Knick Knack Paddy Whack by Steve Songs

Title: Knick Knack Paddy Whack

Author: Steve Songs

Illustrator: Christiane Engel

Reading Level: Baby - Preschool

Hardcover: 24 pages

Publisher: Barefoot Books

This old man, he played one,  

He played knick knack on his drum

With a knick knack paddy whack 

give the dog a bone

this old man came rolling home.

Here comes a wonderful picture book with colorful illustrations of children parading with different musical instruments to the popular nursery rhyme "Knick knack paddy whack". Starting out with the old man playing a drum and one child, each page adds one more child (with a different instrument) leading up to ten children in the last page. The verses are slightly altered to make it more fun and appealing to the children like the old man plays "seven" by the "oven" while kids are waiting on the table for the pizza in the oven. And the children "ate" pizza as the old man played "eight" and so on. And, there is a cute little dog chasing or chewing or snatching a bone on every page to make it more interesting for the toddlers. 

My daughter loves this book ever since I read (actually, sang) it to her and she won't put it down unless she has looked at it at least a couple of times. Even though she finds it a little hard to differentiate between a saxophone, a clarinet and a trombone, she loves to look at the different musical instruments and has so much fun figuring out what is what. The illustrations are so captivating that it doesn't come as a big surprise when my little one wants to look at it over and over again. 

Though I love the book, I was a little disappointed with the CD that accompanies it. It has only 3 songs (or two?) by Steve Songs and pretty much nothing else. Anyway, if you have been singing this nursery rhyme to your baby, this book would be a great addition to their library.

My Rating: 4/5

Penguins by Liz Pichon

Title: Penguins
Author: Liz Pichon
Reading Level: 4 - 8
Hardcover: 24 pages
Publisher: Orchard Books

What do a group of penguins at the zoo do all day? As soon as they wake up, they go for a swim and splish and splash. They eat fish. Look at people. Look at more people. Sleep standing up. And, on rainy days they pretty much do nothing. Their days are quite monotonous until one day a little girl drops a camera into their pen. A baby penguin straddles up to the camera and pokes and pecks at it, despite his mothers pleas. But, its only a camera. The penguins have loads of fun playing, poking and taking pictures with it. Its just plain hilarious the way they pose for the camera and when they run out of film, they put it back to be reclaimed by the zookeeper. 

My daughter is totally crazy about penguins (or "pingu" as we call it). That's probably an understatement. She lugs around her pingu (plush toy) everywhere she goes and eats and sleeps with it. She learned to say "piiiii" (for pingu) even before she said mom or dad. (No hard feelings there...) And I always keep an eye out for any penguin related books whenever I go to a library or a bookstore. For some reason, it was hard for me to find a book just about penguins (Of course, we have books with pictures of penguins here and there) and when I found this book perched upon a bookshelf at borders, I almost squealed in delight. There is not just one penguin to look at, but lots and lots of them on EVERY page. I knew she would love it and oh, boy was I right. 

This has been one of her most favorite books and god only knows how many times we would have read this so far. She especially loves the "Viewfinder" page where a small square hole is cut out like the camera lens and when she gets to see penguins through it, she squeals "piii... piii...". The pictures taken by the penguin (attached to the last page of the book) is an additional treat to her!! She loves looking at them and insists on having names for each penguin like mommy pingu, daddy pingu, baby pingu and so on. And, its so cute to watch her posing for a penguin (that looks up at her with a camera in his hand) with a great big smile. If you have a little one who is crazy about penguins, this is a must-have book!!

My Rating: 5/5

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

Title: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Author: Mo Willems

Reading Level: Baby - Preschool

Hardcover: 40 pages

Publisher: Hyperion Press

A Caldecott Honor Book.

Speaking of Caldecott Honor Books reminded me of this book we first heard about in a story time session at the local library. Of all the books the librarian read that day, this one had a huge impact with the kids. You know why? Because, its one book you can say "NO" to :) Even though I loved this book and could hardly wait to introduce it to my toddler, I was just biding my time.

