Archive for Ages newborn – 3

More Storytime Favorites From Miss Megan

September 24, 2012 at 4:40 am · Filed under Events, Booksellers Diary, Ages newborn - 3 ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Summer’s an awesome time for our Wee Ones Storytime—we’ve got our usual suspects, plus a collection of older siblings home from school! It’s crowded on Friday mornings, which means we’ve got a great audience to tell us which books are the top choices of the two-and-under crowd. Here are a few that have been popular lately.

I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry; Dial Books (Penguin)

We follow a giant squid as he swims through the ocean, pointing out various other sea creatures. He’s bigger than the crab! He’s bigger than the shrimp! He’s bigger than the jellyfish! He’s even bigger than the shark! But, surprise, surprise—it turns out there’s one animal in the ocean bigger than our friend the squid. When a big whale gulps down our slimy protagonist, he’s a bit confused. But after taking in his new surroundings, he cheerily exclaims, “I’m the biggest thing in this whale!” I love to get kids involved with this one, yelling “BIG!” and stretching out their arms as wide as they can!

Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli; Candlewick Press

This one always get its fair share of chuckles. Each page displays something that’s either (you guessed it!) yummy or yucky.  At first, comparisons are pretty standard—soup vs. soap, Mommy’s cookies vs. Mommy’s coffee, etc. But the yucky things get progressively sillier (Sand! Boogers! Earwax!), until we end in a fit of giggles from kids and grownups alike. I like to make this read a little more interactive by doing thumbs up for yummy and thumbs down for yucky, or asking kids to shout out “yes!” or “no!” based on whether the food/item is yummy or yucky.

Happy Hippo, Angry Duck by Sandra Boynton; Simon & Schuster 

This quick read about feelings is one that I sometimes like to grab if the “meltdown memo” has gone out. (Have you noticed that if one child starts to cry, everyone else has to join in? Why is that? Are these kids using telekinesis to communicate without the grownups’ knowledge?!) Anyway, trusty kid-guru Sandra Boynton has paired various emotions with animals (and one undefinable “frazzled thing”) to create an adorable, silly little board book that’s just the right length to keep kids engaged.

I Kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy; Candlewick Press

Various animals talk about the baby and how they played with it, sang to it, tickled it, etc. This one provides a great opportunity to let loose with various animal sounds! Also, it starts out in black and white, and only gradually incorporates color, until when the baby duckling finally appears, we’ve got an explosion of bright colors as his mommy lays a giant kiss on his little head!

The More We Get Together by Caroline Church; Cartwheel Books (Scholastic)

This book is a simply illustrated version of the popular song, complete with adorable drawings of toddlers. It’s one of my favorites to use at the close of storytime, as we gently wind down towards our goodbye song. It’s also one that’s helpful to have within reach in case a ruckus breaks out. Issues with sharing? Sibling dispute? The perfect segue into this little story/song about friendship and being kind. Done and done.

Need more storytime suggestions? Check out my original list of favorites! Or join us for Wee Ones Storytime on Friday and Saturday mornings at 10:30 am!

Happy reading!

—Miss Megan

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Best Sellers of 2011!!

December 31, 2011 at 10:07 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6, Ages 6 - 8, Ages newborn - 3, Booksellers Diary ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Here is a rundown of the year’s best sellers in board book, picture books, and beginning readers!

Board Books

  • Hooray For Fish by Lucy Cousins
  • Is This My Nose by Georgie Birkett
  • Good Night Moon 60th Anniversary Edition by Margaret Wise Brown
  • ABC Board Book by Alison Jay
  • Good Night Washington DC by Adam Gamble

Picture Books

  • Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen
  • Madeline at the White House, by John Bemelmans Marciano
  • Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton
  • Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
  • Llama Llama Home With Mama by Anna Dewdney

Early Readers

  • Mercy Watson series by Kate Dicamillo
  • We Are in A Book  by Mo Willems
  • Nate the Great series by Marjorie Sharmat
  • Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems
  • Fly Guy vs The Flyswatter by Tedd Arnold

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Cristi’s Favorites of 2011

December 29, 2011 at 11:31 am · Filed under Adult fiction and non-fiction, Ages 3 - 6, Ages newborn - 3, Booksellers Diary ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cristi loves finding the perfect book for customers and will always go out of her way to make sure you’re happy with your purchase! She loved a lot of books that were published this year and had a hard time choosing just a few! These are the ones that really stood out for her:

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness; $28.95; Penguin Group; Adult Fiction

It’s a Little Book by Lane Smith; $7.99; Roaring Brook Press; ages 2+

The Man in the Moon by William Joyce; $17.99; Simon & Schuster; ages 3+

Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein; $19.99; HarperCollins; ages 8+

