books for under four year olds

[SusanH]

What are your favorite books for pre-schoolers and toddlers?

Susy has begun choosing her own books at the library and has found some great ones! I really like Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Carol Diggory Shields, which has fun pictures and a good rhyming text. Right now we are reading One Lighthouse, One Moon which teaches colors, the days of the week, the months of the year and numbers. She has just begun learning colors and loves to identify the colors of the shoes at the beginning of the book.

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Susan, proud mama of Susanna Jane (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/), 2/3/00 * at the park (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/maypark.html) * "I sleepy!" (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/sleepy.html)
Co-moderator of Attachment Parenting and Breastfeeding Support
If we are ever to turn toward a kindlier society and a safer world, a revulsion against the physical punishment of children would be a good place to start. - Dr. Spock

[Caryl]

So many! Is it okay if I just keep adding to this post every week or so? http://www.storknet.com/boards/wink.gif

I found the two you mentioned on Amazon, Susan:

Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1564026930/ref=nosim/storknet00)
One Lighthouse, One Moon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060005378/ref=nosim/storknet00)

They both look really cute!

Right now, one of Charon's favorite books from the library is Miss Mouse's Day (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688163335/ref=nosim/storknet00). I love Jan Ormerod's illustrations! Charon has never had a favorite stuffed anilmal/"lovey," but she gets a kick out of Miss Mouse's adventures with this little girl.

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Caryl
Mom to Charon, 7/19/99
Co-Moderator for the Reading Circle and Heart of the Home Forums
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."
--Annie Dillard

[*Debbie*]

My kids loved "When A Possum Comes A Knockin' At Your Door".
We have the Dinosaur Stomp book too - DS was a dinosaur freak, so that was a favorite.
I always loved the Carl the Rotweiller series of books, the illustrations are beautiful and since there are no words you can make up a new story every time with your kids!
DD loved "Wacky Wednesday" - she still loves to find all of the crazy things on every page.
"Jessie Bear, Jessie Bear, What will you wear?" is a fun one.

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~*~ Debbie ~*~ debbie@storknetmail.com
happily married for 13 years
Liam Richard (8)
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[Caryl]

Susan, I got both of the books you recommended, and Charon enjoyed them. Dinosaur Stomp was so fun, and she loved finding the kitty on each page of the other book.

Debbie, now I'm looking to see if the books you recommended are available at my library. I found these on Amazon:

Possum Come A-Knockin (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679834680/ref=nosim/storknet00)
Good Dog, Carl (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0689807481/ref=nosim/storknet00)
Wacky Wednesday (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0394829123/ref=nosim/storknet00)

Here's another book Charon adores: I'm a Little Teapot (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580890105/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Iza Trapani. She loves looking at the pictures; it's the traditional song at first, and then the teapot goes on all sorts of adventures, with new verses to match. This author has other song-books, too, that she's enjoyed, but this one is by far her favorite.

Caryl

[LaraK]

The ever popular <u>'Where The Wild Things Are'</u> has become a favorite with my daughter recently. We also got hand puppets to go along with it.

A long time favorite of hers is, What Dad's Can't Do (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0689826206/qid=1025056627/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/storknet00), by Douglas Wood. It is SUCH a cute book.

[SusanH]

I'm glad Charon liked the books, Caryl! http://www.storknet.com/boards/smile.gif

I just requested Miss Mouse's Day from the library, it sounds really cute! Lately we've been reading well-known books like Miss Spider's New Car, A is for Angry by Sandra Boynton and Dr. Seuss' alphabet book. We also got The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle from the library but I don't really like it. We talk about the pictures but don't read the text (a ladybug goes around challenging everyone to a fight, which isn't ideal reading for a 2 year old, IMO.)

