I Spy With My Little Eye by Edward Gibbs

The librarian read this last week during toddler storytime and I checked it out this week for Carson. This is the best book!!! Using colors, each page let's the reader see an eye and gives a clue as to what animal is on the next page. Example: "I spy with my little eye....something that is gray." And then there is a speech bubble that says, "I have a very long trunk." When you turn the page it says, "I am an elephant." So cute! Carson LOVES this. The animals go through the colors and they are: blue whale, gray elephant, white polar bear, yellow lion, orange monkey, red frog, and green frog. I would definitely buy this for all home collections! Will also lead into a good game of eye spy around your house or classroom!

The Great Big Book of Families

This is a great book about all types of families in our country! This is a great book for classrooms and libraries- especially in classrooms where teachers and children discuss their families. Each spread talks about a different subject when dealing with families...clothing, jobs, transportation, pets, celebrations, school, homes, and more. The book shows all kinds of families- families with one mother or two dads, families that grow their own food, families where both parents work, and much more! Great representation.

This fun and fascinating treasury features all kinds of families and their lives together. Each spread showcases one aspect of home life - from houses and holidays, to schools and pets, to feelings and family trees. Ros Asquith's humorous illustrations perfectly complement a charming text from the acclaimed Mary Hoffman; kids will love poring over these pages again and again.

Mitchell's License- This is a New Favorite!

Hop in for a hilarious, heartwarming ride with four-year-old Mitchell, a kid with a need for speed, a lead foot, and a very special license to drive.
This has to be one of the cutest books I have seen in a while! I LOVE this book. First off, I absolutely love Tony Fucile!!! He is the illustrator for Bink and Gollie and the author/illustrator for Let's Do Nothing.
In Mitchell's License, Mitchell is a 4 year old boy who does not like to go to bed...until his dad lets him drive to bed. Now, Mitchell loves to drive (his daddy) very fast to bed!!! The story is funny for kids and parents and the illustrations only make it more funny!!!!

Mitchell was four years, one month, and five days old when he got his license. He may need a little boost getting into the driver’s seat, but once he’s behind the wheel, his car sure goes fast! Left turn, right turn, slow down for speed bumps - Mitchell is a pro. And he loves the way that horn sounds! There’s just one problem: Mitchell and his car have a slight disagreement about what type of fuel should go into the tank. With warmth and sly wit, Hallie Durand follows a young child obsessed with all things automobile, while Tony Fucile’s comical illustrations convey the well-tuned bond between an obliging father and a high-octane child.

Here is Tony Fucile signing my copy of Let's Do Nothing for Carson at the ALA conference.

Gilbert Goldfish Wants a Pet

What a great author and illustrator team...

Author-Kelly DiPucchio is the author of Grace for President and coauthor of The Sandwich Swap. Bob Shea wrote and illustrated Dinosaur vs. Bedtime and New Socks. (I just LOVE Bob Shea!) This is a CUTE new book that reminded me of The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems. Kids will love Gilbert and the colorful illustrations!

 

Gilbert has almost everything his fishy heart could desire: a castle, a chest filled with treasure, and food that falls from the sky. But there's one BIG thing missing from his life: a pet. And so begins Gilbert's harrowing search for the perfect fishbowl companion - a search filled with loud barking, quiet buzzing, and one giant whiskered surprise!

You Are My Little Cupcake

I just bought this board book for Carson- even though I need to stop buying board books. It was too cute to resist. I also had to buy it for a friend who is about to have a baby! Perfect new mommy gift! Just a "sweet" little rhyming book to read to your baby!!! I love the illustrations with cupcakes everywhere.

Your smile is sweet as frosting.
Your snuggle can't be beat.
Your kiss is irresistible
And makes each day complete.

From their sugar-sweet smiles to their scrumptious little toes, babies are as irresistible as frosting-covered cupcakes!

Books for the iPad

Carson's new thing is reading books on the iPad when we are on the go. If you have an iPad (and let your kids look at it) then you need to download the following books from the app store. They will love them.

1. The Monster at the End of This Book. This was my favorite book when I was little. I bought the hard back book for Carson but she loves to look at it on the iPad. It is interactive so they turn the pages, and can knock down a brick wall, and tickle Grover. Very cute!

2. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow. This is a great app because you can set the book on auto read and the kids do not have to touch anything. Or you can set it so they turn the pages themselves. Interactive as well. Touching the pictures will tell the children the word and highlight it.

3. Sandra Boynton books- The Going to Bed book or Moo La La La. Very interactive. The animals make sounds and you can make them "run" off of the pages. These are perfect for little ones!!!

4. Pat the Bunny- Also very interactive. When baby looks in the mirror...they can see themselves. They can lift flaps and use color. So cute!

5. Dr. Seuss books- today I just got her Green Eggs and Ham. Also has an auto play setting. This is great for learning new words and the pages are easy to turn!

1+1=5 And Other Unlikely Additions

1+1=5 And Other Unlikely Additions by David LaRochelle. This is a fun books for elementary children- who really understand the fun addition problems and can guess what they might be. Here are some examples from the book: On one page it will show "1+1=5?" and then when you turn the page it has "1 set of triplets + 1 set of twins = 5 babies!" That is the format. 1+1=3? 1 unicorn + 1 goat = horns. 1 ant + 1 spider = 14 legs. This could be a fun math and writing activity with children. They could come up with their own 1+1 addition problems. This is a great book for 1st grade and up. Illustrations are fun and colorful!

How much is 1+1? Think the answer is 2? Not always, as this playful approach to addition proves! David LaRochelle takes children on a joyful mathematical journey that will engage their minds and teach them to think about numbers in a creative, outside-the-box way.

These wacky equations don't add up…or DO THEY?
1 set of triplets + 1 set of twins = 5 babies!
1 duet + 1 quartet = 6 musicians!
1 century + 1 decade = 110 years!

Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake

This is a cute book...especially for girls! They will just Betty Bunny. This is a cute book to read with Little Mouse and the Big Cupcake by Thomas Taylor or Cupcake by Charice Mericle Harper.

When Betty Bunny eats chocolate cake for the first time, she declares, "I am going to marry chocolate cake." She loves it so much that she takes a piece to school with her in her pocket and refuses to eat anything else. Mommy tells Betty that she has to eat healthy food first, and have patience because cake is for dessert, not pockets. But Betty doesn't want to have patience; she wants to have chocolate cake!

The Giant of Seville

Based on the life of a real circus giant, Captain Martin Van Buren Bates!
I love true stories and biographies so I just thought this was so interesting! And I love that this is about a person from Ohio :).

Captain Martin Van Buren Bates arrives in the town of Seville, Ohio—standing seven feet and eleven and a half inches. He is "a giant" who has toured around the world in the circus. In search of a quiet home he decides to get off the train in Seville, although he fears he will be too big for the little town. But Seville is full of surprises, and the Bates soon learn that the only thing that matters is the size of one’s heart.
 
A “tall” tale based on the true story of a real-life circus giant, The Giant of SevilleBuren Bates and his wife, Anna Bates.

Chicken Cheeks

I love this book!!! So funny...all about animal bottoms! This is a cute book to read at home with toddlers and elementary children. It is good if you have young children and older ones to read to because they will all love this and laugh out loud together!!!

Some bears will go to any length to get some honey. This one recruits every animal that comes along to form, well, a stack. The result? Tail of the duck to the gluteus maximus of the duck-billed platypus (with many other rears in between). Follow this back-sided journey up the tree - where the real surprise awaits.