Stars are Everywhere

"A star is how you know it's almost night." So begins this comforting story of children discovering stars in the night sky and all around them in the natural world. There are star shaped flowers on the pumpkin vines; snowflake stars on wintry days; and thousands of stars floating from a dandelion puff. Observe the world from a child's eye and I promise you'll discover stars where you never looked before. Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee have created what I believe will become a childhood classic, full of wonder and delight. Ray's poetic words and Frazee's charming illustrations are in perfect harmony. Do yourself a favor. Check out Stars. Share it with your children and during this magical season enjoy the night. Wrap your kids up in blankets & head outside with a thermos of hot chocolate. Daily snuggling up with a good book and sharing a few moments of quiet will make a lasting impression on your children.

Miss Julie

The Gift of Nothing

The Gift of Nothing is a sweet little book, perfect for anyone who would like to encourage a child to focus on the simple pleasures of the holiday season. Regardless of what holiday we celebrate, many of us are out looking of the perfect gift. Mooch's attempts to figure out gift-giving are something we can all relate to, and his decision to get Earl nothing is truly inspired.

"There is nothing here," said Earl.
"Yesh!" said Mooch. "Nothing...but me and you!"

In a season of hustle and bustle, to-do lists and stress, it's easy to forget that the very best gift we can give each other is time spent together. This is especially true of sharing books with your kids... so take a moment, pick out a book, and enjoy time well spent.

Miss Kate

If you're looking for a great read-aloud starring trucks, you can't go wrong with Alice Schertle's Little Blue Truck, a perennial favorite at our library. In this story the little blue truck greets each each animal it meets along the road with a "beep", and the animals respond in kind with their own unique greeting. The big bully dump truck however, doesn't have time for such greetings and nearly mows everyone down before plowing deep into the mud. It takes everyone's help to get unstuck, and in the end the bully dump truck acknowledges "a lot depends on a helping hand from a few good friends".

This book offers more than a good message about friendship. The animal noises, truck sounds, and rhyming couplets all work to help your child pay attention to the music in our language-a powerful pre-literacy skill that will come in handy when your child is beginning to read. Other good books in our library that feature trucks and construction sounds include Little Blue Truck's sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way, Jackhammer Sam, by Peter Mandel, I'm a Truck Driver by Jonathan London, and Wake up, Engines, by Denise Dowling Mortensen.

A Cowgirl and Her Horse

What a fun, fun story! Having a horse is a BIG responsibility, as any cowgirl can tell you. She has to protect him from rattlesnakes, she can't forget his birthday, and she must help him write letters to his mother. In turn, he will take her up mountains, down trails, and over rainbows. Author Jean Ekman Adams has successfully coupled short, descriptive sentences with utterly charming southwestern illustrations. Her color palette is as warm and bright as the characters she brings to life.

In addition to providing a fun romp through a day in the life of a pair of good friends, A Cowgirl and Her Horse gives parents and other significant adults the perfect opening for discussing the dreaded topic of PETS. Each page is filled with imperatives: has to, must, and can't, but as the perfect ending reveals with understated affection, when done right, all the hard work that goes with having a pet/pal is well worth it.

Adams' whimsical drawings and tongue-in-cheek phrasing go hand in hand to make this an entertaining learning experience for young readers everywhere.

Color Me Blue

The author of this beautifully illustrated book explores color and perspective, as print characters suddenly come to life on the page. It all starts with the unseen illustrator who is just about to finish painting the scene, with only the barnyard left to complete. Next, a little white chicken pictured on the page decides she wants to help. Suddenly, blue paint is everywhere and spreading fast! First on the chicken, then over purple pansies, next-turning yellow ducks blue, splattering the cat and even pouring over the pages that follow. How can chicken undo her mistake and turn everything back the way it was before? Children will love finding out what happens next.

