Tiny T. Rex and the Very Dark Dark

 

Tiny T. Rex and the Very Dark Dark

by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrated by Jay Fleck

My son is reading chapter books and graphic novels now, but any picture book starring a dinosaur is fair game for a bedtime story. I loved reading this aloud to him because being scared of the dark is something that comes and goes, and Tiny T. Rex is proactive in his approach. The illustrations are the perfect mix of adorable and beautiful.

We've previously read Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug in 2019, but my son doesn't remember it so clearly we need more Tiny T. Rex in our lives!

Mother Ghost

 Mother Ghost: Nursery Rhymes for Little Monsters

by Rachel Kolar, illustrated by Roland Garrigue

I love creepy rhymes, as demonstrated in my video review of Your Skeleton is Showing. Twists on Mother Goose rhymes are always engaging because most kids know what the original rhyme is, so they can appreciate the satire.

My son and I read this all the way through, then talked about our favorites and went back to re-read them. I could see using these as quick breaks for use in the school library, though. They're fun to read aloud and can be shared without having all of the students sit and listen to an entire story. It'd be fun to recite them before and after books during the week leading up to Halloween. Make sure you share the illustrations for each, though - they're so cute!

Best Picture Books Read in 2019

I always enjoy looking back over the books I read in a year and grouping them into genre categories, and then ranking them. I use the star ratings on Goodreads for each individual review, but when it comes to picking my favorites, I typically just go for the ones that stuck out in my mind. These books are especially memorable because I read them aloud to students during school library time. I love picking wonderful books to share with them, so I hope you'll consider sharing these with your kids and/or students. Or, honestly, just enjoy them yourself, because they are quality (and sometimes silly!) books.

There are so many amazing picture books being published that it seems hard to keep up with them all. I'm pretty proud that 3/5 of these books were published this year, and 2/5 are from 2018.

Circle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen (2019). I cannot properly express my love for this trilogy. I'll admit, when Triangle first came out I read it and thought "Hm, ok..." It was funny and my kid and I really enjoyed it, but that's where it ended for me. Then came Square, and things started to fill out in my mind, to the extent that we were crazy excited for Circle and had to get it the day it was released! I can't count how many times we've read the whole trilogy... and I even have a tattoo in honor of it! Something about these books is just so fun to me, but the writing and illustrations are so sparse that I feel like it really allows your imagination to step in and round out these characters, and they're realistic and relatable in a way you don't think a shape could be!

Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party by Kimberly Dean and James Dean (2019). This one was a huge hit at home, so I knew I needed to take it to school to read aloud to the Early Childhood students. It's fun to read aloud because there is so much tone and inflection necessary to really pull the kids into the story. Add in the alliteration and it's just a blast to share with enthusiastic readers! I read it once, and the next class, after our planned reading was done, the children asked to hear it again! I can't count how many times I read this book in the span of a week.

We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins (2018). I found this book right before school started, so of course it's what I read aloud to every class once we started back! Everyone loved it because it's so silly and fun to read, but it also does remind students (especially the youngest) how they should act at school and with friends. It's not a "moral" exactly, but the lesson is there in a fun way, so it's relevant. I kept laughing at how many people sent this book to me - friends from the public library who knew I love picture books/am at a school now sent it to me on hold, parents recommended it to me, and my mom even tried to buy me a copy of it to read because she thought I'd love it! And none of them were wrong. Read this one if you haven't yet.

Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora (2018). I got this from the library in May to read to my kid because he calls his grandmother "Oma" and we thought it was a funny coincidence. It's a very touching story, and I won't lie - I teared up at the end when reading it to him! Then it was chosen as this year's Read for the Record book, so on November 7th I had elementary students read it aloud to small groups of younger kids. Everyone really loved the book and the spirit of kindness and giving that it embodies.

Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox (2019). This is another book my son and I found at the public library, read together, and then knew I had to read it at the school library. This book is so silly, with a gluttonous Llama stuffing himself silly with cake and eventually ripping a black hole in the universe. It's a great jumping off point for conversations about outer space and black holes, which the Early Childhood students were surprisingly knowledgeable about. Super fun to read aloud, so definitely check it out.

THE CLASS by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network and Simon and Schuster for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own. The Class by Frances O’Roark Dowell releases on October 8, 2019, and you’ll definitely want to get your own copy then!

