Blankie

Okay, so this book, when my 2 year old and I sat down to read it, pretty much rendered her speechless! :) At times when she finds things that are 'the same' as her she points it out with a cute affirming "too" on the end of the sentence. I don't know if this book hit so close to home or what. And she wanted to read it over and over again. We read it about 5 times in a row at bedtime and she just seemed so quiet or awe-struck or something! She is a 'blankie girl' through and through and so this book is absolutely perfect for her. You get to meet Blankie in the beginning of the book then see all that it does with its little tiny owner. I'm not too crazy about the subtle ink-smudged illustrations, but the message is clear—"... I love Blankie best of all. And Blankie loves me!" A great gift idea for the little blankie lover in your life :)

Buy "Blankie" at Amazon.com

Curious George Takes a Job

Again, my 5 year old loves anything with an ambulance and so consequently this is one of her favorite books! Poor George needs to take a ride in one when he breaks his leg from a hard landed jump. He is hired to wash windows on a skyscraper, but of course gets too curious about what's going on in one the rooms where painters are doing their job. He decides to do a little paining of his own while the workers are on their lunch break then has to escape when they come back to find he has a jungle theme painted! Pull up the covers and enjoy this 1947 original story from H. A. Rey that is still a good bedtime read. I like to check out books at the library that the girls never have seen or read before so they are exposed to something new, however, I'm not opposed to getting a few 'familiar friends' like Caillou, Barney, Thomas the Train or of course our favorite curious monkey!

Buy "Curious George Takes a Job" in hardback or paperback at Amazon.com

A Happy Home : A First Words Book

I love these Boxer Concept books; they make reading to and teaching my 2 year old very easy! They have simple and colorful illustrations. Five other concept books include: counting, colors, ABC's, opposites, and shapes. We've read the color and opposites as well. And an eco-bonus: their "papers are sourced from managed forests and renewable resources." Think green, buy green! ;)

Buy "A Happy Home: A First Words Book" at Amazon.com

I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean

"I'm bigger than these shrimp... I'm even bigger than this octopus", boasts the giant squid. He is bigger than lots of things in the ocean until he is met by another gigantic sea creature even bigger than him, who silently (oops!) swallows him! But his boasting doesn't end there! Check out this fun book with beautiful green and blue ocean illustrations today. To our delight, this was read at story time at our local library! Yea! :)

Buy "I'm the biggest thing in the Ocean" at Amazon.com

Little Pea

Love, love, love this book! Cute, cute story of a little pea who has to eat (gasp!) CANDY for dinner every night. And he's not happy. Find out what he earns for dessert after eating his 5 pieces of red candy! Fun and a definite smile maker for children and parents alike! :)

Buy "Little Pea" at Amazon.com

Little Flower

I'm drawn to good illustrations as well as what may be a great story when I look for books at the library. To my surprise later, I found out this book had an ambulance scene! (My 5 year old's favorite thing!) Flower is a cute pot bellied pig who helps Miss Pearl when she has a bad fall. Happy accident for me with this find, but for MIss Pearl? Not so much...

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The Giving Tree

This story is a heart string puller! The joys and sorrows of giving so much. Giving all-and still finding more to give in the end. Heartwarming and brilliant! No wonder it is a classic.

But "The Giving Tree" at Amazon.com