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Journey
Author: Aaron Becker Book Link Sometimes it is hard to read a book with no words. But this one is a picturesque, imaginative and adventurous journey powered by a red marker. My five year old has narrated the story to her dolls and is marvelous book to help children unlock their imagination. This is one…
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How to Count to One
Author: Caspar Salmon Illustrator: Matt Hunt Book Link My daughter can count up to large numbers. The minute I read the title she said “this is so easy”. But throughout the book, she could not stop giggling as the author kept making us count to 1. The illustrations support the main theme of the book…
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Seven Blind Mice
Author: Ed Young Book Link Seven Blind Mice are trying to identify a strange object in their path. Each one goes on each day of the week to figure out what the object is. My daughter guessed the object right on the first page but it was still a lot of fun to read through…
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Last stop on Market Street
Author: Matt De La Pena Illustrator: Christian Robinson Any time one can travel on a city bus with their grandmom on a leisure trip, one should definitely do it. Grandmoms are wonderful people in building community. This book is no exception. My daughter is a first generation America living in the American suburbia , so…
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Waiting
Author: Kevin Henkes A pig, a bear, a bunny, an owl and a dog are waiting by the window side. They are all waiting for something. While they wait, they experience the moon, rain, thunder, winds and their days goes on. They have newer friends who join them from time to time. Some stay with…
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Wild Boars Cook
Author: Meg Rosoff Illustrator: Sophie Blackall Boris, Morris, Horace and Doris eat ravenously. They are hungry, selfish, stinky and bossy. When the foursome start cooking, chaos ensues but they produce an extremely attractive pudding. Do they eat this wonderful product of their labor with order and will they be satisfied? My kindergartner loved the book…
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In a Jar
Author: Deborah Marcero This is possibly one of the most colorful books we have read. Each page has multiple things in multiple different colors. All of them are neatly packed away in a jar. I had a little bit of difficulty explaining to book to my daughter but then she was so fascinated by all…
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Hot Dog
Author: Doug Salati “A picture can convey a 1000 words”. Doug Salati’s hot dog is a perfect example for that famous idiom. He captures the dog’s frustration, desperation, elation and every other emotion with his wonderful pictures. My daughter loves the beach and carries a stuffed animal which is a sea lion. Both the beach…
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Alma and how she got her name
Author: Juana Martinez- Neal A girl with a really long name wants to know the reason behind her long name. Her dad goes about explaining the story behind each person whose name is a part of her name. What follows is a wonderful passing down of family heritage and how we all really are standing…
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Finding Winnie: True Story of the World Famous Bear
Author: Lindsay Mattick Illustrator: Sophie Blackall This is one of the coolest origin stories. The story is about the man who found Winnie in Winnie the Pooh and also the man who created Winnie, the character. As I was reading the book, my daughter wanted to whether it is really a true story. She also…
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Sam and Dave Dig a Hole
Author: Mac Barnett Illustrator: Jon Klassen This book is one of my daughter’s favorite books. There are many times she has gone back and asked Sam and Dave to dig their hole in the right direction. Jon Klassen is a hero. He transforms a simple book with this wonderful and uncomplicated illustrations. I couldnt help…
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Negative Cat
Author & Illustrator: Sophie Blackall A boy wants a cat desperately. He is begging his parents while shopping, while bathing and even while reading a bedtime story. Finally, his parents agree. They adopt a cat but the cat turns out to be an introvert. How the boy turns around the cat’s behavior and not only…
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The Truth About Dragons
Author: Julie Leung Illustrator: Hanna Cha A mom reads a richly illustrated bed time story to her toddler about going on an expedition to figure out the truth about dragons. The pictures make you feel as if you are right in the adventure with him. The truth sayers are two old women living in very…
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A Different Pond
Author: Bao Phi Illustrator: Thi Bui A Great book with beautiful illustrations. A young Vietnamese boy accompanies his father one early morning on a fishing trip. This fishing trip is not for fun but to put dinner on the table for that night. Dad shares his memories about fishing at a different pond in…
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Elmer
Author: David McKee Elmer is like Rudolph, the reindeer. The one animal unique in his herd. Unlike Rudolph, whose reindeer mates did not allow him to join in reindeer games, Elmer is loved for his goofiness by his fellow elephants. They turn gloomy when he is not around and thats when Elmer realizes that his…
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Leave me alone
Author: Vera Brosgol Hands down, this book has the best title. I am sure most parents with kids will agree. Jokes apart, this is heart warming tale about a grandma who wants to get finish with her annual pet project but is disrupted by her grandkids of all ages. She leaves the house to finish…
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Ready, Set , Build
Author: Meg Fleming Illustrator: Jarvis My 5 year old is learning to read and this book is perfect with its short sentences and a simple story. Definitely recommend this book.