The Class is told by twenty different characters, all classmates in Mrs. Herrera’s class. Ellie is an aspiring author who needs an idea for her next book, so she starts taking notes about her classmates. She sees a student who used to be a goody-goody starting to turn bad. She sees boys labeled as “jocks” showing more depth and emotion than she would have expected. She watches everyone to see how they interact and what their relationships are like, because Ellie is struggling to find friends herself. When some of Mrs. Herrera’s special things go missing, all of the students have their suspicions of who took what, but all these students also have their own reasons why they might be the thief.

Because of the unique way of storytelling, the reader doesn’t get any foreshadowing, and can’t put all the pieces of the mystery together until the book is finished. Each character has a distinct voice that will make the reader think of students in their own classes - I know it did for me! I can’t stress the positivity of this enough - it makes you see things from other people’s points of view, including how and why they act the way they do. I think this is so important in building empathy, especially in a school setting when it’s so easy to dismiss others as “weird”, “loud”, “good”, or “bad”. I’m going to recommend this as a book club pick for the 6th and 7th graders at my school - or maybe even share as a group read-aloud. It’s very powerful and important, while still being an enjoyable book kids of all ages will want to read.

2018 Reading Challenge

I didn't do a full-on Reading Challenge this year with certain genres to check off, but I did challenge myself to read 115 books via Goodreads. I read 134 books and completed the challenge! Check out what I read in 2018.

I also challenged my son to read 200 books via Goodreads, and we did it! See what we read together in 2018.

For 2019, I'm challenging myself to read 120 books and write two sentences about each. I want to read more of the books I'm hoarding on To Be Read shelves, as well. I've been really good about not BUYING new books, but my library card is constantly maxed out. I see books on bookstagram or am recommended by friends and family and put them on hold, and never get around to reading what's already in my house! I'm also determined to get this blog started back up again - maybe more as an informal book-related journal than a book review blog, though.

I'm challenging my son to read 222 books, just because I think that's a nice random goal to have that we can easily meet! I have to admit that we didn't read every night this past year, and I'd like to make sure we prioritize bedtime stories this year, so having a higher goal will help us with that.

Children's Books on Stage

It's always interesting to see how a book translates to other forms, most commonly movies, but also plays, musicals, and graphic novels.

My son and I went to see Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day on stage at the Circuit Playhouse. It was a show that the actors took to school visits, but they also do a couple showings on a Saturday for the public.

I remember loving this book as a kid, but hadn't read it since. We got it from the library and read it the night before. It was still a good book, but I was really interested in seeing how it could translate to a play. It seemed fairly short and there's not too much story since it just covers one day.

I was so impressed with the play! It was developed nicely and the songs were super catchy. I guess songs are not only a great way to grab kids' attention, but also a great way to flesh out the play. It was about 45 minutes long - another good thing for a kid's play! We both enjoyed it a lot, and are looking forward to seeing other picture books in play form!

We had also previously seen Miss Nelson is Missing. this was another childhood favorite of mine - so much so that we read my original copy before we saw the play! This play was also a school visit show that we saw at Circuit Playhouse on a Saturday morning, about 45 minutes long. The songs in this one were so fantastic, I have been searching for the soundtrack, emailing people, everything! I absolutely loved it. The story was great too. Of course that picture book is a bit longer than Alexander, and has more of a story that can be expanded into something more substantial on stage.

Seeing picture books come to life on stage is such a great way to enjoy a story beyond the pages of a book, and it's something we look forward to doing more of thanks to our local playhouse.

We LOVE Valentines Books!

We have been reading Valentine's Day books at bedtime for almost a week now because my son is so excited about the holiday! There are a lot of great Valentine books out there, but we wanted to share a few of our favorites.

The Runaway Valentine

written by Tina Casey, illustrated by Theresa Smythe

This story starts in a card shop on Valentine's Day, and all of the cards are showing off, hoping to be picked to share their love. One card in particular is ready to be picked; he has glitter, lace, and could sing songs when you press a button. He knew he would be the first card picked! But he is too eager and gets swept under the card rack. He manages to escape the store and knows someone out in the world will pick him--and he's right! But he's not used in the way he originally expected to--he is too beautiful to be used as scrap paper! Will it all work out for this Valentine in the end?

