Reading to Willow - No, David!

David Shannon wrote this book when he was 5 years old. Many years later his mother, who had saved it, gave it to him. Rightfully so, he decided that it was well worth publishing. Many parents, like myself, agree.





What Daddy says: I think it's neat the the author made the book or at least the idea of the book was born when he was 5. He drew up each situation and put in what his Mom said. There really isn't very much to read in this book, each page is just a few words of admonishment from Mom to David. I usually add a bit, explaining to Willow what David did wrong or why that made his Mom angry.

What Mommy says: The illustrations are wonderfully colorful and fun in this book. The only bad thing I wonder when reading this books is "Am I teaching Willow about the things that David is doing wrong in such a way that she will try them out?" But, then I remember that toddlers do what they want and eventually would have had the ideas themselves when it comes to testing limits and trying new things. With so few words in the book, it's easy to add things yourself to keep your little one interested and looking at all of the different things throughout the house.

What Willow says: Willow really loves this book, as most of the action takes place in a house there are lots of things to point out. Willow likes identifying things we ask her to show us, including the non-grounded plugs. I guess that shows how old the author is. Willow likes all the pages in the book but she really enjoys the page of David running down the street naked. She likes to point at his butt and laugh. That and the fire hydrant.
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Reading to Willow - The day the babies crawled away

Written and illustrated by Peggy Rathman, this book is nothing short of awesome.

Also, I have it on good authority that the rest of her books are just as awesome, but we don't own any...yet.



What Daddy says: This is a very beautifully illustrated book. Equal to but different than the Puff the magic dragon book. The pictures in the book are silhouettes with colorful (think sunsets) backgrounds. To me, it's a little be hard to get the rhythm of the story down, it's more like a poem than prose but the pictures are full of detail and I notice something different every time.

What Mommy says: I don't know what it is but I find myself crying at the ends of lots of books lately. This one is no exception. I think it's that at the end, the little toddler is sitting on his mothers lap and the story reads like they are having a conversation like two adults but seeing the picture of her snuggling with him makes me think about snuggling with Willow and it's all downhill especially when I imagine Willow saving the babies and telling me all about it, complete with toddler embellishment. I can't wait for that.

What Willow says: Another one of Willow's current must read books. She loves to point out the animals/insects that the babies encounter. This might be why it's hard for Daddy to get the rhythm of the words as he's always stopping to point out and name the items in the pictures.
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Reading to Willow - Puff, The Magic Dragon

I am sure you've heard of Peter, Paul and Mary. Well, Peter Yarrow is the one responsible for helping to pen "Puff The Magic Dragon" and make it what it is today.

What Daddy says: I remember hearing this song when I was little and the Disney movies that combined live action with animation. Disney had quite a few movies where they did that. This really is just the lyrics of the song with pictures. It's quite touching. Too much so. The lyrics combined with the wonderful illustrations ensure that I can't make it through the story without chocking up a little bit. It doesn't help that Willow loves for us to read this book.

What Mommy says: I love the illustrations in this book. And I love the story in the back about how the song almost never came to be. I love singing this book to Willow but darned if I don't start to cry by the end. Every time. I think I love it more than Willow but I am willing to give her time.

What Willow says: Willow really enjoys this book. I think because it was really the first book that we didn't so much read to her but sang it. She sits quietly looking at all the pictures while we go through the pages. It's odd that even after a few weeks of reading Puff she still doesn't really point out any objects on the page but is content to look at the illustrations.
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Reading to Willow - Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

This book is by Christian Author Kate Toms. Unfortunately I couldn't find an official webpage for her, which is unfortunate since I would have liked to know a little more about her. I included the picture above so you can get a better idea of her artwork, since the photo for the amazon link is a little small.





What Daddy says: This isn't the twinkle twinkle little star rhyme that you know. But a cleaver book about a mouse who wishes to know more about the star he sees outside his window every night. The characters in the book look like they are cut out of cloth and then photographed. The stars all have glitter on them (to make them twinkle?) Anyway the effect makes for a graphically interesting book. There is even a chamber pot by the mouse's bed at the end!

What Mommy says: I like this book's illustrations. And it is a little different from the traditional "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" but in a good way. Most notable (for me) was the first page where the star is compare to a light bulb instead of a diamond. It's still perfectly fine if you prefer to sing the book instead of just reading it. Willow doesn't mind either way. One thing to note is that the stars on each page of our book have glitter on them and are a sensory object. However, I have seen this book without that as well. I definitely think it adds something to it and Willow seems to agree, wanting to touch the star on each page.

