Category: Toddler Reads

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Zoom off to bedtime with Sleep Little Dozer

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Sleep, Little Dozer, by Diana Murray/Illustrated by Cleonique Hilsaca, (June 20245, Random House), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593119044

Ages 2-6

It’s been a full day for Little Dozer, but when Papa tells him, “Let’s roll! Time for bed!”, Dozer is concerned: Mama is working late! How will Dozer fall asleep? No worries: Papa knows the routine. This sweet rhyming bedtime story is just what a child needs when a parent is working late or traveling and another parent – maybe not the usual parent or caregiver – is left to handle bedtime. Papa Dozer is a large bulldozer with a bushy mustache; Little Dozer is a tiny bulldozer. The vehicles all have bold, friendly expressions and colors are soft, gentle, wonderful for bedtime. Much of the story is Papa’s bedtime rhyme, which Little Dozer chimes in on; it’s relatable to kids who have their bedtime routines down pat. Visions of numbered jeeps fill in for a human child’s “counting sheep”, and various vehicles bed down for the night as Dozer struggles with anxiety over not being able to sleep without Mom. Endpapers show truck-shaped clouds against a night sky. A very cute and comforting story that vehicle fans will ask for at bedtime, and a good addition to collections.

Pair with Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Steam Train Dream Train, both by Sherri Duskey Rinker, for a fun pajama storytime.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Baby and Toddler Storytime is the best time!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Since our children’s librarian is on vacation this week, I get to be a children’s librarian again – and boy, have I missed it. Today, I did our weekly storytime and I’m pretty sure I enjoyed it more than the kids. Here’s what we did:

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello
We clap and sing hello,
We clap and sing hello,
With our friends at storytime,
We clap and sing hello!
(Stomp and sing hello; jump and sing hello.)
Credit: Storytime Katie

 

It’s Your Time to Shine, by Dianne White/Illustrated by Nanette Regan, (March 2024, Little Simon), $8.99, ISBN: 9781665932035

Ages 0-3

The Littles enjoyed this story about a little girl growing up and learning that life is full of ups and downs: “Sometimes you’ll feel nervous, embarrassed, or small. / Soon you’re back on your feet with a smile, standing tall”. The child goes from a baby to a young woman, gaining confidence as she goes; she learns that it’s her time to shine and embrace all that she is. Adorable for a graduation or an inspirational readaloud, the verse is empowering and realistic, letting readers know that life is never a straight path, but it all contributes to building resilience and character, making us all ready for our moment to shine. Regan’s colorful illustration sets the characters and settings off against the white background of each page. The main character has light-brown skin and curly reddish-brown hair. A sweet addition to board book collections.

 

Song Break!

Active Rhyme: Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes

Bubble Bubble Pop (I pick colors the Littles are wearing to incorporate into my song)
One little red fish swimming in the water, swimming in the water, swimming in the water.
One little red fish swimming in the water, bubble, bubble, pop.
Two little blue fish swimming in the water, swimming in the water, swimming in the water.
Two little blue fish swimming in the water, bubble, bubble, pop.
Three little yellow fish swimming in the water, swimming in the water, swimming in the water.
Three little yellow fish swimming in the water, bubble, bubble, pop.
Credit: Jbrary

This Baby, That Baby, by Cari Best/Illustrated by Rashin Kheriyeh, (Feb. 2024, Anne Schwartz Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593564639

Ages 3-7

This went over so well! The story of two babies who live across from each other really clicked with my Littles. Two city-dwelling babies live in apartments across from one another on a “beep-beep street” and happily greet one another from their windows. The day goes on and the two play with their parents, have diaper changes, eat, and nap, only to discover each other on a walk in the afternoon. It’s a sweet story that reminds me of Mem Fox’s Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, with its joyful storytelling and recognizable moments in Baby’s day; having it set in a city, with all the “beep-beep streets”, “bumpy sidewalks”, and various neighbors visible in their windows, made it something the kids in my community can relate to. Best hits a homer with her descriptive storytelling, and Kheiriyeh’s mixed media illustration creates two adorable, expressive children and a cozy and bustling city. With starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and BookPage, this is a book that should be in your storytime collections.