We loved this story because it was fun to see how the Valentine would be used next!

Valentine Surprise

by Corinne Demas, illustrations by R.W. Alley

Lily wants to make her mom a Valentine, but can't seem to get the hearts just right. She tries every day of the week, but none of them look good. Now it's Valentine's Day, and Lily is all out of paper--she can't even try to make her mom a nice card! But she looks at all her imperfect hearts and gets an idea...

We loved this story because it helps learn days of the week, and also shows children that what they think is "wrong" or "bad" is still meaningful since it comes from the heart.

Rhyme Time Valentine

by Nancy Poydar

Ruby is so excited for Valentine's Day and her class party. She made custom Valentines for everyone, including a rhyme--Ruby loves rhymes! She keeps bragging about her wonderful cards, but on the way to school, a gust of wind blows them away. Ruby is sad she won't have anything to share with her friends, especially since all the red paper in the classroom has been used up. What will Ruby do to show her friends how much she cares about them?

We loved this story because both of my boys are in school, and are preparing for class parties. There are also some "unfinished" Valentine rhymes at the end of the book, and it was so much fun to see if they could finish them on their own. (They are pretty easy rhymes - the 3 year old knew most of them.) There are also instructions on the last page to make a Valentine that looks just like Ruby's!

Tundra Turns 50!

Tundra Books is celebrating its 50th year! They have Instagram reps sharing in the fun, and I was lucky enough to be one for spring!

Check out my short reviews of some of Tundra's amazing books:
If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur by Linda Bailey and Colin Jack
Sam Sorts by Marthe Jocelyn
It's Great Being a Dad by Dan Bar-el, illustrated by Gina Perry
Little Blue Chair by Cary Fagan, illustrated by Madeline Kloepper
Count Your Chickens by Jo Ellen Bogart and Lori Joy Smith
Wolfie & Fly by Cary Fagan, illustrated by Zoe Si

What We Read This Week 10/30

This week had an unofficial theme, if you can't tell - construction and Halloween!

I'm Dirty! by Kate and Jim McMullan. Dirty, a backhoe, tells the reader all about his work duties. My son and I love the attitude all of Kate and Jim McMullan's characters have. My son is still really into this collection of books because of The Stinky & Dirty Show.

Trick ARRR Treat: a Pirate Halloween by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Jorge Monlongo. Reviewed in the Halloween books round-up.

Job Site by Nathan Clement. These realistic illustrations of men and machines working helps explain what they do to children. Good as a starter nonfiction/informative book for really young children (though it is fiction and has a storyline).

Digger, Dozer, Dumper by Hope Vestergaard, illustrated by David Slonim. This is a collection of poems about machinery and construction sites. Short and sweet, and reading one or two is a great way to cap off the usual bedtime stories.

I'm Brave! by Kate and Jim McMullan. This book is about a brave fire engine, and probably has been my favorite of the series so far. I think my son loves all of them, again because of The Stinky & Dirty Show.

Dig, Dogs, Dig: a Construction Tail by James Horvath. This is the CUTEST book! Dogs work together to build something together. Adorable illustrations. It helped the story engagement that, besides loving puppies and construction sites, my son is obsessed with this awesome Mudpuppy puzzle.

Shivery Shades of Halloween: a Spooky Book of Colors by Mary McKenna Siddals, illustrated by Jimmy Pickering. Reviewed in this year's Halloween video.

The Spooky Wheels on the Bus by J. Elizabeth Mills, illustrated by Ben Mantle. This book is pretty simple because everyone knows "The Wheels on the Bus", but the spooky twist is really fun. Make sure your kids sing along with this new version! There's also a counting element to the song that makes it enjoyable as a book - you can point out and count spooky things in the illustrations.

What We Read This Week 10/23

Big Friends by Linda Sarah, illustrated by Benji Davies. This is a beautiful book about two friends who imagine boxes as different things. They play together perfectly, until a new little boy enters the picture. One boy isn’t sure how three friends can play together, and distances himself, until he is shown what true friendship is.

Itty Bitty by Cece Bell. Cece Bell is always a winner! This cute book is about a tiny dog who makes a cozy home in a big bone.