What Willow says: Willow really loves this book. It combines three of her favorite things to name in books. Mouse, star, moon. She points out the stars on each page and likes to point out the moon. Oddly enough, where as in most books she gets excited when she sees a mouse and quickly points it out and says "mouse" she doesn't really do that for this book, and there is at least one mouse per page!
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Reading to Willow - The Very Lonely Firefly

We love Eric Carle, and frankly so should you. This book is no exception.

Can't you just picture him reading to his grand kids?



What Daddy says: Another classic Eric Carle book. For kids learning to read this book, like the others, has pretty repetitive sentences. In this case it's the source of illumination that changes every page. Flashlights, candles, lanterns, etc. It really exposes your child to the names and functions of different objects. As a bonus, like the very quiet cricket at the end of the book, there is a surprise. With the subject being a firefly I bet you can guess what happens.

What Mommy says: I love Eric Carl's books. When I saw the reviews for this one on Amazon I was a little put-off, since some claimed it was "too dark for a small child". I have to disagree. Especially with toddlers, a book is what you make of it. This book depicts a dog, cat, and owl (their eyes reflecting the lights) and the dog is barking, the cat hissing, and the owl hooting. Sure, the dog and cat seem a little disgruntled but that's real life and kids need to learn about the dark as well as the light.

What Willow says: Willow really likes this book. I can't quite place my finger on the reason why but night after night she picks The very lonely firefly to read. There are a few animals in the book and she likes to say their names when we get to that page. Unlike the Very quiet cricket, the battery powered lights at the end are starting to fade. We try to press the button to activate the lights and sometimes it works but, often times it doesn't. I guess we should get a new battery. Now Willow on the other hand looks forward to the last page. Is she excited to see the firefly's all flashing their lights? Oh course not, she loves to push the button. It doesn't really matter weather the lights blink or not as long as she gets to press the button.
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Reading to Willow - More Karen Katz books

Back to Karen Katz!! We absolutely love her books and the range of situations she has depicted.

So, what do we think, in particular about these next three?



What Daddy says: There really isn't much to the No biting/hitting books. Each page shows an objectionable action and when you lift the flap an alternate thing that is okay to do is presented. Like no biting your friends, but you can bite an apple. No hitting your brother but it is okay to hit pots and pans (which might not be okay in your house.) The idea is a good one, and Willow seems to like the books. Or maybe she just likes lifting the flaps. As for the 3rd book, A potty for me, we are starting to get Willow into the mindset of maybe thinking about starting to try to use a potty. This book goes through the steps leading up to using a potty and she really seems to like the book.

What Mommy says: I seriously can't say enough good things about these books. The illustrations are great (as usual) and the pages have simple words that get the point across. A little word about the potty book. If this book is available for her to read Willow wants to read it non-stop. So, I have to hide it away after a few times. I know, it may seem cruel, but she gets over it pretty quickly.

What Willow says: Willow loves these books. She really likes the lift-the-flap books and she hasn't even ripped any flaps out of these three yet. (We can't say as much for "What Does Baby Say") Out of the 3 she really loves the potty book the best but likes to read them all over and over. And she is starting to name off the things in the books as we come to them, like apples and she bangs the page appropriately when the drum comes up.
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Reading to Willow - Sandra Boynton books

When we are reading to Willow, one author is a MUST. Her name is Sandra Boynton.

Her books are wonderfully illustrated and Willow loves them to pieces. As a bonus, she has some CD"s with "silly songs" that are absolutely wonderful and catchy. They will have both you and your kids dancing around the house!




What Daddy Says: So we went a little bit crazy after The Belly Button book that Willow really liked and picked up quite a few of Sandra Boynton's books. They are all fairly short books. Each has it's own cadence, that allows for you to almost sing through the book. Hey, guess what? Someone already thought of that! That's where the CD mentioned above comes in. It's really just the different books set to song. I don't really have much to say about the stories themselves. I really like "Hey! Wake up!" It's funny and for a while is was one that Willow would want to read 2 or 3 times in a row so it was also the first of the bunch that I memorized.

What Mommy Says: I can't get enough of these books and I enjoy reading them just as much as Willow does. We certainly don't have all of her hits but them ones we do have are wonderful. The illustrations are adorable and consistent throughout the books. As a bonus, the CD book comes with the sheet music so if you are musically inclined you can play the songs yourself on the piano! I really can't say enough good things about Sandra Boynton. Her ability to get toddlers excited about a book is wonderful. Honestly, if you don't have these books you should absolutely get them. They are reasonably priced and your kids will LOVE them.

