Tag: Guess How Much I Love You

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Three books for your next lapsit

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

These three books are adorable and perfect for a cuddly lapsit. Some fun fingerplay and song suggestions follow at the end.

Already All the Love, by Diana Farid/Illustrated by Shar Tuiasoa, (Dec. 2024, Little Bee Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9781499815658

Ages Birth-3

We already know that Diana Farid excels at writing in verse; lose yourself in her latest work, a board book that celebrates the love between parent and child. A parent holds their child, imagining what their futures may hold, only to be brought back to the present by the wonder of their baby: “You are already the bloom, the glimmer, and the rise… You are the full moon, a constellation, a shooting star that heard my wish.” Mother holds baby as the two witness the world around them while she also dreams of what wonders may come. Earth-toned illustration has brilliant moments of color that create playful landscapes that include a friendly-faced sun and moon, round, vibrant flowers, and pulsing music. Mother’s body becomes the land: we see her arms in the grass that embraces the two; her body is as strong as a mountain range as she bends over her child; she defines a place in the universe as she gestures toward the cosmos. Farid uses economy of language to make the verse spare and deeplly felt. A beautiful book that parents and caregivers will reach for time and again. Recommended for board book collections.

Readalike: We Sang You Home by Richard VanCamp

 

 

Follow Your Heart, by Emma Dodd, (Dec. 2024, Templar), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536234930

Ages 2-5

Emma Dodd’s books provide some of the coziest readalouds. Dodd’s omniscient narrator stands in for parents and caregivers who want their littles to follow their hearts and find joy while wondering where their decisions will take them: “Will you follow the crowd / and join in the fun, / leaping and laughing / as you play in the sun? / Will you be by yourself / and go it alone, / taking some time / to explore on your own?” As a dolphin parent and child swim through foil-enhanced waters, they encounter rough waters and warm sunlight; the parent dolphin also assuages any fears by letting them know they can always stay by their side if the world feels too big for them. It’s a story about letting go and seeing baby take first steps; letting go and seeing your bigger kid ride their first two wheeler; letting go and seeing your children growing up, while always letting them know you’re there for them. A very sweet addition to storytime collections; children will enjoy Dodd’s animal parent and baby dolphin, and the foil enhancements on spreads and the cover add interest.

 

I See Me! A Guess How Much I Love You Mirror Book, by Sam McBratney/Illustrated by Anita Jeram, (Jan. 2025, Candlewick Press), $8.99, ISBN: 9781536203882

Ages Birth-3

Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare go exploring in this short and sweet Guess How Much I Love You story. Little Nutbrown Hare spies a butterfly; Big Nutbrown Hare discovers a bird in a nest. They head to the pond, where Big Nutbrown Hare encourages Little Nutbrown Hare to look in the pond. What does he see? A mirror at the end of the book lets readers, along with Little Nutbrown Hare, exclaim, “I can see… ME!” A sweet addition to the original Guess How Much I Love You story and a delightful introduction for younger readers.

 

 

I’m a big fan of Jbrary when it comes to lapsits. These two Canadian librarians have videos, written out song lyrics, and fingerplay walkthroughs that got me through my first couple of years of children’s librarianship. I still pull their website up when I’m about to do a lapsit – they’re just that good.

A Hippopotamus Got on a City Bus is one of my favorite silly rhymes at storytime; the Jbrarians turn it into an adorable lapsit.

Eyes, Nose, Cheeky Cheeky Chin is too much fun for toddlers and great for babies, if you don’t feel comfortable bouncing.

I like to incorporate some classic nursery rhymes in my lapsits. Row, Row, Row Your Boat is a great one; parents can hold their littles in their lap and “row” around them or with them, rocking the little one on their thighs:

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream,

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream!

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream,

If you see a crocodile,

Don’t forget to scream-EEK! (you can cuddle your little one here)

Then, it’s time for “spider fingers”, and that’s the time to get ready for Itsy Bitsy Spider. Parents can do spider fingers on baby’s belly, or have toddlers do spider fingers along with them. Caitie’s Classroom has a fun walkthrough.

