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| "Hey! That's the bear that lost its hat!" |
All that today's handful of recommendations has in common is that I like each book for one reason or another. Actually, there is a thread (of yarn) between the last two; I'll get to it when I get to them. For now, though, let's begin at bye-bye!
Time to Say Bye-Bye
Maryann Cocca-Leffler
A great book to share with toddlers, as it shows what may be a typical "busy, busy day" in their lives: playing in the park, "helping" in the kitchen, bathtime and more. Children can help identify what is happening in many of the familiar scenes, and you can have fun saying the "bye-bye" refrain together.
My New Sandbox
Donna Jakob & Julia Gorton
One by one, a boy shoos visitors away from his new sandbox: a black bug, a red bird, a spotted dog--and something else. When he's finally by himself, though, will he be lonely? There's just enough repetition here to make it fun & easy for the young'ns to predict & help with the refrains, and the message at the end is a happy one.
Simms Taback's Safari Animals
Simms Taback
This book is also good for toddlers, but has appeal for much older animal lovers as well--including myself! A series of barely-disguised animal riddles unfolds until a drawing of an animal emerges, twice the size of the book itself! The bold, colorful art is very appealing, and each image gives the opportunity to make animal sounds together.
Extra Yarn
Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen
"Hey! That's the bear that lost its hat!" That was the cry of a young boy in one of my storytimes as I turned to a page of sweater-wearing animals, one of whom was clearly the star of Klassen's I Want My Hat Back. The bear just appears on that one page, though; the story is actually about Annabelle, a girl who finds a box of colorful yarn. No matter what she creates from the stuff, Annabelle would discover (in a refrain readers can repeat together throughout the book), "she still had extra yarn." Older children will enjoy predicting some of the end details of this fun story.
The Hueys in The New SweaterOliver Jeffers
"The thing about the Hueys...was that they were all the same." All the same until one of them--Rupert--knitted himself a sweater; now he was different. Before long, everyone would be different--in the exact same way! It's fun to see the lightbulbs go on over many kids' heads as I share this one.
At a recent storytime, I paired this book with Extra Yarn, due to the link of new sweaters popping up everywhere. I actually think a great pairing would be Seuss's The Sneetches. I have some other ideas on the "same" theme; I'll share them before too long!
Check these books out! Have fun with them, & let me know what you think. Do you have any favorite books about wild animals, or sharing, or being an individual--or whatever? Please let me know!
