Favorite Reads: Books Starring Animals

Written by Nancy E. Shaw and illustrated by Margot Apple, Sheep in a Jeep is a fun book whose humor begins with the simple idea of sheep driving a jeep. The story emphasizes the importance of paying attention to what you are doing, problem-solving, and facing consequences using short phrases and a fun rhyme scheme.

I love the excitement of an entire farm over the arrival of a single baby chick in Hurry! Hurry!, written by Eva Bunting and illustrated by Jeff Mack. Mack’s illustrations are adorably expressive. The minimal text makes this an ideal book for a very young child while the storyline is one of 3.5-year-old Emma’s favorites.

I read Owl Babies, written by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Patrick Benson, to Emma nearly every day until her second birthday or so, and this book is a current favorite of 18-month-old Johnny’s. I found this book at a local library while living in the UK, and I do wish we had the UK version or that they hadn’t “translated” the book into US English. Waddell is a British author, and I consider his original prose superior to the “translation” even if the changes are minor. The three baby owls who star in the story are adorable, and the storyline of worrying if their mother will return (she does, of course) is an emotion both of my separation anxiety prone children identify strongly with.

The Gruffalo, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, is an illustrated poem that tells of a clever mouse who outwits every predator he meets. The book’s creative storyline and fun illustrations alongside smooth-flowing and highly accessible poetry make it one of my personal favorites.

Fun recent reads

Hands : Growing up to Be an Artist, by Lois Ehlert, tells of Ehlert’s experience working on art projects alongside her mother and father. The simple text conveys a clear story, and Ehlert’s photographs make mundane objects – even a pencil and ruler – beautiful. Besides, I’ve always had a soft spot for children’s books with interestingly-shaped pages.

Zippers, Buttons, and Bows, written by Moira Butterfield and illustrated by Peter Uttonis an activity book with a basic plot of children getting ready to go outside. Emma was able to fasten the button with no trouble and the zipper with some help. She’s a little young to tie a shoe, but she enjoyed playing with the laces. I have one small pet peeve with this book. The snap (for our edition at least) is the plastic type found on cloth diapers, and it was too difficult for my daughter to snap or unsnap. The difficulty of doing and undoing this type of snap is exactly why it’s a popular feature on cloth diapers (keeps the diaper on where velcro won’t), but I wish for this book they had used an easier to do and undo metal snap. Of course, that may have led to greater wear and tear on the pages…

Cinderlily: A Floral Fairy Tale, by David Ellwandand Christine Tagg, tells the classic Cinderella story with a flower sultan searching for the most beautiful bloom. The story itself is nothing exceptional, but I love the combination of photography and illustration, and Ellwand’s flower people look like they are really dancing.

Whoever You Are, written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Leslie Staub (also available in Spanish), is the best diversity-themed book I’ve seen. Staub’s colorful illustrations caught both of my children’s attention immediately, and my two-year-old likes this book so much that she can recite it from memory. I love the book’s message that, while we may be different from one another in many ways, we are all the same where it really matters: in joy, love, pain, tears, smiles, and hearts.

Books for All Ages

I've been a fan of Karen Katz ever since we got Where Is Baby's Pumpkin? as a freebie with Emma's Halloween costume last year. We recently borrowed Ten Tiny Babies from our library, and both I and the kids enjoy reading it. The babies are very cute, and one baby gets added on each page - making it a fun counting book as well as a bedtime routine story. Now, if only my kids went to bed as peacefully as these ten adorable tots...

Both Make Way for Ducklings and Blueberries for Sal are books I remember loving as a child, but I only recently realized they are both written by Robert McCloskey. Living near Boston, it's fun to picture a family of ducklings bringing daily traffic to a halt, and the story of Sal and a baby bear switching mothers comes with wonderfully expressive illustrations.

Newbery Honor book Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt starts right before the American Civil War. The protagonist is a perceptive, intelligent nine-year-old boy named Jethro, and through his eyes Hunt reveals the complexity of war with incredible compassion and sensitivity. I like to listen to recorded books while cleaning the house and playing on the floor or making art projects with the kids, but I find it hard to find interesting stories that don't have language or scenes that are problematic for a two-year-old to hear. This one was perfect - complex characters and a completely engaging plot involving a difficult subject told in such a way that it might instruct, but would not lead to nightmares even if Emma chose to listen. This is definitely a book I'll be reading aloud to my kids when they get a little older, probably more than once.

Some favorite children's books

I'm always looking for ways to occupy my kids on bleak winter days. Books are one of my best resources, so I thought I'd highlight a few recent finds:

Everywhere the Cow Says "Moo!"
This story talks about how different animals make different sounds in different languages, but how the cow always says "Moo!" It holds true for every language I know, and my kids enjoy the illustrations and love mooing along for the cow pages. My son even started mooing along at 11 months!

Miss Bindergarten Stays Home From Kindergarten
I love all the details in each picture, all of the different animals, and the fact that there is a class member with a name starting with each letter of the alphabet. This is one of a series of "Miss Bindergarten" books.

A is for Artist
My daughter loves the alphabet and we check out alphabet books every week at the library, but this is my favorite so far. It's one of the most visually diverse books I've seen, and my kids fight over it every morning.

The Night is Singing
This book turns all of the potentially scary night noises into lullabies, and I love the expressive faces.