What Willow Says: When she is in the mood for one of these board books, Willow will read either want us to read through all of them or read one of them over and over. As the characters in the books are almost all animals Willow likes to point out the animal when we name it and she is working on making the sound of the animals. She always has a smile on her face when we read these books and really can't get enough!
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Reading to Willow - Moo, Baa, La La La

What Daddy thinks:
This book is short. 13 pages. Which is unfortunate because Willow really likes this book. The book shows animals and the sounds that they make. At the end the animals are quiet so that YOU can make the appropriate noises. Willow can't flip this page fast enough. I'm not sure why but she likes every page but the last. I'm sure this will change in time.

What Mommy thinks:
I love reading this book to Willow since it means I get to make animal sounds. And that is, of course, her favorite part. I love Sandra Boynton's books because they are a great length for babies and toddlers who have short attention spans.

What Willow thinks:
Willow says: "What a fantastic book! I don't know what is sweeter, hearing the animal sounds or the fact that my parents are making the sounds. When they get to the end of the book I'm ready for it to be read again!"

Okay so she doesn't really say all that but she does smile, giggle, and slap at the book indicating that she wants you to keep reading. As opposed to pushing the book away, letting you know she's done with this one. Read more!

Reading to Willow - Belly Button Book

What Daddy thinks:
This book is pretty funny. It is a clever story about hippos and belly buttons. Or "Bee-bo's" as they are called in the book. For the most part I'm reading this book by myself as Willow never really pays attention to the story or the pictures. But she does like the book...

What Mommy thinks:
This is one of my favorites just because it's so cute how the hippos don't care about thier appearance, they just want to show off their belly buttons. And they even sing a song about them. Willow isn't too interested in this book, YET, but I am sure she will be soon enough!! I can't say enough good things about Sandra Boynton.

What Willow thinks:
Willow thinks that this book is fantastic! It has a round hole in the front cover that easily permits her to put her hand and arm through. Then if she is really lucky when she puts her hand through something tickles it. What fun. She's just not sure why everyone keeps yelling out bee-bo. Read more!

Reading to Willow - Karen Katz Books

What Daddy thinks:
Willow really likes these 4 books. She can go through them over and over, one after the other. She really likes the Toes, ears and nose book.

Each page has a picture with a flap on it. For example the caption will say: "Inside my mittens I've got" When you lift the flap that is the mitten it shows the hand of the baby and says fingers.

The books teach you your body parts, I guess. Well not the Halloween book. Willow even looks at the pictures and likes it when you touch her fingers when the baby's fingers are exposed. This is saying something as some books she is much more interested with the turning pages aspect of the story.

What Mommy thinks:
I love the illustrations in these books. They are colorful and fun and I like how they are simple enough for us to get the idea across to Willow without being too lengthy and losing her interest. I envision us getting many more books by Karen Katz.

What Willow thinks:
Willow really loves lifting the flaps. Some of them are kind of hard to lift at first so we have to put our finger under the flap so she can get a hold of it. But after reading through a couple of times she bent most off the flaps so now she can easily lift them. The odd thing is that she really likes to tear paper but she hasn't made any effort to tear out the flaps. Go figure. I think her record for reading one of these books in a row is 5 times? Read more!

Reading to Willow - That's not my ______

What Daddy thinks:
I'll cover two books here as they are the same thing, only different. No stay with me here and you'll see. The titles are That's not my kitten... and That's not my fairy... Each page has the same sentence. That's not my _______, followed by the reason why. Say the fairy's dress is too shiny or the kitten's paws are too rough. You get the idea. Your child gets to touch the part or the fairy/kitten that is mentioned and see the textures or color or whatever is named in the text. On the last page you find your fairy/kitten. Sorry if I spoiled the ending but you should have seen it coming. My only complaint is that the books are pretty short.

What Mommy thinks:
I love these books just for the cuteness factor!! And sure they are short but Willow likes reading them more than once.

What Willow thinks:
Willow likes this one. It is a small sized book that she can hold and flip in her hands. She likes to turn the pages, which are sturdy and don't bend. She likes to touch the different parts on the pages that you are supposed to touch. She really likes the bumpy pink shoes in the fairy book. He only complaint is that the books are only 5 pages long plus the cover.

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Reading to Willow - Baby says peekaboo!

What Daddy thinks:
Yeah there really isn't much to read in this book. Each page and a fold out flap that when you flip it over it reveals the hidden baby. I must say this doesn't really do much for me, but then I'm not the intended audience.

What Mommy thinks:
I think the big flaps are nice. And the book is really sturdy, which is a bonus. My favorite baby is the last one that we see in the mirror. :-) There are also tactile things for her to touch under each flap but Willow doesn't really seem to be into those.

