and the bear says thanks,” is repeated throughout the story, giving young listeners a chance to respond. Jane Chapman does an excellent job with the illustrations, gently conveying the emotions and tone of the story through expressive facial features of the bear and all his friends. This story would be perfect for Thanksgiving, but also anytime of the year when thanks is given.

Check the WRL catalog for Bear Says Thanks

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You Are My I Love You by Maryann K. Cusimano, illus. by Satomi Ichikawa

If you have come to my storytimes or seen my previous blog posts you have probably come to realize I tend to choose “energetic” books.  I like books that are loud and colorful and get the crowd moving.  This book is a bit of a departure for me in that it is not so loud or colorful but my goodness…is it beautiful!  Ichikawa takes more subdued hues of brown, gold, green, and red and paints a serene, comfy world.   I also can’t imagine two protagonists more huggable then her two adorable teddy bears.  Cusimano’s words are a gentle refrain repeating through the story that shows the balance between parent and child.

“I am your calm face;

you are my giggle.

I am your wait;

you are my wiggle.”

 

While I choose a lot of rambunctious books for my storytimes sometimes the quite, gentle books are the ones that can really ensnare the children.  This is one of those!  I recommend this both for one-on-one sharing and for storytime.

 

Check the WRL catalog for You Are My I Love You.

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Silly Tilly by Eileen Spinelli, illus. by David Slonim

“Tilly was a silly goose, a daffy-down-and-dilly goose, who took her baths in apple juice.” That is, until the other animals on the farm had had enough of her silliness. They convince Tilly to stop being so silly, but they soon realize that no one can remember the last time they had a good laugh. So, having learned their lesson, they ask Tilly to reclaim her silly ways. The moral that people should accept others as they are is a good one, but it will probably be overlooked as children laugh at Tilly’s antics. After all, it’s hard to think seriously when Tilly “soaks her feet in mayonnaise”.

Tilly’s silly behavior is perfectly illustrated by Slonim with whimsy and color. Children really get a kick out of Silly Tilly and it comes highly recommended when you want a room full of laughing children at storytime.

Check the WRL catalog for Silly Tilly.

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Sakes Alive! A Cattle Drive by Karma Wilson, illus. by Karla Firehammer

In the real world, cows don’t do much. If you are on a cattle drive, you need to provide the cows with plenty of motivation to move. In Karma Wilson’s world, cows are key-snatching, joyriding cattle that can drive themselves to town. While these cows apparently can drive, they don’t seem to be as savvy when it comes to the rules of the road. They zoom through a stop sign (cows can’t read), don’t know what a police siren means (they think it could be noisy geese), and can’t find the car brakes. Much like humans, they are too busy criticizing the poor driving of others to notice they are running off the road. Things end happily enough, when the cow car is mistaken for a parade float and all the townspeople come to watch. But what will they do when the horse wants to drive home?

Karma Wilson is a great go-to author for storytime titles. She has another winner with this funny, zany cow car chase story. Firehammer’s illustrations are the perfect accompaniment, and the cows look more and more bewildered as their road trip goes on. “Sakes alive! They’re going on a cattle drive!”

Check the WRL catalog for Sakes Alive! A Cattle Drive.

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The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane DeRolf

This book teaches a simple message of diversity and how to get along. Author, Shane DeRolf originally wrote this as a poem about the creation of harmony from discord.

The crayons have to live together and get along in harmony. And if you like sharing stories about inanimate objects that talk – this one’s for you! Children are fascinated by this. A little girl is walking through a store and overhears a box of crayons arguing.
“We are a box of crayons
That doesn’t get along.”
Said Blue to all the others,
“Something here is wrong!”
She buys the crayons and begins to color a landscape scene. The crayons watch closely and see what happens when all the crayons work together. The rhyming, catchy phrases make it perfect for a readaloud for preschoolers and also for the lesson content for much older children – on how to live, and work together and how to get along! They watched as green became the grass…
“I do like Red! Said Yellow.
And Green said, “So do I!”
And, Blue, you were terrific,
So high up in the sky!”
and because they worked so well together the picture became complete.

Check the WRL catalog for The Crayon Box that Talked.

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If All the Animals Came Inside by Eric Pinder, illus. by Marc Brown

Can you imagine what it would be like if all the wild animals came inside your house? Just imagine how much fun you would have! At least that’s what the boy in this story believes. He imagines all the things that he can do with the animals, like go for an elephant ride or play hide-and-seek. Every few pages he describes the many sounds inside the house, like crash…bash…zoom…boom. There is also some repetition that the little ones will enjoy saying with you …

“The walls would tremble. The (cupboards) would shake.
Oh, what a terrible mess we would make!”

Daddy and Mommy get upset with all the animals, but the boy is just having too much fun. But all those animals can be very destructive. The boy soon realizes that it is not all fun and games. With all the animals taking over the house, it also means less for him. In one scene, the illustrator Marc Brown has fun. He includes Arthur and D.W. on the TV show that the rhinos are watching. When it is time for bed, the animals fill his bed, leaving the boy to sleep on the floor with his sister. And not all the animals have the same sleep schedule, so there never is any peace and quiet! The boy soon discovers that maybe his dog and kitten are enough for him.

Check the WRL catalog for If All the Animals Came Inside.

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Monkey and Me, by Emily Gravett

An adorable little girl and her toy monkey invite readers of this book to join them as they spend the day imitating different animals.  Each page is filled with rhythmic patterned text that encourages children to chant along with the story:

Monkey and me,

Monkey and me,

Monkey and me,

We went to see,

We went to see some…

And what DID they see?  The illustrations encourage you to guess by showing the pair jumping like a kangaroo or waddling like a penguin or swinging like a monkey.  When you think you’ve figured it out, turn the page to reveal answer!

I’ve used this book many times with my toddler groups at storytime and they love acting right along with the characters in the book!  A fun way to engage young readers…try it out with your next group!

Check the WRL catalog for Monkey and Me.

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