The Franklin Series, by Paulette Bourgeois
There is a television program that is based on these books, and it probably is what sparked Phoebe's interest to begin with. She had seen it a few times, and was delighted to see that there were books about Franklin the turtle. These stories are absolutely charming; as a Mom, I approve heartily. They address sweet, preschooler issues (Franklin's Blanket was my personal favorite), but they're done intelligently. I generally don't mind reading them as many times as they're requested - and they're requested often!
Mole and the Baby Bird, by Marjorie Newman
The illustrations in this book are what sold it for me. This was part of our baby bird library trip, and it's a sweet little story about a mole who rescues a baby bird... but then doesn't want to let him go. The story is good, but the illustrations are really, really wonderful. It's a lovely book for cuddling up at nighttime.
Hattie and the Fox, by Mem Fox
This is a fantastic, repetitive story with all manner of barnyard animals. Mem Fox is one of my favorite authors for young children (we also loved Koala Lou), and I used her often in my classroom. It has a surprising ending that made me giggle out loud; Phoebe loves naming the animals and helping make their noises.
Farmer Duck, by Martin Waddell
A lazy farmer bosses his duck around, who ends up doing all the work. Duck gets mad, his friends get even... Farmer learns a lesson. Phoebe found the duck hilarious... a duck doing farmwork was something unexpected for her, and she was captivated from the beginning. I personally think the illustrations are fantastically done - the detail is great. (Farmer is in bed with bonbons... and a hairy chest.) And Phoebe loved all the other animals, too!
Where is the Green Sheep?, by Mem Fox
I've already said that I love Mem Fox, and this book just confirmed it! This is a very simple book - and repetitive - but Phoebe and I both love it! The illustrations are simple and captivating, and Phoebe can "read" the book with me. It was a fun surprise find at the library; I don't even mind that Phoebe wants to read it a couple of times a day!
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, by Virginia Lee Burton
I remember loving this book as a little girl, but I wasn't sure if Phoebe would be ready for this longer and more subtle book. It's definitely lengthy, but Phoebe quickly loved it. She also understood more of the storyline than I expected, and immediately wanted to read it again when it was finished. This story is charming and timeless. Virginia Burton also writes some other wonderful books that I'll absolutely bringing home in our next library bag.
Whatever the Weather, an Eyewitness Readers book (Level 1)
I'm trying to introduce nonfiction to Phoebe, and this book is perfect for her age and interest! It combines photographs with drawn illustrations, and although it's a nonfiction, it reads like a story about a boy watching the weather from his window. I've also been thrilled with the other books in this series that I've checked out, although I can't remember their titles now that they're checked back in!
No Roses for Harry, by Gene Zion
We loved Harry the Dirty Dog, but I didn't know that there were other Harry books until our last trip to the library. This story is a riot. In short, Harry is gifted a rose sweater from grandma that he rather dislikes. The story chronicles Harry's attempts to "lose" the sweater. Utterly delightful!
We try to get to the library at least once every two weeks, so I'd love to hear about any books you've loved to add to our library bag!
5 comments:
We have some of those books and Emerson loves them too!! We are starting story time at the library every Thurs. What library do you go to? Keep updating with good book finds. We LOVE books around here!
Oh how we loved good books around this house! Have you read the "Henry and Mudge" books? They are different stories about a little boy and his enormous dog. They were Philip's favorites and we still give them as gifts.
May you all enjoy reading for years!!! 2 of my boys are still big readers....Karen
I've been meaning to get to the library more. We used to go weekly for read aloud, but with pregnancy and a new office we've stopped. I think Rebecca is getting to know our books at home VERY well. Thanks for the post, hopefully we've been inspired to get back into the library!
Thank you so much! We only make it into the library about once a month and I am CLUELESS about children's books! Other than series such as Curious George, Clifford, etc, I usually don't know where to even begin in the children's section. I've also been disappointed several times to flip through a children's book and find words or phrases we don't use around our house, such as "crazy" or "I hate you." I really appreciate the recommendations and will be looking for some of these in our library.
These might be a little old for Phoebe right now, but I did discover a collection of Paddington bear stories and Aesop's Fables, many of which have a Biblical moral, that we have been reading the past few weeks.
Please keep us posted on your library finds!
We like Ezra Jack Keats books about Peter, like Snowy Day. We haven't ventured out to the library in Taipei yet, but I really want to start making it part of our routine.
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