What Willow thinks:
To say that Willow likes lifting the flap is an understatement. She loves turning pages and this book is like turning two pages for every page. She does get excited seeing the baby behind the fold out flap at the end there is a mirror which she always puts her mouth on. Read more!

Reading to Willow - Rhyme-a-Round

What Daddy thinks:
Similar to Peek-a-Zoo this isn't so much a story book as a book with different pictures and textures on each two page spread. Each page also has a song that you can sing to your child. There isn't really anything that really holds Willow's attention like the Peek-a-Zoo book. She is more into turning the pages. It's a good thing this book is made sturdy.

What Mommy thinks:
I like this book because it introduces songs like "Wheels on the Bus" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" that we can sing to Willow. And I love the textures in this book (probably more than Willow).

What Willow thinks:
Willow like the pictures and the furry cats throughout the book. She doesn't really sit still long enough to read any of the songs on the pages before she is ready to try turning the page. Read more!

Reading to Willow - The Very Busy Spider

What Daddy thinks:
Eric Carle must have walked outside one day and saw a spider spinning a web. When he walked back in later in the day the spider was still at it. Maybe he thought: "What a busy spider. Oh snap, I just stumbled on the perfect sentence to repeat in my next book."

Anyway this book has a unique feature. An embossed spider's web. So you can feel the web as it grows. A neat idea that's lost on my daughter. As with other Eric Carle books, every page introduces a new animal, the simple repetitive writing helps your child to learn to read (and you to memorize) What's missing? How about the part where after the spider catches the fly she injects digestive juices into the fly to digest it in situ, then eats it later? Okay maybe that's a little advanced, but hey kids gotta learn sometime, no?

What Mommy thinks:
I like the spider's work ethic. She is never enticed to quit her work to go and "play" with the other animals no matter how many times she is asked. I like that this book has lots of animals and what they like to do. It's a great opportunity to teach Willow the sounds that the animals make. She is always in favor of sound effects. As for the spider eating the fly, well that's just nature at work.

What Willow thinks:
For a kid that seems to grab at everything, Willow doesn't really grab for this book. Why is that ironic? Because this is the one book she is supposed to grab for, in order to feel the spiderweb. Oh well. She seems to like it just fine and, again, she will appreciate it a little more when she is a bit older.

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Reading to Willow - The Very Quiet Cricket

What Daddy thinks:
I think my wife bought every Eric Carle book there is. Or just about. I really think that Eric Carle's theory for book writing is to come up with one sentence and repeat it over and over and over, until he reaches the required number of pages to make a children's book. This method doesn't always work.

Luckily it works well in The Very Quiet Cricket. Teach your kid bug names. On each page our hero, the quiet cricket, meets up with a different bug. Watch out for the ending though. There is a big surprise. Sound! Yeah you hear a cricket chirp. My only real complaint is that at the end our cricket meets up with a female cricket and his chirp wins her over. I have to tell Willow not to let herself be taken in by any sweet talking male crickets, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately by the time she's old enough to know what I mean I probably won't have any say on the matter. Oh well, I guess I better keep telling her now to try and get it to sink in.

What Mommy thinks:
One of the reasons I bought this book was because of the real cricket chirping you can hear at the end of the book. Some people complain that Eric Carles' night time books are a bit dark, but what other way is there to portray night time? I can't think of one.

What Willow thinks:
Willow doesn't really show any more interest in the last page, the one with sound, than the other pages, so the gimmick doesn't really work on her. Maybe your child will appreciate it more. She seems to like the rest of the book and I think when she is a bit older, she will love the chirping and think it's the neatest thing ever.M Read more!

Reading to Willow - Goodnight Moon

What Daddy thinks:
Another classic bedtime story. The little bunny's room is filled with objects to say goodnight to. I guess besides calming down Willow it also teachers her the names of objects. If you were curious, yes, I do have something to complain about with this book. My wife memorized the story before I did. Well in my defense I didn't know that we were racing to memorize this book, or the words to all of her books. Apparently we were. Yeah I think I've lost every time. The good news is that Willow wins either way. My only other beef is with my wife on just what the penultimate page is showing. The goodnight stars, goodnight air page. I say the stars and air are above a ground covered with snow. My wife says the white part is the air and the stars are above. Who knows? Oh yeah, I do.

What Mommy thinks:
This is one of my favorite books. I read to Willow more than David does, since he is gone four days a week, and that is the primary reason I know the books before he does. It was never a race, just something that happened. I love the pictures in this book and that there is a color page, followed by a black and white page. We have two versions of this book, one that is a board book and one that has regular pages. The board book is smaller but I like the "real" book since the pictures are bigger. Now that she doesn't grab for the books as much we have switched back to that one especially since her Grandmother wrote on the last page, "Good Night Willow".

