Day 138: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

This rollicking alphabet chant has to be one of the popular ABC books out there for young children.  We were given a copy of one of the abridged versions, Chicka Chicka ABC, by one of my former students as a baby gift when my son was first born.  I'll admit that the first few times I read it, I thought it was a little annoying.  I wasn't always sure I had the tempo of the rhythm just right, and often found myself adding in a few words here and there to make it flow better as I was reading and singing it.  My son, on the other hand, LOVED it.  He was completely obsessed by Lois Ehlert's illustrations -- the simplicity of the design and the bright bold colors make it incredibly appealing to infants -- and wanted to read it over and over and over (which we did.... many times.)  Eventually, this book really grew on me, I think because my son loved it so much and I could see how educational it could be to a baby or young child.  To this day, I'm convinced it's part of the reason he learned his alphabet at such a young age (I was always sure to point out each letter on the page as we read), especially his lowercase letters. The lyrical rhythmic quality of the book is fabulous for kids, too.  It's the kind of book that you can't help but read with a little bounce.  I honesty can't imagine someone picking it up and just reading the words in prose.  In fact, our original ABC board book version came in a set with a little plastic maraca.  So fun!  My daughter (now 18 months) loves this book just as much as her brother did, and has for some time.  After many readings of Chicka Chicka ABC, we finally got the parent version, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, out of the library.  Naturally, it shares all of the fabulous qualities of our shorter ABC version ("A told B and B told C, I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree") and goes on to make the story even more lively and fun ("Skit skat skoodle doot. Flip flop flee.  Everybody running to the coconut tree.")  Uppercase letters are introduced here, as well, and I love the way the "younger" lower case letters get into trouble along the way.  "Next from the pileup skinned-knee D, and stubbed-toe E, and patched up F.  Then comes G all out of breath."  With children who are two and a half years apart, it can be hard to find stories that they both love to read equally, but Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is one such book.  It's engaging, fun, and well worth a read whether you have a newborn or preschooler. And if, like me, you don't love it at first, give it another chance or two. Seeing your child light up when you read it is bound to change your mind.

Looking for some great activities to accompany reading this book?  Check out these fabulous ideas over at Mommy and Me Book Club!  I can't wait to crack open a real coconut with my little guy!

Day 67: Where Is Baby's Birthday Cake?

My daughter's newest obsession is lift-the-flap books.  She's ten months old now and loves getting into everything!  Opening boxes, emptying bags, taking every book out of the bin… so I'm not surprised that her curious self loves seeing what lies behind the flaps.  Her current favorite is Where is Baby's Birthday Cake? by Karen Katz.  We probably read this book at least 10 times in a row every night before bed, and looking for that birthday cake never gets old.  Katz has many similarly themed titles in her Baby series, but this is the only one we happen to own.  My son received this as a gift on his first birthday and it was an immediate hit.  The colors are bold and bright, but what my kids love most of all is the glittery, sparkly pictures on each page.  Its pages are not quite as thick as some of the other board books we have, but I will say that the book and the flaps have held up surprisingly well after many, many reads.  It might seem a bit silly, but another little thing I like about this book is the fact that the flaps open in different directions. I can almost feel my daughter's brain working as she plays with and explores this book. I just love it when that happens! This is another book that my son enjoys reading to his little sister, which always makes my heart melt a little bit.  If you're looking for a good first birthday gift for a child or are just looking for a fun new book to read with your baby, we definitely recommend this one.

