Hattie and Hudson by Chris Van Dusen

Hattie and Hudson by Chris Van Dusen is the story of a young girl and her monster friend. She knows he's gentle and kind, but she has to convince the rest of the townspeople. It's a story reminiscent of tales of the Loch Ness Monster. The illustrations are vibrant and fun.

My 5 year old daughter sat and listened to it quietly and ended it with a small grin on her face. It's a great read aloud book and is long enough that a young reader would enjoy reading it too.

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Hattie and Hudson
by Chris Van Dusen
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Year: 2017
Ages/Themes: Picture Books, Young Children, Fantasy

I Really Like Slop! by Mo Willems

Yes, another Elephant & Piggie book. Why? Because they're always funny and kids love them. I Really Like Slop! by Mo Willems is another good one. My kids are really into gross things right now, so this book is perfect for them. Laughing and saying "ewww!" just seem to go together these days.

Mo Willems has a quirky video about how to make Piggie's slop:





Warning! Spoilers Alert:
As a parent, my favorite part of this book is that Gerald tries Piggie's slop even though he doesn't want to. And though he doesn't like it, he's glad he tried it for Piggie's sake. There may be a dinnertime manners lesson somewhere behind the smelly of stinky shoes here.

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I Really Like Slop!
By Mo Willems
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Year: 2015
Ages/Themes: Picture Books, Young Children, Mo Willems, Elephant & Piggie

Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett

Sam and Dave are on a mission to find something spectacular. So they dig a hole. Sam & Dave Dig a Hole is written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen. The illustrator is just as important as the author here because much of the humor of the book is in its visuals.

This was a random library find that my children have loved. We've read it every night for the past week. And we've noticed more things each time we've read it. Check it out at your library, or watch this video of the book being read from the YouTube channel NomNomReadRead:



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Sam & Dave Dig a Hole
By Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Publisher: Candlewick
Year: 2014
Ages/Themes: Picture Books, Young Children, Caldecott Honor

It's Ramadan, Curious George by H.A. Rey and Hena Khan

Today our Muslim friends stopped by with a present for Eid--the day of feasting and celebration that ends the month of fasting (Ramadan). With that gift came It's Ramadan, Curious George.

My kids love Curious George, so it was a great way for them to learn about their friends' celebrations. After reading the book and explaining Ramadan and Eid to my kids, my youngest daughter made plans to share our celebrations with them by bringing them Christmas cookies.

This book would be great for Muslim children, but I also think it's good for non-Muslim children. It's a fun and easy way to learn about other traditions, other faiths, and other people.

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It's Ramadan, Curious George
By H.A. Rey and Hena Khan
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Year: 2016
Ages/Themes: Picture Books, Young Children, Ramadan, Eid, Diverse Books

A Stick is an Excellent Things: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play by Marilyn Singer

I love poetry, and I think if you expose children to it early, it won't seem so intimidating when they're adults. In first grade, my daughter learned about a new poem each month and she thought they were really cool.

A Stick is an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play by Marilyn Singer is the perfect book of poems for children during the summer months. The poems are great for reading out loud together, and as the subtitle says, they celebrate playing outside. I rarely follow illustrators, but I'm beginning to recognize LeUyen Pham's work and I love her illustrations.

Do you have a favorite book of poems for children?

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A Stick is an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play
By Marilyn Singer
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Publisher: Clarion Books
Year: 2012
Ages/Themes: Picture Books, Early Readers, Poetry

Ninja Baby by David Zeltser

I think this book is okay, but my kids think it's hilarious. There's something about babies doing things that babies can't normally do that is just too funny. In this book the Ninja Baby rules her house until she's joined by a Kung Fu Master (aka baby brother).

If your kids need a fun and silly picture book, try Ninja Baby by David Zeltser.

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Ninja Baby
By David Zeltser
Illustrated by Diane Goode
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Year: 2015
Ages/Themes: Picture Books

Favorite Picture Books With Dads

With Father's Day coming up in a couple of days, I wanted to highlight a few of our favorite picture books with dads in them.

At the top of the list is Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems. It's the story of a dad, his daughter, and a missing  It's been a favorite in our house for a long time.

My two-year-old's very favorite book right now is We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. Everyone in the house has it memorized. I'll read it to him occasionally, but besides featuring a dad, this is the favorite book for dad to read out loud in our house.