With minimal text, the illustrations really help tell most of the story. This is the perfect type of book to sit and have a conversation about with your child. For younger children, start by pointing at the different animals and asking, "What's this?" Expand on what your child says. If she says, "A white chicken" you might say, "Yes, a white chicken looking at a bottle of blue paint." If you think your child is ready, start asking more open ended questions such as, "What is chicken doing?" "How do you think the other animals feel now that they are blue?" "What can chicken do to clean up the blue paint?" Having a conversation about the pictures in a book is a great way to increase your child's language skills, build critical thinking and help him understand what is going on in the story. Most importantly, sharing and talking about books will help build an even stronger bond between you and your child.

Miss~Mary

Lost and Found

Poor little bunny has lost his Granny and he is feeling and looking very blue. He even cries blue tears...boo hoo hoo! I like this book for many reasons not the least of which is the art and design. Nicola Smee's watercolor illustrations stand out strongly on the clean, white uncluttered pages with big, bold text that even a beginner reader could pick up and read to a younger sibling. When Bunny Blue's granny goes missing all of bunny's friends come to the rescue asking important questions to find out what Granny looks like. Bunny's endearing descriptions of a granny with twinkly eyes, a big smile, and soft furry arms provide all the clues his friends need to join in the search. What's the Matter Bunny Blue introduces a scary theme of being lost without being scary, and offers reassurance to a child that there are caring adults who will come to the rescue. Read it! Then talk to your child about what they should do if their granny ever goes missing. Seriously, this simple story with a happy ending provides a great segue for you to talk to your child about an important subject.


Miss Julie

It's Going to Get Loud...

I love reading interactive, funny books with kids. Bertie Was a Watchdog by Rick Walton is right up my alley.

Bertie is a watchdog, but not because he's big or mean or scary, but because he is the size of a wristwatch. Do you still wear a wristwatch? This may be a good opportunity to show your little one what one is. When a robber breaks into the house, Bertie has to use his smarts to save the day.

You will get to growl, bark and make siren noises together while you read this story. Encouraging your antsy little guys to make appropriate noises while you read is a sure way to capture their attention. So let the fun begin and go to your local library and check out a copy now!

~miss_april

Count Them While You Can...

This lovingly illustrated counting book takes you on a tour from the United States to New Zealand. Set to the tune of "Over in the Meadow," the lively verses introduce young readers and their loved ones to ten endangered species including the breath-taking snow leopard. Each illustration features an animal family within its natural habitat, and on the opposing page is a small box detailing pertinent and easily accessible information regarding that particular species.

Author Anne Bowman's rhyming lines help make these near-extinct members of our planet stand out. This example from the entry for Madagascar's Red-Ruffed Lemur will give you a nice taste for Ms. Bowman's use of language:

'Climb!' said the mothers
'We climb!' said the six.
So they clambered and climbed
near their nests made of sticks.

People of all ages will enjoy skipping from continent to continent as they visit with these rare and unusual families.

The Baby Goes Beep!

A surprisingly fun story to read aloud to toddlers is The Baby Goes Beep by Rebecca O'Connell. It's surprising because it's not the story that entertains but the sound of the text. Page by page we follow a baby around the house as he creates fun sounds with whatever he finds....a wooden spoon, a book, the water in his tub....even his daddy's nose! This is a book that demands to be read aloud, and may spur your child to want to read it to you. Its catchy repetitive phrase is easy to remember and is as fun to say as it is to hear.

Books that include sounds or rhyming words help young children hear the music of language, and will foster their ability to sound out words later on when they're beginning to read. Other stories for toddlers and preschoolers that include a strong beat and/or musical sounds include Rock-a-Baby Band by Kate McMullan, Snake Alley Band by Elizabeth Nygaard, Cool Daddy Rat by Kristyn Crow, Jazzmatazz by Stephanie Calmenson, and This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt.

How to Teach a Slug to Read

This clever story begins with a young boy teaching a mother slug how to read to her little one. The rules are pretty simple. All you have to do is read lots of stories to him, put labels on some of his favorite things, and point out the rhyming words as they come up. It's a good idea to also select books he really wants to read and explain the meaning of new words. Don't forget to hold the book just right, so he can see all the wonderful pictures and most importantly, be patient because learning to read won't happen overnight. The great thing about these rules is that they work for human families too!