Day 63: Fuzzy Bee and Friends

Time for another favorite that is perfect for infants and young babies!  My daughter was completely mesmorized by this book as we read it before bed tonight, just as my son used to be.  She must have turned through all the pages ten times, touching and carefully studying each tactile feature along the way.  She was especially fascinated by the fly's shiny eyes and the snail's shimmery body!  (My son always loved the beetle's and dragonfly's wings.) There are several of these cloth books in the series by Priddy Books, and we were fortunate to receive all three as gifts:  Fuzzy Bee and Friends, Squishy Turtle and Friends, and Fluffy Chick and Friends.  (I listed them in our order of preference, but all three are good.)  They make a perfect first book for any baby for a variety of reasons.  The cloth pages are soft and easy for little fingers to grab and turn.  The colors are bold and the illustrations are simple yet striking, instantly grabbing baby's attention.  Each page features a different textured fabric or other tactile elements -- spindly spider legs,  shiny ladybug spots, satiny butterfly wings -- which are great for fostering a child's sensory awareness and curiosity.  The simple text has an easy rhythm to it, making it appealing to little ears, and perhaps most importantly, babies can chew on these books to their hearts' content.  My daughter doesn't discriminate -- she'll chew on any book -- but it's nice not to have to remove soggy little bits of board book from her mouth while she "reads."  My kids have loved these books from the beginning, and my son especially loves to sit and read them to his little sister now.  Endorsements don't get any cuter than that. 

Day 54: DK's my first board books

My son just loves this series of books, and even my daughter is beginning to love them, too.  Straightforward and simple, theses DK books cover a range of topics, from colors, numbers, and the ABCs to dinosaurs, tractors and trucks.  There are even holiday editions for Passover, Christmas, and Halloween, and Spanish versions of several of the titles, as well.  The pages within have different themes -- in the animals book, for example, there are categories for swimmers, animals on the farm, creepy crawlies, striped animals, etc. -- and vivid photographs of each topic.  We have several of these books,  and have found them to be engaging and fun in different ways at different ages.  When my son was about a year old, he loved to turn the pages of these books and study the pictures.   When we would read the animals book, he especially loved the "noisy" page; we would make the sound and he would point to the animal that made it.  Now, he goes through each picture one by one, excitedly naming all of the animals himself.  I just love that he knows what kiwi birds, bush babies, tomato frogs, lionfish, and wallabies are! The numbers book certainly helped as he was learning his basic numbers and to count from one to ten, but even now that he can easily count to one hundred, he is learning from the more advanced pages at the end that address the concepts of addition and subtraction.  And I can't tell you how many times he has counted each vehicle on the "50 fast toy cars" page.  One of his new favorites is the dinosaur book, and I have no doubt that it won't be long before he knows the name of every dinosaur and prehistoric reptile it mentions.  Now I just need to make sure I'm pronouncing them correctly!  With multiple pictures on a page, these books are great whether you are reading them with your little one or he is simply looking at the pictures on his own.  (My son loves reading them in the car!)  With so many titles and topics to choose from, the DK "My first" board books are a wonderful addition to any child's library.

Day 45: I Love My Mommy Because...

With Mother's Day coming up this Sunday, I thought it only appropriate to feature some of our favorite books about beautiful, amazing moms and the joy of motherhood.  (Don't worry, dads.  You'll get your own featured stories come June.)  If I had been thinking ahead, I would have saved On the Night You Were Born for this week, but fortunately there are plenty of other wonderful books to share!  I Love My Mommy Because... is a beautiful little story about the many ways in which mothers of all species care for their babies.  It starts off with a mother and her child snuggling in a chair doing our favorite thing, reading.  "I love my mommy because... she reads me stories."   Next come the animal mothers and their young, complete with the appropriate names for each above each picture.  I love my mommy because... "she listens when I talk (cat and kitten)... She swims with me (gray whale and calf)... She gives me great big hugs (panda and cub.)"   My son's favorite page features the mother hen taking her chicks for a walk and the pig letting her piglets play in the mud.  The text is sweet and simple, and the illustrations of the various animals and their young are wonderful.  My son, daughter and I all love reading this one, and I especially love how it shows the way animal mommies love and care for their babies, too.  We have the board book version, which is great for sharing with even the youngest readers.  This is one of many stories that would make a perfect Mother's Day gift!

