Doing Christmas

Sarah Garland has been a recent hit with Atticus. Each page is a lovely water color packed with activity. This simple story about preparing and shopping for the holidays does not seem like it would be a hit with Atticus, but each page has something that makes him squeal - a truck, lights, a hip Grandma zooming down the street in a cool convertible. What is not to love? I like this book because the mom is real. She is balancing two kids and holiday preparations - she looks a little frazzled and it is hard not to notice the two open bottles of wine on the dining room table with only two adults! The overly hip grandmother reminds me of Atticus's GiGi, his great grandmother, whom he was never able to meet. A holiday hit!

Dinosaurs Roar!

Paul Stickland knows kids. Atticus can't stop requesting this book. He loves any animal with teeth; he goes through each page pointing out teeth and wondering which animal eats dinos and which eats plants. The illustrations are so bold that his little eyes are drawn to them. I am ordering Paul's other books from the library - Dinosaurs Galore! and Ten Terrible Dinosaurs. A sure hit for any dino-loving kid!

Tom and Pippo

What a rite of passage! Both Ivy and Atticus have loved Helen Oxenbury's Tom and Pippo series. Tom and Pippo are the best of friends - a toddler boy and his beloved stuffed monkey. The words are so simple, the thoughts a toddler might really have. Atticus likes to think he is Tom and Pippo is his stuffed dog, Coco. Each spread consists of a black and white drawing and a colored drawing, a lovely juxtaposition. I cannot believe these books are not still in print!

This First Thanksgiving Day

An Ivy classic, Atticus seems to enjoy this book as well. This catchy counting book by Laura Krauss Melmed takes the reader through the eyes of a Native American and a Pilgrim, culminating in Thanksgiving Day! The thing I like about the book is the small surprises; the number of bunnies in each picture often match the number of the rhyme. There are adorable hiding turkeys popping around corners, lively sea gulls, etc. A great read for this Thanksgiving!

Trick or Treat? With Scary Flaps

A month behind on my blog, but I cannot forget to mention Halloween. Atticus just adores Melanie Walsh's lift the flap book about Halloween. Behind each window or door of the haunted house, a little spider, batt, ghost, or skeleton is waiting for you. Bold and bright, the colors jump out at young readers. A must read for this holiday season!

Mighty Dads

Check out this new book from Joan Holub called Mighty Dads,

illustrated by the famous James Dean, creator of Pete the Cat. Atticus just loves the simple rhymes, bright pictures of trucks and construction vehicles, and words imitating sounds. Each vehicle father teaches his young vehicle son how to be the best he can be at his vocation.

Excavator Big
helps little Vator dig.
They go
SCOOP,
     SCOOP,
         SCOOP.

Generally more interested in the puzzles and toys at the library, this book made Atticus climb on the couch and pause long enough to read it!

Emily's Balloon

An Atticus AND Ivy favorite. Atticus LOVES balloons. He loves them in the morning. He loves them in the afternoon. He loves them at night. Little Emily receives a balloon. Her mother ties it to a spoon so they can go everywhere together. Somewhere after a lovely afternoon together and a tea party, the ballon floats off into a tree.

Emily is heart-broken. She dreamed of them snuggling in bed and drifting off to sleep. Will she get her balloon back? Atticus requests "Boon" almost daily. A must have for both boys and girls.

The Little Fire Engine

I cannot believe this book. It is a rather lengthy book for Atticus, but he wanted it read five times in a row tonight. He was just fascinated by the parts of the engine, the sounds of truck, and the sequence of events surrounding a fire in the town and a thrilling rescue by Fireman Small.

I know some of the reviews are critical. There are, after all, some strange parts. The family who lives in the burning house quickly rushes to remove their furniture, but fails to notice their daughter and cat are trapped upstairs. Little things like that. However, I don't really care. Any book that can captivate the attention of Mr. Atticus in such a manner at the ripe age of 17 months must be a hit.

More

More by I.C. Springman is a new favorite of Atticus's. The book itself has very few words - 1 or 2 a page. However, it is Brian Lies's amazing illustrations that make this book pop. The bird starts a collection with a simple marble. With the help of his friend, a mouse, he collects more and more until his nests break. The bird is left to ponder the question, "When is enough? Atticus just loves this because there is something on every page he can say, "Ball, bird, car, fork, etc." A must read. 

Ten Little Babies

Atticus has just started to express an interest in this classic by Gyo Fujikawa. This rhyming and counting books explores the antics of ten little babies. Each baby is doing something different on each page - a real conversational starter with a toddler! Atticus's favorite page is:

Come and read the antics of these ten little babies!

My Big Truck Book

O.K. I don't want this book to be on my blog, as I DON'T like trucks. However, Atticus shares a love of trucks with his Aunt Kelly, who gave him this book. Ivy and I were less than thrilled when we had to read this to him no less than 6 times cover to cover yesterday. The book also sparked a trip to the fire station today, as he informed me as only a 17 month old can that he wanted to go. A lot of pointing and yelling, "TICUS (Atticus)!!! TUK (truck)! WAN (Want)!" Here's your chance to learn about trucks? Thanks, Aunt Kelly.

Who Can Jump?

Sebastien Braun has created a lovely board book with fold out flaps to see the answer to the question, "Who can jump?" Each flap contains a different picture - cat, frog, kangaroo, etc. Atticus likes the control of lifting the flap. Would make a cute gift!

