Down By the Station: To assuage my guilt

Title: Down By the Station
Author and Illustrator: Will Hillenbrand
Age Range: 1-3
Genre: Picture Book

My son doesn't have the same attention span for books that his sisters did at the same age.  I don't know if it is because I didn't read to him enough when he was little, as I was too busy trying to keep the other two in line, but I have a certain measure of guilt about the fact that he just doesn't focus on books the same way his sisters did and still do.  I'm worried that my semi-lazy attitude about reading to him has profoundly affected his future as a reader.  Which is why I focus so much on it now.  At age 2 1/2. he just doesn't focus and get into books the way I think he should.

But he looks at pictures, and loves looking at pictures.  He's just not so into the words.  The story line itself, the story does not excite him.  But, I have found that books with rhymes and books that I can sing make a big difference in how he pays attention.  If I sing or "rap" a book, he'll listen with almost double the attention and double the focus as when I simply read a book.  So I try and find books that have this rhyming element or a song element.

This one is perfect as it is based on the song, "Down by the Station" and although my son was not familiar with this song prior to the book, the song was catchy enough for him to relax and listen to me sing it.  On top of that, the pictures of bears, tigers, flamingos and different animals on their way to the children's zoo also really appealed to him.  The train running through on every single page was also a plus and helped my son to really pay attention to the book.  In the book a bunch of animals are on their way to a children's zoo by train, and this amazingly cute train picks up different animals.  At the end of the book, a school bus filled with children run into the zoo, and the final picture is of baby animals and young children playing together.  On the last page, my son said, "They are all together." 

Paperback



Hardcover

Cars:Rushing! Honking! Zooming!: Rhyme and have fun with your child

Title: Cars: Rushing! Honking! Zooming!
Author: Patricia Hubbell
Illustrator: Megan Halsey and Sean Addy
Age Range: 3-8
Genre: Picture book, rhyming

There has been a lot of research done in regards to the benefits of reading aloud rhymes to your child.  Rhymes help children gain some basic building blocks to become readers.  But more than that, children love rhymes.  I think rhymes help ME to read the story with more fun and more inflection and I can see that the rhythm and rhyme engage my son an additional level besides just the story line itself.

I picked this book up on a whim and upon opening it, knew immediately that my son would love it.  The pictures are really unique, sort of retro but also modern at the same time.  The illustrators mix up who is driving all of the cars - sometimes animals, sometimes humans but it makes for a really wonderful thing to look at.  My son can't get enough of it and I've been reading/rapping the book to him every night for the past six days.  He loves the pictures, and the last line of the book is "they go to rest" and I always whisper it, since it is a picture of a cars "sleeping" in their garages.  My son, now also whispers it and it is so fun to see.

This book simply details in rhyme, types of cars, what they do, where they go, why they are useful and is just a really fun book both to the eyes and to the ears.

Hardcover


Paperback

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?:Learning to make animal sounds

Title: Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Author: Dr. Seuss
Age Range: 1-4 years old
Genre: Picture books with rhymes

This was one of the first books I ever bought for my daughter, and I started reading it to her when she was about 6 months old.  I used to exaggerate the sounds like "Moooooo" and "pop" and "buzz" and "whisper" and she would sit there fascinated with the sounds.  Perhaps she may have been fascinated by her crazy mommy's face as it went through various expressions trying to exaggerate the sounds, but no matter, it was a funny book to her.

There has been much research to support the use of rhyming books in promoting early literacy.  This one in particular has been discussed as a great book for reading aloud to your little one.  The rhymes, repetition of sound, and rhythm of the book are thought to be crucial in helping children develop the ears to be good readers.

Aside from the potential literacy benefit, the book is just plain fun to read aloud.  There are lots of great sounds to be made and in the end, everybody can be like Mr. Brown and moo, pop, whisper, and buzz just like he does.

Where's Spot?: Get the scotch tape ready

Title: Where's Spot?
Author: Eric Hill
Illustrator: Eric Hill
Age Range:1-4
Genre: Picture book, lift the flap

My daughter was 3 months when I started this book with her. I remember that I took her to the hospital in Hong Kong for one of her checkups and sat with her on my lap reading this book to her to keep her entertained.  Her eyes were huge and she just stared at the pictures as if in awe.  The lift-the-flap action of this book of course makes it even more fun. Now it is my 2 year old son that loves this book. He knows what is under each of the flaps now, as he has been looking at the book for well over a year.  He loves finding spot at the very end and giggles with laughter when he discovers him.

The plot has Spot not eating his dinner and his mother wants him to come and eat.  The readers go through the house, looking in various places where he could be, like in the clock, or under the bed, or in the closet, lifting a flap and revealing another animal there, like lion, monkey, or snake.  You continue looking and then you find him at the end.  You can expand the value of the book by asking questions about what animal is under there, having your child practice memory and prediction.  Verbal dialogue around a book is always tremendously valuable.

The flaps do get worn out pretty quickly, which is why I would probably recommend getting the soft cover vs. the hardcover so you can get multiple copies.  My own three children have gone through two soft covers.  It is a must for any new baby, and perfect for anyone who needs to give a gift for an expectant mother.

Soft cover


Hard cover

Cars and Trucks and Things That Go: My brother's favorite book

Title:  Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
Author: Richard Scarry
Illustrator: Richard Scarry
Age Range: 1-5
Genre: Picture book

This is the book that my brother and I would look at the most growing up.  We loved this book.  The pictures were silly, the cars were unique and exciting, and finding Goldbug hidden on every single page was a fun little project.  I do remember that my brother was always able to locate Goldbug before I was able to, even though we had read the book multiple times.  The two of us would hold the book on our laps (it's a big book) and scan the pages pointing out silly cars, and looking for the elusive, tiny, rare Goldbug.  It made for a fun activity and it never grew old.

This is a classic and one that I never tire giving.  Before there was the Pixar movie Cars, there was this book with all its imaginary cars like Donut Car, Pickle Car, Cheese Car, Carrot Car (driven by a Rabbit no less) among many other ones.  The basic story is that the Pig Family is going on a car trip and along the way they see a train yard with its many trains, a farm with its bustle of activity, an airport, and all the different places where multiple vehicles can be seen.  It's a fun book filled with so many things to see that little boys and girls love pointing them out.  The story itself is cute and entertaining, but often takes a backseat to studying the different pictures in the book.  Nevertheless, this is a book that will get lots of use in your house and provide lots of moments of enjoyment.

Dear Zoo: A great book unless you're really trying to avoid a pet

Title: Dear Zoo
Author: Rod Campbell
Illustrator: Rod Campbell
Age Range: 1-3
Genre: lift the flap, picture book

This is a very cute book about a boy who has written to the zoo to ask for a pet, and repeatedly the zoo sends him things that are a bit inappropriate as pets, such as a Lion, an Elephant, and a Monkey.  The flaps allow the kids to see a peek of the animal and then they can reveal the flaps to see what is underneath.  It is a very fun book that all three of my kids have enjoyed.  They like the illustrations as they are nice and clean, but more importantly they love the Ta-DA reveal of the animals which usually sends them into peals of laughter.

It's a great book for 1 year olds as they really do enjoy the whole lift the flap thing (Think peek-a-boo) and they will get into it.  Sometimes they get into it a BIT too much and flaps get ripped but it's nothing that a bit of scotch tape can't handle.  It's a great book to give as a gift for a 1 year old birthday!