Day 42: Snuggle Puppy

Time to feature my daughter's favorite book at the moment, Snuggle Puppy.  We have many of Boynton's classic board books, and both my son and daughter love her fun rhymes and silly illustrations.  I'll admit that Snuggle Puppy was not an instant favorite of mine, mostly because I couldn't quite figure out how the song was supposed to go and the rhyming meter seemed a bit off, but eventually I just made up my own tune and the story grew on me.  (I have since heard how the song is supposed to go -- it's on Boynton's Philadelphia Chickens cd and can also be found on youtube.  I think it's much more fun to sing the story than just read it aloud!)  My son likes it, but my daughter LOVES it.  Next to Brown Bear, Brown Bear, it is her favorite book to read at bedtime, and she even gives the puppies wet, slobbery kisses on just about every page.  The message is undoubtedly adorable:  "Oooh snuggle puppy of mine, everything about you is especially fine.  I love what you are, I love what you do.  Fuzzy little snuggle puppy, I love you!"  I also love how throughout the course of the song, the mother and her little puppy make chocolate chip cookies together.  Reading stories, singing, and baking cookies are three of our favorite things to do!  My daughter loves the delightful, colorful illustrations and I know it's one story she is always happy to read over and over.  We hope you and your snuggle puppies love it, too!

Day 29: That's not my...

I've been making it a point lately to find plenty of time to read to my daughter, who is 8 months old.  She is certainly exposed to many books and hears my son and I reading together at different times during the day, but she is at the age where she just wants to chew on all of his books and gets extremely frustrated when I won't let her.  (She's got her own collection she can drool on and try to eat.)  Some books we can all read together -- fortunately, my son still loves reading our board books, especially those he can read to us -- but a lot of his favorites these days aren't particularly suited to teething-crazy baby girls.  As a result, I really want to make sure that my daughter doesn't miss out on story times of her own.   I always read to her before putting her down for bed at night, and the Usborne Touchy-Feely "That's not my..." series is one of her favorites.  My son loved/loves them, too, and we have at least six of these titles:  That's not my... bear, puppy, bunny, snowman, polar bear, and monkey.  Oh, and we have That's not my penguin, too.  (We've gotten several of these as gifts.)  They make a perfect first book for newborns, with big, bright, simple illustrations and repetitive text.  Each page features a different texture that little ones can feel -- a scratchy tongue, soft ears, fluffy tail -- and the pages are super sturdy.  Most of our books are amazingly still intact after many reads, That's not my snowman and That's not my bear, excluded.  My son loved these the best!  I often wish the textured parts of the page were a bit bigger and there was more diversity in the adjectives used throughout the series, but the important thing is that babies and little ones love them just as they are.  With many titles to choose from, there is bound to be one in the series that your child will love.   They make great baby gifts, too!

Day 13: Moo Baa La La La

Go to the board books section of any book store and you're bound to see rows of Sandra Boynton titles.  We have many on our bookshelf, too, but I think this one is definitely one of our favorites.  In the classic Boynton style, it's rhyming lines are silly and fun to read, and the pictures are charmingly simple -- a great combination for little ones.  This was one of my son's early favorites, and I'm convinced it helped us all survive a road trip to North Carolina when he was only 4 months old.  If we can read a story that many times and still like it by the end of the trip, it must be good!

Day 7: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Time to feature a fabulous book for the littlest of readers.  I would be surprised if anyone reading this hasn't heard of this classic story, but it is truly a wonderful book that deserves recognition.  This book is a rather sentimental one for me, as it is one of the very first books that truly engaged and captivated both of my children from the time they were born.  Even when they were just a few weeks old, I felt they truly connected to this story and loved reading it.  There is something magical about Martin's simple, rhythmic phrases and Carle's bold, collage-style images that make this a perfect first book for any child.  My seven month old daughter still loves to read (and chew on) this book, and I can just feel her brain taking it all in as she stares intently at the picture on each page, just my son used to do.  And even though he is now three, my son still loves reading this book with (and especially to) us.  Many thanks to my dear friend Alisa, who gave us this book before my son was born.  It is definitely a family favorite.