Books

I've been meaning to make a post for a while on some of the kids' favorite books... and since I am asked frequently what are some of the books we enjoy, here it is so, enjoy:

... hmm, wait, this is actually a bit overwhelming... there's so many!  I'll have to categorize:

Raya/books for small children -- I have found books with animals are really helpful for this age, because before words there's sounds.. and animal sounds are so much fun to learn for a 1 year old.  Rhyming books are also helpful because they're attracted to the sing-song sounds.

I Love Animals - Flora McDonnell
Barnyard Banter- Denise Flemming ... I like a lot of her books
Please, Baby, Please - Spike and Tonya Lee
We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Michael Rosen
Who's Nose and Toes - John Butler ... actually all John Butler books, my kids are captivated by his illustrations
Sheep in a Jeep - Nancy Shaw ... kids love the sing-song rhymes, she has a series
Goosie - Olivier Dunrea ... these are really simple, but the plots are so intuned with young kids and the language is great for spatial concepts.. there's a large series
Polar Bear, Polar Bear - Bill Martin Jr. ... another huge favorite with our kids is Barn Dance, and of course Chicka, Chicka Boom Boom he's just a great author in general
Today is Monday- Eric Carle, basically all his books.  He's classic... From Head to Toe is another that has become a favorite
Tumble Bumble - Felicia Bond, kids love the rhymes.
Bear on a Bike - Stella Blackstone... she has a series as well
Duck in a Truck - Jez Alborough ... my kids love this author. A LOT.

What is great about these books is that they not only enjoy them when they're young but they work for beginning-to-read books when they're older.

I'll have to finish this book list later... but what I've been really focusing on lately is making sure that the kids are exposed to female protagonists that aren't overly stereotyped.

Knuffle Bunny - Mo Willems.  I love how the father is portrayed in this book too.
Brave Irene - William Steig.  My kids like a lot of his books... I love his vocabulary
Silly Sally - Audrey Wood.  She is one of my favorite authors, and her husband is one of my favorite illustraters... and they have a lot of books we love: King Bidgood's in the Bathtub, Quick as a Cricket, Piggies, The Napping House ...
Fancy Nancy - Jane O'Conner. A bit borderline for me... but the kids enjoy it and the new words.
Lily's Big Day - Kevin Henkes.  I just started reading this author and I love his books!  Lily cracks me up!

And I'll hopefully add more later, I don't want to forget all these books and good memories!