Baby's First Year by Rick Walton

Illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 2011.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 978-0-399-25025-5.

Big brother and sister celebrate their new sibling's milestones in rhyming guesses:

Baby likes to talk a lot.
But understand?
We do not.
Until one day,
what's that we heard?
Was that our Baby's very first...

WORD!?

Church's vivid pastel backgrounds highlight the simply delineated family figures in this joyful romp through first kisses, smiles, peek-a-boos, laughs, crawling, teeth, books, steps and falls leading up to the first birthday party.

A cheerful focus on family closeness, and a celebratory way to trace important landmarks of baby's development for older children. Walton adds a first year milestone poster on the back of the dust jacket with spots for photos of the momentous events. For fun, the author/illustrator photos on the fly leaf are baby pics.

Recommended for family reading, as well as for a story hour about babies or families.

Do You Know What I'll Do? by Charlotte Zolotow

Illustrated by Javaka Stepton, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2000.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-06-027879-X.

A doting older sister regales her brother with a series of endearing promises to shower him with love and affection in many small ways throughout their lives together. The text takes the form of a rhythmic question and answer:

"Do you know what I'll do when it snows? I'll make you a snowman....
Do you know what I'll do at the seashore? I'll bring you a shell to hold the sound of the sea."

The boldly-colored 3-dimensional painted wood and fabric collages stand out against the stark white pages of the book. The emotional bond between the characters is evident not only in their expressions, but in their intertwined intimacy.

This story can be used as an easy reader due to the repetition and simplicity of the text, but is enjoyable to read aloud at a family storyhour.

Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say

Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1993.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-395-57035-2.

A sense of belonging and a sense of place are very powerful in the human experience. Say's lovely, nostalgic, and poignant book captures our humanness, quite apart from country, race or culture. As a young man, Say's grandfather traveled from his home in Japan to America. He fell in love with the amazing and varied wonders of the land, the cities, and the people. He returned to Japan for his bride, but the new world called him back. His daughter was raised in California, yet again the homeland called. Throughout the years in reality and through the power of transmitted memory, his family has had feet in both worlds. "So I return now and then, when I can not still the longing in my heart. The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other."

Say's watercolors have the pastel, tintype look of the era of his grandfather, with faces sober, in posed portraits like photographs of that time. The formality of the pictures belies the emotional struggle of the sense of duality of belonging which both he and his grandfather experience.

This story will resonate with many of our patrons in this multicultural and highly mobile society. Younger children may not be able to process the full impact, but still take in a basic understanding of the journey in relation to the experience of their own families. Good for preschool storytime.

Caldecott Medal Winner, 1994
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Picture Book, 1994
Iowa Children's Choice Award, 2007

Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

Philomel Books, New York, 1990.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-399-22231-6.

Polacco draws on the old world flavor of her Russian heritage in this tale about overcoming fear.

Loud claps of thunder herald the onset of a storm, while Granddaughter shivers terrified under the bed. Grandma (Babushka) entices her out with the promise of baking a Thunder Cake. Together, they locate a recipe and set about assembling the ingredients. First come the frightening obstacles of obtaining eggs from "mean old Nellie Peck Hen" and milk from "old Kick Cow".

All the while lightning flashes, and Grandma counts until the thunder roars to calculate how far away the storm is--one mile per second. It's getting closer and closer as Granddaughter enters the scary dry shed for flour, sugar and chocolate. The last formidable task is to climb high on the intimidating trellis to pick three overripe tomatoes.

The time gap between lightning and thunder is closing quickly as they hurry to mix up the cake and get it in the oven. Waiting for the cake to bake, Grandma commends Granddaughter for being so brave. She had overcome her fear in every step of collecting the needed staples. Why should she be afraid of a sound?

As the rain pours down, the lightning flashes and the thunder booms, Grandma and Granddaughter enjoy their sweet Thunder Cake without a care. Granddaughter "never feared the voice of the thunder again."

Polacco includes the recipe for Thunder Cake on the last page. It makes a nice snack to end a storytime following this book. I love to read this one dramatically with all of the KA-BANGs and BAROOOOMs of the thunder. Although it is a little long to read aloud at a program, the pace can be expedited as the characters hurry to keep ahead of the storm. Children also love to help count as the storm gets closer.

Narrative skills may be enhanced by relating the sequence of gathering items for the cake, and the encroaching nature of the storm. On an emotional level, young ones may learn that fear can be overcome when you focus on some other purpose.

