Books for Children

Fairy tales are very popular in our house. I'm not sure why, but my 4-year-old son is really into them. Maybe it's the timeless stories, or perhaps it's the element of fantasy involved (he's an imaginative little boy), but regardless of the reason, he's very drawn to them. For that reason, The Barefoot Book of Fairy Tales has been getting a lot of mileage with us.

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Some of the best loved books in our house are those published by Barefoot Books. Founded by mompreneurs in the UK in the 1990s, Barefoot Books has become a successful childrens' book publisher through a winning formula of great stories accompanied by beautiful art and illustrations. Many of their books, like Whole World pictured above, come with sing-along or read-along CDs, many narrated by well known award-winning actors. Stories presented in Barefoot Books are both timeless and timely, and include tales from a variety of the world's cultures.

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To get into the spirit of Halloween, my kids and I recently checked out a bunch of spooky books from the library. My kids always look forward to going to the library on Wednesday for reading time and the chance to check out some new tales and fun stories of the coming season. I have to admit that I have also been having fun myself reading all the scary and not-so-scary tales of Halloween. My 4 year old and 20 month old have really enjoyed the following books:

Pumpkin Moon by Tim Preston

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Books, books, books! I have always loved to read books, especially when I was a kid. The sense of adventure and thrill of discovering a new story was always exciting. My son has also found the love of reading, so we were both excited when we discovered Barefoot Books. We instantly fell in love with their interesting and unique books. Barefoot's award-winning books capture your attention immediately, with their colorful and whimsical artwork. Some of the books include audio CDs, so your child can read and sing along with the stories. Some of the popular titles include African Playground, Alligator Alphabet, Animal Boogie, Dragon on the Doorstep, and my son’s favorite, Walking through the Jungle. To find out more about all their books and to purchase them online, go to www.barefootbooks.com.

Now that summer’s around the corner and school is almost over, I like to plan out different and funs things to do with my kids. Last summer, we discovered the reading game program at the South Novato Library, which my son loved being a part of. Participants were awarded prizes based on the number of books they read. This year the Marin County Public Library will be sponsoring the “Get a Clue!” reading program starting in June. Check with your local library for details.

Here are a few selections from the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2007 Children’s Notable Book recommendations. Visit their website for more reading suggestions.

Armstrong, Jennifer. Once Upon a Banana
A runaway monkey discards a banana peel, setting in motion a hilarious sequence of events in this nearly wordless picture book, punctuated by a series of rhyming street signs.

Bachelet, Gilles. My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World
This silly cat doesn’t always act like other cats.  Could that possibly mean it’s not really a cat?  That's the question in a picture book that will have readers giggling.

Chodos-Irvine, Margaret. Best Best Friends
Two best friends have a fight that separates them--no more hugs, no more sharing toys until the fight is over.  Preschoolers will see themselves in this loving story.

Newman, Jeff. Hippo! No, Rhino!
An absent-minded zoo keeper places the Hippo sign in front of the rhino’s enclosure.  Ignorant visitors mistake the rhino for a hippo even though the youngest reader can plainly see the truth, and say, “No, rhino!”

Pinkney, Jerry. The Little Red Hen
Oh joy of joys! There is yummy bread to be made, but who will help the little red hen?  

Shannon, David. Good Boy, Fergus!
Shannon humorously portrays the daily antics of Fergus, a West Highland terrier, who gets into all kinds of trouble, but is always a “good boy.”

For a links to Marin library websites, check our resources directory.

My kids love to grab all the magazines and catalogues that come in the mail, especially the ones that include toys. I decided to look into kids’ magazines in hopes of finding one that my 3-year-old would not only like but also learn from. I came across quite a few different titles, and ended up choosing two different magazines that I thought he would enjoy. Preschool Playroom is for ages 2 to 6 years, and includes all their favorite characters from PBS Kids and Playhouse Disney, including Curious George, Bob the Builder, and Caillou, and the Wiggles. It is a learning magazine that offers activities like mazes, counting projects, letter recognition, coloring pages, and, of course, stories, with the added bonus of their favorite characters from morning TV helping them learn.

The other magazine that I choose was Your Big Backyard, which is for children aged 3 to 7. It’s a wildlife-themed publication that’s filled with fun activities, seasonal crafts, recipes, simple stories, and wild animals that my kids love. This magazine exposes preschoolers to nature and gets them ready to read. It’s published by the National Wildlife Federation, which also puts out Ranger Rick (for older kids ages 7+), as well as another publication aimed at toddlers and preschoolers called Wild Animal Baby.

I also just recently learned that the Highlights magazine—you probably remember it from every pediatrician’s office visit when you were young--now has something called Highlights Highfive magazine, intended for children ages 2 to 6. This new magazine for toddlers aims to promote children's development while letting them have fun at the same time. Based on sound educational principles and child-development theories, Highfive, like the other magazines mentioned, includes read-aloud stories as well as age-appropriate puzzles and activities.

When I was about 8 years old, my aunt sent me a personalized book with my name featured throughout the story. It’s one of those memories that has always stuck with me. I found the book to be magical because it was about me. I See Me!, Inc. is a personalized children’s gifts online store that offers these types of books individually or as a gift set. Their personalized children’s books include “My Very Own Name” and “My Very Own Fairy Tale”. Their gift sets include My Very Own Name storybook, a My Very Own Animal t-shirt embroidered with the letter of your choice from A to Z, and Kirby the Frog all wrapped in a beautiful gift box. The fairy tale gift set also includes the personalized storybook, My Very Own Fairy Tale, and a tiara like the one in the book, all wrapped together with a pink satin bow in a designer box. These books and gift sets make the perfect keepsake for baby gifts, Birthdays or holidays. The books are for newborn and children through age 12.

Ever notice how many things you loved as a child turn out to be, well, not as wonderful as you remembered? I fondly remember the Frog and Toad series of books by Arnold Lobel from when I was little. I recently checked out a few of them, including Frog and Toad are Friends and Frog and Toad Together from the library for my son. The good news is that they're just as wonderful as I remember, and the kids love them too. Wonderful illustrations; funny, simple stories; and the lovable characters of Frog and Toad are a winning combination. Check out our Bookshelf for more information on the Frog and Toad books.