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