"Story"

It's been a busy summer! Emily has been busy walking running, exploring and talking! Mommy has been busy chasing the happy little scamp! Which means we have been having too much fun to blog. (Also translated as Mama is exhausted!)

Now that Emily can talk, we've been having even more fun reading. One of her words is "story" or "store-ee." She points to a book and says "store-ee" and then does the sign for please. (Makes this storytime mom very proud. Sniff.)

Here's one of our favorites: Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton

Me: A cow says...

Emily: Moo!

M: A sheep says...

E: Baaaa

M: Three singing pigs say la, la, la! "No, No!" You say...

E: NO!

M: Pigs say...

E: Kk! [oink in Emily-speak]

M: ...little dogs go..

E: Ffff! [Woof]

M: ...and cats and kittens say...

E: Eow [Meow]

M: Quack, says the duck

E Kk! [quack]

M: ...a horse says...

E: Nay

M: It's quiet now, what do you say?

E: Store-ee

Mud

Finally, after many days of rain, we had a dry and warm afternoon! A perfect day for an impromptu stroll at Herrick Lake Forest Preserve. Two duck mates gave us a friendly, if nonchalant, welcome and demonstrated diving for their dinner. Emily was impressed. She also enjoyed inspecting the dandelions which were in full bloom.

Watching her toddle along continues to be a joy. It wasn't long ago that she was just leaning to stand!

She loved exploring and feeling the grass under her feet. I had to smile to see all the mud she got on her. Another first!

When she reached the top of a hill, she decided that she did NOT need my help. First, she turned herself around to slide down it. Then she crawled down. Then she was determined to fall  walk down by herself. Considering said hill ended at the lake, this called for a fine balancing act of restraint and reflexes on my part. Especially when she also wanted to crawl along the edge of the lake. "Oh, look at the time!" I said at this point. "Time to go home." Mud is one thing. Taking a dunk in pond scum is quite another!

As I was driving home, the memory of the mud made me smile again and think of a favorite picture book. I'll have to find it at the library to share with Emily.

Mud by Mary Lyn Ray; Illustrated by Lauren Stringer.
Here's the summary on the book jacket. "As winter melts into spring, the frozen earth turns into magnificent mud." I remember the book really capturing the joy of waking up from a long cold winter and diving into spring. Ray writes about mud, "Stir it. Stick it. Dig it. Dance it." We got a first taste today. I can't wait to do more!

Bears Hugs

Emily has been noticing bears a lot lately. She'll point them out in all of her books. Whenever she sees one, she hugs herself. It's so cute when she gives herself a "bear hug." She's been especially enjoying these two books:

Bear at Home by Stella Blackstone; illustrated by Debbie Harter.
The bright, cheerful colors and bold illustrations got Em's attention. The illustrations are whimsical but realistic. Bear gives us a tour of his home, showing off toys and books and goes through his day, cleaning up, taking a bath and going to bed. His mischievous black-and-white cat keeps him company.

Bear's Birthday by Stella Blackstone; illustrated by Debbie Harter.
Bear has a birthday party and invites nine of his friends. They celebrate with musical chairs, hide-and-seek and of course, cake and presents! It's also a counting down from 10 book as our friend kitty plays with all the balloons and they disappear one by one. We are looking forward to finding the other books in this Bear series.

Clever Little Bear

Right now Emily's favorite thing to do is to read books. Sit down within 5 feet of in the same room as her and she will insist you read to her. She'll either go to the reading chair with a book and grunt imploringly (and insistently) to come and read. Or she'll hold a book and streeeetch her arms with the book toward you. (I am convinced this is meant to draw you toward her with the magnetism of the book and the force of her considerable charm.) Or she'll bring a book to you and drop it in your lap with a sweet and inquiring look. How can anyone resist this? 

Here's one we've been reading often: Number One, Tickle Your Tum by John Prater. It's a counting/rhyming book that is perfect for the toddler who is starting to mimic. The picture on "Number eight stand up straight" reminds me of Emily when she first started to stand. The last page is her favorite because big bear gives clever little bear a hug. She points at this and hugs herself. This would be a great choice for even older toddlers, since there are actions to imitate, like walking in a line, and jumping. The illustrations are simple and appealing. We are looking forward to finding other Baby Bear Books by Prater.