I recently featured Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie. It features a great father/son relationship.

Daddy Hugs by Karen Katz is a cute board book for your littlest readers and their daddies.

What are some of your favorite picture books featuring dads?

More Parts by Tedd Arnold

We discovered children's author Tedd Arnold through Beastie Toys, the YouTube channel with readings of kids' books that my kids are currently obsessed with. She reads Fly Guy books on the channel, so when we went to the library, we looked for Fly Guy. Apparently they're popular books because they were all checked out, but we did find another Tedd Arnold book called More Parts.

As may be apparent by the title, More Parts is the second book in a collection, but it works fine on its own. In the book a kid stresses out when his dad asks for him to "give him a hand" and runs away when a joke is guaranteed to "crack him up." It reminded me a little bit of the Amelia Bedelia books where she takes everything literally. But this book steps it up about 10 notches and had my kids rolling with laughter (yes, literally) and grossing out at (and loving) the illustrations.

If you want to get your kids laughing, look for More Parts. Or Parts. And I think there's one called Even More Parts. Just look for Tedd Arnold books the next time you go to the library, my kids love them and yours probably will too.
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More Parts
By Tedd Arnold
Publisher: Picture Puffin Books
Year: 2003
Ages/Themes: Young Children, Picture Books, Tedd Arnold

Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie

Thunder Boy Jr. is named after his dad. His dad's nickname is Big Thunder, which sounds like something awesome. But Thunder Boy Jr.'s nickname is Little Thunder, which sounds like a burp or a fart. Thunder Boy Jr. is a book about the meaning of names, about fitting in with your family and finding your own identity.

Sherman Alexie is an important American author. I think everyone should read his works. So I was excited to find he had written a children's picture book. My girls loved this book too. They enjoyed the play with words and names. You can read this book for fun, or you can use it to open up a conversation about family names and identity.
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Thunder Boy Jr.
By Sherman Alexie
Illustrated by Yuyi Morales
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Year: 2016
Ages/Themes: Young Children, Picture Books, Diverse Books, Family

The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers

After seeing it in Indie Bound's Spring 2016 Children's list, I checked out The Night Gardener by Terry Fan and Eric Fan from the library.

It's a magical story of a gardener who comes and turns the trees into beautiful creations every night and the influence it had on a young boy. The illustrations are lovely. My six-year-old described them as looking like "real drawings and paintings." Which means like something you'd frame and put on the wall rather than cartoonish.

My children loved the story and the pictures. It feels like a bedtime story, one you should snuggle up under a blanket together to read. I recommend you at least check it out from the library, but it would make a beautiful gift book as well.

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The Night Gardener
By Terry Fan and Eric Fan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Year: 2016
Ages/Themes: Picture Books, Young Children, Bedtime Stories

Samanthasaurus Rex by B.B. Mandell

I went to the library without my youngest two children on Saturday. When I brought home the books, my four-year-old grabbed this one from the pile and exclaimed, "Oh, I love this one!" Since it's newly published, she had never even seen this one before. But that speaks to the power of a good cover and fun illustrations.

Samanthasaurus Rex is a T-rex who just doesn't act like a T-rex. She uses her brain instead of her brawn and feels like she might be a disappointment for her family. But then she has the chance to use her smarts and find a place in her family, even though she's different.

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Samanthasaurus Rex
By B.B. Mandell
Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Year: 2016
Ages: Picture Books, Young Children

Marvin Gets Mad! by Joseph Theobald

Marvin Gets Mad! by Joseph Theobald is about a sheep named Marvin who gets mad because someone ate the apple he wanted for himself.

This book was a favorite of my daughter's when she was two years old. It brought up memories of her reading along and even reading the memorized book to herself. My kids like imitating Marvin as he gets mad. And if you wanted to, you could even use this book as an opportunity to talk about emotions and what to do when you get mad. Or you can just have fun imitating a mad sheep.

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Marvin Gets Mad!
by Joseph Theobald
Publisher: Scholastic
Year: 2008
Ages: Picture Books, Young Children

Yaks Yak: Animal Word Pairs by Linda Sue Park

In this fun book yaks yak and bugs bug bugs. My first grader has loved reading this book together. The fun homograph word play makes her laugh and has opened up discussions about linguistics and where words come from.