Goodnight Ipad: A Parody for the Next Generation by Ann Droyd; $14.95; Penguin Group; ages 5+

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Miss Megan Talks New(ish) Holiday Classics

December 2, 2011 at 8:13 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6, Ages 6 - 8, Ages 8 - 10, Ages newborn - 3, Booksellers Diary, Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Here at Hooray for Books, our holiday section has exploded into a vibrant display of red and green and silver and gold. It’s a great spot to stop awhile and browse! But if you’re in a rush, one of our friendly booksellers is more than happy to show you their “go-to” books for the season. And I, dear readers, am no different. There are certain books that I just love to hand sell during the holidays. Here are a few of my top picks!

One Starry Night, by Lauren Thompson, illus. by Jonathan Bean, Simon & Schuster, Ages 0-3

In the nighttime near Bethlehem, animal mamas take care of their little babies. A sheep nuzzles her lamb, a cat cares for her kitten, a dog watches over her pup, and in the stable, Mary and Joseph cradle their new baby. This is a simple, sweet little book to share with the smallest children. Jonathan Bean’s sketch-style illustrations, done in shades of brown, indigo, and black, are infused with dramatic light and shadow. The text is simple, sparing, and repetitive. This is a visually stunning book that is a great option for wiggly wee ones who aren’t quite ready for a wordier version of the Christmas story!

The 12 Days of Christmas, by Rachel Isadora, Penguin, Ages 3-6 

Rachel Isadora’s signature style turns to the holiday season, and what a treat it is! Transporting the carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to Africa, Isadora’s reinterpretation is full of life and color. Each two-page spread is dedicated to a different tradition as related to the song, while small boxes at the bottom of the page feature miniatures of the previous parts of the song. Isadora’s joyous, collage-style illustrations are beautifully textured and full of bright patterns that will catch young readers’ eyes. I especially enjoyed the author’s brief note at the end, which discusses some of her inspiration found in her travels in Africa. What a great twist on a traditional carol that incorporates practices from other parts of the world!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson, illus. by Laura Cornell, HarperCollins, Ages 4-9

On occasion, my family likes to quote Barbara Robinson’s infamous Herdman family from her novel The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Now, with illustrations by Laura Cornell, Robinson has adapted her classic story for a younger audience. I love the unexpected qualities of this story. Just try not to laugh out loud when little Gladys Herdman interprets the Angel of the Lord as a comic book character who shrieks, “Shazam!” But when Imogene, the rudest, bossiest, nastiest Herdman finally appears in the pageant as Mary, quiet and reverent and tearful, I defy any reader not to get emotional along with the awed church audience. Robinson’s story is edited here, but it keeps the requisite humor parents expect from the original. Cornell, who illustrated Is There Really a Human Race? and It’s Hard to Be Five, is the perfect artist to pair with this story. Her pictures are raucous, chaotic, and full of mischief–just like those terrible, wonderful Herdmans!

Great Joy, by Kate DiCamillo, illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline, Candlewick Press, Ages 4-9 

Frances can look outside her window and see the organ grinder and his little monkey. At night, she can hear their mournful music playing on when everyone else is warm and safe in bed. Frances wishes there were some way she could help the organ grinder, but it’s the Great Depression, and everyone is struggling, even at Christmas. But when she gets up onstage as the angel in the Christmas pageant, she finds the organ grinder in the audience, and suddenly she realizes that she’s had the words all along that are able to bring peace and joy in hard times. This book is absolutely beautiful. Kate DiCamillo’s first foray into picture books is accompanied by breathtaking art from Bagram Ibatoulline (The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane). It’s the glow of Ibatoulline’s illustrations that makes this book unforgettable. It’s warm and inviting and wistful–everything I want to see in a (new) holiday classic.

These are my favorite holiday releases from recent years! You can’t go wrong with any of these–there’s holiday cheer for everyone on your list!

Happy reading (and happy holidays!),

Miss Megan G.

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Need a little something extra with that holiday gift?

November 16, 2011 at 12:43 pm · Filed under Ages 3 - 6, Ages 6 - 8, Ages newborn - 3 ·Tagged , , , , , ,

The holiday season is quickly descending upon us all, whether we’re ready for it or not!  For shoppers wanting to get a bit more than a book for a holiday gift, we have some fantastic dolls and plush to match some of our most popular books!

We have a Corduroy bear to pair with the classic Don Freeman read, Corduroy, and he is just adorable! We have Peter Rabbit, Pat the Bunny, and the sweet bunny from Goodnight Moon, as well. Perfect, not only for the holidays, but for baby gifts, as well.