Hugs and Kisses

Emily loves to give hugs and kisses. She, of course, gives the best ones to Mommy and Daddy. When she snuggles in, it's the best feeling ever! Even her slobbery open-mouthed kisses are wet and wonderful.

She also likes to spread the joy. She collects her stuffed animals and dolls and hugs each one. Then she gives them to me to hold and hug.

The sweetest though is when Daddy comes home. He'll pick her up to hug and kiss and then give me a kiss, too. She will then firmly turn both of our faces toward each other and urge us to kiss again. Lots of hugging and kissing going on at our house!

Here are two sweet books about love.

I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak; Illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church. This book in rhyme is about all the things to love:  "your happy side, your sad side, your silly side, your mad side." I am sure I love it more than she does, but it's a great excuse to sit and cuddle. Her favorite parts are putting her bare feet on top of his and hugging herself when he hugs his bear.

How Do I Love You? by Marion Dane Bauer; illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church is a companion book. Her Daddy and I gave this to Emily on her 1st Birthday. It's a beautifully lyrical story in rhyme with delightfully joyful illustrations. It's a more sophisticated book that I can imagine reading to her for years to come. It's pure poetry with lines like "I love you as the waking bear loves the smell of spring." The last verse sums it up: "I love all that you will be and everything you are." Awww. Excuse me while I go find a tissue.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Today would have been Dr. Seuss's 108th birthday.

In honor of today, here is a Seuss book we enjoy. I thought I knew most of his work, but I had never heard of this one.

 My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss, (paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher) is an introduction to feelings for a young child. It is told in the delightfully positive way for which Seuss is known. Each day is a different color/emotion/animal. We have the board book version, and while it's not very concrete for a very little ones, neither are emotions. In some ways the actions and associations ground emotions while still being silly and lyrical. I love the language in it, it's one I don't get tired of reading to her. For now she likes the color in it. I can imagine when she's older asking, "Are you having a yellow day ('a busy, buzzy bee')?" or a "Green day ('cool and quiet fish')?"

As for today, have a "Bright Red Day" and "kick your heels" for Dr. Seuss's birthday!

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's a cold day and the ground outside is covered in snow. The perfect day to stay inside and snuggle with my sweetie. Here are two books we have enjoyed to day to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Baby, I Love You by Karma Wilson; Illustrated by Sam Williams. The refrain "Oh my baby, I love you!" make snuggles and hugs irresistible. The adorable babies in it are hugging a little dog. (so cute.) The "baby" is both the baby being read to and the dog baby being loved.

Emily's Aunt J gave her Clifford, We Love You! by Norman Bridwell for Valentine's Day. Emily's eyes got really big when she saw it and sat mesmerized as I read it to her. Then she read it to herself for a long time after, turning the pages. No matter that it was often upside down at the time! This one is extra special because the little girl who "loved that pup...loved him so that he grew up" is named Emily. This is one for my Emily to "grow" with.

Do you have a Favorite Valentine book to share?

Furry Friends

Emily loves touch-and-feel books. I can remember a few months back when she really started to notice them. She would tentatively touch the book with one finger and find the spots that were different. She had this look of wonder and satisfaction on her face as she found each one. My favorite memory is when I found her reading this book.

Quack! Quack! has bold photographs of farm animals. Each animal has one spot that is furry or soft and they've done a great job making it look and feel like the animal. One day she was sitting with the book flat on the floor. As she turned each page, she leaned over and kissed the special spot. The duck's belly, kiss; the pig's nose, kiss; the dog's ear, kiss. Since the spot isn't in the same place on every page, she'd have to lean a bit one way or another to find the spot. It was so sweet to watch her give her little open-mouthed kiss to each animal! Sometimes when we read the book together, she still gives them kisses. I'd love to know what is going through her little mind!

Baby/Toddler Book Club

Today Emily and I went to a Baby/Toddler Book Club. This was such a fun playdate idea! It was developed by Mommy T, a very creative mom, who hosts it monthly at her home. It's generally the under 3 crowd, but all ages are welcome. Kids play and moms chat for a while, until it is time for the books. There is a snack and sometimes a simple craft. Everyone is encouraged to bring their favorite book from home based on the month's theme. Today's theme was animals and Mommy T had a collection of stuffed animals that the children could choose to hold while the books were being read. Then the moms all took turns sharing their books.