Author Susan Pearson hits on all the important early literacy skills in a book that highlights the learning to read process. Children will really like the bright and cheerful illustrations and funny rewording of popular book titles such as, Slug and Snail are Friends, and Go Slug, Go!  The humor is great but the overriding message is one that celebrates the wonder that reading can bring. So read lots of books to your child, point out the rhyming words, help explain the meanings of new words and in time, your child will be on her way to learning how to read too!

Miss Mary

Bedtime Ritual

My favorite time of day when I had a toddler at home was at bedtime. With dinner dishes done, jammies on, and teeth brushed it was a time to let go, relax, and turn my full attention to snuggling and reading bedtime stories with my daughter. A good part of that quiet hour was spent talking about the day. Who we saw. What we did. Where we went. Tell Me the Day Backwards by Albert Lamb is the perfect book to share at the end of a busy day. As Timmy Bear climbs into bed he exclaims to mom, "Let's play that game we used to play last summer." As the two of them take turns telling the day backwards, Mama Bear uses encouraging words like, "What happened before that?" and empathetic responses such as, "Yes, that was terrible," to gently guide little bear into an amusing game of storytelling. David McPhail's soft watercolor and sepia ink illustrations of the bear family will charm both you and your children. And the story is sure to inspire you to play the game of telling your day backwards too!


~Miss Julie

UH-OH!

If you and your toddler are going through the "Uh-Oh!" stage, you are sure to both enjoy Uh-Oh! by Mary Newell DePalma about a little lizard creature who is having one of those days where nothing is going right.

There are very few words in this book, mostly just "Uh-Oh!" and lots of fun pictures that show a crazy chain of events that any toddler will relate to. DePalma's engaging illustrations will give your toddler lots to point out as you tell the story together by reading the pictures.

At one point in the book, after using an entire roll of toilet paper to try and sop up a gallon of spilt milk, the little creature decides the bathroom rug would be more absorbent. After thinking a moment about what to do with the dirty rug and looking over at the dishwasher, he decides put it in with the entire box of soap of course! But we see a picture that suggests this isn't a good idea. A maginfying glass shows us some writing on the soap box that says, "Do not overfill soapdish." You can have a fun conversation about what will happen next as you pour over the pictures and read to the end.

~miss_april

Finn Throws a Fit!

Close your eyes. Visualize a two-year-old--a red-faced, eyes scrunched, open mouthed, shrieking two-year-old. Filled with warm fuzzies, yet? David Elliott has captured the absolute primal drama of a tantrum in all its volcanic glory pitted against the absolute helplessness of the beleaguered parents. The swirling illustrations are fantastic in their recreation of cosmic chaos and the sparse text is explosively descriptive: "He Screams. Look out! Avalanche!"

Whether that special boundary-stretching toddler in your life is grinning up at you with an angelic twinkle in his eye, or whether his eyes are puffy and swollen from the aftermath of the storm, Finn Throws a Fit! will resonate with anyone who lives or works with children.

Crackling with enough electrical energy to power the proverbial city block, the dynmaic vocabulary makes this book a memorable read and provides a welcomed gateway for communication between adult and child.

~MightyM

Meet Brownie & Pearl!

Are you looking for a fun book to read to your toddler? Check out Cynthia Rylant's new book Brownie & Pearl Grab a Bite. Like most books geared for two-year-olds, the language is spare, the illustrations big and colorful, and the simple narrative moves right along. The story follows a little girl named Brownie and her kitty-cat, Pearl, who find they're hungry and decide to see what's for lunch. They find string cheese in the refrigerator, apples in a bowl on the table, and crackers in the pantry. They finish off their feast with milk, a satisfying finish to a fairly healthy lunch. What makes this simple story fun is the personality of Brownie, who takes on the role of mom, admonishing Pearl not to play with her food. She playfully bites her saltine in the shape of a "P" for Pearl.