Angelina Ballerina, Madeline, Fancy Nancy, and Eloise are all wonderful choices for little girls and we have beautiful dolls by the Madame Alexander company, all set to match your book choice.

Elephant & Piggie, the stars of Mo Willems’ hilarious early reader series, now have their own plush characters to go with the silly stories. We have the Pigeon and Knuffle Bunny too!

We have lots of other book/plush pairs for your gifts! Stop in or call to see if we have the pair you’re looking for.

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Miss Megan’s Storytime Favorites

October 21, 2011 at 4:47 am · Filed under Ages newborn - 3, Booksellers Diary ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If you’ve ever walked through our front door on a Friday morning, you’ve experienced the delightful mayhem that is Wee Ones Storytime. Every week I’m amazed at the number of toddlers that manage to fit in the reading corner–and the amount of strollers in the aisles! It’s one of my favorite times of the week, and that’s saying a lot, since once upon a time, when I started doing storytimes, I was terrified of the responsibility that comes with keeping a crowd of two-and-unders entertained for a whole thirty minutes! Thankfully, though, I’ve discovered some tried and true books that little ones simply can’t resist. The following, in no particular order, are my absolute favorites to grab for an interactive storytime for infants through preschoolers.

Hooray for Fish, by Lucy Cousins, Candlewick Press

One of our all-time bestsellers at HFB! The fantastic thing about this book is that it grows with your wee one. For the smallest children, the large, vibrant illustrations are enough to keep them engaged. As they get older, though, the various concepts (counting, colors, emotions) will begin to take hold. A central character (Little Fish) describes his various “fishy friends,” and in so doing gently introduces the idea of storyline and narration without ever becoming wordy or overly descriptive.

Cows in the Kitchen, illustrated by Airlie Anderson, Child’s Play International

I was thrilled to find a version of this raucous story in print! I’ve found that stories that can be sung are usually an instant hit with the storytime crowd, and this title is no exception. Sung to the tune of “Skip to My Lou,” Cows in the Kitchen presents the conundrum of how to get a group of rowdy farm animals out of Tom Farmer’s house. This is one of my favorites to use when introducing animal sounds, since there’s a wide array here–pigs, goats, ducks, and of course the requisite cows.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, by Eileen Christelow, Houghton Mifflin Publishing

These five naughty monkeys are as popular as ever! This version by Eileen Christelow gives us a brief introduction and conclusion to the chant, rounding everything out into an inclusive story. I love to pull this one out when we’ve got excess energy to burn during Wee Ones Storytime. There’s nothing like turning the reading corner into a toddler mosh pit to get all the wiggles out!

Is This My Nose?, illustrated by  Georgie Birkett, Barron’s Educational Series

I don’t think this book is meant to be sung, but that hasn’t stopped me yet! I’ve freely adapted the text to fit the rhyme scheme of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and it’s become one that I use nearly every week. Each two-page spread is targeted at identifying a certain facial feature. Simple, colorful illustrations of children and animals aid in identifying eyes, nose, ears, chin, etc. This title is slightly larger than the typical board book, which is always an asset when trying to keep the back row engaged!

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, by Bob Shea, Hyperion Books

A book that gets little ones involved with vocalization and storytelling is a winner in my opinion. This is one of my newest favorites, and it’s possible that I have as much fun with it as the two-year-olds do. Our friend the dinosaur is an energetic little guy who likes to ROAR (cue the vocalization!) when he is confronted with various challenges. Dinosaur versus a pile of leaves! Dinosaur versus a big slide! Dinosaur versus a bowl of spaghetti! This prehistoric beast is sure he can conquer anything–until bedtime rolls around. This is a great title to use with wiggle worms who aren’t too thrilled with the prospect of saying goodnight.

Of course, I like to rotate my list of titles for Wee Ones Storytime, but these are the ones I simply couldn’t do without! Don’t be surprised if you consistently see books from this list making appearances on Friday mornings–sometimes I just can’t resist.

Happy reading!

Miss Megan (G.)

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A New Picture Book from Dr. Seuss!

October 14, 2011 at 11:43 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6, Ages newborn - 3, Poetry ·Tagged , , , , , ,

Yes, you heard that right! Foremost Seuss scholar (how’s that for a job title?) Charles D. Cohen has rescued seven stories that were previously published in magazines, and then discarded with that month’s issue. With some persistent sleuthing, Mr. Cohen dug up those stories and published them in a wonderful new volume, “The Bippolo Seed and other Lost Stories.”

