The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Board Book with CD)

• Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
• (Board Book with CD)
• Author: Eric Carle
• Price: $15.99
• Pages: 24
• Publisher: Philomel
• Publishing Date: April 19, 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399247459
• Genre: Nursery
• Annotation: A very hungry little caterpillar goes out in search of fullness. He eats and eats, every day, more and more, until one day as fat as he could get, he cocoons himself and ends up a beautiful surprise!
• Evaluation: The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of my favorite read-alouds. Period. The reason? It's a combination of bright, happy artwork that is simply exquisite, and the multitude of education experiences that are hidden in between a relatable developmentally appropriate book for babies, toddlers and up. This particular edition has a CD/multimedia component in it and makes for a deeper, early literacy learning experience that allows children to listen to the book anytime, on their own and mimic the story teller's reading. It's an awesome combo.

Author Website: http://www.eric-carle.com/home.html

Haiku Baby

Title:Haiku Baby
Author: Betsy Hodge
Publish Date: May 27, 2008
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pages: 14
ISBN: 0375843957

Price: $6.99
Classification: Board Book
Notable Features: Bilingual

Annotation: Travel through the natural world with whimsical haikus, Japanese parallels, and bright artwork in this light-hearted, exploratory board book.

Evaluation: Enjoy this book in play time and read-aloud with baby. As your child's developmental milestone progress, introduce poetry and a second language to your child's early literacy literacy adventure. The Board Book style allows Pre-Literacy babies and toddlers to explore holding and using a book without ripping pages.

Author Website:

http://betsysnyder.blogspot.com/

Eensy Weensy Spider

Title: Eensy Weensy Spider
Author: Mary Anne Hoberman & Nadine Bernard Westcott
Publish Date: September 1, 2004
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0316734128

Price: $6.99
Classification: Picture Book, Songs and Music

Annotation: In this book, long time favorite fingerplay song, Eensy Weensy Spider, is extended to include longer lyrics, new friends, and new fingerplays.

Evaluation: This book includes music, fingerplay directions, and games to play. The book is perfect for families new to fingerplay or for families who love the original song and want more. Seeing the song in print supports print awareness and the fingerplay songs supports fine motor skills and sequence and order, just to name a few.

Author Website: http://www.maryannhoberman.com/

Games to Play With Baby

Title: Games to Play With Baby

Author: Jackie Silberg

Price: 14.95

Pages: 256 pages

Publisher: Gryphon House

Publishing Date: 2001

ISBN: 0876592558

Genre: Parenting

Subject: Baby Play

Annotation: A wonderful guide with hundreds of stimulating play ideas and activities for parents to use with their babies.

Evaluation: A book that gets right to the point in a simplistic, easy to follow activity book that can directly be shared with your child. Organized activities that have the appropriate age at the top of each are simplistically laid out in step-by-step directions. Starting the book is a brief overview of development. Included are simple illustrations to help make the directions more assessable. In the busy world of parenting this book is a welcome resource that doesn’t require a lot of time to use.

One Watermelon Seed

Title: One Watermelon Seed

Author: Celia Barker Lottridge

Illustrator: Pat Katkau

Publish Date: 1st edition (Mar 12 2008)

(First published in 1986)

Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside

Pages: 32 Hardcover

ISBN: 1554550343

Classification: Picture Books

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Concept Books

Age: Early Education, Ages 2-7

Annotation: Count along as Max and Josephine tend to their garden!

Evaluation: This adorable watermelon counting book is presented in a bright new version with new cover art and illustrations. Max and Josephine plant and take care of their garden while counting along in this book while young readers and teachers and librarians follow along! Then you can count in sets of tens as the garden comes to fruitation and at the same time you can search for pictures of little garden creatures hiding in the pages. I love color when reading to and with children! You'll love hidden educational opportunities! Celia Barker Lottridge's language is lyrical and fun!

Cool Notes about this Title: On the Toronto Public Library's 10 best books of 2008 list for Children up to 5 years of age

Website: Pat Katkau http://www.patkauillustration.com/picturebooks10.html

The New Parent: The Essential Guide for All First-Time Mothers and Fathers

Title: The New Parent

Author: Dr. Mariam Stoppard

Pages: 168

ISBN: 0789419971

Publisher: DK Adult

Publishing Date: 1998 (First Edition Date)

Genre: Parenting

Annotation: A visual guide by Doctor Mariam Stoppard that is an everything guide for new parents!

Evaluation: In this Dorling Kingsley book, better known as “DK,” famous British Doctor Mariam Stoppard brings us a guide that is full of visuals that make this resource for new parents a special tool. Covering the beginnings of pregnancy all the way to safe-proofing your home and developmental milestones, this illustrated guide will be a visual reference that will not only tell you about your child in the early ages, but will show you too.

Peek-a-Who?

Title: Peek-A Who?
Author: Nina Laden
Publish Date: February 1, 2000
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pages: 10
ISBN: 0811826023

Price: $6.95

Age Range: 0-4
Classification: Board Book

Annotation: This interactive book is filled with simple, bright illustrations and a baby guesses and turns the easy to hold chunky pages to fine out the question, Peek-a-WHO? A moo, a zoo, a YOU!

Evaluation: This book is super cute and encourages exploration, surprise, and play. It's takes the "Peek-a-Boo" game to the next level. It supports parent-baby & toddler bonding. The little die-cut opening that keeps you guessing what's on the other side is a perfect baby-hand sized hole that supports both predictive literacy skills and fine motor skills.

