Day 71: From Head to Toe

From the time my son was an infant, he was fascinated by Eric Carle books.  We had received Brown Bear, Brown Bear as a baby shower gift, and given how much he loved it and others in that series, I set out to our local bookstore one day to buy a few more of Carle's wonderful stories.  One of the titles we brought home that day was From Head to Toe, and it has been a favorite ever since.  I especially love this book now because it is one that both of my children (ages 3 1/2 and 11 months) love to read together.   Babies love Carle's bold, simple illustrations, and the repetition of the verses is great for emerging readers, too.  "I am a penguin and I turn my head.  Can you do it?  I can do it!  I am a giraffe and I bend my neck.  Can you do it?  I can do it!"   Both my son and daughter particularly loved the seal page, and it was the first one each of them imitated.  "I am a seal and I clap my hands.  Can you do it?  I can do it!"  I just love watching my little girl happily smiling in delight as she claps her hands along with the story, just as her big brother used to.  Even better is when he reads it with us, waving his arms like a monkey and dancing around to the book while his little sister laughs and encourages him to be even sillier.  Fun, engaging, and interactive, From Head to Toe is another fabulous must-have for any child's library.