DD is about 21 months old now and is going through an exciting developmental stage fondly referred to as "Terrible Twos". The hallmark of this stage is oppositional behavior, a necessary emotional development every toddler must go through. During this period of "First Adolescence" (as Dr.Greene refers it), a toddler likes to assert her independence and control by making choices of their own, even if that choice comes at the price of opposing you. Nowadays, my daughter has an irresistible urge to do EXACTLY the opposite of what I say. And, her most favorite word these days is a simple "NO". She likes to assert her independence in whatever way possible. Mostly, she whimpers and whines to get her way. Once in a while, we are struck by tornadoes too. Since every other word out of her mouth is a resounding "NO", I knew the time has finally come to read this book to her. You will soon find out why ...

OK, Now about the book.. A bus driver introduces himself saying he needs to leave for a while and asks the readers to watch things for him until he gets back. He adds "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus". Well, that's easy. Isn't it? If only you knew what the pigeon is capable of :) The sweet little bird arrives politely asking the readers "Hey, Can I drive the bus?" to which my daughter grins and responds "NO". He tries every little tactics he knew from cajoling ("Please?") to whining ("I never get to do anything"), from being creative("Let's play drive the bus. I'll go first") to wheedling("C'mon! Just once around the block!), even bribing ("How about I give you five bucks?"), tricky ("I bet your mom would let me"). Frustrated with my daughters "NO"s, he attempts one major tantrum at the end which didn't work out either. The bus driver gets back by now and thanks the readers for not letting the pigeon drive the bus and he is off. But, our hero pigeon is relentless. Isn't he? He sees a big red truck and starts fantasizing about driving it...

She is all smiles when I read it to her and loves the fact that she gets to say "NO" to the pigeon. But, other than that I am not sure how well she could relate herself to the pigeon (I guess she is still young for that). But, I get a big kick out of this book too and I laugh out loud every time I read it. The illustrations are remarkable and wordings are hysterically funny. Its just amazing to see how beautifully the author brings out the expressions of the bird with just a few crayons. This book is a keeper, folks. Don't miss it!

My Rating: 5/5

Caldecott Honor Books 2009

Lift-the-Flap Books by Karen Katz

Title: Where is Baby's Mommy?

Author/Illustrator: Karen Katz

Reading Level: Baby - Preschool

Board Books: 14 pages

Publisher: Little Simon

Karen Katz books are just awesome! We have several of them both from library and our own copies that we go back to again and again! I guess I started reading these board books to my daughter when she was about 9 months old and even after a year, its still her favorite. I have mentioned only a few here, but please do check out other board books by Katz as well.

In "Where is Baby's Mommy?" a toddler baby goes around the house trying to find mommy behind the curtain, under the table, behind a plant and so on until he finds her all snuggled up under the blanket. DD loves lift-the-flap books and has loads of fun playing peek-a-boo with mommy. In addition to that, there are cats, teddy bear and balls to find under the flap which it makes more interesting for her.

"Where is Baby's Belly Button?" is another delightful book by Katz that teaches them body parts like eyes, ears, nose and belly button (dd's favorite). The beauty of these books lies in the many illustrations and my daughter just adores them. But, my only qualm about these lift-the-flap books is that they rip off pretty easily (I had to glue several of them back) and I wish the flaps were a little more stronger. Nevertheless, its a great book to share with your toddler!

My Rating: 4/5

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen

Title:How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?

Author: Jane Yolen

Illustrator: Mark Teague

Reading Level: Baby - Preschool

Hardcover: 40 pages

Publisher: Scholastic

It all began when Bonnie Verburg, the editor at scholastic, called Jane Yolen saying "My little boy hates going to bed at night and loves dinosaurs. Can you write something for him?". Jane who had gone so far to embroider dinosaur pillows for her kids understood her predicament. Over a period of two years and after so many revisions, the book finally took shape and as they say, the rest is history.. Having won numerous prestigious awards and published in several languages including Korean, Dutch, Chinese, Brazilian, French, Spanish, and Hebrew, it is probably only a runner-up to "GoodNight Moon" as a popular bedtime book.

