It’s time for the randomly-timed installment of Books We Can’t Stop Reading!! Yes, these are the books that we know by heart, that we can recite without turning the pages, that the kids keep reaching for over and over again. Without further adieu – here they are…
This may be one of my favorite kids’ books ever. Rosie Revere Engineer is a book about a little girl who wants to design and create things. It’s witty, smart and has a nice rhythm to it (which makes it more fun to read). It also has this amazing message about not giving up, having a perfect “first flop,” and about working hard to accomplish things. Seriously I want to plaster this book all over Clare’s room to give her inspiration. We have another book by this author, Iggy Peck Architect, that I also love for its wit, message and general style.
I have an ambivalence (that’s one way to put it) with the whole preschool-girl-princess-culture (I’ve heard it referred to as the “Princess Industrial Complex”). On one hand I like a good princess fairy tale as much as the next romantic, on the other hand the Sparkly Pink Princess Everything gets a little over the top. On one hand I’ve tried to minimize Clare’s exposure to the intensity of princess culture, but I’ve also tried to make sure to give her a broad view of princesses and femininity than just pretty dresses and romantic princes. This book does a really nice job of showing all princesses – from around the world, through history, etc. Grace is a smart, sassy little heroine (we love her other books too) and she’s very relatable for Clare.
As much as I love a good moral and message, but we love a good silly story around here too. The Mysterious Tadpole is a book that I had as a child that’s been re-written for a modern audience. Clare loves the fantasy of it (a giant tadpole who lives in a swimming pool and eats nothing but hamburgers) and I love re-living my childhood.
So back to the fairy tales… this is Clare’s current favorite. She doesn’t quite understand all of the nuances of the Rapunzel story (“Why is the sorceress mean? Why does she take the baby? Where does the prince go? Why did Rapunzel change her clothes?”) but she’s fascinated with the drama and mystery of the fairy tales. This version has really beautiful illustrations.
Sammy’s not into the fairy tales yet, and his tastes run more towards animals. One of his favorites is the classic Big Red Barn. It’s written by the same author as Good Night Moon (another perennial favorite) and has the same cadence. Sam’s favorite part is pointing to the different animals and bugs.
“Mo Mo Mo” as Sammy calls it is read…. a lot. It’s three little stories about three little babies who are loved, adored and tickled/kissed/put to bed by their caregivers. Sam likes the repetition and the characters. I like who sweet and gentle the book is, and how the babies are loved on by their Moms, Dads and Grandparents.
Aunts Terri and Pat brought this book back from Africa (I think) and the kids both really love it. Clare loves the numbers in both English and Swahili, and Sammy loves the animals. We use the book to practice our counting “fo, fide, six, seben…” zebras. “Thee, fo, fide” giraffes. “Ay, nye, ten” monkeys.