What Willow thinks:
To say this is Willow's favorite book is an understatement. We usually try to read her two books before she goes to bed, with Goodnight Moon being the second. We have to put it out of view while we are reading the first book. If we don't, Willow will stare at Goodnight Moon, try to grab for it and ignore the book we are reading to her. You can really see her eyes move around on each page as she takes in all the objects in the room. Read more!

Reading to Willow - The Very Hungry Caterpillar

What Daddy thinks:
A classic story. The version we were given also has a CD of Eric Carle reading the book. A dead person could put more excitement into the reading. Skip the CD. What can I really say about The Very Hungry Caterpillar? It's a simple story that teaches kids counting, and shows them different fruits. When Willow starts to learn to read, Eric Carle books will probably be good for her because of the repetitiveness of the words. I think that was his point.

What Mommy thinks:
The thing I like the most about the Eric Carle books is the colorful art. I love his take on animals, humans and even fruit. Each page is bright and makes you want to read it. I also like the repetitiveness of the books. We have quite a few of his books and these are the reasons. As for this book in particular, I like the counting and the different foods that are presented. I also like the way the caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly and that the caterpillar is a boy, not a girl.

What Willow thinks:
How could I not love a book that ends with a butterfly? Impossible!

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Reading to Willow - Who Will Tuck Me In Tonight?

What Daddy thinks:
Another great book. The pictures tell the story just effectively as the words. The little lamb Woolly can't find his mother to tuck him in. A progression of animals give it a shot. They tuck in the sheets, give him hugs, kisses, food, etc. Don't worry, his mom shows up in the end. If I have to pick a bit to complain about it is this; why do you need to eat before bed? Okay so Willow gets a bottle before she goes to sleep but in the book Woolly eats a meal, in bed.

What Mommy thinks:
I like this book because every one of the animals tries to do one of the things that Woolly's mother does. One gives him a hug, one sings, one gives him a bath. But none of it is "right" as far as Woolly is concerned because although they are trying to help, none of the other animal mothers is his mother.

What Willow thinks:
Willow really likes this book. The cadence of the words relaxes her. The pictures are busy and I can see her eyes dart around as she tries to take it all in. Willow really likes it when we have different voices for each animal. Read more!

Reading to Willow - Olivia

What Daddy thinks:
This is a cute board book. It shows all the things that a little girl (pig girl that is) likes to do throughout the day. There are lots of pictures of Olivia doing things, that are not labeled, so I get point out the action that she is doing and tell Willow what it is. I hope she's soaking it all in. No, I know that she's soaking it all in. How you ask? Well when I put two objects, say a red ball and a toy spoon, in front of her and tell her to pick up the ball she gets it right about half the time. Tell me my daughter isn't a genius. Or tell me that with two objects, odds are that she will get the right one half the time anyway. Whatever.

What Mommy thinks:
I like that this book is black and white except for the color red. And I like that Olivia is a girl, just like Willow. I can easily picture Willow doing the things that Olivia does. Overall this book is a good one.

What Willow thinks:
Willow really likes this book. It doesn't have a lot of color but that doesn't bother her. Willow's only complaint is that the book features Olivia and her family instead of Willow and her family.

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Reading to Willow - The Crawly Caterpillar

What Daddy thinks:
This book bothers me. Okay now that I’ve said that let me tell you what it is about. A short story set to rhyme about the life cycle of a butterfly. From egg to butterfly all in about 6 pages. There are different textures for you child to touch, descriptive words around the caterpillars actions, fuzzy wings on the butterfly, etc.

Why don’t I like this book? Well it is inconsistent. First the caterpillar is dark grey. They next page it is yellow. Hey, even the caterpillar on the cover is no where to be found in the book. It’s like each page is featuring a different caterpillar in a different world. No wonder kids can’t concentrate on one thing at a time these days. We start them early by showing them spastic books like The Crawly Caterpillar.

What Mommy thinks:
I like this book. Yes, I like The Very Hungry Caterpillar better, but this book is more realistic in what happens to a caterpillar. And I don't know why but I start to tear up when she turns into a butterfly and shouts with joy down to the garden.

I also love that this book contains textures, unlike "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". And the butterfly at the end is a "pop-up" that you can make "fly" by moving the book.

What Willow thinks:
Willow likes this book. She tries to eat each different iteration of the caterpillar. She also likes the pop-up butterfly at the end. No, let me rephrase that. She loves the butterfly at the end. She tries to grab it and pull it towards her. I have to watch out when I get to the last page so that she doesn't rip the butterfly right off the page. Willow's only complaint is that so great a book is so short. Read more!