With all the toys strewn on the floor, a dinosaur is sitting on the bed clutching his favorite teddy bear and a blankie. He doesn't even remotely look like he is ready for bed yet. When mommy comes to turn off the light, how does he say goodnight? Does a dinosaur slam his tail and pout? Does he throw his teddy bear all about? Does he stomp or roar or fall on the top of his covers and cry? Does he sulk, sigh, mope or moan? When I looked at the intriguing cover on the book, I was as curious as my daughter to find out.

I've checked this book out from library so many times before, but my daughter never took interest in it until recently. Like I said before, she is skeptical about trying new books and finds comfort in books she has seen over and over (which is understandable for a toddler) until one day she took it off the shelf herself and wanted me to read it to her. Now, it has become our favorite bedtime book ever! She loves the dinosaurs and the huge eye-catching illustrations speaks volumes. If you choose to buy it, please go for the picture book version (Not the board book) as the huge illustrations make it more appealing. I guess what makes it more interesting is that there is a different dinosaur with either mommy or daddy appearing on each page. Its so cute to watch her cuddling her little bear and saying "noooooo" by wagging one finger at the dinosaur who is throwing his teddy up in the air. We have loads of fun playing "I spy a dinosaur who is..." with the playful dinosaur pictures on the inner flap of the book and We always end up reading it twice!!

Every kid throws tantrums before bedtime from time to time. My little one is pretty consistent with her bedtime routine. But, once in a while she could drive me up the wall. And, I need to remind myself that she is just a kid after all. The transition between reading a story book and lights out has always been the most difficult thing for us. No matter how many books we read, she always cries for "Just One more Book!!". Since its the last thing we do every night, I am not sure if she is really crying for a book or wanting me not to turn off the light, as she knows what's coming up next :) Anyway, last night when she wailed after I turned off the lights, I asked her what a dinosaur would do and if he would cry and moan like her. It was a pleasant shock that she stopped crying instantly and encouraged me to go on with the dinosaur story. Having stopped a tantrum in no time, I proceeded to tell her how dinosaurs are sweet little creatures who don't make a fuss about going to bed at night. Before we knew, she was tucked in bed and soon fell asleep. Not sure if the dinosaur magic will work every time, but its worth a try :)

My Rating: 5/5

Splish Splash, Baby Bundt by Jamie Harper

Title: Splish Splash, Baby Bundt

Author: Jamie Harper

Reading Level: Baby - Preschool

Board Book: 24 pages

Publisher: Candlewick

Need a recipe for a clean sparkling baby just before bedtime? Look no further. This amusing little board book will tell you how. It begins with a list of ingredients like 1/4 cup of bubble bath, soap, hand mitt, plenty of toys, rubber ducks, towel, powder, sprinkles and so on... And, of course you need a sticky baby. Now, Baby Bundt's big sister helps him with his bath, as they have fun scooping bubbles, floating rubber ducks and fishing toys. Remove the baby when he is all wrinkly, pat him dry and add some sparkles to his pajamas and there you have it. A sparkling baby bundt!!

With the amusing, playful watercolor illustrations, this board book is one of my dd's favorite bath time books. Before we read this book, she runs around the house picking up her doll, a scarf and a rubber duck. She pretends that her doll is sticky, then picks up the scarf, scrunch it all up and scrub the doll from head to toe. The doll happily plays with the rubber ducky and eats scoops of bubbles she offers. When its all over, she adds some imaginary sprinkles and powder. Voila! That's one pretty sparkling doll everyone would love to play with. DD and I always like to read it either just before or right after bath time. She loves to add sprinkles on the pajamas and pretends to scoop up soap bubbles and eat it like an ice cream. This board book will delight your toddlers to no end with its cutesy little pictures!

