Spring Books for Babies and Young Toddlers

Here are some of my favorite books for babies and toddlers that I've read this April storytime session!

Ducks

Ducks Quack by Rebecca Glaser

This is an adorable nonfiction board book for babies with clear, bright, darling photographs of real ducks! It also has short words and simple facts that make it perfect to read at storytime. "Waddle, Waddle. There go the ducks!" are the words on the first page, paired with a cute image of 14 ducks waddling in a row. The next page features an insanely cute photograph of two baby ducks. The third page has the word "SPLASH!" in big letters over a photograph of a duck splashing into the water. This book shows ducks in a variety of places and in a variety of poses, including a close up of their webbed feet! What's not to love? 

I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy

This is another really cute board book featuring ducks. This book is also perfect to read around Valentine's Day. The high contrast board book is mostly in black and white, with the last few pages showing the yellow baby duckling. This visual stimulation is an important developmental stage which librarians and caregivers can help strengthen very easily by reading books like this!  The book features a sequence of several different animals (shark, frog, mouse, for example) asking one another if they saw, fed, sang, tickled, or kissed the baby. The animals respond excitedly, "yes!", and explain what they did to the baby. The momma duck is the last one in the sequence to respond, "Of course I kissed my own amazing baby." // "And I'm going to do it again!" The next illustration shows the momma duck kissing the adorable little yellow duckling, with the words "PPfffwah!" The final two pages of the book show the duck happily quacking! This is definitely a favorite which I will read again and again.

Spring Animals

Love by Emma Dodd

This is my new favorite book by Emma Dodd. I think I just happen to have a real soft spot for bunnies. Growing up, my mom read to me Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown & I think that's why I gravitate towards reading books with bunnies in them. This picture book has very sweet illustrations very reminiscent of Runaway Bunny, showing an adult bunny doing typical bunny things with their baby. There is really unique gold paint speckled into the background on some pages, which adds a magical element to the illustrations. The book is also nice to read during the spring and/or summer because of the nature scenes showing: yellow and white daisies against green hues of grass,  yellow-gold wheat fields, blue skies and white fluffy clouds, and a rainstorm paired with the words, "Love is when we huddle close and shelter from a shower." The last page is truly heart-warming, showing the adult and baby bunny cuddling close with the words, "I love you so, and when I try to count the reasons why . . . I find there are more reasons . . . Than there are stars up in the sky." The final illustration features the two bunnies cuddling inside a burrow with a gold moon against a navy blue sky with gold and white stars. Absolutely adorable!

I Heart You by Meg Fleming

I have been focusing a lot of my Read and Play Baby storytimes on spring animals and this beautifully illustrated picture book shows just that! As I mentioned above, I have a real soft spot for bunny books so of course I was immediately captivated with this book. The first page of the book reads, "I see you. I miss you." and shows an adult bunny looking out into the grassy field for her baby bunny who's running through the field with a carrot in its mouth. The second page shows the bunnies in a burrow, cuddling together, paired with the text "I hug you. I kiss you." A red barn and a fuzzy outline of two people are shown in the background too, leaving readers wondering about them. As the story continues, many other animals are shown with their offspring - foxes, bears, ducks, birds, and deer. The soft, dream-like pencil and gouache illustrations evoke a nostalgic feeling of being young and spending precious time with loved ones. Through many short phrases such as "I start you. I stop you." and "I sway you. I swing you." we're reminded of all the ways in which parents guide us through life and it definitely pulled on my heart strings! The story comes to an end with very sweet illustrations of a mom and daughter against a setting sun. Illustrations show the mom pulling barrels of red berries and her daughter in a little red wagon with the phrases, "I pull you. I tug you." ... "I hold you" ... "I love you." This was truly the perfect picture book to read to my babies and toddlers because it introduced a wide variety of animals, it evokes feelings of love, it was short enough that I didn't have to skip any pages, and since it's a larger picture book, the group was better able to see the illustrations. Highly recommended as a spring or summer read-a-loud and also perfect for Mother's Day. 

After reading this story we listened to the song "Little Red Wagon" from the CD Wiggleworms Loves You. 😄

Early Bird by Toni Yuly

A sweet read-a-loud for babies with an adorable bright red-orange bird as the main character. Against a navy blue sky, the bird is shown taking a deep breath of fresh air (and I even instructed the parents to all take a nice deep breath in). Then the cute little bird is shown zooming off the page with a winking sun in the background. Our bright bird is next shown walking across the green grass with three lady bugs in the background - which you can certainly count with children as an added math practice. Next, our main star is peeking through the flowerbed where he soon sees a spider web. Next, he's shown being surprised by a large blue-gray cat, which he flies away to escape from. Towards the end, the book shows our bird coming upon a lovely little garden "where she finds... the early worm!" and our bird is shown hilariously holding a wiggly brown worm between her beak. Next, she lays the early worm on top of a big, fat, juicy strawberry... "and together they share an early breakfast." The last page shows a beautiful orange sunny background, a white picket fence, the bird and worm, with music notes in the sky, indicating our sweet pals singing musically in the sunny day. 