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Susan, proud mama of Susanna Jane (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/), 2/3/00 * at the park (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/maypark.html) * "I sleepy!" (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/sleepy.html)
Co-moderator of Attachment Parenting
If we are ever to turn toward a kindlier society and a safer world, a revulsion against the physical punishment of children would be a good place to start. - Dr. Spock

[tomsgirl]

I work at a daycare and there's a few the kids seem to love:
Can I Have A Stegosaurus Mom?
Lois G. Grambling

They also love the Jillian Jiggs books by Phoebe Gilman, they're a little harder to find now, as they were really popular when I was little! http://www.storknet.com/boards/eek.gif

Linda

[djk42]

We like Clifford, Mercer Mayer books, Franklin, Arthur, Veggie Tales, Magic School Bus, and Berenstain Bears for series books (we have most of all of these). We also love the little board books by Max Lucado and Anita Jeram, Jesse Bear books, Daisy books, and "Are You My Mother?" Daddy reads The Happy Hedgehog Band really well, so they love it too. We also like chapter books.. I like the flow of reading without turning pages and stopping to look at pictures, it is more like story telling than picture discussing. Try reading your old favorites aloud. We just finished "Anne of Green Gables" and we are almost done with "Frodo" as a bedtime story. Now the kids and I are working on a set of abridged chapter books for girls with many of the classics (Five Little Peppers, What Katy Did, etc).

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Mommy to Aren (1-98), Elizabeth (6-99) and Abigail (8-01)
Happily Nursing Three Precious Angels

[Katie797]

I don't post here so I hope it's ok to add my 2 cents. http://www.storknet.com/boards/smile.gif

My girls both love any book by Sandra Boynton. They also both love Eric Carle. Right now my almost 5 year old loves <u>The Grouchy Ladybug</u> by Eric Carle.

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Debbie
DH-John
Katie *4 1/2 years old*
Kristen *2 years old*Come and see my girls! (http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/l/laqfam917)

[Caryl]

I hope you and Susy enjoy Miss Mouse, Susan! There is another book, too: Miss Mouse Takes Off (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688178707/ref=nosim/storknet00), where the little girl and her mom (and Miss Mouse, of course!) take a plane trip. Charon loved that one, too. She's never been on a plane, but Susy has, hasn't she?

Debbie/Licagita, I have Possum Come A-Knockin' on hold at my library. http://www.storknet.com/boards/smile.gif

Lara, I've seen What Dads Can't Do -- it's really cute!

Here's another we'd recommend. Charon's birthday is coming up, and she loves this book by Helen Oxenbury: It's My Birthday (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1564026027/ref=nosim/storknet00). In it, a little girl gets help from animals in finding the ingredients to make a birthday cake. Charon reads the animal parts now, and we pretend to eat the cake at the end. http://www.storknet.com/boards/smile.gif

Here are some of the ones you all recommended:

A is for Angry (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/089480507X/ref=nosim/storknet00)
Can I Have a Stegosaurus, Mom? Can I? Please?! (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0816733872/ref=nosim/storknet00)
The Happy Hedgehog Band (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1564022722/ref=nosim/storknet00)
The Grouchy Ladybug (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0064434508/ref=nosim/storknet00)

This is fun! Keep those recommendations coming!

Caryl

[SusanH]

Caryl, I had to let you know that Susy LOVES Miss Mouse's Day. http://www.storknet.com/boards/smile.gif She reads it to me, actually, as well as reciting it to herself at random while she's playing. She'll be coloring and I'll hear "Whee! Oops! Splat!" over and over. Thanks so much for the suggestion. Do you have any more? Charon obviously has great taste in books, just like her mama.

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Susan, proud mama of Susanna Jane (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/), 2/3/00 * at the park (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/maypark.html) * "I sleepy!" (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/sleepy.html)
Co-moderator of Attachment Parenting
If we are ever to turn toward a kindlier society and a safer world, a revulsion against the physical punishment of children would be a good place to start. - Dr. Spock

[Caryl]

Susan, I'm so glad Susy loves the book! "Splat!" That is too cute -- I can just hear her. http://www.storknet.com/boards/biggrin.gif If you haven't found Miss Mouse Takes Off yet, you should definitely look for it!

You are very sweet to compliment our taste in books. http://www.storknet.com/boards/smile.gif I haven't found any books recently that I love as much as Miss Mouse, but I'll let you know when I find another favorite.

Caryl

[Caryl]

Okay, I found a few more children's books I'll recommend. Charon loves these:

~ Good Night, Baby Bear (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0152163689/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Frank Asch -- Perfect reading material for when I night-weaned Charon last month.

~ Rock-a-Bye Farm (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671886304/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Diane Johnston Hamm -- This sweet farmer not only rocks his baby to sleep every night; he also rocks all of his animals to sleep!

~ Mouse Paint (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0152560262/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Ellen Stoll Walsh -- Charon is very into painting right now, and we had to act this one out after reading it!

