Find Early Reader Books That Are Like The Velveteen Rabbit
. . . loved until the fuzz (and bindings, and cover-corners, and page edges) wear off smile
Dinosaur Roar ! Get your dramatic voice! The adjectives describing each cartoon-drawn, mega-lizard warrant creative presentation. (Better, call the kids first. Otherwise you might look silly 🙂
Now you are ready for one of the best early reader books that is short enough for nap time but still a lot of fun.
Get fingers involved – We always did. Though this is not officially a look and feel book. I poked the point of a scaly tail all the time. When I forgot the tail routine one day, my little lap-sitter added the “Ouch!”. He thought it was part of the text.
“poked” (in the story above) is purposely, past tense. My youngest is 7. Our dino-days are pretty long gone : (
God’s World And Johnny – One of the Early Reader Books For Crazy Days and Take – Alongs.
This book is so innocent and simple. Beware of crying. It is put out by the Mennonites (plain people like the Amish but they drive cars – among other things).
I’ve read this book on days when I needed to soak in its orderliness. On such days in your house, find this book. Just don’t flop onto the couch. You may have missed a lego. Ouch!
Stretch out in the grass instead. You may have biting ants in place of pointy building blocks. Still, you will feel better. At least, the ants are not the fault of your housekeeping : )
Chapters = a good take along book. Each one stands alone so you can just pick story. When hubby runs into the store and you have already played eye-spy with the kiddos while you wait in the parking lot – send someone diving under the seats to pull up God’s World and Johnny.
Cars And Trucks And Things That Go! One of the few Early Reader Books You Should Avoid at Bedtime.
Do not read this book right before bed. While you are too tired to notice stall tactics, your children can drag this out for hours. I did, when I was a kid!
All of Richard Scary’s books are zanie, animal cartoon adventures. They have more funny charcaters, pictures and one-page-one-word-bubble funnies than plot. There is still enough of a thread through the whole thing to make you try to get to the end.
The obstacle on the way to the last page? All the intricate illustrations. Hundreds of cartoons! each with a funny quip about every crashing car, falling ton of bricks, and combine gone crazy in a corn field.
Your giggling kids start pointing. You start turning the book sideways to read the captions – Soon it’s way past bedtime!
Our copy of Cars and Trucks and Things That Go is in a sad pile of pieces on a top shelf. It is irreplaceable. The front is inscribed with a Christmas greeting to my children from a dear friend. I plan on repairing often it and think about dusting it – less frequently : )
Whose Toes Are Those – A board book for Naptime, LapTime and Library Day
If you visit our library the board books are in cubicles right at the front of the children’s section. No one bothers to put them in any kind of order. Our librarians are smart. The books wouldn’t stay put anyway.
You can always find this book on the top shelf. The cover is so cute, you will have to pick it up.
It could be just me. Almost periwinkle (the cover background) is a favorite color. Buut. . .that would not explain this book living on the top shelf. (That is where the Mommy-favorites end up since the kids can only reach the bottom ones). The reading parents in our little city like this book!
I don’t know how many times we checked this out. We normally read it at least one time before we made it to the front desk (our library has very comfy chairs).
It’s a rhymey book with warm pictures. You will find a wonderful, restful, quiet giggle for Mommy and child alike. OK, OK I will sign up for hoakey jokes anonymous (tomorrow). Until then, when you read Who’s Toes Are Those who will warm up right down to your toes!
The OxCart Man – One of the Early Reader Books that is For Ever and Always.
I don’t want to read this book. I want to move in. I am hopelessly, endlessly romanticizing about pioneering. My poor hubby! His family still actually lives on the property they homesteaded.
He may have a more realistic view : 0
This can still hold the attention of our three youngest (7-12 years old). There is just a lot going on below the surface.
Pictures? Kind of Grandma Moses-ish (minus the glitter in the snow).