This book reminds us that plenty of rich vocabulary lies just beyond your pantry or refrigerator doorand that a good way to add these words to your child's vocabulary is to narrate your search, just as Brownie does with Pearl.

~Meg

Do Turtles Sleep in Treetops? A Book About Animal Homes

This is the perfect book for teaching young children about animal homes. The author, Laura Purdie Salas, starts by asking fun questions such as, do turtles sleep in treetops, build wax homes or bury themselves in sand? Young children will enjoy trying to guess which animal really lives in each of those places. The answer pages contain all kinds of additional interesting facts about each of the featured animals.

The repetition of the question and answer format makes the book very easy to follow. Young children will also love the bright and vivid pictures featured on each page. What a great way to get young children interested in nature and the world around them! Plus, sharing non-fiction books with your child is a great way to introduce new words which will help them build a bigger and better vocabulary.

Best of all, the next time you go on a walk around your neighborhood, you can point out an ant hill, bird nest or a spider web and talk with your child about the creatures that may live in these very interesting places? Think of all the wonderful conversations you and your child will share!

~Miss_Mary

A Magical Read-Aloud

One of my favorite read-alouds for older toddlers and preschoolers is The Magic Hat by Mem Fox. The magic hat floats into town changing each person whose head it lands on, into an animal. At the end of the story, the wizard responsible for the hat reverses the magic changing everyone back into people again. Aside from the entertaining story and whimsical illustrations, what makes this book a great read-aloud are the many opportunities for kids to interact with the story as you tell it.

The repetitive refrain :

Oh the magic hat, the magic hat,
it moved like this and it moved like that,
it spun through the air...

is easily remembered and repeated by kids once they've heard it a few times. Younger children will be mesmerized by the lilting cadence of the words and older children will have fun guessing what kind of animal each person is about to turn into since the fourth stanza of the refrain rhymes with the name of the animal.

After reading the story you can make your own magic hats out of paper and whatever you have lying around the house. If you happen to have a plastic straw you can easily make a magic wand. Then have fun re-enacting the story.

~Meg

Playtime Action Rhymes

I've never met a baby yet who doesn't like going for a horsey ride on mommy or daddy's knee. So pick up that little one, find a comfy chair, recite this catchy rhyme, and get ready for some belly laughs.


Come climb up
On Daddy's knee.
Take a horsey
Ride with me.

Giddyap! Giddyap!
Ride to town.
Giddyap! Giddyap!
Up and down.
Giddyap fast!
Giddyap slow.
Giddyap! Giddyap!
Giddyap! Whoa.


Recite it once, twice, three times more...simple, lively, fun! And yes there are plenty more nursery type rhymes like Giddyap written by Stephanie Calmenson in her book Welcome Baby! Splashy bath rhymes, messy eating rhymes, & peekaboo rhymes for hours of play. Melissa Sweet's delightful watercolors illustrate babies learning, growing, and playing throughout a typical day. By reciting or reading rhymes you are helping your child learn the rhythm and sounds of language which helps them learn to read.

~Miss_Julie

See It, Say It!

Did you know that the more words your child picks up early on, the easier it is for her to learn how to read later down the road?

A fun thing you can do at home is to put labels on things like "chair," "lamp," "Papa" etc. This will help remind you to narrate your daily routines in a way that also emphasizes the concept that text carries meaning. A picture/vocabulary book like First 100 Words will help you get started.

First 100 Words is a board book, but it is the size of a standard picture book which makes it more unusual. Toddlers will love turning the pages of this big, sturdy book. It is jam-packed with color photos ranging from familiar objects that you encounter together in your daily routines to an inventory of farm animals (which are harder to stick labels on...)

So, get inspired! Check out a copy of First 100 Words, get out some sticky labels and markers and go to town!

~miss_april

Harry and Hopper

Grief. Such a hard emotion to work through, especially for children. How to explain the vacant place at the table, the empty room, or even the lonely food dish?