My Rating: 4/5

Freight Train by Donald Crews

Title: Freight Train

Author: Donald Crews

Reading Level: 1 - 5

Board Book: 26 pages

Publisher: Harper Festival

A Caldecott Honor Book.

A freight train with colored box cars runs up the track bellowing smoke as it chugs along. Every page reveals a portion of the freight train from the black tender to the orange box car all the way to the red caboose at the end. The train goes by cities, crossing trestles and moving through night and day. For a visual effect, the freight train blurs as it gathers speed and finally it disappears from the book altogether!

My daughter loves this book and she brings out her musical caboose when I read it aloud. With the caboose singing in the background, the freight train takes us on an exciting journey through the beautifully illustrated pages. And, its a great way to introduce colors to your toddlers, especially if they are obsessed with trains.

My Rating: 4/5

Duck & Goose Board Books by Tad Hills

Title: What's Up, Duck?
Author: Tad Hills
Reading Level: Baby - Preschool

Board Book: 22 pages
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade

I'm not sure if there is any board book out there that teaches the concept of opposites better than our beloved duck and goose.

As you can deduce from the cover itself where the duck looks UP and the goose looks DOWN, the book is laden with amusing pictures of duck, goose and thistle bird teaching opposites like fast/slow, near/far, asleep/awake, heavy/light, clean/dirty, happy/sad and so on.

A Duck stands NEAR by whereas a goose stands FAR back. (My little one demonstrates her understanding by pushing the book farther to the end of the bed and pulling it closer in one swift motion. Of course, I showed her the first time).

The goose looks neat and CLEAN while the duck stands smudged with mud all over and DIRTY. (Here, She looks up at me wrinkling her nose and pretends bathing the duck with an imaginary soap in her hand).

Now, the Duck is happily quacking away LOUDly while the Goose is WHISPERing a secret in bird's ears. (She hunches her shoulder even before I bend down to whisper in her ears and bursts into giggles when I do so)

A HAPPY Duck vs a SAD Goose (She is very upset by now and we linger on this page for a while. She pretends to feed the goose in order to make him happy!)

Well, I could go on and on about this book. But, I guess you get the idea. This is one terrific book every child should have. Please, go buy yourself a copy!

My Rating: 5/5



This is yet another board book in the "Duck & Goose" series by Tad Hills that's highly recommended! Two ducks, a goose and a bluebird teach numbers this time. My daughter simply adores this book. Especially the page that is completely black but for the 8 eyes that pop out. She will keep saying "Eyes, Eyes, Eyes" until she finds that page by herself and then goes hysterically laughing at it for a while. Sometimes, its the ONLY page she will look at. I guess she derives her satisfaction of reading it just from this page alone!

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox

Title: Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

Author: Mem Fox

Illustrator: Helen Oxenbury

Reading Level: Baby - Preschool

Hardcover: 40 pages

Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books

This is a wonderful picture book that celebrates babies from everywhere with beautiful pictures and simple, but elegant words. No matter where you are born and what your ethnicity is, you have ten little fingers and ten little toes. And, Who wouldn't love those chubby, squishy fingers and toes that babies are born with?

There was one little baby who was born far away

And another who was born on the very next day

And both of these babies, as everyone knows,

had ten little fingers and ten little toes.

I don't know if my daughter truly comprehends the meaning of it, but she is completely mesmerized looking at all the beautiful babies from around the world. There are sick babies, tall, short and plump babies, asian babies, city and village babies, black and white babies. My daughter is particularly drawn to the pictures of a sick baby holding a hot water bottle and hanky. [No big surprise there. Whatever book we choose to read, one thing that almost always draws her attention is either a sad goose or a cry baby or an injured puppy or someone in need of help] She pretends wiping off the sick baby's nose with a piece of cloth and her kind-heartedness just amazes me. 