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Illustrated by Anita Jeram. Candlewick Press, Cambridge, MA. 1994.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 1-56402-473-3.

In this sweetly contested protestation of who loves the most, Little Nutbrown Hare asks Big Nutbrown Hare, "Guess how much I love you." When Big Nutbrown Hare declines to even attempt to guess, Little Nutbrown Hare extends his arms as wide as he can. Yet no matter what physical metaphor Little Nutbrown Hare performs to express his love, Big Nutbrown Hare can always do it wider, higher, better, and more. Even as Little Nutbrown Hare falls asleep murmuring "I love you right up to the moon," Big Nutbrown Hare whispers the last word, " I love you right up to the moon--and back."

Jeram's whimsical hares perfectly complement McBratney's tender dialogue. This book oozes affectionate appeal. Works for storytime, but absolutely delightful for bedtime or personal time with family members.

ALA Notable Children's Book, 1996.

Take Me Out of the Bathtub by Alan Katz

Illustrated by David Catrow. Margaret K. McElderry, New York, 2001.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 978-0689829031.

Katz showcases a collection of 14 very funny song poems such as "I've Been Cleaning Up My Bedroom" meant to be sung to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad", and "Sock in the Gravy" sung to "Rockabye Baby". All of the topics center around ordinary home and family events gone awry, and all of the tunes are familiar nursery rhyme ditties or folk songs. David Catrow adds to the mayhem with his fanciful illustrations of food fights, overflowing bathtubs, and (ick) carsickness.

A couple of the songs need practice to scan properly, but most work well enough to sing at a toddler or preschool storytime.

Singing songs to familiar tunes aids in memorization. Most of the songs have a short plot line or expository story to tell to help with narrative skills.

Pete's a Pizza by William Steig

HarperCollins, New York, 1998.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 978-1591127406.

Pete is sad and bored because it's raining and he can't play outside. His father decides to make him into a pizza to cheer him up. Steig creates a happy family game where Pete is kneaded into dough, sprinkled with pretend ingredients, and baked in the couch/oven. By the time the pizza runs away and is captured and hugged, the sun has come out again.

Steig's simple, cartoonish illustrations are colored lightly on white space, focusing attention on the characters and the action of the story. The text is concise and direct with no more than two lines on each page, simply narrating the lighthearted drama.

This is fun to add to a toddler story hour about pizza or imagination, and is especially enjoyable to recreate at home.

Narrative skills can be enhanced by sequentially relating the process of pizza making.

Charlotte Zolotow Award Honor Book ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice IRA/CBC Children's Choice

ALA Notable Children’s Book Bulletin Blue Ribbon (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books) Publishers Weekly Best Book

So Much by Trish Cooke

Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. Candlewick Press, Cambridge, MA, 1994.
Hardcover edition, 48 pages, ISBN 1-56402-344-3.

Cooke takes us on an affectionate, lighthearted romp through the individual arrivals for a family party, with each member (auntie, uncle, cousin, nannie, gran-gran, and daddy), all greeting the baby with an exuberant burst of love.

"I want to kiss him,
I want to kiss the baby,
I want to kiss him
SO MUCH!"

Between each arrival, the colors of Oxenbury's resting, waiting characters become muted and almost washed out, mimicking Cooke's text:

"They weren't doing anything,
Mom and the baby and Aunt Bibba,
nothing really..."

As each new family member enters, the colors brighten, reflecting the joyous atmosphere and energy generated by Cooke's zestful language.

Great for toddler storytime.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. Margaret K. McElderry Publishing, New York, 2009.
Hardcover edition, 40 pages, ISBN 978-1416987116.

     Hunting bears requires bravado. Rosen's intrepid family faces obstacles: tall, wavy grass ("Swishy, swashy!"), a deep, cold river ("Splash, splosh!"), thick, oozy mud ("Squelch, squerch!"). With the inevitable encounter, panic ensues, reversing the hazards of the outward journey. Oxenbury's simple black and white line drawings and light watercolors capture the high adventure experienced by the characters. This classic is most fun when chanted aloud using exaggerated movements for group dramatization.

Great for getting the wiggles out, ages 2-4.

Onomatopoeia increases phonological awareness, and an understanding of narrative skills is strengthened as the story moves forward and in reverse.

1989   Smarties Book Prize Gold Award  
1990   Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
1990   Horn Book Fanfare Title
1990   Society of School Librarians International Honor Book Award
1991   Japanese Picture Book Award