 

Classics Song Break!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star

I finished up with Finding Grateful, which brought things to a gentle close. We brought storytime to an end with one final song – Yo Te Amo, courtesy of Jbrary – and then we did our Goodbye Rhyme, Tickle the Clouds, courtesy of Laptime Rhymes:

Tickle the clouds (we reach up high)
Tickle your toes (we reach down low)
Now reach up and tickle your nose (tickle noses, make a sneezing sound)
Reach down low (we reach down low)
Now reach up high (we reach up high)
Storytime’s over for now, so let’s wave goodbye! (wave goodbye)

That was it! My first storytime in a while, and I felt pretty good shaking the rust off. I’m hoping to fit some more storytime programming in during Summer Reading. I’ll keep you posted.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads, Uncategorized

New Earth Day Reads!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Earth Day is right around the corner! There are some great new books to have ready for a great readaloud. Let’s take a look.

Miss MacDonald Has a Farm, by Kalee Gwarjanski/Illustrated by Elizabet Vuković, (March 2024, Doubleday Books for Young Readers), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593568163

Ages 3-7

It’s a new spin on an old favorite! Miss MacDonald has a farm, and she loves to grow her own food in this ode to farm-to-table food. Kids are going to love this easy-to-learn song, with repetitive phrases like “Miss MacDonald has a farm. / She loves things that grow” and “E-I-E-I-GROW”. Miss MacDonald grows all sorts of yummy food, like tomatoes and green beans, sweet corn and pumpkins, and she “shuck-shucks” and “thrish-thrashes” her way through her fields, planting and harvesting her wares to bring to a farmer’s market and feasting at a community table with a diverse group of neighbors. It’s a fun way to illustrate where our food comes from and how it gets to the table, with colorful and appealing illustrations that show a young female farmer of color growing and harvesting her food. Back matter includes vocabulary that explains the steps in getting food to grow from seed to table, and a recipe for a harvest vegetable bake included in the story. I sang this story to a pre-k class during a school visit this week, and they loved it! This is a great story for anyone who’s doing flannel storytimes, too – get those colorful sheets out and make yourself a vegetable garden.

Chicken Soup for the Soul KIDS: The Sunshine Garden: Being a Team Player, by Jamie Michalak/Illustrated by Jenna Nahyun Chung, (March 2024, Charlesbridge), $14.99, ISBN: 9781623542863

Ages 4-7

The Sunshine Squad returns in this sweet story about kindness, teamwork, and gardening. The Sunshine Squad are six friends who loves to pretend they’re superheroes, and do some pretty great everyday superhero stuff. Mia, one of the Squad, learns that her grandma’s friend, Mr. Angelo, is sick and unable to tend to his community garden and steps in to help… but it’s a much bigger task than she realized. The rest of the Sunshine Squad step in and use their “superpowers” to get the job done and save the day! It’s a sweet story about helping one another and being kind, while showing kids that kindness can be a superpower. Back matter includes tips on being part of a team, with suggestions that work nicely within an Earth Day setting. It’s a good additional add to picture book collections, especially where Chicken Soup for the Soul books do well.

 

 

You Are a Little Seed, by Sook-Hee Choi, Translated by Jieun Kiaer, (March 2024, Charlesbridge), $15.99, ISBN: 9781623544287

Ages 2-5

Originally published in Korean in 2013, this is a gentle story that reads like poetry, describing seven types of flowers that bloom from different types of seeds and became beautiful flowers: “A seed, a seed blowing / in the wind… / took root in / the wild and bloomed / as a dandelion”. Children show up in the flowers as seeds and fully bloomed, showing readers that we can bloom under all sorts of conditions. A soft color palette creates a soothing setting, and the flower illustrations are breathtaking. A wonderful metaphor for how we grow and our beauty in diversity. My only concern is a pssage that describes a seed as “ugly and wrinkled”, which reads more like the author is referring to the child as unsightly; I’m hoping it was more of a moment where the child may feel that way but blossoms into themselves? Other than that, You Are a Little Seed is lovely.