~ White Rabbit's Color Book (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856979539/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Alan Baker -- She likes all of Baker's rabbit books, but this one is probably her favorite.

Caryl

[k-mom]

Right now my kids are in to: <u>One Duck Stuck</u>, <u>One, Two, Peek-a-Boo</u>, <u>The Animals and the Ark</u>, and <u>Where the Wild Things Are</u>.

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Heather, 29
SAHM
DH - Sean, 31
DS - Tommy 12-10-99
DD - Gracie 03-09-01

[caligula02]

Any book by Richard Scary. A personal favorite of mine was "Cars and Trucks and Things that Go."

Sarah
EDD 8/4/02

[Caryl]

Great suggestions! Here are links to a couple of them that I found on Amazon:

One Duck Stuck (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0763603341/ref=nosim/storknet00) (This looks sooooo cute!)

1 2 Peek-a-Boo! (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0448416107/ref=nosim/storknet00)

Caryl

[SusanH]

Caryl, I forgot to tell you how much Susy loved the second Miss Mouse book. http://www.storknet.com/boards/smile.gif I'm hoping she'll write more, they really are lovely.

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Susan, proud mama of Susanna Jane (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/), 2/3/00 * at the park (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/maypark.html) * "I sleepy!" (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/sleepy.html)
Co-moderator of Attachment Parenting
Having kids is great, Apu! You can teach them to hate the things you hate, and they practically raise themselves, what with the Internet and all." - Homer Simpson

[Tasha]

My dd and I love "The Caterpillar that could"..full of wonderful colors, in different sizes, she can turn the pages and she is recognizing all the colors and fruits in it. Its a book we got when she was a baby and we will not ever depart from it. What a wonderful book!!!
Tasha

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Me 25
DH Rick 26
DD Cara 2
Nov. 01' Ectopic
Too many complications to list
EDD Jan. 28, 2003

[SusanH]

We've been reading lots of character books lately (Clifford, Sesame Street, Pooh Bear, etc) so I haven't been able to recommend anything unusual. But a few days ago we found It's My Birthday by Helen Oxenbury at the library and we both really like it! It's a very simple book about a little child getting ready to make a birthday cake. The child's animal friends each contribute an ingredient. Interestingly, the author made the main character gender-neutral so both boys and girls could relate to the book (although I think it looks more like a girl, lol.)

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Susan, proud mama of Susanna Jane (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/), 2/3/00 * at the park (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/maypark.html) * "I sleepy!" (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/sleepy.html)
Co-moderator of Attachment Parenting
Having kids is great, Apu! You can teach them to hate the things you hate, and they practically raise themselves, what with the Internet and all. - Homer Simpson

[This message has been edited by SusanH (edited 08-29-2002).]

[Caryl]

LOL, Susan! Look at one of my previous posts in this thread. http://www.storknet.com/boards/wink.gif Isn't that a cute book? http://www.storknet.com/boards/biggrin.gif

Caryl

[Caryl]

Here are some of our current faves:

I Love You: A Rebus Poem (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/059037656X/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Jean Marzollo ~ Charon pretty much reads this book to us, and then dh and I made up a tune for all of the words that we sing for her at the end. ("Again!")

Tumble Bumble (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0064435857/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Felicia Bond ~ I really like Felicia Bond's pictures, but Charon hasn't gotten too excited about those "If you give a mouse a muffin..." books. This one, she loves! (And I do, too!)

The Baby BeeBee Bird (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060280832/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Diane Redfield Massie ~ Charon's favorite these last two days. I like it just for the expression on the elephant's face when he says, "Oh dear, and I am so sleepy."

Caryl

[SusanH]

D'oh! And I thought I was so original.... http://www.storknet.com/boards/wink.gif

All right, I'll suggest the Kingfisher First Number Book by Patti Barber. Bright illustrations and lots of math-related activities for toddlers and pre-schoolers. Susy adores it, so much so that I may have to buy it, unless the library will let me sign it out for another few months.