This is my favorite introduction to economics – right after Proverbs. Not that we should all farm, but we should all plan and then venture out together while smiling often and closing out each year in the black.
Get Free Printable Activity Guides and Immerse Your Family in the bravery of Keep the Lights Burning Abbie.
Keep The Lights Burning Abbey – one of the nautical early reader books that we are naturally drawn to.
I grew up on an island and sailed back from Europe (as in under wind power) right before I met my husband. He happens to love lighthouse. Not surprisingly, this book about keeping the lamps in the lighthouse burning is a perfect fit.
5 things you may like about this book:
- The heroine’s chickens are named Faith, Hope and Charity
- All the children in the story are girls.
- All the girls are patient and brave.
- The water color paintings are historically and nautically accurate.
- It has a happy ending : )
Early reader books like this are for rainy days and hurricanes, and when you need courage through a storm.
We Live In The Baby House – A book for when a baby is due and/ or you are passing up dessert.
For a while, whenever we decided against a sweet we would quote this book – I don’t want to “get rounder and rounder and rounder”. This lasted long after our babies arrived.
The Baby House, the abode of the young narrator of this book, is bursting at the seams. Why?
Because every cute, kind of modern, cartoon creature in it is multiplying – some by leaps and bounds! From dogs to birdies, everyone is having babies. The story: Daddy is absolutely amazing. He builds additions to the house for new inhabitants as they appear on each page.
The “rounder and rounder and rounder” part? That is the description of each mother as “expectations grow”. When I was self-conscious of my pregnancy weight I just asked the nurse not to tell me anymore. I may have gained about a 1/2 ton, but this was a rare occasion when ignorance is bliss.
If you are sensitive to: baby weight or your blessed event being compared to a wonderful pet (but a pet none the less) there are many other books for you to enjoy.
We and our big-sister-to-be (then 31/2 now 18) got miles and miles out of this book.
Blueberries For Sal
Speaking of oft quoted books (no not Shakespeare).
“Cirplink, Curplank, Curplunk” (the much repeated phrase) is the sound blueberries make from discovery to jelly in this vintage picture book with simple drawings.
One disappointment: It is hard to tell if Sal is a boy or a girl :~ It’s a minor flaw that is more than overcome though. I picked this book out at the library long before I saw it on any reading list. After that, it was everywhere – catalogs . . . reading lists . . . you name it.
Why you should quote this book too: Cirplink, Curplank, Curplunk is great to have on the tip of your tongue when things are crashing and spilling. I once announced “I’ll handle this. I am a professional.” – Our extended family was at a restaurant and a child had spilled yet another drink.
At mealtime, spills were almost as common as grace. Having a quirky-smiley response can help you handle one with the other : )
Berries Berries Berries
I almost took a break from writing but I have tell you a funny story related to this book first.
This is another one put out by the Mennonites. I once had a child at a book exchange refuse it. He assumed that simple life meant dull and boring. Who can blame him? He was only 4 or 5.
From my observation, Mennonites simplify some areas of life, because something has to give. Every thing about their homes is jam packed, well-fed and exuberant.
About my story. Like the pictures in berries berries berries some of my friends are one step removed from Amish in appearance. Contemplating this one day, I was almost lost trying to follow them.
They were in charge of slides at a meeting and running late. I was to follow them to the meeting place but could hardly keep up. The pastoral scene flew by at an amazing speed. If my friends read this, they will laugh right along with me.
Berries Berries Berries involves no speedy car chase. It follows a family of children through the summer as berry seasons come and go. As each kind of berry is ready for picking, for right then, it’s the “best”.
Why you should read early reader books each and every day (just in case there are some days when you need a reminder) :
- Because it is too hard to wait for reading aloud until your kids grow up enough to read anything else.
- Because when you read early reader books out loud you draw a cuddly crowd and become queen or king of the couch.
- Because early reader books and any books read out loud teach you child to speak, listen and think (not necessarily in that order 🙂