Telephone by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jen Corace. This funny book is based on the game Telephone. A mama bird needs her son to come home for dinner, so she tells one bird, who tells another bird something slightly different, and so on and so on. This book is better for older kids and parents who can get the joke. It doesn’t really work as a cohesive story without understanding the telephone concept.

I Stink! by Kate McMullan and Jim McMullan. We found The Stinky & Dirty Show on Amazon, and my son has been obsessed ever since. We read I Stink! When he was just over a year old, so of course he didn’t remember it. I checked it out again, plus more in the “series”, and he loved seeing those characters in the book again.

I’m Fast! by Kate McMullan and Jim McMullan. This was probably my son’s favorite from the McMullan series, and I enjoyed it more as well. A train is racing a car across the country, and that story was a little more developed than other McMullan books that kind of allude to the duties of the vehicle, but are told more in sound effects and boastfulness.

I’m Mighty! by Kate McMullan and Jim McMullan. This one was about a tug boat, and how strong he is even though he’s smaller than the boats he helps. This is probably my second favorite in the series we’ve read so far.

The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat. Super-obvious disclaimer: Dan Santat is always awesome. This book is about four animal friends who have to figure out how to share three cookies...but even if your kid is too little to understand the math, it’s a fun story - especially if you do the voices! I don’t really like the framework of Elephant and Piggie reading the story… It might be engaging and familiar to kids who love those characters, but it’s not necessary to make this story pop.

I’m Bad! by Kate McMullan and Jim McMullan. This McMullan book is about a dinosaur who wants us to believe that he’s big and bad and scary! It’s a fun book with a great twist at the end - I think younger kids will love this one - especially if their mama reads it to them! (Sadly-necessary disclaimer: That relates to the ending, is not a sexist comment.)

Maple by Lori Nichols. Sweet book about a little girl who is named after the maple tree her parents planted before she was born. The tree is her best friend, but she sometimes she thinks she would like to play with someone else. Then she finds out she’ll be getting a playmate! This is one of those books that is probably more for the parents than the kid.

What We Read This Week 10/16

It's Raining Bats and Frogs by Rebecca Colby, illustrated by Steven Henry. A young witch is determined to make the witch parade run smoothly, despite the sudden rain! I will post a more in-depth review on this one in my Halloween book spotlight!

If I Had a Gryphon by Vikki VanSickle, illustrated by Cale Atkinson. I will review this book more in-depth soon, but for now... it's just gorgeous. The story is fun because of all the mythological creatures, but the illustrations are so beautiful. Kids will love this one!

Explorers of the Wild by Cale Atkinson. This is a beautifully illustrated book about two very different explorers who bump into each other in the wild. They bond over their love of adventures and form a friendship. I can't say it enough - GORGEOUS illustrations.

How Martha Saved Her Parents From Green Beans by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mark Fearing. My son and I loved this book about how refusing to eat your veggies can save you...but it's a necessary evil. See also: The Lima Bean Monster by Dan Yaccarino. 

Little Big by Jonathan Bentley.  This is a cute book about a baby who dreams about everything he could do if he was bigger. 

Bulldozer's Big Day by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann. Bulldozer is excited to invite his friends to his birthday party, but everyone is too preoccupied with work to even recognize what a special day it is! My son and I love these cute illustrations, and try to identify which machine is which before the text tells us. I really like the black outline on the pages, too - it seems pretty unique for a picture book.

Digger Man by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha. My son loved this book about a boy who dreams of being a digger man when he grows up. It was fun to point out the different machines in the illustrations of construction sites.

Monster Trucks by Anika Denise, illustrated by Nate Wragg. This is a re-read for us, but it's been a favorite the past few weeks. This one will be reviewed in my Halloween spotlight post!

Hedgehog's Halloween by Benn Sutton and Dan Pinto. Cute book about Hedgehug's trouble finding the perfect costume. This book will be reviewed in more detail on my Halloween spotlight post!

Trick or Treat, Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Dan Hanna. We always look forward to Pout-Pout Fish books, but this one was a bit disappointing. The story was very short, and Pout-Pout was a minor character, so there wasn't too much recognition for younger kids. Kids who have loved all of Pout-Pout's books might like the inside jokes of finding hints of Pout-Pout in the pages, but there's not enough to really carry the story.