We are certainly indebted to Mr. Cohen! Fans of Seuss will know to expect outlandish creatures, exuberant rhyme, funny adventures, and even a little food for thought. You’ll find all that and more in “Bippolo Seed.” The title story explores the nature of greed, “The Rabbit, the Bear, and the Zinniga-Zanniga” is a witty tale of brains versus brawn, and “Steak for Supper” is populated with Gritches and Grikkles and Nuppers galore. My personal favorite, “The Great Henry McBride,” encourages children to use their imaginations and not limit themselves to one answer to that ubiquitous question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s an inspiring message for adults and children alike.

This book is a fantastic find for Seuss fans of all ages, especially those of you who can’t stand the thought of yet another bedtime reading of “The Cat in the Hat!”

The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories; 15.00; Random House Books for Young Readers; Ages 4+

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New Read-aloud Alert: King Jack and the Dragon

September 12, 2011 at 11:19 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6, Ages newborn - 3 ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Students and teachers have gone back to school, sweaters are being pulled out of bottom drawers, and the pumpkin latte is back. Yep, it’s fall again! When the weather gets nippier, there’s nothing quite like snuggling up for a cozy storytime right before bed. My newest read-aloud favorite is King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bently, with illustrations by the incomparable Helen Oxenbury.

King Jack and his knights build an enormous fort in the backyard and do battle with the fearsome monsters threatening their domain! But as night falls, “giants” come to take Sirs Zack and Caspar to bed, and King Jack is left alone to guard his kingdom. As the shadows grow longer and deeper, our hero feels less and less daring. When his parents come to take him home,  King Jack is more than happy to snuggle up warm and safe in his bed.

The story is simple enough, but Bently uses whimsical rhyme to make his tale come to life. Helen Oxenbury’s much beloved signature style lends a classic feel to this new picture book. The imagination of Where the Wild Things Are is combined with the playful attitude of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt to create an entirely new adventure that will be beloved by generations to come!

King Jack and the Dragon, by Peter Bently, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. Penguin Books, published August 2011.

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Hooray for Valentine’s Day Books!

January 27, 2011 at 12:54 pm · Filed under Ages 3 - 6, Ages newborn - 3 ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We Love Books about Love!

Be sure to check out these special Valentine’s Day books before February 14th!

Peek-A-Love by Salina Yoon

This sweet lift-the-flap board book explores love with bright, bold colors and simple words. Each page shows little ones what different animals hold as the objects of their affection. For bees, it’s flowers, for fish, it’s bubbles and for mamas, it’s their little ones! The last page even has a spot for moms to insert their own little one’s face!

Peek -A-Love by Salina Yoon; Little Simon, Ages 0-2, $6.99

Twosomes: Love Poems from The Animal Kingdom by Marilyn Singer

Ever wonder how a squirrel tells their sweetheart they love them? What about an elephant? In this lyrical book of love poems Marilyn Singer takes her best guess! With adorable illustrations and clever, witty, puns, this book is the perfect gift for any child, adult, or furry friend!

Twosomes: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom by Marilyn Singer; Alfred A. Knopf Books; All Ages! $7.99

Valentine Zoo

Love is in the air at the zoo on this Valentine’s Day! An elephant proposes, two love monkeys go on a date and a lion receives a bouquet of flowers in this charming board book! Also check out the musical surprise at the end of the story!

Valentine Zoo; Priddy books, ages 3-6, $9.95

Happy Valentine’s Day Curious George!

Celebrate Valentines Day with one of the most famous monkeys around in this lift-the-flap book, George holds a Valentine’s Day party complete with decorations, cookies, and card-making! However, the real fun begins when George discovers a curious box that he finds very intriguing…

Happy Valentine’s Day Curious George! by N. Di Angelo, Houghton Mifflin Publishing, ages 3-6; $8.99

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Who Am I? by Salina Yoon Offers a New Twist to “Flap” Books

January 15, 2011 at 2:45 pm · Filed under Ages newborn - 3 ·Tagged , , , , ,

Who Am I? by Salina Yoon; 3-6; 2011; Scholastic; $8.99

For those who love lift-the-flap books, here’s something new: Salina Yoon’s Who Am I? with pull tabs. Each page contains a silhouette of a sea creature with accompanying text, ending with the question “Who am I?” Pull the tab to reveal the creature: whale, seahorse, crab. The bright, vibrant illustrations and sturdy pull tabs will engage little ones whose hands may not be quite so gentle on regular paper pages or lift-the-flaps. Toddlers will delight in guessing and revealing the sea creatures again and again. Perfect for reading at home or bringing in the car or outings. For ages 1-3.

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