Harry and Hopper revel in the unique bond children and dogs fall into joyously. There is no thought involved--it's all heart. They do everything together, including sneaky bed-sharing, until one day an accident takes Hopper away.

Freya Blackwood's eloquent illustrations guide the reader through Harry's pain and his eventual reconciliation with the tragedy of Hopper's death. The healing process portrayed through Margaret Wild's light-handed and heartfelt prose invites discussion between parent and child.

~Mighty M

Can You Moo?

Toddlers love learning animal sounds, and while they do they're unwittingly developing their sound awareness, an early literacy skill. A fun new book that plays on this skill is Baby Says "Moo!" by Joann Early Macken.

In the book, we follow mom, dad, and baby as they head out of town and into the country for a picnic, encountering a variety of animals along the way. Everytime baby is asked what sound a particular animals makes, he replies "moo". When they finally spot a cow, baby is fast asleep.

Other great stories for toddlers featuring animal sounds include: Bark George by Jules Feiffer, Hello Day! by Anita Lobel, Meow said the Cow by Emma Dodd, Everywhere the Cow says Moo! by Ellen Weinstein, and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear? by Bill Martin.

Complement any of these books with a few fun songs like Old MacDonald, Fiddle-i-Fee, Five Little Ducks, or Baa Baa Black Sheep, and your child will soon be making animal sounds like a pro!

~Meg

Ukulele Baby!

It seems like everyone is catching ukulele fever these days! Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame recently released his album Ukulele Songs but did you know that the The Wiggles beat him to it by 2 weeks with the release of their latest album called Ukulele Baby?

This album is like a Hawaiin shirt bursting at the seams with aloha spirit. Kids will love dancing and singing along with uke-heavy songs like "When I Strum My Ukulele" and "You Can Play the Ukulele." If you don't have a ukulele, have fun playing the air ukulele together!

Get ready to sail far and wide as you listen to Ukulele Baby! The Wiggles don't limit themselves to ukuleles as the title of the album might suggest. "Ooki, Ooki, Ooki, Hear That Old Bouzouki," is a nautical tune featuring the bouzouki, a stringed instrument similar to a lute that dates back to Ancient Greece.

This is an album that both kids and grownups can both enjoy and listen to over and over again. There are some very nice instrumental songs on the album that are fun to listen to. You can just enjoy listening and dancing along with them or you could try making up your own words to go with the music. Have fun!
~miss_april

Shout! Shout it Out!

Most of the time kids are asked to quiet down, but not in this fun-filled interactive book that encourages them to shout out what they know about numbers, letters, colors and more.

Kids will love the rich, vibrant artwork and images of happy children engaged in learning. Don't forget to ask them to find the little mouse that shows up on each page and proudly shares what she knows at the end.

This book just begs kids to get involved. You can help by encouraging your child to let his voice be heard. Come on everyone, SHOUT it out! 1 2 3, A B C. Learning should always be this much fun!

A Bear of a Different Color

Nap time, snack time, or any time of day is the right time to surprise your toddler with this delightful book about an adorable, playful bear. Bear magically takes on the shapes & colors of three familiar fruits as he juggles, balances, and finally devours them.

Orange, Pear, Apple, Bear by Emily Gravett is cleverly written and beautifully illustrated. I love the simplicity of this book, not only for the graceful illustrations but in the way Gravett repeats just five words (four of which are in the title) to create a story appealing to toddlers as well as beginning readers. Talk about the pictures and have your child practice their narrative skills by retelling the story in their own words. Read the story before a trip to the grocery store and play a game of finding and naming the three fruits bear eats. Or set up a tea party with your child's favorite teddy bear and real fruit snacks and let your child read the story to his bear.

What's That Sound?

Karen Katz takes lift-the-flap books to a whole new level with Baby Hears!

Babies and toddlers love peek-a-boo surprises in lift-the-flap books. Thanks to advanced book engineering, every time your child lifts a flap to uncover what's making noise, a realistic sound plays.