You Are a Little Seed has starred reviews from Kirkus and Foreword Reviews.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night? Fun for bedtime and storytime

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night?, by Steven J. Simmons & Clifford R. Simmons/Illustrated by Ruth E. Harper, (Apr. 2024, Charlesbridge Publishing), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623542979

Ages 3-7

Ocean animals sleep just like land animals do – and like kids do, too! This rhyming story is nonfiction that reads like a bedtime story and will appeal to younger learners. Beginning and closing with human children to place the reader in the story, Simmons and Simmons weave a playful rhyme that delves into the sleeping habits and underwater areas of a plethora of sea creatures including stringrays, whales, sharks, and octopuses. The story educates as it charms, giving readers interesting facts like “A clownfish can wiggle and do a dance. / It eats tiny animals and also plants. / It lives in anemones that keep away foes; / these homes are poison, and other fish know. / But for the clownfish it’s safe to stay, / and here it sleeps at the end of each day”. Harper’s realistic watercolor illustrations show the colorful range of different underwater flora and fauna, with gorgeous texture that brings life to every spread (seriously – I want a print of the octopus spread). Beginning with a group of children enjoying a day at the beach and playing with toys of the very animals we meet throughout the story, and closing with the kids winding down for a good night’s sleep – with their sea friends nest to them as they drift off in their “nice, dry bed[s]”, this is a great choice for bedtime, pajama storytimes, or under the sea-themed storytimes. Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night? is the third book in a series that includes Where Do Creatures Sleep at Night and Where Do Big Creatures Sleep at Night? and is a fun addition to early nonfiction collections.

I Heart Crafty Things has adorable Sea Creatures coloring pages for a post-storytime activity. LucyJaneLovesLearning on TeachersPayTeachers has free sea creature student name tags, if you have large storytime groups and do name tags.

 

EDITED TO ADD: There’s a downloadable activity kit for Where Do Creatures Sleep at Night? Download it here!

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Season’s Readings: Pick a Perfect Egg

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Pick a Perfect Egg, by Patricia Toht/Illustrated by Jarvis, (Feb. 2023, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536228472

Ages 3-5

I really enjoy a good holiday story from Toht and Jarvis, who’ve created holiday stories like Pick a Pine Tree and Pick a Pumpkin. Pick a Perfect Easter Egg celebrates a child and mother getting ready for Easter, from their trip to a farm to choose eggs, going home to dye them using natural and store-bought coloring, and the big morning when their town comes together to celebrate the big day. Toht’s comforting rhyme is made for storytime and Jarvis’s digital illustrations have a soft watercolor feel, sprinkled with a bit of Easter magic. A wonderful story for Spring, filled with touches like budding trees, colorful clothing, and bright days, this is a lovely, non-religious selection for spring storytimes.

Crayola has coloring and activity sheets available for download, as does Monday Mandala. Teachers Pay Teachers has some good educational activities available, including Jelly Bean Math from Simply Kinder, a hatching chick activity from Mandy Porta, math coloring worksheets from First Thinkers, a Build a Bunny craft from Especially Smart, and Peeps Clip Art from Krista Wallden.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Taxi, Go is a rhyming run through town

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Taxi, Go!, by Patricia Toht/Illustrated by Maria Karipidou, (Feb. 2024, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536231533

Ages 2-5

An adorable, big-eyed taxi has a busy day ahead in this sweet rhyming story. Waking up and driving to the heart of town, Taxi picks up fares and drops them off at all sorts of places, from a business meetings to shops to concerts. The last fare of the day is a family coming home from a trip; Taxi picks them up at the airport and drops them off at home before heading back to the depot for a good night’s sleep. The story brings readers through a busy little town and touches on street safety and stopping for emergencies. An inclusive, diverse group of characters provide a welcoming feel. The colorful and cheery digital illustrations are eye-catching, with a bright red taxi sporting wide eyes and a smile; human characters have similar big-eyed, friendly expressions. A generous palette of reds and yellows add energetic flow, and there is a lot of movement in the book: Taxi is always on the move; dogs’ tails cheerfully wag; people hail Taxi and move through a bustling town. Vehicle books are always popular in my library, and this will be another entertaining read for storytimes. A good addition.