Other Excellent Spring Books:

A Seed Needs Sun by Kate Riggs

An excellent board book with detailed illustrations and simple text that introduces young ones to the growth cycle of a seed, from its planting to flowering. 

Baby Loves Spring by Karen Katz

An adorable lift-the-flap book that makes reading about the Spring season very interactive for young toddlers! This book features all my favorite spring things: birds, worms, butterflies, rain, frogs, and flowers. I really love all the lift-the-flap books by Karen Katz!

What are your favorite books to read to babies and young toddlers? Share them in the comments!

Book Review: Flying Cars

I am so sorry I have not written in such a long time! Graduate school has consumed my life. I resigned from working at the library in order to really focus on school. Currently I am taking a wonderful book reviewing class with the ever so amazing Janice Del Negro! I am learning so much about how to write proper book reviews and so I will probably be posting here a little bit more because of this.

Here is a book review I wrote for a new book that comes out in August, 2015. It's called Flying Cars and it is a really neat book.

Glass, Andrew. Flying Cars: The True Story. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, August, 2015. Grades 4-7.

Glass presents the captivating and eccentric history of flying cars and their rival inventors in a digestible way for children, using carefully selected photographs, drawing plans, and newspaper clippings paired with short biographies on the curious inventors who were determined to make flying cars a reality.  Flying Cars introduces numerous early flight vehicles to readers, such as the Albatross of 1868, and shares facts about the inventors’ amusing misadventures and occasional successes in first flight. Readers learn comical facts like Les Bris’s wheels-to-wings adventure was concluded when the Albatross “…was demolished during a disastrous landing that also broke the inventor’s leg.”  (pg 4) The most prominent feature of this nonfiction title is the numerous black and white photographs of peculiar flying cars such as the Vuia, the Autoplane (also known as An Aerial Limousine), the Felix Longobardi, and Autigiro, to name a few.  Glass shares the rich history of these 19th century retro-futuristic flying vehicles in a descriptive manner using fine details, like the Curtiss Autoplane of 1917 flew “…two passengers relaxed in the comfort of its posh leather-lined, velvet-curtained compartment” at a steady 65 miles an hour (pg 23). Glass also introduces other stimulating facts about these odd flying cars by providing actual newspaper clippings, transporting young readers into the past. This nonfiction book also includes an Index, glossary, source notes, and bibliography, making this book a reliable resource for research.  The glossary is particularly helpful for young readers who may not be familiar with technical terms such as fuselage, monoplane, or rudder. Readers with internet access are also given the chance to see the real magic of these obscure cars come to life by browsing the YouTube videos listed at the end of this book. This quirky book is a fine supplement to units on inventors and inventions and would be particularly appealing to children who like their books to have a spirit of adventure. Ultimately, this well-written book perfectly balances historical photographs with factual information that is engaging and fun to read. 

Bilingual Spanish Picture Books for Children, Grades K-3

The books listed below are perfect for children, grades K-3, whose heritage emanates from any of the Spanish-speaking cultures of the Western Hemisphere or for any youngster looking for a really fun and vibrant picture book. The list below includes several bilingual materials as well as materials in English that incorporate the Spanish language, while accurately representing these cultures. Hispanics are often underrepresented in libraries and I believe it is important that we serve this growing population in public libraries across America. In addition to the bilingual materials listed below, the Naperville Public Library also has a growing number of Spanish children's books within our World Language Collection located in the Children's Department at each branch! Many libraries across the the U.S. are growing their bilingual collections too and these titles are ones that should definitely be included!

 Easy Fiction

Gonzalez, Maya Christina. My Colors, My World / Mis colores, mi mundo. San Fransisco: Children's Book Press, 2011. Print.

This imaginative picture book features a playful Latina girl, with her cleft chin, beauty mark, and wide, brown, almond-shaped eyes, who tries to find color and beauty in her childhood world of the California Mojave Desert. This bilingual, multicultural, color-concept story is perfect for any young Spanish-speaking girl looking for a beautifully illustrated story with a touch of magical realism.

  Mora, Pat. Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day / Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros. New York, NY: Rayo, 2009. Print.
In this bilingual English and Spanish picture book, children read aloud in various settings to celebrate ¡El dîa de los niños!/¡El dîa de los libros! (Children’s Day/Book Day). This vibrant story written by award-winning author, Pat Mora, features a happy assortment of multicultural children, adults, and friendly critters with facts about Mexico's annual celebration that encourages literacy among children.

Pérez, Amada Irma. My Very Own Room / Mi propio cuartito. San Francisco: Children's Book Press, 2000. Print.
This colorful story, translated in English and Spanish, is of a young Mexican American girl that feels very crowded in her home with 5 brothers and with the help of her family, the resourceful girl realizes her dream of having a space of her own to read and to think. This story depicts the family life and culture of many Mexican American children with its delightful story that is bound to be very relatable to children living in small spaces.

