Sunday, September 11, 2016

What We Read This Week 9/11

We went to the bookstore a couple of weeks ago and just got around to reading some of our new books. I had a gift card and spent all of it on picture books! I couldn't resist the great titles out there. We read a few library books, but most were our new goodies.


Doug Unplugged by Dan Yaccarino. My son loves robots, so a story about a robot boy was a dream come true for him! He loved exploring the city with Doug, "boop-boop-boop"ing around the map, and making friends. There is so much to talk about while reading this book aloud: identifying what's on the pages, comparing them to what you see in your neighborhood and on walks, and talking about friendships and family. Very sweet book - it was from the library, but we might have to get a copy.

A Balloon for Isabel by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Laura Rankin. This might be my personal favorite book from the week. Isabel is a porcupine who wants to hold a balloon at her graduation. Everyone in her class gets a balloon, except the porcupines. It's funny to talk about why porcupines can't have balloons, and the solution is SO clever and cute! Loved this book, and my son loved the balloon illustrations.

Dotty by Erica S. Perl, illustrated by Julia Denos. This is a very cute story about imaginary friends, and when (or if!) it's time to outgrow them. The imaginary friends were all creative and unique - very fun for the kids reading the story! The ending was very sweet.

Best Frints in the Whole Universe by Antoinette Portis. This book is really cute and silly. Yelfred and Omek have been best frints since they were blobbies, but they still sometimes disagree and get in fights. The made-up language in this book was fun to read aloud, and readers are encouraged to make up their own words at the end!

Monsters University by Tennant Redbank, illustrated by Matt Cruickshank. This book is an adaptation of the Monsters University movie, missing the bulk of the story and a lot of details, of course, but it's still really cute. My son loves Mike and Sully, and we have a few other Monsters, Inc. books, so this was a nice addition. My husband found the Golden Book on Amazon and couldn't resist!

I Am a Rainbow by Dolly Parton, illustrated by Heather Sheffield. We got this book in the mail from the Imagination Library, which Dolly Parton created in 1995 to send age-appropriate books to kids every month. It's grown to include several countries, so you should check and see if it's available in your area, if you haven't already signed up! Anyway, let me step off my soapbox and talk about the BOOK. This is a really cute book that explores what colors mean in terms of emotion. It's a good way to talk about colors with younger kids at that stage of learning, but to expose them to emotions. It's a book that will come in handy as kids get older and start to understand emotions.

Love Monster and the Perfect Present by Rachel Bright. We are huge Love Monster fans over here - my son loves monsters, period, but he really loves his stuffed Love Monster. He held it while we read this one. Love Monster books are cute and simple - perfect short bedtime stories that tell a sweet story.

The Not So Quiet Library by Zachariah Ohora. I saw this book on @librarymagic's Instagram feed and knew I had to get a copy, because I work in a library that is sometimes, often, not so quiet. This book is going to be a classic, at least in my house, but probably everywhere. The story is simple and engaging, and the gorgeous illustrations add SO much to the reading experience. I want to wallpaper my house with these pages. Also, my son has the same name as one of the main characters, so that makes it a fun read! (Random fun fact: The other main character's name is actually one I wanted to name my son, but it didn't work with the last name. So I knew I'd love this book.)

Even Superheroes Have Bad Days by Shelly Becker, illustrated by Eda Kaban. Superheroes have superpowers that they usually use for good, but what happens when they have a bad day? Do they destroy the playground, knock over buildings, or cause dangerous weather to spoil a nice day? This book is actually a great partner to Dolly Parton's I Am a Rainbow because it also deals with emotions and how to control them in a calm, logical way. It doesn't hurt that the illustrations are awesome and engaging, and kids love the superheroes. My son loved pointing at the superheroes over and over and asking their names.

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