 

Posted in Non-Fiction, picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Guess Who and What’s on the Menu? Animal non-fiction for kids!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Eye Guess: A Forest Animal Guessing Game, by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes, (Jan 2024, Charlesbridge), $8.99, ISBN: 9781623544478

Ages Infant-3

Play a game of Guess Who? with littles with this illustrated board book that offers clues and extreme close-ups. Spreads alternate question and answer, with close-up illustrations and a brief clue and a full spread of the animal in its environment… and a sneak peek at the next animal for readers to discover. Realistic illustrations are in full color and pay attention to details and are reminiscent of Steve Jenkins’ books. Fonts are easy to read and the repetitive question and answer format will help readers identify animals after a few reads. A good addition to board book collections.

 

 

 

Menus for Meerkats and Other Hungry Animals, by Ben Hoare/Illustrated by Hui Skipp, (March 2024, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 9781684648306

Ages 6-9

Kids who have ever wondered what’s on the menu for different animals will get a kick out of this friendly book that describes what different animals eat and why: who’s a vegetarian? Who’s a meat-eater? Who dabbles in both? There are 10 profiles of animal appetites in here, including the dung beetle and the different types of poop they snack on, so be ready for a lot of laughs. Spreads alternate between a menu, offering a few general facts about the animal’s eating habits and what they eat and drink, and a dinner spread, which gets into more detail about how they eat what they do: grizzy bears are omnivores who will dig up roots, eat berries, and fish for bears, and they eat most of the time they’re awake because they hibernate through the winter, for instance. Fun fact boxes provide more statistics, like length and weight. A glossary and index make up the back matter. Hot pink endpapers have animal illustrations, and the interior illustrations are colorful, bright, and cheerful. A fun additional add to animal collections, and let’s be honest here: can you ever have enough books on poop? The kids at my library would say no.

 

 

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Halloween Reads for Littles!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Halloween is my favorite holiday! I get to be spooky and goofy and dress up, encouraging everyone around me to do the same. Halloween storytimes are also my favorite, for the same reasons. I’ve got a few Halloween books to book-shout, but let’s start with the wee ones first, shall we?

Peekaboo: Pumpkin, by Camilla Reid/Illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius, (July 2023, Candlewick Press), $9.99, ISBN: 9781536229813

Ages 0-3

Any time I get to enjoy Ingela P Arrhenius’s artwork is a good day. Peekaboo: Pumpkin is the latest in the Peekaboo series from Reid and Arrhenius, taking little readers through a series of rhyming words and accompanied by sliding panels, surprises, and adorable illustration. Sliders let little fingers explore a pumpkin’s shifting eyes, light candles, enjoy a game of peekaboo between a ghost and a cat, a frog and a spider, and other delightful pairings. A mirror reveals itself at the end, inviting a game of lapsit peekaboo. Arrhenius’s illustrations have expressive, cheerful characters, colors pop off the page. The pages are sturdy and the sliding panels will hold up to a great deal of exploring. This one’s a keeper for collections.

 

 

 

Holiday Magic: Happy Halloween!, by Harriet Stone/Illustrated by Giovana Medeiros, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 9781684646401