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Susan, proud mama of Susanna Jane (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/), 2/3/00 * at the park (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/maypark.html) * "I sleepy!" (http://users.adelphia.net/~harkavy/sleepy.html)
Co-moderator of Attachment Parenting
Out with the jive, in with the love. - Mr. Burns

[miche]

Tommy is not a kid that will sit for a story to be read, but he will if it's one from the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series. He loves those books, especially the original mouse one. He says that the picture the mouse drew is his family. Mommy, Daddy, himself as the mouse, and he changes who the others are and Sean is always back sleeping in the house. http://www.storknet.com/boards/smile.gif He also loves Down by the Station by Will Hillenbrand. It follows the song and adds on other sounds or actions for the baby animals the train picks up on the way to the children's zoo. Tommy will sing "Down by the station, early in the morning, see the little puffer belly's all in a row....puff puff, toot toot, thrump thrump (elephants), flip flop (seal), mew mew (tiger)...etc...OFF WE GO!" Tommy knows the order of the animals better than I do. http://www.storknet.com/boards/smile.gif Both these are ones we get from the library and he knows exactly where to run to to find them when we go!

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Miche
Mommy to Thomas Joseph (Tommy), 6/30/99 and Sean Emery, 9/1/01
My StorkNet Pregnancy Journal (http://www.storknet.com/journals/michelle/)

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[JenT]

Can I second the suggestion of Tumble Bumble? Grace adores it!

p.s. Susan re: cosleeping - they all climb into the bed at the end..."10 new friends" happily piled in together. http://www.storknet.com/boards/wink.gif

[Lisa Jo]

Natalie is currently infatuated with Frog and Toad and Little Bear. She also loves the Clifford books.

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Lisa
My two precious kids:
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[SusanH]

Susy loves Clifford too! My mom picked up about a dozen of them at yard sales and she is just in heaven. http://www.storknet.com/boards/smile.gif She also loves the Toby the Mouse, Tom and Pippo, and Maisy series.

A new wonderful book I discovered thanks to storytime at the library: Toddlerobics by Zita Newcome. A very fun book that your child can actually act out. Example: "All join hands, ring around the rosy. Let's bump bottoms, let's bump noses."

[Lisa Jo]

I had to laugh at myself last week when I realized what I had come home with from the library. I had picked out four new books for Natalie, and each one featured a mouse! I had no idea I was doing that. One is a forgettable Halloween book, but the others are great:

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Miss Mouse's Day
A Mouse in My House by Nancy Van Laan

This last one has become a special favorite of hers, and I don't tire of reading it because it is so cute and has rhythmic sing-song text. It features all these animals in a boy's house, when actually it is just the boy pretending to be the animals. At the end he says "there's a zoo in my house and the zoo is ME!" Natalie really enjoys "reading" this book to me.

I re-read this thread Caryl, and noticed your endorsement of I'm a Little Teapot. My mom gave us Iza Trapani's Itsy Bitsy Spider when DS was a little tike and we love it! I need to pull that out for Natalie. The illustrations are gorgeous and the text is very clever. :)

[Caryl]

We've had lots of good book recommendations lately! Here are some links for the books recently posted in this thread:

First Number Book (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/075345338X/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Patti Barber
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060245867/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Felicia Bond
Down by the Station (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0152018042/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Will Hillenbrand
Toddlerobics (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1564028097/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Zita Newcombe
A Mouse in My House (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679800433/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Nancy Van Laan

And I can't resist recommending this one again, that Lisa mentioned:
Miss Mouse's Day (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688163335/ref=nosim/storknet00) by Jan Ormerod

:)

[Caryl]

I noticed we had lots of good recommendations in this thread (http://www.storknotes.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4419). Here are some of them:

Guess What I'll Be (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/076360626X/ref=nosim/storknet00)
The Very Lazy Ladybug (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1589250079/ref=nosim/storknet00)
Daisy's Hide and Seek (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316796166/ref=nosim/storknet00)
A Bad Case of Stripes (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0590929976/ref=nosim/storknet00)
Snuggle Wuggle (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0152021590/ref=nosim/storknet00)
Poppleton (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/059084783X/ref=nosim/storknet00)
The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0590413414/ref=nosim/storknet00)
Rain Talk (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0689504969/ref=nosim/storknet00)
Hairy MacLary Scattercat (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0836826892/ref=nosim/storknet00)

[Caryl]

I wanted to let you know that I looked for the Poppleton pig books by Cynthia Rylant at our library after you recommended them. Charon and I have checked out two now, and she loves them. :) I have begun to put them on hold! We have one waiting for us to pick up right now.