Guess How Much I Love You

This instant classic was new to me just months ago. Boy was I missing out. The book was a gift for Haley that I received at a baby shower. It is the story of a father and son competing to show who loves the other more. Little Nutbrown Hare tries to show his infinite love in several finite was, always being affectionately outdone by his dad. This story is illustrated with clear and simple watercolors that bring the characters to life.

It is one of our cuddle time favorites that I'm sure I will read to Haley again and again. .

Guess How Much I Love You

by Sam McBratney, Illustrated by Anita Jeram Here Haley is reading it with her buddies Alyce and Drew when she was less than a week old.
There are some fun activities to do with this book. I also just learned that there is a whole series of books about the Nutbrown Hares. I can't wait to peruse them at a book store or check them out at our local library.
Other Titles:Colors EverywhereGuess How Much I love You: All Year RoundLet's Play in the SnowWhen I'm Bigand A Surprise for the Nutbrown Hares
I am linking to Feed Me Books Friday @ The Adventure of Motherhood

A new favorite book...

The other day Zach and I were babysitting one of Haley's friends. In her bag she had 2 books. We sat together and read them. Now I have a new favorite.

Zach and I had a blast covering Haley and Ryann with as many kisses as there were shared in the book. Also, I must add that Zach did a wonderful job reading in different voices for each animal.

How Many Kisses Do You Want Tonight?

by Varsha Bajaj Illustrated by Ivan Bates

This beautifully illustrated book tells the sweet story of several little animals getting their good night kisses. It makes me smile just to think about reading it again. The words roll smoothly off the pages due to it's lovely cadence and clever rhymes. I also enjoy how it teaches the names of baby animals.

This is the perfect book for when you're in the mood to snuggle. It would be a delightful addition to any bedtime routine.

For more great books check out feed me books friday @ the adventure of motherhood

Eric Carl

There's more to Eric Carl than Brown Bears and Hungry Caterpillars!

I'm sure every lover of children's literature has heard of Eric Carl. You have probably read books he has written, and admired pictures in books he has illustrated. What you may not know is that Eric Carl has written over 50 books and illustrated several more. Many of these are now out of print, and I certainly have not read them all, but I sure would love to.

Eric Carl is best known for his beautiful illustrations. His works of art are created by assembling collages from hand painted tissue paper. The stories Eric Carl illustrates are easy to read, engaging, and educational. They promote a rich vocabulary, especially pertaining to animals, and they introduce important topics such as confidence and friendship.

You have probably all read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Just as a side note, the 3 companion books to this one don't even compare to the original. the words don't flow as well ,but they do introduce several fascinating animals) But, there are several other books in Carl's collection that will quickly win their way into your heart.

Some of my favorites that you may not have read are:

I have vivid memories of this book from childhood. This book is not only beautiful because of the illustrations, it is also a wonderful picture of the depth (or in this case height) of a father's love. The fold out pages will add extra intrigue to this book, and it's lesson in the lunar cycles will hopefully bring your entire family outside to do your own observing of the moon and it's blanket of stars.

This is a sweet book about a cricket finding his "voice". The main character is lovable, and there is a beautiful sound waiting to greet you at the end.

The persistent little spider spends several pages constructing her web, even though she faces many distractions the spider is not deterred from accomplishing her goal. The web on each page is raised which adds a fun tactile element to the book.

An honorable mention that Carl illustrated but did not write is The Greedy Python Haley received this board books as a gift, and it have loved reading it to her over and over again. It has fun animals, counting opportunities, and a simple moral.

the Official Eric Carl website is well worth checking out. You can see a complete list of his books, read his kid friendly blog, or read and share ideas for activities to accompany his books.

for more fun book ideas check out Feed Me Books Friday @ the Adventues of Motherhood.

Graeme Base

Today I was at the library for story time and I kept remembering books I wanted to check out for Haley - and really for me, because lets face it, at this point she probably doesn't care what I'm reading to her; but it's fun to pretend.

I had forgotten how much I adore books by Australian author Graeme Base. While I was growing up I loved these books, and I amglad to have rediscovered the. Each page I turned in Animalia brought back a flood of memories, I remember loving the Library Lions and the Goriilas with their grapes. I remember searching through the images of Eleventh Hour as if I were trying to find Waldo in a sea of red and white.

(photo from Google images)

Base is an excellent story teller. His style varies from alliteration, to rhythmic repetition, to engaging prose. Even without the illustration these humorous and through provoking books would be family favorites.

However, the books do have illustrations, breathtaking ones. artsmarts4kids put it best. "Graeme Base is one of those illustrators who covers every millimeter of page with color. Every time you read a book by Graeme Base you will discover something new in the illustrations"

For example in the Eleventh Hour there is a tiny creature lurking within the illustrations of each page. In Animalia the alliteration is extended though thoughtful illustrations and in The Water Hole animals from each ecosystem are drawn in the details of the trees and the other landscapes surrounding each thirsty herd.

Gossie

We have discovered some really cute books for our little goose. I have especially enjoyed reading her books from the Gossie and Friends series by Olivier Dunrea. I am excited because there are several more books in the series and I have just discovered some multi media books complete with tabs to pull and flaps to lift.

So far we have read Gossie, and Gossie & Gertie. Gossie, the main character is a cute goose who loves to wear red boots. The illustrations are simple but lovely and the characters are endearing. When Haley starts asking for the same book to be read to her night after night I think repeated reading of this series will be easy to tolerate. The little goose who graces each age makes me smile again and again. I look forward to reading Ollie, Peedie, and other books by Olivier Dunrea

(click to purchase at Amazon, or link to other books in the series)

Begin Smart Books

Haley got a few books for Christmas that she already had, so I exchanged them at the book store. One of the books I got her was What does baby do? It's a cute book designed for babies from 6 - 12 months. It features cute baby skills like waving and blowing kisses, all with pictures under large flaps. Haley enjoys reaching for the pages, although she hasn't yet figured out how to lift the flap and reveal the underlying picture. This book also gets me excited as I anticipate Haley learning to imitate the babies in the pictures.

The whole Begin Smart series is wonderful. The books are color coded by age group and each book is written to help babies develop throughout their first years. The books have information for parents on the back. They discuss stages of development and tips for reading with your little one. The website is also full of good tips and information.

These books are fun to read and to look at. They are very engaging for little listeners. I hope that I will be adding more of these books to my library soon.

Pipkin has a question...

One ay at work (while I was waiting tables) some people came in with a book to thank my boss. Inside there was a picture of the kids he helped out (I think he sponsored a program) and it said Thanks a Million. The book was How Big is a Million? Oh my word, this book is so cute! It is about a penguin named Pipkin's quest to find a million. Pipkin is a very lovable character and the book is well written with a simple story and a childlike quest. . I was hoping that there were more books about him...

The the other day I went to the toy store in town to search for a birthday present for a friend. In the process I discovered How High is the Sky? I was elated. I will admit that I enjoy the first book better, but both are great books that help answer some of those timeless children's questions. I highly recommend them.

These books are both written by Anna Milbourne and Illustrated by Serena Riglietti

Each book has a large poster in the back which helps answer the question. These are a great way to extend the story beyond the confines of a usual book page.

How did they illustrate a million ?