In addition to the beautiful babies, there are animals like penguin (her favorite), chickens, sheep, dog and ducks to look at as well. If your little one is old enough to count, you can also teach them how to count their fingers and toes. We always finish off the book with three little kisses on her nose just like the mommy & baby in the book. 

One last thing I wanted to mention is how captivating the illustrations are. The watercolor shades are soft, subtle and pleasing to the eye. And the babies are sweet, chubby and so cute they hold her attention all the way to the end. 

And, Oh don't forget to play "This little piggy" for additional fun :)

My Rating: 4.5/5

Boing! by Nick Bruel

Title: Boing!

Author: Nick Bruel

Reading Level: Ages 4 - 7

Hardcover: 32 pages

Publication: Roaring Brook Press

Mama Kangaroo teaches her young one how to jump in this delightful picture book "Boing!". When Joey failed to mimic Mama, his friends Grasshopper, Rabbit and Frog come to aid and cheer him with their leaps and encouraging words like "You can do it!" or "It's easy" or "Your turn". Despite their positive words, Joey could only manage a weak "bloomp" or a "blop". When All else fails, the Koala bear, a quite observer on the tree climbs down to unravel the mystery. He asks Joey to reveal the contents of his pocket and then to empty it. Hordes of stuff like a sock, toy dinosaur, piggy bank, buttons, candy bars, marbles and rock come tumbling out of his pocket. With the assorted belongings strewn on the ground, Joey finally manages to leap to Mama with a big Booooinnnnggg!!!

This is a beautifully illustrated book with watercolor paintings and a little text on every page. And, the huge pop-up at the end of the book adds a pleasant surprise to it. This book is not quite age-appropriate for my daughter, but we just look at the pictures and she loves to hear the "Boing", "Bloomp" and "Blop"s on each page. Its cute to watch how her expression changes from one page to the next. She does look visibly upset each time Joey makes a futile attempt and points her finger at him (as if to encourage him) whenever she hears "You can do it" or "Your turn". She likes to point out Joey's possessions, piggy bank and doll being her favorites, as she waits in anticipation if Joey could really manage the feat. And, the happy smile that adorns her face in response to Joey's joyous leap at the end is just priceless!! We always end up cuddling after this book, just like Mama and Joey.

One warning - This is not a bedtime book though. Joey could nudge your little one to leap and bounce on the bed (just like my daughter), so reserve it for a morning or an after-nap read :)

My Rating: 4/5

Hello Munchkins

To market, To market, to buy a new book

Home again, Home again, jiggity joog...

To market, To market, to buy a big drum

Home again, Home again, jiggity jum...

To market, To market, to buy a thin fiddle

Home again, Home again, jiggity jiggle...

OK. That's not how it goes.. But, Who cares? I place my little one on the lap, singing the above song, making up my own verses as I go. She cranes her neck, anticipating the fall between my lap anytime, her sparkling eyes enticing me to go faster and faster.. until we both end up on the floor, roaring with laughter..we could go no more...

Books, Rhymes and Music are an integral part of our lives and my daughter takes to it like a bee to a honey. A lot of repetition and a little bit of creativity is all you need to make it fun. She likes to read her favorite books over and over, her favorite music played over and over. She is a little skeptical about trying new books, unless there is a kitty on the cover :) But, once she likes it, there is no putting back.. I discovered that it took a lot more tries than I imagined to introduce a new book. But, I always take her cues when it comes to reading, never push her even if its a good old classic must read. After all, its the experience you derive from reading that counts, not exactly the reading material.

I've been toying with the idea of launching a blog catering to parents with curious little readers out there. And the more I think about it, the more I feel excited. Board books, picture books, musical books, pop-up books you name it. This blog will serve as a repository of some wonderful children's books and memories I share with my little princess everyday. I can't wait to get started!!

Happy Reading, Everyone...