Emily was more interested in emptying the stuffed animal bin than listening to books today, but Mommy T did get her attention when she let her pet the textured touch-and-feel book she was reading. When I worked as a librarian, I often had to reassure parents of little ones that it doesn't matter if it seems their child isn't listening. Even when they don't sit still and pay attention to the book, they are still taking it in. Being busy is an important part of the way they learn. Emily enjoyed touching all the animals.

She did suddenly stop and intently look and listen when Mommy T read

Moo, Baa, La, La, La by Sandra Boynton.
I don't know if it was coincidence or because we have this book and read it a lot, but Emily was very interested for the whole story. If you haven't read Sandra Boynton, you need check her out! Her books are simple and very funny for both children and adults. This one is a story in rhyme with lots of chance for making animal noises.

Another book that was shared today was Poke-a-Dot! Old MacDonalds's Farm
This is the traditional "Old MacDonald" song with a twist. Each two page spread has different animals--10 cows, 9 pigs, etc. There is a button to poke to help with counting all the animals. The older children took turns counting on each page. The singing got Emily's attention and she looked at me and smiled several times.




The baby/toddler book club is an event we will attend regularly. I plan to host my own sometime, too! Thanks, Mommy T for the fabulous idea! (Read more about her book clubs and other creative ideas at thismomcreates.com)

Lapsit

Today, Emily and I went to Lapsit, a storytime for babies at the Naperville Public Library. This program for the under 2 crowd is a wonderful way to engage children at this age, and the staff at Naperville always do a fantastic job. The 20 minute program consists of lots of fingerplays, songs and one or two short board books. Afterward, everyone is invited to stay in the room to read or meet other families.
While this was not Emily's first storytime, it was definitely the one she was most animated at. She squealed in delight throughout. It was hard to tell what her favorite thing was: seeing other babies, bouncing on my lap as I did silly things with my fingers, or seeing the baby doll that Miss Jill used as her prop.
One of the books was especially cute.

Baby Cakes by Karma Wilson (illustrated by Sam Williams) is a board book in rhyme that in encourages lots of kisses and hugs. It has a nice rhythm, perfect for bouncing baby while reading. I'll be looking to check this one out to read again at home next chance we get.




Does your library have a program for babies? Many do. It's a great way to bond with your child. And it's never too soon to start encouraging a love of books.

Sleepytime

Sleep has been on my mind a lot this week. I should say a lot more than usual. We have spent the week helping Emily sleep in her crib in her room instead of in the co-sleeper next to our bed. I have to say I loved having her in our room. I could watch her sleep and reach her quickly when she needed comfort or to nurse. And waking up next to her with her huge smile was absolutely wonderful. But it was time.

She handled it all fairly well, until she started teething and/or getting a cold. I am sooo tempted to bring her back to our room, but am holding firm. Instead, she gets lots of naps in my arms.

Of course, we also cuddle together with books. Here are two sleepytime books that we own and enjoy reading together over and again.

Peter Rabbit Sleepy Time
A lift-the-flap board book with soft colors and quiet words. It's fun to use the flaps to cover up the sleeping animals. Some of the flaps are doors, trees, or even Jemima Puddle-duck's wing. When Emily gets older I imagine she'll enjoy guessing who is under each flap and thinking about them enjoying their rest.

Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones by Claire Freedman; illustrated by Tina Macnaughton.
Safari animals get ready for bed after a long day of playing. A story in rhyme, the words are soothing. The illustrations are too, with soft warm sunsets moving toward dusk and a moonlit evening. The cover is even somewhat soft, so it's a great cuddle-up-and-read book. It's an oversized board book, so it's also good for a small group.

I Have Ten Fingers

"I have ten little fingers and they all belong to me.
I can make them do things, would you like to see?"~ traditional fingerplay

A friend told me once when Emily was very small, "Wait until she discovers her hands!" She was right. One day, Emily suddenly found her hands to be immensely fascinating. This was more than sucking on them. She twisted her hand one way and then another, with intense scrutiny and awe.

She is past that stage now, but is still learning how to make them do what she wants. Someday she'll blow kisses and wave, but for now she is content to grab a toy and put it in her mouth. (Success!)