How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?

Jane Yolan and Mark Teague teamed up for this famous dinosaur series that has recently peaked Atticus's attention. He loves this particular page, constantly yelling, "FALL! FALL!" Ahhh...my baby boy. He even loves the beginning pages with the mini dinosaur field guide. We read this book three times today, a minor miracle for an active toddler. Hats off to Jane and Mark!

Everyone Poops

An old classic by Taro Gomi - Everyone Poops. Atticus, typical boy, finds everything related to poop pretty funny. Taro Gomi's book is no exception. He wanted to read this twice the other day, and it is not even a board book. He is fascinated with the whale since it is the only one with no poop. I actually looked this up - whale poop stays close to the surface and can be quite valuable when in the form of Ambergris. Regardless, Atticus just loves to look at everyone pooping while yelling "POOP!" The pictures are worth 1000 words.

We're Going On A Bear Hunt

We're gonna catch a big one,
What a beautiful day,
We're not scared...

Starts off each new section of Michael Rosen's We're Going On A Bear Hunt. Besides Little Blue Truck, this is one of Atticus's only "big boy books" with a plot. Despite its length, he seems to love the repetitive nature. I also often change the "We're not scared," to "Ivy and Atticus aren't scared,"which he loves! Helen Oxenbury's lovely sketches are always a hit with children as well. This book is also great, because Ivy still loves it. It is one of the few baby books I can read that she runs over to listen to!

My Big Dinosaur Book

 I have been discovering that Atticus just LOVES dinosaurs. The scarier the better. Roger Priddy's My Big Dinosaur Book has been well used since I bought it a few days ago. On the first night I read it no less than eight times. A small miracle for Mr. Boo (a.k.a. Atticus). I guess I had not realized how crazy some of the dinosaur names were. I mean, who has heard of the Wannanosaurus or the Riojasaurus? It seems to be the region with a Latin ending + saurus! At any rate, rush out and get this book.

Dear Zoo

I am not sure how Dear Zoo by Rod Campell slipped my mind.

It is, by far, one of Atticus's favorite books. He and Ivy are both drawn to it as a source of comfort. There is something about lifting the flaps to reveal the surprise animal that brings joy. A simple plot - someone has written to the zoo requesting a pet. The pet keeps sending animals that just aren't right. Finally, the perfect animal is found. The edition we have is a pop-up as well. Atticus adores putting his little fingers in the lion's mouth. He also loves to hiss when the snake comes out. This is a must have for every baby.

Little Blue Truck

A gift from Grammy, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle, is Atticus's first "big boy book".

He just loves to hear the adventures of Blue. Blue is a friendly little blue truck who greets the farm animals he meets on the way with a friendly Beep! Beep! Beep! When the loud and rude dump truck pushes Blue out of the road only to find himself in a puddle, who will come to his rescue? This book not only has engaging pictures, but it includes trucks, animals, and animal noises. What little boy wouldn't love it?

Colors by Xavier Deneux

What a treat this new board book is! Each page contains a simple cut out of an object from nature. The cut out fits neatly into its home on the facing page.

Atticus loves to run his fingers over the cut outs. The babies can trace the shape of each brightly colored object with their fingers. It is a visually pleasing book; a perfect gift for a baby or toddler.

Beautiful Oops!

Barney Saltzberg is a favorite of Atticus's. He loves his new Beautiful Oops! 

This is a simple tale that teaches children it is o.k. to make a mistake. Not only is it o.k., sometimes new and wonderful things come from mistakes. Page after page begins with a mistake that leads to something lovely, which is found by lifting a flap, tearing paper, lifting a bent corner, seeing a pop up, etc. This is a great book for both Ivy and Atticus. Ivy loves it because she is a budding artist who loves to see the creative process. A smash for all children!

Happy Birthday, Little Choo Choo

My little baby turned one last week. Where did the time go? One of Atticus's favorite books has been Petr Horacek's Choo Choo. It is a lovely board book about passengers boarding a train and riding through the countryside, into a tunnel, and back out into the lovely sunshine at a beach. The mountains are cut out, and Atticus loves to run his fingers over them. He also likes to stick his hands through the cut out tunnel. A must have for every one year old!

Melissa Guion

Ivy had the pleasure of meeting Melissa Guion at the Blue Bunny last week. She wrote and illustrated Baby Penguins Everywhere!, which we had signed for Ivy's baby brother, Atticus, since it came in a board book edition! It is a lovely book about a lonely little penguin who finds a hat. When one baby penguin after another pops out, the little penguin is overjoyed with the company. She soon realizes (much like I do...especially today on a snow day!) that a little alone time is good for the soul. Ivy, the four-year-old who asked for art lessons, was thrilled to meet an illustrator. Not only did Ivy meet her, but Melissa taught her how to draw a penguin. Ivy was so thrilled by this that she has been drawing penguins in her spare time all week at school. A wonderful book by a wonderful illustrator who takes the time to inspire others.

Dogs

Atticus loves dogs, thanks to his Gram's dog, Pulgita. It is no surprise that Matthew Van Fleet's touch and feel book Dog is a huge hit. Simple rhyming text, fluffy dogs, soft dogs, wagging dog tails, etc. Atticus reaches for this book over and over - one of his absolute favorites!