Autor Website: http://www.ninaladen.com/

Dogabet

Title: Dogabet

Author: Dianna Bonder

Publish Date: August 15, 2008

Publisher: Walrus Books

Pages: 32

Price: $16.95

ISBN: 1552859401

Genre: Picture Books

Subjects: Alphabet Books, Picture Books

Annotation: An A to Z party of Dogs! Everybody loves dogs! If your a cat lover, you will also be a dog lover by the time you get to Z! So Dianna Bonder uses her trademark artistic style to bring about her own whimsical version of an alphabet book. Dogs and many different dog breeds, along with things that begin with that letter, hidden letters, even a hidden cat!

Evaluation: I love Dianna Bonder's illustrations and written work so much! This is inherently happy and evokes the actual feeling you get when cuddling up with a cute little pup who loves you! Talk about a great way to learn to love the alphabet! Great jumpstarter for play throughout the day. With all the dogs baby/toddler and parent can identify dogs and letters all day!

Dianna Bonder's Website: http://www.diannabonder.com/pages/about/about.php

Charlie and Lola Look After Your Planet

Title:Charlie and Lola Look After Your Planet
Author: Lauren Child

• Reading level: 3-5 and Beyond
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial (March 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803733356

Price: $16.99

Classification: Picture Book

Notable Features: Encourages Recycling, Includes Recycling Poster, Printed on Eco-Friendly Paper

Annotation: Favorite siblings Charlie and Lola are book and ready to clean out their room. But what should they do with a the stuff? Learn all about recycling and start your own project with an included poster to keep track!

Evaluation: Charlie and Lola always delight the entire family. A great read aloud that has a fun relatable story with a great message, savvy parents can appreciate.

Author Website: http://www.milkmonitor.com/

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

Title: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
Author: Mo Willems
Publish Date: 1St Edition edition (July 12, 2004)
Publisher: Hyperion Book Childrens
Pages: 40
ISBN: 0786818700

Price: $15.99

Classification: Picture Book

Age Range/Reading Level: Preschool through First Grade

Series: Knuffle Bunny

Annotation: Daddy and Trixie and Trixie's favorite toy, Knuffle Bunny go to the laundromat. But, something very important get left behind!

Evaluation: The mixed media style and relatable content not only make this book a fun choice for read aloud, but deals with real-life connections to favorite toys that lots of children have. Especially great for exploring emotions and print awareness. This book will become a funny favorite for the entire family!

Author Website: http://www.mowillems.com/

Sleeping Dragons all Around

• Title: Sleeping Dragons All Around
• Author: Sheree Fitch
• Price: Out of Print
• Publish Date: October 1 1992
• Publisher: Doubleday Canada
• Pages: 32
• IBSN: 0385253982
• Classification: Poetry
• Genre: Picture Book/Verse

Annotation: Melissa has trouble sleeping because she's scared. Maybe it's because of the sleeping dragons around her bed. Based on her son's fears when he was sleeping and scared while at the same time studying The Eve of Sty. Agnes, Ms. Fitch creates a one of a kind antidote to nightmares!

Evaluation: Scared of the night? How about a little poetry? Sheree Fitch creates a story of poems that fight the bedtimes blues and Michele Nidenoff creates illustrations that keep the monsters in check and make them colorful and vivid and fairytale cute with character! Also, I am a HUGE, HUGE fan of the Romantic Poetic John Keats, so I recognized the line right away from the Eve of St.Agnes! Super cute reference that will make poetry-loving moms and dads beam when reading it!

Website of Sharee Fitch/Sleeping Dragons All Around: http://www.shereefitch.com/books/sleepingDragonsAllAround.php

The Poem -The Eve of Saint Agnes by John Keats: http://englishhistory.net/keats/poetry/eveofstagnes.html

Find at a Library: http://www.worldcat.org/search?qt=worldcat_org_all&q=Sleeping+Dragons+all+Around

If You Give A Cat Cupcake

Title: If You Give A Cat A Cupcake
Author: Laura Numeroff
Publish Date: September 30, 2008
Publisher: Harpercollins
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0060283246

Price: $16.99
Genre: Picture Books
Series: If You Give A...Series

Annotation: The beloved and hilarious If You Give a Mouse A Cookie series is back with it's latest cause and effect romp! But this time, if you give a cat a cupcake, he may want some sprinkles to go with it!

Evaluation: A great book to introduce early literacy skills while at the same time having a laugh! You can't go wrong with this series, and in no time, even little pre-readers will be memorizing and following the text as you read! It's read aloud in its highest interest form!

Author Website: http://lauranumeroff.com/

Super-Safe Color Viewers

Title: Super-Safe Color Viewers
Author: N/A
Publish Date: N/A
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Item Number: DD657 (Lakeshore Learning)

Price: $19.95
Classification: Toy
Age Range: infant - kindergarten / 6 mos. - 5 yrs.

Annotation: This exploratory fun toy that is safe and durable allows baby to grip and view the world in a variety of colors.

Evaluation: Super easy to hold, shatterproof and safe, this toy is a wonderful tool for education, developmentally appropriate play and exploration for baby and parent!

Link to Product: http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/ca|searchResults~~p|DD657~~.jsp

Planting A Rainbow (Lap Sized Board Book)

Title: Planting a Rainbow
Author: Lois Elhert
Publish Date: March 1, 2008
Publisher: HMH Books
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0152063048

Price: $11.99
Classification: Board Book
Genre: Nursery/Picture Book

Annotation: Enter a rainbow of color as you learn to plant a garden and watch how it grows.

Evaluation: This book is a wonderful (dare I say instant classic...), introduction to non-fiction and concepts stylized in a way that is bright and vivid and developmentally appropriate. It encourages both a relationship and awareness of nature, as well as, a family bond. This is also a wonderful book to tie in with exploratory art and color play!