From “spider fingers” to “twinkle fingers”, it’s time for Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. I have parents and kids open and close their hands, like stars twinkling, through the song:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are,

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky, (here, I have the families make diamonds with their thumbs and index fingers)

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, (back to twinkle fingers)

How I wonder what you are.

I’d love to hear some of your favorites!

Posted in Fiction, Middle Grade, picture books, Preschool Reads, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Let the Shopping Season commence! First up: Gift Sets!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Can you believe Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK? Where the heck did this year go? Welp, my friends, this means that the holidays are upon us, and that means shopping. But since I *am* that gift-giver that buys books for a good chunk of my shopping list, allow me to share some suggestions with you, to take some of the stress out of your holiday shopping season.

First up is one of my favorite trilogies of all time, next to the vaunted, original, Star Wars saga.  I present to you, The Hat Box.

Jon Klassen’s Hat Box, by Jon Klassen,
(Oct. 2019, Candlewick Press), $59.99, ISBN: 9780763666972
Ages 3-8

Three of the greatest storytime books ever written: This is Not My Hat; I Want My Hat Back, and We Found a Hat, all contained here for your reading enjoyment. The box is gorgeous and sturdy, holding three picture books (This is Not My Hat includes its Caldecott Medal sticker; I Want My Hat Back comes with Geisel Honor sticker) and a print from I Want My Hat Back – I call it “the moment of truth” print. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve read it. For a reader who loves Jon Klassen’s artwork, or a reader you want to introduce to Jon Klassen, you cannot go wrong here. This is a perfect gift, and it’s already in a box. All you need to do is wrap it, or stick it in a gift bag. This is topping my gift shopping list this year.

 

For your middle grade readers and lovers of realistic fiction, there’s the Raymie Nightingale 3-book collection:

Raymie Nightingale 3-book collection, by Kate DiCamillo,
(Oct. 2019, Candlewick Press), $59.97, ISBN: 9781536210385
Ages 9-13

Another beautiful and sturdy box, containing three hardcovers of Kate DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale trilogy: Raymie Nightingale (with National Book Award Finalist sticker); Louisiana’s Way Home, and Beverly, Right Here. They’re hardcover books, jacketed and with Amy June Bates’ gorgeous artwork. A note from author Kate DiCamillo will welcome readers and make them feel like these books speak directly to them (which is Kate DiCamillo’s enduring gift as an author).

I remember when I received my first boxed set of books; like many folks of a certain age, I received E.B. White’s trilogy: Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan for a gift one year. I still have my copies, worn with love and many, many, readings. Every time I see a boxed set of books, I still get that warm feeling that I got when I first slipped my E.B. White books out of their casing. Pass this set onto a reader and give them a lifetime of reading.

 

Last but not least for this gift set post, we have the Guess How Much I Love You 25th Anniversary slipcase.

Guess How Much I Love You (Slipcase Edition), by Sam McBratney/Illustrated by Anita Jeram,
(Sept. 2019, Candlewick Press), $33.99, ISBN: 9781536210644
Ages 0-5

Guess How Much I Love You is 25 years old? Yikes, my kid is old; I picked up a copy of this book at my local bookstore back when I was pregnant with him, and curating a library to read to him. (He’s 20 now, and that really hurts to write. Yikes.) The slipcase is as beautiful as the book, with beautiful artwork on the front and back of the box, embossed title and spine, and that quote we still whisper to our children: “I love you right up to the moon–and back” right there, to run your fingers over, time and again. The book is perfect, and the keepsake art print is perfect for framing. Give this to moms-to-be, and let them frame that print for their nurseries. Give it to your 20-year-old who needs to know you love them to the moon and back, even now.

This was a quick kickoff to the holiday shopping season, but there are more books to come! Keep an eye out; I’ve got a mountain of books to talk about, plus some state library antics to dish on. (That’s why I went for a week without posting – sorry!)