Going Places. This book actually came from a Wendy's happy meal...go ahead, judge away! Sometimes you can't deny the call of fast food on a Saturday night. The book is actually really cute, since my son is into cars right now, and this is really simple but nice.

What We Read This Week 10/9

All library books this week! My library card is the only card I've ever maxed out

- but thank goodness my son has one, too! We have a great selection, and I keep 

bringing home a couple of books a day. You can't beat the proud, happy feeling

after telling your son you brought him something, and he says "Bi-berry books?!"

I Love Going Through This Book by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. Different parts of the book are explained, and then the characters go through the story, climbing up and crawling over pages. The book tells a cute story, but the way it's presented is really innovative.

Lawn to Lawn by Dan Yaccarino. Yes, we're still on our Dan Yaccarino kick! Lawn ornaments are left behind during a move, so they start the long trek to find their family's new house. Super cute illustrations - I could see this as a short cartoon!

Up Above and Down Below by Sue Redding. This book uses simple sentences to explain what's going on above and below different locations, like the street above and the subway below. It's fun to look at all of the details in the illustrations, plus there's a little red ant and tiny green caterpillar hidden in each spread!

Yoo-Hoo, Ladybug! by Mem Fox. This was probably our stand-out favorite. This book is SO cute, I can't stand it. It was a library book, but we've got to get our own copy. It's kind of like Where's Waldo? for kids, but on a simpler scale. There are illustrations of a crowded shelf, or a staircase with toys strewn about, and the reader has to find the ladybug in each. There is a simple rhyme to say before finding the ladybug, and a "solution" with the ladybug zoomed in on the next page. My son and I both enjoyed this book immensely.

Poultrygeist by Mary Jane Auch. Funny story, maybe more for adults and older children because of the wordplay. Two loud roosters are annoying the other animals in the barn, but when a Poultrygeist appears, everyone is scared - and the roosters might just be scared straight!

Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes by Kimberly and James Dean. We love the rhymes in Pete the Cat books, and this one was extra fun because of the counting. My son and I kept counting the cupcakes to see how many were missing before Pete and his friends gave the answer. It didn't hurt that the cupcakes were really whimsical - we spent a few minutes on the endpapers, picking "our" cupcakes!

Exclamation Mark by Amy Krause Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. This is a great book to introduce punctuation, as well as the importance of being true to yourself. The exclamation point wants to fit in with the periods, but when a question mark comes along, exclamation mark finds his true self inside. We had fun "finding" the exclamation mark in the middle of all the other punctuation on each page.

Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian, illustrated by Tim Bowers. My husband read this one to my son, but I read it before I brought it home from the library. A fish is swimming alone in his bowl, bored, but when new fish and decorations are added, he gets cranky! He has no personal space, and wants a change... Will he get what he wants, or does he even know what he truly wants?

Buddy and the Bunnies: In Don't Play With Your Food by Bob Shea. This is another favorite from the week. Bob Shea's illustrations are always amazing. We loved the crazy monster! This is another book that can involve counting, if you want to make it more interactive and have your kid practice numbers. We counted bunnies on the pages. The bunnies that the monster wanted to EAT! But they kept outwitting him...

We Are Growing by Laurie Keller and Mo Willems. Grass blades try to label themselves as the "____-iest" as they are growing. But what's that noise? Sounds like a lawnmower...

What We Read This Week 10/2

(And last week, since I was caught up in Banned Books!)

Dinosaurumpus by Tony Mitton. My husband read this to my son before bed one night. It sounded like a fun book, and they both stomped around afterwards, creating their own dinosaurumpus!

Tissue, Please! by Lisa Kopelke. This book was really cute because we had a cold going around the house, so we constantly needed tissues. My son is good at asking for tissues, and saying "please", but it was good timing to read them together in this book. My son is also very into hopping around like a frog lately, so he got to satisfy his frog curiosity.

The Lima Bean Monster by Dan Yaccarino. We're still on that Dan Yaccarino kick, and this was a fun book to read because vegetables might be good for you, but that doesn't make them good! Beans grow into a crazy monster that starts attacking all the adults, and only the kids can save the day!

Junkyard by Mike Austin. The illustrations in this book are gorgeous. My son loves robots so he liked seeing the robots and how they were constructed.