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Dad and the Dinosaur
Author: Gennifer Choldenko Writer: Dan Santat Most of us count our parents as role models worthy of emulation. This is a story of one such boy who wants to be fearless as his dad. Most of us like that hand on the back, an invisible force that we rely on to guide us through tough,…
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Have you ever seen a flower
Author: Shawn Harris This book is a visual treat. The first page opens in the city in a color depicting the lack of open spaces in the city – black. The mood improves in the second page as if we drive out to the faraway open spaces. The book bursts with color from there on.…
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Felippe and Claudette
Author: Mark Teague Opposites attract is the theme of many romantic comedies and Teague applies this time to an unlikely friendship between a cat and a dog whoa re waiting to be adopted at their local shelter. Felipe is the snooty, proper cat and Claudette is the dirty, rambunctious dog. They dont get adopted even…
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The Little Wodden Robit and the Log Princess
Author: Tom Gauld This is a refreshing spin on traditional fairy tales. A royal couple, having endured many years without children, turn to a scientist and a witch to give them offsprings. They are gifted with a wooden robot and a log princess. The log Princess comes with a pre-existing condition – one that causes…
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Max and Ruby’s Treasure Hunt
Author: Rosemary Wells As a critic, it is easy to point out that the pictures are unremarkable and there is no plot but very few things matter if it entertains the child and makes them want to read the book multiple times. There is a treasure hunt going on in the house and the clues…
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Thank you, Omu
Author & Illustrator: Oge Mora I can smell Omu’s Red stew – Out the window, Out the door , down the hall, toward the street, around the block, through the pages and just like her many neighbors, even I feel like knocking on her door. This book is celebration of food, community and sharing. It…
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They all saw a cat
Author and Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel Here is a spoiler : Pay attention to the pictures. If you just read the story, you are going to miss the point. The details are in the pictures and they paint a truly remarkable “perspective”. Mr. Wenzel deserves the credit for saying so much with this pictures using a…
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Mel Fell
Author & Illustrator: Corey R Tabor If there is a Hall of Fame for kids books, this book should belong in it. Mel is a Kingfisher who is trying to get out of his nest and fly for the first time. She is going to do it in the absence of his mom. She steps…
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Ra Pu Zel and the Stinky Tofu
Author: Ying Chang Compestine Illustrator: Crystal Kung Ra Pu Zel is a clever retelling of the more famous long haired Princess story – RaPunzel. Just like Rapunzel, Ra Pu Zel has. long hair and she lives the majority of the story in a tall tower. Of course, there is a savior who is going to…
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Turtles are found on every continent except Antratica
Author: Todd Sturgell When a dung beetle follows a turtle and a host of other animals on a mission to reach Antartica, there will be surprises and laughes along the way. When my daughter laughs for scatological humor, I smirk at how the fruit does not fall too far off the tree. The author keeps…
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How to Train a Train
Author: Jason Carter Eaton Illustrator: John Rocco There is hardly a toddler who doesn’t liek trains even if they have never seen or beein in one. A train is much pretty treated like an animal pet throughout the book and the boy gives it a name, teachers it manners, establishes ground rules for it. The…
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The Baby BeeBee Bird
Author: Diane Redfield Massie Illustrator: Steven Kellogg There is a famous saying “If you think you are too small to make a difference, you have never been in bird with a mosquito”. True to that saying, a small nocturnal bird keeps the entire zoo of much larger animals awake at night due to its singing.…
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You must bring a hat
Author: Simon Philip Illustrator: Kate Hindley The cover shows a rather bewildered boy with a present in his hand in front of a house hosting a party. The title is “You must bring a hat” . The boy does not have a hat. This book is a riot with a cast of animals and a…
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The Lorax
Author: Dr. Seuss The Lorax speaks for the Trees. It aims to nurture the environmentalist in your child asking them to preserve old tress and plant new ones. Like all Dr.Seuss books, the characters are drawn with great imagination and with a hint of silliness. The greedy corporate Once-ler is drawn as an invisible entity…
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Hike
Illustrator: Pete Oswald I once heard a standup comedian joke that “in Europe, if we see a mountain we leave it alone. But in America, people hike it”. I am not sure how true is that statement but this book is yet another example of America’s wonderful hiking culture. There are no words in this…
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The Best Kind of Bear
Author: Greg Gormley Illustrator: David Barrow A bear goes on a journey to find out who he really he is. He searches far and wide to see if he fits into the mould of the other famous bear species. He has distinguishing features that makes him belong to none of them. Eventually, he finds himself.…
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Out of the Blue
Illustrator: Alison Jay A book with no words. Such books are sometimes hard if they are not simple enough for a kindergartner to verbalize. Alison Jay produces a simple yet rich book in terms of pictures. The story is straightforward and promotes conversation. My daughter spun the yarn from the pictures once with me and…
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100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccolli
