Here are ten titles that Baby Bookworm (who is nearly 3) has been asking for repeatedly of late.
Jim Averbeck: In a Blue Room. Harcourt. This lovely bedtime book was a baby gift from Becky Levine. We've read it off and on since then, but it's recently been in high demand. Last night, Baby Bookworm took this one to sleep with her.
Jon Stone: The Monster at the End of this Book (Sesame Street) (Big Little Golden Book). Random House. Baby Bookworm has only recently started reading this one as a book, but has enjoyed the app (last year's
Cybils winner) for quite some time. When she reads the book now, she likes to mimic the gestures that she's used to making with the app.
Esther Wilkin: Baby Listens (Little Golden Book). Random House. This is a reissued Little Golden Book that arrived on our doorstep recently. Each page features sound effects for something in a baby's world (a ticking clock, etc.). While I find it a bit dated ("snap goes Mommy's pocketbook"), Baby Bookworm is endlessly fascinated by babies, and frequently takes this one to bed with her, too.
Cathleen Daly: Prudence Wants a Pet. Roaring Brook Press. This is a book that I reviewed a couple of years ago, and that Baby Bookworm ran across recently. I don't think that she completely understands it (a girl is so desperate for a pet that she takes on all sorts of random objects, like a branch and a spare tire, as "pets"), but she finds it funny anyway. She especially likes the scene in which Prudence treats her baby brother like a pet, and feeds him grass.
Kelly Ramsdell Fineman: At the Boardwalk. Tiger Tales Press. This is a book that I reviewed more recently, and that went immediately into our rotation. It's about everything that takes place on a boardwalk across a day, in rhythmic poetry. Baby Bookworm especially loves a scene in which kids play in puddles in the rain. We have actually misplaced this book of late, and she's been wandering around the house saying "Boardwalk book, where are you?". We'll have to get another copy if it doesn't turn up soon.
Stephen Savage: Where's Walrus?. Scholastic. Where's Walrus was a book that I enjoyed during my reading as a Round 1 judge in Fiction Picture Books for the Cybils last year. It didn't make the shortlist, but I stuck it on my Amazon wish list. I purchased it for Baby Bookworm for International Book Giving Day, and, as I expected, it was an immediate hit. She likes hunting for the walrus on every page, though some of the humor is over her head right now.
Charise Mericle Harper: Pink Me Up. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Pink Me Up is a book that I reviewed right before Baby Bookworm was born, and kept for a time when she would appreciate it. This book, about a girl who "pinks up" Daddy when Mommy is too sick for the Pink Girls Pinknic, has been a favorite for months. Some days, BB asks to be "pinked up" when she gets dressed. Sometimes she requests "purple me up today", which I think shows good understanding of language.
Jon Klassen: This Is Not My Hat. Candlewick. This recent Caldecott-winning book and the earlier I Want My Hat Back have both been favorites of Baby Bookworm from the first reading. I think that the minimalist text appeals to her. She seems to mostly get the humor, but she has a more optimistic take than I do regarding the fate of the small fish, and the rabbit. Both were recent review books (This Is Not My Hat and I Want My Hat Back).
Robin Farley: Mia: The Easter Egg Chase. HarperFestival. Three books in this series have arrived from HarperCollins in the past few months, and I really must review this one. While not exactly my cup of tea, these books (about Mia and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Cat, as they celebrate various holidays) captivate Baby Bookworm. A page of stickers included at the end of the book helps a lot in this. There is also a series of Easy Readers about Mia, which I'm sure we'll be checking out soon.
Ann Bonwill: Bug and Bear: A Story of True Friendship. Amazon Children's Publishing. This is a book that I received as a potential review copy from Marshall Cavendish several years ago. I didn't fully appreciate it at the time, but it's become a favorite of both Baby Bookworm and myself after repeated reads over the past few months. In the story, Bear wants to nap, and keeps telling pesky friend Bug to go away. She says "hmmph" a lot. So now whenever anyone else says "hmmph", we say "like Bear." Don't you love when books become part of your common vocabulary?
Are posts like this of interest? Should I do more? While some books stay favorites for months, others pop in and out fairly quickly, so there is plenty of variety.
What are your children's favorites these days?
This post © 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.