 

Tafolla, Carmen. What Can You Do With a Paleta? / ¿Qué Puedes Pacer Con Una Paleta?. Bilingual Edition. Berkeley, California: Tricycle Press, 2009. Print.
This award-winning bilingual picture book features a young Mexican American girl that celebrates the paleta, an icy fruit popsicle, and the many roles it plays in her lively barrio. This simultaneous dual-language edition presents a parallel Spanish translation that accompanies the English text while offering an appealing introduction to a yummy aspect of Latino culture.

J Nonfiction

Brown, Monica, and Raúl Colón. My Name is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez = Me llamo Gabito: la vida de Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Flagstaff, Ariz.: Luna Rising, 2007. Print.
This story is an introduction to the life and work of the Nobel prize-winning Colombian author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and describes how the things that surrounded him inspired his imagination and his desire to become a storyteller. This bilingual biographical picture book is a very interesting description of what childhood was like for the imaginative young boy growing up in Aracataca, Colombia.

 Emert, Phyllis Raybin. Sonia Sotomayor: a judge grows in the Bronx = Sonia Sotomayor: la juez que crecio en el Bronx. Detroit, MI: Lucent Books, 2011. Print.
A biography of the first Puerto Rican Supreme Court justice emphasizes how she overcame a childhood of poverty in the South Bronx through her own and her mother's hard work and determination.  The Spanish translation of this story makes the book accessible to Latino families, where Sotomayor’s story can inspire children of all ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds to work hard and pursue educational and professional success.

Morales, Yuyi. Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2003. Print.
Skeleton Senor Calavera arrives at Grandma Beetle's door, ready to take her to the next life, but after helping her count in English and Spanish as she makes her birthday preparations, he changes his mind. This story is the perfect introduction to counting in both English and in Spanish and is a spirited tribute to the rich traditions of Mexican culture, including the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead.

Picture Books for the Young Budding Artist

Is there a young budding artist in your life? Consider surprising them with one of these beautifully illustrated picture books for children in preschool through grade 3! They're all available at the Naperville Public Library!

 Art by Patrick McDonnell. Rhyming text describes how little Art makes passionate zigzags, "scribbles that squiggle," lots of dots and "the curliest cue." His creations, rendered in watercolor and crayon, become a neighborhood scene and the location of Art's dream. He awakens to find his artwork proudly displayed on the family refrigerator, "put there by Mother 'cause mother loves Art."

Danny's Drawing Book by Sue Heap. A snowy trip to the zoo with his friend Ettie prompts Danny to write an illustrated story with pencil sketches in his drawing book. Danny draws himself and Ettie into the story and suddenly the friends are on an exciting adventure with an elephant and an aardvark. This imaginative story is sure to inspire many children to write their own illustrated stories this winter!

Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty. This adorable picture book features Jeremy and his unique illustration of a monster that comes to life! Suddenly, the blue, squiggly, horned monster demands that Jeremy draw him a whole assortment of objects. "Draw me a sandwich. I’m hungry!" "Draw me a telephone. Somebody might call," the monster exclaims. How will Jeremy ever get rid of this annoying monster?

Lily Brown's Paintings by Angela Johnson, Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Lilly Brown loves spending time with her family, but when she begins painting, the stars visit sidewalk cafes, the trees wear hats and drink tea, the fruit at the market stand laughs out loud, and the wind carries stories across the ocean. Vivid watercolor illustrations celebrate children’s imaginations and depict the magic that the young girl finds in art.

A Day With No Crayons by Elizabeth Rusch. A Day With No Crayons is a delightful children's picture book celebrating creativity. When young Liza draws on the white wall with crayons, her mother takes them away. With the crayons gone, all the color drains from Liza's world. What does the budding artist do? She squirts her toothpaste angrily and stomps through mud puddles. Through these acts, Liza inadvertently creates art—and eventually discovers color in the world around her.

When Pigasso Met Mootisse by Nina Laden. In this charming tales of modern artists, a cleverly named pig, Pigasso, and a colorful bull, Mootisse and Pigasso start out as neighbors but end up fueding when they start criticizing one another’s work. The painters end up with a colorful mess by ultimately building a fence between the two. Based loosely on the real-life relationship between Picasso and Matisse, this tale is a wonderful tribute to these exceptional talents and to the concept of accepting the ideas of others. This title is sure to be perfect for any young artist’s personal library.

Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. This riveting children’s picture book encourages children to view mistakes not as failures but opportunities. As the book states, "A torn piece of paper" (the cardboard is actually torn)… is just the beginning (of an alligator’s smile). Throughout this book, various spills and paint blobs are transformed into animals, a folded sheet of paper becomes a penguin’s head, and most notably, a panel with a hole in the center telescopes outward, accordion-style, to reveal a tiny creature way at the bottom. This inspirational book is sure to inspire children to take creative risks and not condemn their mistakes.

Recent research demonstrates a correlation between the arts and higher academic performance. In the report, "Learning, Arts and the Brain", seven universities presented several studies discussing how visual arts, music, and dance training and skill positively impact learning (The Dana Foundation, 2008). To encourage artistic expression among children, rouse their creative spirit by checking out one of the above illustrated picture books!