Ten Little Fingers by Annie Kubler is an oversized board book of the fingerplay. (Published by Child's Play, it also  won the platinum award for best book by the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio.) It's illustrated with giggly children doing each of the actions. The story can be read, and done with the actions. It can also be sung, with the music on the back cover. (I've also done this fingerplay as part of storytime because it ends with hands folded quietly and held just so.)
Fingerplays are great to help children learn listening skills and to follow directions. They love to model and feel a sense of accomplishment when they can do simple movements.While Emily isn't ready to do them yet, she is just as fascinated with my hands as she was with hers.

Do you have a favorite fingerplay?

Books We Read Today -- In the Garden

Yesterday my daughter and I had fun in the garden. Actually, at 6 months old, Emily had fun watching me plant flowers and prune bushes as she chewed on her toys. Whenever we go outside I can tell she is listening and watching intently. Is it a bird she hears? A bug whizzing by her? Someday she will be old enough to explore the garden with its flowers, insects, and mud. Until then, we can both enjoy some books on gardening, bugs, and birds.

 The Little Composter by Jan Gerardi.
I had to smile when I saw this book. We compost at our house, but I never expected to see a board book about it! This is a clever lift-the-flap book with a simple story in rhyme. (See the melon, lift the flap, and see the rind.) The perfect book to illustrate composting for your little gardener. Part of the Teenie Greenies series.

In My Nest by Sara Gillingham and Lorena Siminovich.
Look closely at the illustration at the right and you'll see it looks just like a nest with a bird in it. The pages are cut out to give the illusion of a nest and the bird is a finger puppet! This is sure to get the attention of a child, and yet it is not gimmicky. It is a wonderful way for a child to explore in a tactile way until you can do it with a real nest.  There are other similar books in this series, such as In My Pond, and In My Den.

 I Like Bugs (a touch-and-feel board book) by Lorena Siminovich
At first glance, this is a very simple book. It's about bugs and counting to five. That's it. Three beetles, four bees.... Simple. But the illustrations make it something fascinating to explore. Done in collage and texture, it has a 3-D feel to it. A lot of thought was put into the illustrations, too. Most of the illustrations match the number on the page. You'd expect four bees to be on page number four, but there are also four flowers and even four leaves on each flower. It makes reading the same book over and over that much more exciting to both parent and child.

Books We Read Today -- Snuggletime

Hide-and-Seek Baby by Fiona Watt; Illustrated by Catherine-Anne MacKinnon.
This is a sweet board book to share. Baby plays with a soft blanket and asks, "Where are my toes?" She lifts the blanket, and exclaims, "Here they are!" There are plenty of opportunities to play with your child with this one. Peekaboo, naming parts of the body, and tickling are just a few. Drawn in pastels, this is part of the "Snuggletime Touchy-Feely" series by Usborne. Each page has a soft spot where the blanket is and on the last page the blanket can be lifted.

Busy Baby  by Fiona Watt; Illustrated by Catherine-Anne MacKinnon. ("Snuggletime" series; board book)
Baby has his trusty blanket (which can be felt or lifted) as he goes about his busy day. His friends bear, duck and rabbit are back for the fun. Your toddler may mimic the repeated refrain, "I'm busy." If you have an equally busy toddler, you might try reading this while he (or she) is busy playing. It's not essential that a child sit on your lap to listen to a book. Children are often taking in just as much (sometimes more) when they are active. So while he plays with his blocks or trucks, try reading. He just might join you for a page or two.

Books We Read Today

Have You Ever Tickled a Tiger? by Betsy Snyder
I'm partial to tigers, so this one caught my eye right away. It's a touch-and-feel board book with a variety of textures. It's amazing what can be done with books these days. The ostrich has feathers and the walrus whiskers! It's a silly story, with rhymes and lots of room for actions and noises. The illustrations are lovely--collage style with nice detail. We will be sure to return to this one when my daughter gets the idea of touching the book beyond trying to eat it. (Trying to eating everything is a recurring theme in our house.)

Mary Engelbreit's Funny Mother Goose 
I love Mary Engelbreit, so this was a natural choice to check out. It includes 6 "funny rhymes to share"~ Jack and Jill, Pat-a-cake, Old King Cole, Ring Around the Rosebush, Curly Locks, and Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling. Part of the charm of ME, in my opinion, is her ability to make things both old-fashioned and modern. For me this was spot on for a set of nursery rhymes. This board book will be appreciated more when my daughter is a bit older, but for now she just likes to be read to. It never hurts to have books you like to read. Especially when you'll read it over and over and over and over...

