Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak

What it's about:
This is a story about a little boy named Max and his vivid imagination. Max gets into trouble and is sent to his room without any supper. Once in his room, Max imagines that he takes a journey to the world of wild things. He enjoys his reign as "king of the wild things" for awhile. Eventually he gets hungry and decides to return home. Upon his return, Max finds that his supper is waiting for him.

Why we like it:
To be honest, I enjoy this story more than my son at this point. I remember learning about this book through watching "Reading Rainbow" when I was young. We borrowed the book from the library recently, and I love reading it to my son. He likes pointing out the pictures of Max on each page, but he seems a little nervous about the wild things. They do look a lot like monsters! I love this story because it captures the imagination of a mischievous little boy - and I am seeing more of this mischievousness in my son every day. The illustrations are beautiful as well.

Suggested Age Range:
As I mentioned, I think my 1 1/2 year old is a little bit young to truly appreciate this book. I believe that he will like it more as his imagination develops more fully. I'm hopeful that this whimsical story will help him overcome any future fears of monsters under the bed. I believe the "wild things" will continue to entertain him throughout the early elementary school years.

Additional Details:
Copyright 1963
Harper Collins Publishers
ISBN 0-06-025492-0
$17.95

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!
by Karen Beaumont
illustrated by David Catrow

What it's about:
This is a story about a mischievous toddler who loves to paint. The walls, the ceiling, and his body are his canvas. Unfortunately for the boy, his mother is known to thwart his creativity by throwing him in the bathtub.

Why we like it:
Before reading this story for the first time, I wondered if I should read a book with the word "ain't" in the title to my son. I try to use proper grammar in his presence, but for this wonderfully silly story, I will gladly make an exception. This book is lots of fun for several reasons. First, it is about a mischievous little boy. My own mischievous little boy loves to watch the main character paint his heart out. While the child paints his body, my son giggles and points to his own body parts as we turn the pages. He is also amazed by the unique style of the illustrations and the bright colors. Both of us have a great time singing the refrain, "I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!" Well actually, for now he just says "No 'Mo!"

Suggested Age Range:
We received this book through a book exchange a couple of weeks ago when my son was almost 18 months old. I think this was a perfect age to start reading it because he knows most of his body parts and can recognize them on other people and in pictures. He doesn't "get" the punch line at the end of the story, but he probably will soon. Since the punch line is a little bit sassy, I would guess that children up through early elementary school would continue to enjoy this book.

Additional Details:
Copyright 2005
Harcort, Inc.
ISBN 0-15-202488-3
$16.00

Dr. Seuss's ABC

Dr. Seuss's ABC
by Dr. Seuss

What it's about:
This alphabet book teaches all 26 letters. It reads like a poem or song and has no storyline. The point of the book is to teach young children their upper and lower case letters.

Why we like it:
To be perfectly honest, I have not historically been a big fan of the legendary Dr. Seuss. Is it just me, or is the Cat in the Hat a little bit creepy? That being said, his wacky style is growing on me and we do have a number of Dr. Seuss books in our collection. We read them often because my son really enjoys them. This is my favorite. I think it's an excellent alphabet book for a couple of reasons. First, it teaches about upper and lower case letters. Many other alphabet books teach about just one case. Second, Dr. Seuss associates both imaginative and real things to the letters. This makes the book fun and educational at the same time.

Suggested Age Range:
We started reading this book with my son when he was about 9 months old. At that age, he seemed to like the rhythmic phrasing and the silly pictures. Now that he is about 1 1/2, he is beginning to recognize some letters. This makes it even more fun to read because he can point to the ones he knows. I think he will continue to request this book as he learns more and more letters. He will probably enjoy it until he reaches preschool age - possibly longer.

Additional Details:
Copyright 1963
Random House
ISBN 0-394-80030-3
$8.99

Wild Animal Baby

Wild Animal Baby
published by the National Wildlife Federation

What it's about:
Wild Animal Baby is a magazine published by the National Wildlife Federation. It is similar to "Your Big Backyard" and "Ranger Rick," but it is geared toward younger children. The magazine is published 10 times per year and includes beautiful photographs, animal facts, and age appropriate activities.

Why we like it:
My son and I both look forward to the arrival of Wild Animal Baby in our mailbox each month. When a new magazine arrives, we read it over and over until the pages start to fall out. My son particularly loves the pictures of the baby animals and the "animal search" in each issue. He also has fun finding Sammy Skunk, a happy character who hides in various places throughout the magazine. I think this publication is a great way to teach very young children about wildlife. The information is age appropriate, and the activities are fun!

Suggested Age Range:
According to the publisher, Wild Animal Baby is geared toward children up to age 3. My son started receiving it when he was 1 year old. The activities were very challenging for him then, but he still enjoyed reading the magazine. Now that he is about 1 1/2 years old, the activities are much more appropriate, but they are still difficult. At this rate, I estimate that he will be ready for "Your Big Backyard" (for ages 3-7) by around his third birthday.

Additional Information:
Published by the National Wildlife Federation
Subscription Rate: $19.95 per year (10 issues)

Pat the Bunny

Pat the Bunny
by Dorothy Kunhardt

What it's about:
This classic interactive story is a collection of favorite baby activities such as looking in a mirror, playing peek-a-boo, and waving bye-bye. Paul and Judy perform each action, and the reader is asked to mimic them.

Why we like it:
I think my son loves this book because he can "do" all of the activities, and each activity engages his mind and body in a different way. I have enjoyed reading this book to him over the past 6 months. It has been amazing to watch him improve at each activity over time. My son learned the "so big" game reading this book. He also learned how to smell flowers from this story. When spring came, he searched the yard for real flowers and wanted to smell them all!

Suggested Age Range:
My son received this book when he was exactly 12 months old. He was ready for it then, and probably would have enjoyed it several months earlier. I thought he was outgrowing the story until recently when he held a stuffed animal and helped the toy perform the tasks as his daddy read. This made me realize that even though the activities are relatively simple for him now, he still finds it entertaining.

Additional Details:
Copyright 1940
Golden Books
ISBN 978-0307120007
$9.99

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
by Bill Martin, Jr.
illustrated by Eric Carle

What it's about:
This board book is a collection of simple illustrations showing a variety of animals. Each animal is a different color. The story repeats a pattern where each animal "sees" the next animal until the goldfish sees the teacher, the teacher sees the children, and the children see everyone else.

Why we like it:
My son loves the brightly colored animals on the white background of each page. He particularly likes looking at the last page which shows all of the animals and the teacher. This is the first book that he "read" to himself as a young baby. He would sit in his car seat turning the pages, gazing at the colorful pictures, and talking to the animals.

I enjoy reading this story to my son because it is a great teaching tool. First we talked about the names of the animals. Then we talked about the sound each animal makes. Now, we are focusing on the names of the colors. The sing-song phrasing of the story makes it fun to read as well.

Suggested Age Range:
We received a copy of this popular story before my son was born, so it was one of the first books we read to him. He has shown an interest in the pictures for as long as I can remember. He even learned how to turn pages with this book. At 17 months, he just recently started to lose interest in the story. I actually doubt that he is too old for it. We've probably just read it so much that he is finally tired of it!

Additional Details:
Copyright 1967
Henry Holt and Company
ISBN 978-0-8050-4790-5
$7.95