Didja see these two cuties? Nonlinear Nora had twins, a boy and a girl, last Friday, and Mo-Wo is throwing a babies’ shower. (So what if the babies are already here. We like to flout convention here in the blogosphere.) Our gift to Nora: a list of picture books for her growing family and its growing library.
I love to give books as baby presents. No worries about size or decor or duplication; if they have it already it’s easy to regift or donate. If the baby in question has an older sibling, get a board book and a big-kid picture book and everyone’s happy. My must-gives include Where the Sidewalk Ends, the Little Pea/Little Hoot combo by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, and anything and everything by Peggy Rathmann (Gloria is a dead ringer for our own dog).
For Nora’s new little pair, today I offer the talented author/illustrator duo of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, starting with The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child. The rhymes and illustrations work together brilliantly in these two very funny books about a clever mouse who outwits a much bigger adversary. Another title by these two that I adore is Room on the Broom, in which a temporarily wandless witch is saved from an unpleasant end by a motley pack of companion animals.
As Mo-Wo says, Nora, “our hearts are filled with gladness for you all”–gruffaloes, mice, babies and all.
(P.S. Speaking of mice, I trust you already have a copy of Noisy Nora, one of the best sibling jealousy books ever?)
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
We LOVE Where the Sidewalk Ends.
And The Gruffalo… yes.
I haven’t heard of most of those books – looking forward to checking them out!
I love Shel Silverstein.
If you’re a bird
be an early bird
and get the worm for your breakfast plate
If you’re a bird
be an early bird
if you’re a worm, sleep late
I love to give books too. I don’t think a child can ever have too many.
Love Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Gruffalo too!
My favorite children books of late are those by Jon J. Muth, Zen Shorts, Zen Ties, Three Questions. After a particularly difficult morning, I found myself thinking of one of the stories in Zen Shorts and removed the emotional burden I had been carrying.
Oooh, good picks! Ater recently borrowing Room on the Broom from the library, Ada and her friends on the block have been riding our broom and asking one another if there is room on the broom. We also love Charlie Cook’s Favorite Book and The Spiffiest Giant in Town.
We have a used copy of Noisy Nora I picked up when Ada was an infant. I do make one alteration – the text reads “why are you so dumb?” but I say “why are you so noisy?”. I figure that she’ll see what I’ve done when she learns to read, but until then I can express my editorial discretion.
Oh, and thanks!