This book is great for early readers, but it would be fun for any elementary aged child.
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Yaks Yak: Animal Word Pairs
By Linda Sue Park
Illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt
Publisher: Clarion Books
Year: 2016
Ages: Young Children, Early Readers, Picture Books, Word Play

You can find this book on Amazon (affiliate link), at your local independent bookstore, or at your local library.

That Is Not a Good Idea! by Mo Willems

Mo Willems is best known for Pigeon and Elephant & Piggie. But we like all of his stuff. At our latest library excursion we found That Is Not a Good Idea! It's fun because it's set up like an old silent movie.

It's a fun book with a fun ending. After just a couple of readings, my four-year-old can look through it and quote the story herself. I have a feeling we're going to be reading this one a lot for the next few weeks.

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That Is Not a Good Idea
By Mo Willems
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Year: 2013

What to Do with a Box by Jane Yolen

Another fun library find, this book is illustrated to look like a cardboard box and imagines the different things you can do with a box. It's a simple, sweet story told in rhyme. But I think it's the illustrations that make my kids choose it night after night. It also sparks their imagination because they've spent time turning cardboard boxes into houses and ships and airplanes.

What do your kids turn boxes into?
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What to Do with a Box
By Jane Yolen
Illustrated Chris Sheban
Publisher: Creative Editions
Year: 2016

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury has been such a favorite in our family that we are on our second copy of it. It's a great read aloud book with repetition and sounds that young children love. When my daughter was two, this was her favorite book for Daddy to read to her--they even had actions to go with it and they would recite it together while going on walks around the neighborhood.

This book has been forgotten on our shelves for a while, but I think it's time to bring it out again. My son is almost two and I'll bet he'd love to read it with his Daddy.

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We're Going on a Bear Hunt
By Michael Rosen
Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Year: 2009
Themes: Family Favorites, Picture Books, Young Children, Read Aloud

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent book store.

No Yeti Yet by Mary Ann Fraser

No Yeti Yet by Mary Ann Fraser is a fun read aloud book. Mostly because you get to say "yeti yet" over and over. It also has two voices and kids like to choose a part to speak. It's also lots of fun for them to search for the yeti on each page.

I know it's almost spring (and here in Florida it already feels like summer), but this is a great winter time book, though it's fun any time. If you read it with your kids be prepared to answer their questions about what a yeti is. Good luck!

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No Yeti Yet
By Mary Ann Fraser
Publisher: Peter Pauper Press
Year: 2015
Ages: Picture Books, Young Children

You can find this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

This Book Just Ate My Dog! by Richard Byrne

My daughter saw This Book Just Ate My Dog! advertised on the back of another Richard Byrne book, We're in the Wrong Book! and really wanted to find it at the library.

It has a fun and silly story (which my daughter likes) and gets kids to interact with the book (which I like). I think Richard Byrne is a children's book author that we need to check out more and may be adding him to our favorite's list.

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This Book Just Ate My Dog!
By Richard Byrne
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Year: 2014
Ages: Young Children, Picture Books

You can find this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent book store.

Blackout by John Rocco

Blackout by John Rocco is about a young boy who wants his family to spend time with him. They're all too busy doing other things--until the lights go out. Then the family leaves the phones and computers behind and spends time together around flashlight and candlelight. When it gets too hot inside, they go outside and discover the real lights.

We are so dependent on electricity and there are some major inconveniences to having the lights go out. But this book captures the strangeness and magic of what it was like for the lights to go out when you were a child. My children like the story. I like the poetry of the words and the artistry of many of the illustrations being done in blacks and greys and blues. We've checked this one out from the library a couple of times and highly recommend it.

What's your favorite thing to do with your family when the lights go out?

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Blackout
By John Rocco
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Year: 2011
Ages: Picture Books, Young Children
Themes: Diverse Books, family time, blackouts

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Leonardo was a terrible monster...he couldn't scare anyone.

Yes, I'm recommending another book by Mo Willems. It's safe to say that he's one of our very favorite picture book authors. This one isn't as well known as Elephant & Piggie or the Pigeon books. But this is one of my four-year-old's favorite books. We get it every time we find it at the library and it's on our wish list of ones to own.

Do you have a favorite picture book author?

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Leonardo the Terrible Monster
By Mo Willems
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Year: 2005
Ages: Young Children, Picture Books, Ages 3 - 36

You can find this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.