Adorable Mother-Child Read Aloud

Books Kids Will Love RATING: BB
Book: Little Goose
Author: Davis Mraz
Illustrator: Marot Apple
Recommended for ages 2-5
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This is an adorable book for the child off to daycare, preschool, or summer camp for the first time. It celebrates the joy of returning home to a mother's love.
In the book, Little Goose has forgotten something important and sets out on a journey to remember it. He asks his friends turtle, frog, and mouse for help. Only when Little goose returns home to his mama's soft wing does he remember that this is what he was missing all along. Mama makes him "cozy and comfy and happy all over, from side to side and bottom to top."
The colored pencil illustrations are fabulous. Very colorful and appealing to young children.
Apple is a local illustrator from Shelburne Falls, here in Massachusetts. She has illustrated more than 50 books.
I give this book a BB rating, due to cost in this sluggish economy. The rating would increase to BBBB in a paperback form.
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Tricyle Press
Published in April 2009
32 pages
$15.99, hardcover

Stylish Yourkshire Terrier Perfect for Preschoolers

Books Kids Will Love RATING: BBB
Book: Puddin' The Yorkshire Terrier
Illustrator: Shannon Bonatakis
Recommended for ages 3-5
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A cute concept book for young girls. The book can actually be carried like a small purse for young fashionistas. Plus, the book comes with a dog-bone shaped silver tone necklace.
The text is too simple for a child older than age 5, but the included necklace makes the book not safe for a child under age 3. Limited readership - preschooler only!
The publisher says the main character is the "terrier to see and be seen with, as she struts herself in New Yorkie."
The story features a Yorkshire Terrier named Puddin' and her owner and their fashionable lifestyle.
This is a book for dog lovers who love fashion. According to the American Kennel Club, Yorkshire Terriers were the second more popular purebred in American last year and estimated 43 million United States households own a dog.
Due to the book's limited staying power, I can only give it a BBB rating. Add it to your child's collection only if you find it on sale. It is unlikely you would find this book at your local library due to the stickers and necklace. The book makes a cute birthday gift, too.
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Running Press Book Publishing
First published in April 2009
$12.95 (book, necklace & stickers)

Introduce Your Child to the Nation's New Children's Poet Laureate

Books Kids will Love RATING: BBB
Book: One of Each
By: Mary Ann Hoberman
Recommended for ages 3-6
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April is National Poetry Month and what better way to celebrate than by introducing your child to poetry.
My favorite is poet Robert Frost, but consider trying a few books by the nation's newest Children's Poet Laureate Mary Ann Hoberman of Connecticut. Awarded the two-year title by the Poetry Foundation in October 2008, Hoberman is an author of more than 40 books for children, including You Read To Me, I'll Read to You (which is my favorite of her collection and I would give a BBBB rating.)
In One of Each, Hoberman reinforces the concepts of friendship and sharing.
The main character Oliver Tolliver is so proud of his home. He feels it is fit for a king. The only problem with it, is there is just one of each item. So when he invites a friend over, he learns she is not as happy with his home. "It may be for you but it isn't for me." Soon, Oliver is redecorating to accommodate his friends.
This is a great book to be read aloud.
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Little Brown Books for Young Readers
First published in 1997
32 pages
$6.99, paperback

Learning About Friendship Through Unicorns

Books Kids Will Love RATING: BB

Book: Unicorn School: First Class Friends (Chapter book series #1)

By Linda Chapman

Recommended for ages 6-9

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Written by the author of My Secret Unicorn, comes Chapman's newest series Unicorn School. In First Class Friends, girls are introduced to a 9-year-unicorn named Willow. She enrolls in Unicorn School. Willow can't wait to learn how to fly and to cast charms. She makes friends with Sapphire, Troy, & Storm at school. My daughter, who is in second grade, liked the part of the book when the unicorns saved Willow after an older unicorn played a mean trick on her. She did not like how the "unicorns in front of the gate were teasing her because she was small."

My daughter's favorite part of the book was "when they learned how to fly and cast charms."

