Three new book reviews and recommendations for this What We’re Reading Wednesday!

Baby and Toddler

from Catherine (Adventures with Kids)

Mem Fox is my favourite children’s author and Time for Bed is one of my favourite children’s books.  This is a delightful book, perfect for sharing with your baby at quiet times (or even at bedtime!).

Darkness is falling and all the little animals are getting ready to sleep. Their mum’s and dad’s are tucking them in and saying goodnight …

It’s time to sleep, little bird, little bird,
So close your eyes, not another word.

It’s time to sleep, little bee, little bee,
Yes, I love you and you love me.

Each page is accompanied by an illustration showing the little animals snuggling with their mummy or daddy.  And you’ll smile at some of the lines, as baby animals seem to do the same little things to avoid sleep as human babies.

The rhythm and repetition through this story make it easy to read aloud and soothing for your child.  And if you use a read-aloud tip from Mem Fox and drag out the last line to create a feeling of reader satisfaction, by the end of the story your little one will be ready to kiss goodnight and go to sleep.

Preschool

from Emily (Homespun Light)

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big, Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood.

The mouse might be small, but he is brave and clever. The reader warns him that a big, hungry bear will find the mouse’s strawberry…”no matter where it is hidden, or who is guarding it, or how it is disguised.” Together, however, the reader and mouse are able to come up with a perfect solution: sharing!

The illustrations are visually appealing and funny. The simple text keeps the story moving along. The best part, though, is the characters: you (the reader) and the mouse. You can’t help but pull for the cute, nervous mouse.

Early Elementary

from Amy Anderson (Let’s Explore)

I love sharing poetry with my girls – poems are a great example of just how fun words can be!  If we’re in the mood for something silly, we often pull out one of Jack Prelutsky’s poetry collections, The New Kid on the Block.

Prelutsky’s poems are filled with colorful descriptive language, great rhythm (and often rhyme), and some silly nonsense words for good measure.  Here’s a snippet from one of our favorite poems from New Kid on the Block, “Bleezer’s Ice Cream”:

Tutti-fruitti stewed tomato
Tuna taco baked potato
Lobster litchi lima bean
Mozzarella mangosteen

Yes, crazy ice cream flavors!  Because poems and imagination go hand-in-hand, my girls are often inspired to create their own wacky menus or silly monsters after listening to a few of these poems.  From “Do Oysters Sneeze?” to “Eggs!” to “The Flimsy Fleek,” there’s plenty of giggling to be had!

You can read more samples of Jack Prelutsky’s poems on his really fun website.  If you have a few minutes during snack time or while brushing teeth, why not read a poem?  Happy reading!