Author: David LaRochelle Illustrator: Lain Cho As I continue reading these books to the five year old, dragons seem to be emerging as one of the really attractive books for kids. This book has 100 dragons. The author turns them to ballerinas, surfers, poodles, unicorns, werewolves and even football players. He ships them off to…
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Every Dog in the Neighborhood
Author: Philip C Stead Illustrator: Matthew Cordell When we got books from the library the last time, we did not get to this book for a while as I prioritized read the books with the medals and honors. Oh! How wrong I was. This book turned out to be one of the most enjoyable. A…
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Giraffe Problems
Author: Jory John . Illustrator: Lane Smith Just this morning, I was thinking that this blog has an animal problem because I was reading and writing about too many books with animals as central characters. Along came this book. Giraffe Problems opens with a Giraffe Edward who has insecurities about this long neck. How he…
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Take your time: a tale of Harriet, the Galapagos Tortoise
Author: Eva Furrow and Donna Jo Napoli; illustrated by Laurel Molk Perfect read for a fast hyper stimulating world we live in. Harriet, the tortoise, goes on a vey satisfying and enjoyable adventure spanning seasons. Knowing her shortcoming in speed, she shows the value in planning ahead and leaving early, which I am very bad at.…
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The Day the Crayons Quit
Author: Drew Daywalt Pictures: OLiver Jeffers The premise is that the crayons in a little boy’s crayon box write letters to him asking him to address their points of distress (I think one does not have any distress and is a letter of thanks) . In a day and age where even explaining email to…
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Dragons Love Tacos
Author: Adam Rubin. Illustrator: Daniel Salmieri I love the ridiculous idea. I kept searching to see if the dragons are being used as a metaphor for kids. But no, the dragons really love tacos. They end up eating a few forbidden ones and they do some crazy things for humans but stuff that is on…
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Where the Wild things are
Author and Illustrator: “The OG” Maurice Sendak This is a tribute to the wild imagination inside every child, who wants to command a army of wild things and rule them. There is a Max in all of us. The visuals draw you in bringing out child’s impishness, courage, valor , hunger, anger, enjoyment and vulnerability.…
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Make way for Ducklings
This is another book that was written in the early 1940s . I fear I might have to drop the word – “Classic”. (Read Mark Tawin’s quote on Classics and you will know the reason for my apprehension). A Mallard and his wife take you on a tour of Boston as they attempt to start…
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The Little Engine that could
This book came out in 1930. Almsot one hundred years later, it still maintains its appeal. If I showed my 5 year old a stack of books, she would clearly pick this out and ask to read it. I have even asked her why she loves it so much and she says it has trains…
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A Visitor for Bear
Santa gifted this book for the five year old for this year’s Christmas. The Book tracks the story of a grumpy lonely bear and a mouse desperate to befiend him. While the graphics landed well and she found the story enjoyable, she couldnt really get why the bear did not like visitors or friends.
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Help Me Mr. Mutt
This is a really funny book. The therapy suggestions offered by Mr. Mutt to troubled dogs brought out waves of laughter from the five year old. I dont think she quite grasped the format. of the book but she loved the silliness and the graphics of the book. [Update: We had borrowed this book from…
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A Big Mooncake for Little Star
Author: Grace Lin The graphics in this book left me spellbound. Simple and beautifully illustrated on a dark background, the book cleverly talks about the waxing phase of the moon. Not a lot of books show up in the dark background and the novelty does add to the appeal of the book
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I want 100 Dogs
My daughter loved this book. The desire to have something lofty and through continuous discussions (illustrated realistically, playfully) the parents manage to bring down expectations to a level where both sides feel they won the day. But in the day, there is always only one winner. My daughter who is beginning to read and count…
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Wink
My five year old daughter was a little perplexed why the boy was not listening to his teacher and I do not think the theme got to her. She did enjoy the illustrations as she was telling me about how the boy must have been feeling but this book did not work for us.
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No, David
When I read books to my toddler, I am most satisfied when it brings out a smile in them. She couldn’t stop giggling halfway through No David when the kid steps out to the street and his mom is yelling “No, David”. This is a beautifully illustrated book and fully deserves the Caldecott Honor. The…
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The Z was Zapped
” The X was X-rayed” exclaims my kindgartner everytime we read the book. This book by Chris Allsburg where each character is introduced with a sense of theatre is a suspenseful read even for grown ups as we try to guess what scene each alphabet is depicting based on the picture. I like the way…
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Du Iz Tak
The fun fact about this book is it is written in Insect Language with English alphabets. So it is really hilarious to decipher what the insects are talking and you can let your imagination run wild. The astounding visuals on each page help your broaden that creativity. We have discussed butterfly life cycles, seasons, plant…
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Knight Owl
I read nightly to my five year old and I am reading her Caldecott medal winning books or Caldecott Honor books. We recently read the Knight Owl by Christopher Denise. The illustrations are perfect – an owl who wants to be a Knight who is perservering, clever and strong. The reveal in the section where…