It was an easy book for her to read. She finished the 8-chapter, 128 page book in about 1-2 days. (Note: She is reading above grade level.) My daughter received this book as a gift on St. Patrick's Day; ironic, as the books is full of elves and charms.

The book does take on life lessons like friendship, teasing, bullying, overcoming fears, speaking up for yourself, etc.

Girls interested in magic, fantasy, and horses will enjoy this new series by Scholastic.

I gave this book a rating of BB (borrow from your local library), but if your daughter is a big fan of horses or fantasy-type books, I'd increase the rating to BBB.

Scholastic

128 pages

$3.99, paperback

First in Mystery Series Worth a Double BB

Books Kids Will Live RATING: BB
Book: Meg Mackintosh and The Case of the Missing Babe Ruth Baseball (#1)
By Lucinda Landon
Recommended ages 6-9

.In this book, the main character Meg visits her grandfather for the weekend. Her grandfather tells her about a missing autographed baseball signed by slugger babe Ruth.
One nice features of this book is that there are clues in the illustrations and the text.
Many of the clues are based on early childhood nursery rhymes.
This book is not scary, according to my daughter.
Ironically, we got an autographed copy of this book by the Rhode Island author at the Framingham Library book sale recently. We were lucky to get a half dozen of these mysteries. My daughter read them all in a week.
Children who like mysteries, like Cam Jansen, will enjoy this series.
This is a great book to borrow from the local library. Great school vacation or weekend reading for kids.
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Little Brown & Company
First published in 1986
48 pages
$13.95, hardcover

Helping A Child Get Ready For Kindergarten With Miss Bindergarten

Books Kids Will Love RATING: BB (for some BBB)

Book: Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten

By Joseph Slate

Illustrated by Ashley Wolff

Recommended for ages 4-6 (kindergarten)

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I fell in love with this book and gave it to my daughter the day before her first day of kindergarten. It still sits on my daughter's bookshelf, even though she is in second grade. (I was lucky to find a copy of it at the Christmas Tree Shops for a reduced price.) I wouldn't recommend purchasing the book, as it has a limited value to a child. Typically, once a child has moved on to first grade, things and items associated with kindergarten, and especially preschool, are considered babyish.

The book is wonderfully written in rhyme. It is a nice read aloud book. For example, "Matty Lindo looks out the window" of the yellow school bus as mama moose says goodbye. And, "Ursula Crewe ties her shoe."

With a different letter of the alphabet, the books tell of what children do to get ready for the first day of school - from Adam Krupp waking up to Wanda Chin marches in, to Zach Blair find his chair.

Children with a fondness for animals will love the colorful illustrations by Ashley Wolff.

Children also get a chance to see what a teacher does to get ready for her class through the whimsical illustrations.

The book will help the most anxious and anxiety-filled child adjust to kindergarten. Kids will find it soothing to have the book read to them repeatedly.

If you can find the book at a bargain rate like I did, the rating could easily be a BBB, for many families; especially if you have younger siblings who will be entering school soon. There is nothing wrong with a handi-down book!

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Puffin books

First published in September 1996

40 pages

$6.99, paperback

Linguistic Book is the Cat's Meow!

Books Kids Will Love RATING: BBBB
Book: There's A Frog in My Throat
By Loreen Leedy & Pat Street
Recommended for ages 5-9
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Kids love animals and what better way to teach them some part of the English language - like simile, metaphor, idiom, or proverb, then with 400+ animal thoughts. This is a book, that even kids who do not like to read will enjoy. The illustrations are bright and humorous. The book is divided into 6 different categories, like the farm, under the waves, and on the wing. There is even an index in back. At the beginning, there is a glossary of the linguistic terms mentioned above.
Here s a few examples:
"My head is full of cob webs"
"A leopard can't change his spots"
"Stop badgering me"
"I'm living in a goldfish bowl"
"The tail is wagging the dog"
Your child will spend hours reading and laughing with this book.
This is a great book to add to a lower elementary student's reference library.
My first-grade daughter is getting this book for Christmas!
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Distributed by Scholastic
Released in 2003
48 pages
$17.95 hardcover
$4.99, paperback