Stay Awake, Sally

Stay Awake, Sally by Mitra Modarressi immediately appealed to me and charmed my daughter, too. As parents, we face the ongoing battle of the nightly bedtime routine. Occasionally a child is actually tired enough to fully cooperate, but usually they would love to extend bedtime as much as possible (one more story, one more drink of water, etc.). In this book the tables have turned: Sally desperately wants to gather her teddy bears, take a bath, brush her teeth, have one story and go to bed, but her parents repeatedly beg her to stay awake longer. They provide one enticement after another -- dancing, baking cookies, playing games, and more -- in attempt to coerce Sally to stay up and play with them. This reversal of perspectives provides humor to both parents and children. The text is very rhythmic and fun to read. The illustrations are done in warm colors and easily bring to life Sally's resistance and her parents' fun-loving attitude.

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli is a treasure of a book. Mr. Hatch lives a solitary and repetitive existence, completing the same blah routine daily and having no meaningful connections with other people. One day he unexpectedly receives a huge heart box filled with candy and the note "Somebody Loves You." Subsequently, Mr. Hatch becomes a markedly different person: reaching out to others, helping others in need, and doing little things to bring joy to others (like baking brownies for the entire neighborhood). His entire countenance is different, and those around him are delighted.

In time, the mail carrier returns and sadly admits that the heart box was delivered to Mr. Hatch by mistake. Mr. Hatch is understandably disappointed and heartbroken and, feeling that his transformation was empty because no one loved him after all, he returns to his old blah self and his old routine.

In the end, the people whose lives he touched recognize that they love him and decide to show him in a major way. So somebody does love Mr. Hatch after all.

I think we can all relate to Mr. Hatch on some level, and this book has so many wonderful aspects that it's hard to know where to begin describing them. My favorite, though, is that one act of love tends to lead to another and also tends to give one a sense of purpose, of lightness, of connection with others that warms the heart and soul.

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

This classic tale is an Aesop's Fable, but has been re-told and re-illustrated countless times over the years. I haven't read this Jan Brett version, but my copy is so old that I can't even find an image of it online. I fondly remember the story from my childhood, and my daughter asks to read it repeatedly. If you're not familiar with it, basically a country mouse is visited by her cousin, a town mouse, who proceeds to turn his nose up at her simple home and food. He then invites her to join him in the city and have a taste for his lifestyle. However, upon making the trip all sorts of dangers and frustrations occur, causing the country mouse to realize that she really prefers her simple country life after all. This timeless story is a great reminder that what we already have may be what we truly want most of all.

Series: The Berenstein Bears

It's likely that most everyone has heard of the Berenstein Bears. I grew up reading these books. Honestly, when I began looking for books for my daughter I assumed that these books would be completely outdated, but they cover such ageless challenges of childhood and my daughter immediately loved them. When we buy or check out a Berenstein Bears book from the library, we typically read it several times daily thereafter because she enjoys them so much. The family provides a great example of loving each other, having strong values and doing their best although they are definitely not perfect.

One great advantage to this series is that it's a great resource when your child is dealing with a specific problem. We recently moved, so we read the book about the Berenstein Bears moving to their treehouse. Whether it's a school bully, going to the doctor or dentist, problems with siblings or friends, a messy room, too much TV, a vacation gone wrong, a new baby in the family, stage fright, or illness, this series has you covered. Seeing how Brother or Sister Bear handles a problem may help your child cope better.

Animal Crackers

Animal Crackers by Jane Dyer is one of my favorite collections of nursery rhymes. Really, it contains more than just traditional nursery rhymes and is divided into sections like food, classic nursery rhymes, bedtime poems, seasonal pieces, and more. The illustrations are warm and idealistic without being overly cutesy. This collection would appeal to a girl or a boy. My daughter could sit and listen to this for a long time, although she usually picks out her favorites to be read rather than reading the entire book. Some poems and song lyrics from around the world are also included, so this collection is a good mix of well-known pieces and ones that were new to me.

Good Thing You're Not an Octopus!

Good Thing You're Not an Octopus!, written by Julie Menkes and illustrated by Maggie Smith, is ideal for a young child who fusses at every bath, nap, and mealtime. The little boy in the book doesn't want to get dressed, so he is reminded that if he were an octopus, he'd have eight legs to put in his pants instead of just two. The book goes through similar logic with mealtime, getting into his car seat, naptime, bathtime, brushing his teeth, and so on. It's a fun way to help kids think differently about all their daily routines and the parent can then remind them of the book later in the day when one of those routines is being refused.

Sometimes I LIke to Curl up in a Ball

Sometimes I Like to Curl up in a Ball is a board book by Vicky Churchill and illustrated by Charles Fuge. Little Wombat is a roly-poly character who likes to do all sorts of things: play in the mud, try to stand as tall as a tree, race with his friends, and so on. But at the end of the day, he just wants to go home to his mommy or daddy and curl up in a ball in a comfy place and go to sleep. This book is ideal for little ones from about 1-3 years old. They will especially enjoy one page spread where you flip the book to a vertical orientation and another where Little Wombat makes silly faces and you can turn the book all the way around to see them all. The illustrations communicate the warmth and spunk of Little Wombat's personality.

There are a couple other books featuring Little Wombat, but this one is our favorite by far.