Theodore Mouse Goes to Sea

Summer is almost here and so let the fun of summer reading begin!

This week I'm going to tell you about two of my favorite childhood books, you know, the ones I asked to read atleast three times a day when  I was just knee high to a grasshopper! 

BUT...I have a special request...I'm always telling you what my favorite stories are but I would love to hear what YOUR favorite stories are!  So feel free to add a note in the comment section telling me what book/books you requested most as a kid.

Without further ado...I'd love to tell you about Theodore Mouse Goes to Sea.

This brave little mouse was tired of the same thing day after day.  Sleeping in the same bed, waking up every morning and getting ready and then sitting on the roof of his house.  The only thing that changed every day was the sea.  So Theodore makes a ship from his bed and goes sailing around the sea.  He meets tropical mice and eskimo mice and runs into Pirate Rats and Cats.  A perfect bedtime story full of adventure.  This little book is short and sweet just like Theodore.

Goodnight, Sweet Pig

Linda Bailey is one of my favorite authors.  She wrote the Stanley books that are a huge hit around my house.  Goodnight Sweet Pig is just as fun as the Stanley books.  It is a great bedtime counting book!  I especially love the spanish dancers and I still need to find out what a bangle lancer is.

Josee Masse is an incredible illustrator and the pictures are full of color and life! 

I love reading this at bedtime because it is the perfect balance of calm and crazy.  Bedtime at our house is about like the first half of this book!  The rhymes and pictures in this book make it perfect for my little ones and I get a laugh out of it every time I read it!  Definitely a must have if you have lively toddlers or children learning to count.

The Daddy Longlegs Blues

So I have to admit that since the age of ten when I was living in Moscow, Idaho I have not been a fan of Daddy Longlegs.  There is this myth that they can't bite you but I beg to differ.  I had three of them that crawled into my shoes while I was running around barefoot in the grass.  I went to slip my shoes back on and felt painful pinching over and over.  I took my shoe off to find two smashed Daddy Longlegs and oddly the third crawled out.  I had little red welts all over my foot...did I say welts...I meant BITES!

So despite the colorful and inviting illustrations I have been putting off reading this book for some months now.  I will be the first to admit, it was a mistake to have done so!  This book is fun to read or sing!  I personally have a different tune I sing it to every time.

 

Mike Ornstein's rhymes are fun and witty.  Lisa Kopelke does an amazing job putting together entertaining illustrations that fit perfectly with the story.

So conquer your phobia's whether it be blues or daddy longlegs and grab The Daddy Longlegs Blues for your next bedtime story!

Mary Had A Little Lamp

I chuckle every time I read this book.  When I first saw it at my daughter's book fair she said, "Oh Mom!  It's Mary Had A Little Lamp!"  She said this in that tone of voice that tells you it is ultra-cool and if you ask "What is that?" you are NOT cool!  So of course I just said, "Oh...COOL!" as she forced it into my hand.  I didn't complain since it was a half-price book fair.  I thumbed through it as I stood in line to pay for my little stack of books.  The pictures were fun and the words seemed sparse enough that even if I didn't like it I figured I could endure reading it multiple times. 

Well it turns out...I love it and tonight I used my Parent Powers.  My kids were all trying to pick out books and I could tell that none of them noticed Mary Had A Little Lamp sitting there.  I gently said, "Since I'm the Mom I say we have to read Mary Had A Little Lamp tonight.  Who wants to sit on my lap while I read it?"  Hehehe.  Then they fought over who GOT to sit on my lap to read it.  I love it when "Mom" tricks work in my favor!

Bob Staake is an incredible illustrator and the pictures are a joy to look at.  Jack Lechner did such an awesome job of turning this boring worn out children's song/rhyme into a comical journey of a girl and her lamp!  I love this so much I want to see a sequel...perhaps one where the lamp and toaster duke it out over Mary! (If you don't know what I'm talking about...go read it!)

The Best Pet of All

Soon becoming my newest favorite book is The Best Pet of All.  I found this little gem at a half price book fair and I love it!

David LaRochelle and Hanako Wakiyama have put together a very entertaining book.  It is such a cleverly written book that both kids and parents will enjoy this story.  The illustrations give this book a classic feeling and I love how the mom is shown doing a workout in the living room in the first picture.  It totally cracks me up.

If you want a little preview of the book here is a YouTube video of Reese Witherspoon reading the book.  If hearing it read doesn't convince you nothing will.  Enjoy!  Have a great week!

A Book of Sleep

The front cover is plenty eye catching but I didn't know if the rest of the book would be as cute.  Turns out, each page gets better from there.  My youngest is two and this is his favorite book.  There has been many an instance when one of his older siblings tried to choose this for their bedtime story and he had a real tantrum (the tantrum may be part of the terrible two's).  I love reading this to my kids because it is short and I really really love the pictures!  They are very unique.

Il Sung Na has put together an amazing book!  If you like this book as much as I do you'll be excited to know that she has another book coming out in September called BRRR A Book of Winter.  She will have some more images of this on her website soon.  Currently I'd rather read a book called HOT A Book of Summer seeing how it seems like we are still in winter where I'm at.  However, I'm sure by July I'll be counting down days for this next book.

I promise, you can't go wrong with this fantastic little bedtime story!  Enjoy!