Search Results for: blog the tom and pippo books helen oxenbury

Guess How Much I Love You – Sam McBratney

There seem to be more books about mothers and children than fathers and children. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney is a fun exception, with a little male competition. The story is about two rabbits, Little Nutbrown Hare and his father, Big Nutbrown Hare. Little Nutbrown Hare holds onto his father’s long ears to make sure he’s listening. He wants his father to guess how much he loves him. His father says he doesn’t think he could guess that. Little Nutbrown Hare stretches out his arms as wide as possible and tells his father he loves him … Continue reading →

Danny’s Duck – June Crebbin

Danny’s Duck by June Crebbin is one of the sweetest stories for children. Every time I read it I think that we should all wish for such a perceptive and kind teacher for our young children. Clara Vulliamy’s watercolor illustrations are a perfect background for this gentle story and show a group of cute and ethnically diverse preschoolers at play. At the start of the book a duck flies over a neighborhood looking for a “good woody place”. She flies down to a pile of brushwood at the edge of a playground. Inside the preschool, the children are busy with … Continue reading →

Close to You – Kimiko Kajikawa

Animal parents and their young have unique ways of bonding. In Close to You: How Animals Bond, by Kimiko Kajikawa, beautiful photos of animal parents and babies are paired with charming text. The reader is treated to cuddling polar bears, a kangaroo in its mother’s pouch, an alligator baby being carried in mom’s mouth, caressing manatees, a baby penguin balancing on a parent’s toes, and more. Children love to look at animals, especially baby animals. This would be a sweet book for bedtime stories. The text is simple enough for very young children. I would also recommend it for early … Continue reading →

Media Week in Review – March 24th – 29th

Were you a wee bit busy this week? No time to relax and join us here in Media Reviews? We missed you, but you don’t have to miss out on all the fun we had. Here’s a recap. We started the week with a look at one of Lauri’s favorite TV shows, “Monk.” Tony Shalhoub stars as the quirky detective, who is dealing with grief over the death of his wife. He also has an obsessive compulsive disorder for cleanliness which adds a touch of humor to the show. Lauri warns that it’s not a show for young children, but … Continue reading →

What Do People Do All Day – Busytown Books – Richard Scarry

I grew up with Richard Scarry’s Busytown books. His What Do People Do All Day was one of my favorites. My sons all loved the original Busytown books too. What’s unique about the Busytown books is that not only do they tell simple stories, or explain basic concepts, but everything is labeled. And I do mean everything. I will also admit that sometimes I hated reading these books to my children because each page took forever. There might be about twelve short lines of text, but many trucks, and cars, people and even flowers have labels beside them . The … Continue reading →

The Tom and Pippo Books – Helen Oxenbury

There are some books I can’t imagine raising children without. They are favorites of school teachers, parents, and librarians. I thought I would start sharing a few of these classic books here. The Tom and Pippo books by Helen Oxenbury are charming books for toddlers and preschoolers. Tom is a young boy and Pippo is his stuffed monkey friend. Tom’s parents are portrayed as caring and involved. The titles come in nice sturdy thick page books that hold up to lots of toddler mishandling. The illustrations featuring Tom and Pippo and their adventures are simple, but sweet and very appropriate … Continue reading →