Time to Say "Please"! by Mo Willems. Mo Willems is always good, and even this nonfiction book about manners is fun for kids and adults to read. Willems' drawing style is as good as ever, and it was fun to watch the girl get the cookies she wanted in the most polite way possible.

Unlovable by Dan Yaccarino. The story of this cute little puppy who just wants a friend is really funny. The pup imagines his new friend next door is a dog who's bigger and tougher than he is, so he lies about his size to save face. After all, they're separated by a fence, so how will he ever be found out? Until his new friend starts digging a hole so they can meet...

More Parts by Tedd Arnold. This book talks about cliches that are common for adults, but, when taken literally, mean something very different, especially for kids! It's a little too old for my son, but he enjoyed pointing out all the different body parts.

The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers. My husband read this to my son the other night, and they both had a lot of fun with it. My son liked pointing out the alien. I read it myself and thought it was really sweet and beautifully illustrated, as Oliver Jeffers books are known to be.

Bee-Wigged by Cece Bell. Cece Bell is so hilarious, and this book is no exception. A bee is tired of everyone being scared off by his stinger, so he finds a wig and passes as a boy! He goes to school and makes a lot of friends, but what happens when his wig falls off? This book has a great twist that made us both laugh.

Big Bird's First Book of Letters by Sesame Workshop. My son is pretty good at his alphabet already, but he loves reading this book because he can name the elements in the pictures, and of course he loves the Sesame Street characters.

Bunnies' ABC by Garth Williams. This is another ABC book my son likes reading because he can name the animals and objects in the pictures. Some animals are a little obscure, but hey - it's vocabulary building!

Robots, Robots Everywhere! by Sue Fliess, illustrated by Bob Staake. Hello, Robots! by Bob Staake is one of my son's favorite books, so when I saw that he illustrated a different robot book, I knew we had to get it. The rhymes are really cute and my son loves it, so I know it'll be read often in our house.

What We Read This Week 9/18

Horrible Bear! by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zachariah OHora. This book is based around accidents and blame and misunderstandings. Zachariah Ohora's illustrations are brilliant; we loved The Not So Quiet Library, and bold illustrations are clearly his trademark since they appear here as well.

Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. Another Ame Dyckman, and another Dan Yaccarino (from last week: Doug Unplugged). This one was a really sweet book about a boy who meets a robot and becomes friends with him, until the robot's switch is accidentally hit and he turns off. The boy takes care of the robot until bedtime, when the robot comes to and thinks the boy has been deactivated. Very cute story and illustrations.

Jon Scieszka's Trucktown: Race From A to Z by David Shannon, Loren Long, and David Gordon. My son is learning the alphabet (he knows it all except H!) and loves trucks, and loved the other Trucktown book we read, so I had to grab this one from the library for him. He liked it a lot, but more for the truck characters than the alphabet. (I liked the story in the first Trucktown book better, myself.)

Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. This is a book we've read before, but my son is so obsessed with garbage trucks that it was time to read it again. We're also on a Dan Yaccarino kick, if you can't tell... This rhyming book is really cute, and it's easy for kids to remember the refrain and say it along with you - or at least say "NO!" when you ask if the garbage truck is full. My son has asked for this one again and again.

Sock Monkey Rides Again by Cece Bell. I loved El Deafo, and my son and I both liked I Yam a Donkey too, so I wanted to read more of Cece Bell's picture books. Sock Monkey is incredibly cute, and my son and I loved the story about how he was going to break into movies with his own starring role! (Sock Monkey was already, of course, a famous actor, even though he only played small supporting roles.) As a bonus, Sock Monkey is a really accessible idea for a character; we had several small sock monkeys around that my son liked holding while we read the story (and for days after).

Sock Monkey Goes to Hollywood: A Star is Bathed by Cece Bell. Sock Monkey is nominated for an award, but he finds out that all nominees have to show up CLEAN! Sock Monkey hates baths! They scare him! But with the help of his friends, he gets all cleaned up and goes to the awards show - will he win?

Here Comes Destructosaurus by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Jeremy Tankard. The whole family loved this cute, witty book. Destructosaurus is trashing the whole town, burping fire everywhere, and not listening to the reader, who is trying to keep him in line. When the reader finds out Destructosaurus was just throwing a tantrum because he couldn't find his teddy, the tone changes...but so does the terrifying main character!