At the Beach by Salina Yoon
A "first-words" board book, this has clever cut outs to give a 3-D feel to the pictures. This one has really captured my daughter's attention. It has bright, bold and shimmery colors. I used to think, how do you read a one-word-per-page book (over and over) and not think, BORING!? I've found it helps when the child is very excited by those simple words and pictures. Pointing out different things on the page each time you read it helps too, at this stage. First time through, it's a shovel. Second time, a green shovel, third time, ask "What do you do with a shovel?" and so on. Until it really is time for another book! This one is perfect for babies and toddlers.

Rubber Ducky Club

"But the one little duck with the feathers on his back, he led the others with a quack, quack, quack..." --From the song, six little ducks, traditional.


This summer my little one joined the Rubber Ducky Club, a Summer Reading Program for babies. "But, babies can't read," you say. True, but they can participate in early literacy activities. It is never too early to do fun, easy, literacy-rich things with your child.

This 8 week program, provided by the Naperville Public Library, was a super fun way to play and read with my daughter. The reading log suggested 12 simple activities for parents to do at home with their child, incorporating the 6 early literacy skills that encourage reading readiness. Some examples included singing the alphabet song while flipping through an alphabet book, and reciting or singing a nursery rhyme with actions.

This became a family affair. My husband declared a letter of the day and walked around the house pointing out anything and everything that started with B (and again with E, and T... He really got into it.) Emily would listen intently, thrilled that Daddy was walking around with her and talking to her. It didn't matter that she had no idea what a thermostat was or that the purple plastic thing she was trying to eat was supposed to be an elephant. But she was gaining the building blocks of language while having fun with her father. 

Midway, she received her own rubber ducky. At the end, she earned a book. This is what I chose for her:

Hey Diddle Diddle! published by Child's Play; illustrated by Annie Kubler. The traditional nursery rhyme is rendered in watercolor with adorable babies dressed in costume acting out the rhyme. The music is printed on the back cover.

The summer program is now over, but we'll continue to do the activities throughout the year, until it is time to sign up again. Your library just might do something like this for your child and you might not have to wait until next summer -- some do winter programs. And even if they don't, your family can still have fun with simple games to play with your baby.

What games do you play with your baby?

Books We Read Today

Go, Baby, Go! by Jorge Uzon
Babies and toddlers love photographs, especially of faces. It is one of the first things babies connect with. This book makes me want to have a  book of my daughter's photos for her. Hmmm... I can see a family project in our future. This is a day-in-the-life of a busy toddler.



  
  

I Love You Baby from Head to Toe! by Karen Pandell; illustrated by Jane Cowen-Fletcher
This lovely book is done in crayon and colored pencil. It's quite lyrical. Seemingly simple, it has a subtle complexity. (For example, "Baby's skin is as smooth as petals.") There's lots to explore on each page, but it isn't busy. Great for a quiet snuggle. As board books go, it is a bit larger, so it would work for a small group.

Where is Baby? by Sally Rippin
Simple board book with bright, bold colors (which are easy for little babies to see). Each page asks "Where is baby?" with answers in rhyme. For the older toddler, you can also search for the three little friends of the three babies--frog, parrot and bear.

Guess How Much I Love You

"The best time to start reading aloud to a baby is the day it is born.  The lilting rhythm of a simple bedtime book on that first thrilling, exhausting day is soothing for the tremulous parents and the new child and adds to the bonding between them.  It gives them something to "talk about" together."

From Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children

Will Change Their Lives Forever by Mem Fox.

I remember the night we brought our daughter home. We had survived all the wonderful craziness of bringing a newborn into the world, plus to make it really memorable, the blizzard of the century. There is such a joy holding a little one, so brand new, so trusting. Of course, I had to read her a bedtime book once we were settled in.

We read one of my favorites:

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
I love the voice of the little one in this book and the Dad who understands perfectly what Little Nutbrown Hare needs to hear.

We own two versions. One is a board book, a sturdier version of the original. The second is Emily's favorite, a shorter, softbound one that has a heart chain to grasp (really, eat) and a push button that makes a kissing noise and "I love you." But our voice saying "I love you," is all they need to hear. The day they are born, and every day after.