MommaReads

I am not a person who thinks about Christmas before Thanksgiving. I don’t even shop for Christmas before Thanksgiving, but I saw this book and I knew I had to share it with you and now the library wants it back, so I guess I will share it with you now. Poor llama is having a VERY hard time waiting for Christmas to roll around…all of the shopping and decorating and baking, but still no Christmas. Mama reminds llama that this time of year is not about the gifts, but about being with the ones that care about you. All of Dewdney’s llama books are very cute and this one is no exception. If your child has a hard time waiting, whether it be for a birthday, the holidays or something else, then they will completely relate to poor llama.

When our youngest was in first grade last year they did an in depth study of the first Thanksgiving feast. He was basically obsessed with the Wampanoag, the pilgrims…the whole deal. So when I saw this book at the library I knew he would love it. It is great because it has a simple rhyming story that goes along with the fantastic illustrations, but it also has in-depth information for those that want to read more.

Do you have a tradition in your house that doesn’t follow the norm? Tuyet is very worried that her family is not celebrating Thanksgiving the way you’re “supposed” to and it bothers her so much that she is ready and willing so spend her allowance money to make sure her family has a turkey at Thanksgiving. Once her family’s Thanksgiving duck starts cooking and the house is filled with the familiar smells of wonderful cooking she is familiar with, her need for a turkey fades away. Even better, when she returns to school the next week she realizes that her family isn’t the only family who didn’t eat a turkey…there are many ways to celebrate Thanksgiving.

This story follows a family on Thanksgiving day as they get ready for their feast, watch parades on TV, play in the leaves, take food to elderly neighbors and enjoy dinner at home with their family. This Thanksgiving book is a fun reminder about being thankful for our blessings including our wonderful friends, neighbors and family members. This would be a good book for children to use to start thinking about what they are thankful for.

It is time for Little Pink Pig to go to bed and his mother can’t find him anywhere. She asks the cow and the horse and the chickens and the sheep, but no one seems to be able to see him or hear him. Your children will love this book because they know exactly where the pig is the whole time. It’s fun for children to know something that the characters in the story don’t know. 🙂 Your child will also love this book if they are into animals and animal sounds right now.

All the birds in the trees are making so much noise and owl just wants to sleep. The moon finally comes up and the birds go to sleep. Now guess who’s making all of the noise. This is a cute tale if you have a little one who is into making animals sounds. I also love that it has a repetitive line that runs throughout the story…this is a great feature to have a in a book for little ones who are learning how to read, for children to be able to participate in the story and for giving children a purpose for listening. They listen more attentively because they know “their part” is coming up.

I know there was a time in our house when this book would have been read ALL.THE.TIME. If your kids are going through that toddler/preschool phase where they LOVE all things animals or if they are into making animals sounds, then this is the book for you. I also love that it rhymes and the illustrations are so warm and soft.

Another great addition to Karma Wilson’s Bear books. Bear gets lost in the woods and as the sun starts to set and the winds start to blow things get scarier and scarier. Meanwhile, back at the lair, Bear’s friends start to worry about him. They set off to look for him and they all end up back together in Bear’s warm lair all cuddled up together safe and snug.

An adorable counting and rhyming book that is the perfect match for the Halloween season.

Over in the hollow,
where the bats dip and dive,
lives a furry grandma bat
and her little batties five.

So they flap
and they flutter
where the bats
dip and dive.

First of all, I love this book because it’s by Aldous Huxley. (Brave New World) This version is a classic that has been republished with a new illustrator. The mother crow keeps laying eggs over and over and over and every day she comes home to find they are gone. It turns out the snake is eating them and so she sends her husband out to “take care” of the snake. Her husband goes to owl for advice and they hatch a very sneaky plan to trick the snake. I love the relationships between all of the animals in this book. They are a little cheeky to each other which is a bit refreshing…I enjoy a little wit and sarcasm every now and again.