Ages 0-3

Blend a fun Halloween rhyme with Venetian window panels and playful illustration, and you have a great interactive board book. Happy Halloween features shifting panels and clever cut-outs to create a rhyme about how vampires, mummies, werewolves, and black cats all get ready for Halloween, letting each friendly character change before a reader’s eyes: “This mummy’s tangled bandages are startingto undo! / Underneath, a skeleton jumps up and shouts out, BOO!” Perfect for a Halloween storytime, kids will delight in seeing a vampire morph into a bat, a mummy into a skeleton, a little boy into a werewolf, and a black cat into a witch in front of their eyes. The characters are friendly, never scary, and use of purples and dark blues, plus gratuitous smiling spiders, pumpkins, and other Halloween touchstones set a playful stage for Halloween. Buy a copy for your storytime reference, as the shifting panels may get worn out by curious learners who will open and close the book repeatedly to see how the change takes place. Holiday Magic: Happy Halloween! is a holiday companion to the Animal Magic series from Kane Miller, which includes In the Jungle, In the Ocean, In the Night, and In the Snow, all of which employ Venetian paper design. (And there will be a Merry Christmas book, too!)

 

 

See the Ghost: Three Stories About Things You Cannot See, by David LaRochelle/Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka, (July 2023, Candlewick Press), $9.99, ISBN: 9781536219821

This is one of the best Easy Reader series in recent years. If you loved See the Dog and See the Cat, you’re going to go bananas for See the Ghost, which brings Dog and Cat together with a Ghost and a Fairy for three hilarious stories. Each story can be read as a standalone, but they also build upon one another to create a laugh-out-loud trilogy. The first story, “See the Ghost”, has Ghost scaring Dog and Cat… and eventually, themselves! In “See the Wind”, the Wind gets a bit carried away, blowing everything off the page: including the words to the story! “See the Fairy” introduces Trixie, a fairy “so small that you cannot even see me”. Trixie is a playful fairy with a mischevious streak, and Dog, Cat, and Ghost have to teach Fairy how to play so that everyone has fun. Easy-to-read sentences make this a great book to give emerging readers, and large fonts and colorful, playful illustration makes for an easy readaloud. Spreads use an omniscient narrator and word bubbles; sentences get tossed to an fro with the wind, playing with format.

See the Ghost has starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist. Download fun activity sheets and a teacher’s guide at publisher Candlewick’s website.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Hervé Tullet keeps ’em moving with Tap! Tap! Tap! Dance! Dance! Dance!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Tap! Tap! Tap! Dance! Dance! Dance!, by Hervé Tullet, (May 2023, Chronicle Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9781797221465

Ages 2-6

The master of the interactive storytime book, Hervé Tullet, is back with a new readaloud that’s meant to get fingers and hands moving. With bold, bright primary colors, handprints, and shapes, Tullet leads readers through a hand dance where little hands can tap, whoosh around pages, jump across dots and swirls, and make loop-the-loops to their heart’s delight. With smaller storytime groups, I’ve let them put their hands on the book and follow Tullet’s illustration; with larger groups, get the fingers in the air and let your circle time twirl, hop, and jump in their spots. This could work as a fun Scarf Storytime or a Flannel Storytime; it’s really about the space you’re working with and the numbers in your room. Tullet’s fun instruction is a joy to read out loud and the bold paint scribbles and smears are so much fun to look at. Can your storytime kids come up with their own moves to add? Now’s the time to find out. Every Tullet book is a delight between two covers. Add this one to your collections.

Tap! Tap! Tap! Dance! Dance! Dance! has a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly.

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

New sibling kit: Just One Me

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Just One Me: A Big Sibling Kit, by M.H. Clark/Illustrated by Chelsea Bianchini, (June 2023, Compendium), $36.95, ISBN: 9781957891019

Ages 3-7

This is an adorable gift idea for new big siblings. A cuddly koala is the star of the show in Just One Me, a sweet baby book for older siblings to record thoughts, hopes, and notes about themselves and their new sibling. Gentle illustrations of the little koala and prompts run throughout the book, with spaces for recording notes about what the two siblings can share and what the older sibling may want to keep for themselves; ways big sibling can help parents; and brag space for the big sibling to write about the things they can already do and what they loves as babies. It’s a sweet keepsake and a way for the older sibling to share their feelings about the new baby, encouraging them to claim their own space. It is a sweet way to celebrate an elder child’s accomplishments while welcoming a new little. A soft plush koala comes with the set.