Kids Books – Page 2 – Kristin Houlihan, Writer

The Quick Queen of Quincy and her Quacking Quackeroo: Board Books I Still Love After 8 Years

My son is 18 months old and just now starting to let us read him an entire board book in one sitting. Up until a week or two ago we got…maybe a page? And he’s known to tear apart paper books (there’s one waiting on the counter to be fixed right now)… So today while I was reading him the same books over and over, I started thinking about how we’ve had most of them since my oldest (now eight) was a baby, and how I definitely have my favorites. There are some I just don’t get tired of reading, and others…I’m not sure why we still have. So I thought I’d share my favorite board books that we have at our home, in no particular order:

Dr. Seuss's ABC (Beginner Books(R)) by [Dr. Seuss]

Dr. Seuss’s ABC – Some of you may recognize this one from the title of this post. I have loved this book for eight years now, and could probably recite it to you. We now have two copies, which is good because the first has been well-chewed (ew). And yes, I know the board book is not the full text of the original book. I’m offended by other shortened versions, but this one I like.

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear (Child's Play Library)

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood – I LOVE this book. I fondly remember my now three-year-old saying, “BOOM BOOM BOOM” when we got that page. So fun!

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown – A good friend sent this to us when my oldest was a baby, saying, “It’s way better than Goodnight Moon.” While Goodnight Moon will always be one of my childhood favorites, I have to agree. and I love that it’s illustrated by Felicia Bond (think If You Give a Mouse a Cookie). My oldest always had to count the bantam hen’s eggs. It does tell you to, after all… “Count them. There are ten.”

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea – Friends gifted this to us, and it’s lots of fun. Dinosaur can defeat all challenges (even talking grownups!), but he loses to bedtime. Oh, and be prepared to say, “Roar.” A LOT.

Crankenstein by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Dan Santat – We all know kids can go from perfectly fine to MEEHHHHRRR in an instant, about seemingly nothing. Meet “Crankenstein,” the monster those kids turn into. We’ve been affectionately calling our kids Crankenstein since we got this book.

We have SO MANY board books that I have to be forgetting some that I love, but these are the ones that came to mind today while I was reading on the floor. On the rare occasions that I get to choose what we’re reading, these top the list!

What board books do you or your kids love?

One of my new favorite lines! Fairy Mom says my messy house is USEFUL

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I’m reading Fairy Mom and Me by Sophie Kinsella to #2 (she’s almost 6). She has actually laughed out loud at this book and asked me to read – something she’s only ever done with the Mercy Watson/Tales from Deckawoo Drive chapter books, so this is big. So far I think it’s a cute book, nothing amazing but super silly and perfectly written for its audience. I do appreciate books as a reflection of reality, and I think I have just found one of my favorite books lines! This made me laugh out loud – and I’d like to tell you that according to Fairy Mom and Me, my messy house is actually useful:

Our house has lots of useful things, all just where you need them. Like Ollie’s toys all over the floor and a pile of coats on the bench in the hall. There are books everywhere, because you never know when you might want a book. (pg 51-52)

For your entertainment, I have included some photographs (taken this morning) illustrating just how readily available I keep these useful things in my house:

Toys all over the floor:

toys all over

A pile of coats on the bench in the hall:

coats on a bench

Books everywhere:

So no, I will not be winning any awards for a tidy house – but look how easily the kids and I can find what we need!

Picture Book Review: I Smile for Grandpa

I Smile for Grandpa, written by Jaclyn Guenette and illustrated by Kathryn Harrison, is the sad but powerful story of Buddy and Grandpa, and how their relationship changes as Grandpa succumbs to dementia. The highest praise I can give this book is that I passed it on to a friend whose mother was recently diagnosed with Alzheimers because I thought it could be helpful for her to read with her children. I read it with my children, who don’t know anyone with dementia, and it led us to have some great conversations. The illustrator’s decision on dressing Buddy is genius – it’s never mentioned in the story whether Buddy is male or female, and the clothing could go either way. To my daughters, Buddy was “clearly” a girl because “she” wears purple; truly, though, I think a young boy could just as easily say Buddy is “obviously” a boy. The simple but powerful language combined with the illustrations that allow all children to see themselves as Buddy make this book a great tool for talking to kids about dementia. I highly recommend this book, and thank illustrator Kathryn Harrison for gifting me a copy in exchange for a (very, very, very overdue) review.

Find more information about the book and how it supports the Alzheimer Society of Canada, visit ismileforgrandpa.com.

Four stars!