The text of the story is rhyming and encourages you and your child to predict what is making the sound before you hear it. Have fun mimicking the sounds under the flaps together. Get goofy!

Children will want to read this book again and again. They will love lifting the flaps to make the noises to explore the cause and effect of their actions.

~ miss_april

Press Here

"Come play with me." At least that's what this exuberant book, Press Here by Herve Tullet, seems to be saying.

"Shake them up a little." "Keep Clapping!" "More, more!" The commands keep coming and the pages keep popping as you turn them to see what else those colored dots are up to. Colors, numbers, comprehension, creativity, imagination - you name it, and this book addresses it with a flourish and a flounce.

How this book stays on the shelf without bouncing off, is one of those mysteries of the universe. Children of every age will be mesmerized by all the kinetic energy harnessed within these covers. Interactive fun, interactive exploration, and interactive brain gymnastics will keep everyone active and smiling.

All of the dots cavort at the drop of a hat, flip open a page and jump right in!

~ MightyM

Music Creates Readers!

Music is a great way to nurture phonological awareness. Phonological Awareness is one of the six foundational skills for early literacy. It is what will help a child break down words into their smaller parts when they are learning to read.

A fun way to build phonological awareness is to chant nursery rhymes while shaking a rattle to the beat of the words. You can make your own rattle by filling an old prescription bottle or empty plastic spice bottle with popcorn or dried beans. (If you use a spice bottle be sure to glue the lid to avoid a mess)!

Other ways to develop phonological awareness include:

-Reading rhyming books
-Singing songs
-Patting on a drum (empty box or oatmeal container)
-Making animal sounds

Some great books from the Pima County Public Library for working on phonological awareness include: Cool Daddy Rat, Tiger Can't Sleep,

~ Meg

Nursery Rhyme Fun

Nursery rhymes are a great way for your child to hear the fun sounds that words make. Their short structure and rhythmic cadence make them easy to remember and fun to say. Rhyming words, often predictably coming at the end of short phrases, are emphasized by the down beat, making them easy to hear. Research shows that children who know nursery rhymes have an easier time learning to read.

The library has a wonderful collection of nursery rhymes. One book of particular note is
Humpty Who: a crash course in 80 nursery rhymes for clueless moms and dads by Jennifer Griffin. It includes a CD of 35 rhymes so you can refresh your memory of classic rhymes while adding to your repertoire with fun lesser-known ones. Another good resource is Wee Sing Mother Goose by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp. Check out all of our nursery rhyme resources at the PCPL website.

~ Meg

Let's Get Roly Poly!

If you are looking for a fun, interactive book with great rhythm, give Roly Poly Pangolin by Anna Dewdney a whirl.

You might already be familiar with Dewdney's Llama Llama series of books. Just like those, Roly Poly Pangolin is a beautifully illustrated rhyming book featuring less familiar animals -- pangolins.

I've never seen a picture book that features a pangolin. Pangolins are a kind of scaled anteater that lives in Asia and Africa. The baby pangolin in this story is a bit of a scaredy-cat. When he gets really nervous he rolls himself right up into a tight ball to hide.

At storytime, everyone helped tell the story by shouting out the repeating rhyme: "Roly poly very small, doesn't like new things at all!"
We also rolled ourselves into small balls just like baby pangolin does.

Getting kids involved with telling the story by acting out parts or helping to say a rhyme that repeats in the story really engages them and helps hold their attention. And who can resist a baby pangolin!

~ miss_april

Lots of Fun

Let me tell you about this cheery, irrisistable concept book featuring dots. Lots of Dots by Craig Frazier is full of colorful dots that make up our world. Big dots, little dots, floating dots, falling dots, dots for licking and dots for kicking. Frazier uses bright colors, simple rhymes, and clean white pages to create a fun and fascinating take on circles.

Your kids will love the rubber band-like character who plays with the various dots throughout the book.

After sharing this book with your child you can play a game of finding dots as you go about your day or cut out cirlces of different colors and sizes and create some dot art of your own. Lots of Dots is lots of fun!

~ Miss Julie