Media Matters

 Book by Peter Brown. This was a charming story of a robot who is shipwrecked on an island and over time becomes a part of the natural community there. Life on the island could be seen as a metaphor for mortal life. Mortality is hard on everyone; we are bound to get dings and dents and dirtied. But we are also meant to learn and grow and change. And our purpose is to help people. Short chapters would make this a great read aloud for ages 8+. It does have a cliffhanger ending, so I now need to check out the next book in the series. For additional friendly robots, watch the movies “Castle in the Sky” and “The Iron Giant”.

 Picture book by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros. I loved this book as a way to introduce the idea of a refugee and treating people with kindness and welcome. It’s really well done!

 Board book by Caroline Jayne Church. Rhythmic rhymes, sweet illustrations, and a great message make this a perfect gift for a new big brother or sister.

 Picture book by Jane Whittingham. Each page introduces a photo of a baby animal moving, and a photo of a child moving in a similar way. A great way to learn baby animal names and get some wiggles out!

 Board book by Ruth A. Musgrave I love how they used beautiful pictures of the natural world to teach basic subtraction! Really well done nonfiction for preschoolers.

 Board book by Sue Williams. This is VERY similar to “Brown Bear, Brown Bear”. In this one, there is no teacher at the end, and the illustrations are a bit more involved (but in a good way). A fantastic read aloud!

 Picture book by Chris Haughton Reminiscent of “Are You My Mother”, this tale of an owlet searching for its mom is fun. Pictures are a bit more muted, so better for a toddler than a baby.

 Board book by Edward Gibbs. Play I Spy with clues: color, starts with ___, makes this animal sound. Then turn the page to see if you guessed right. Fun cutout peepholes on each page! Too advanced for babies, but perfect for 2-4 year olds.

 Board book by Carole Boston Weatherford Simple rhyming text celebrates a young girl’s unique combination of traits that link her to her family. Charming! 

 Board book by Sandra Boynton This book is interactive, asking a question then waiting for the child to giggle NO before asking the next question. Charming!

 Board book by Sandra Boynton Another fun rhythmic read aloud!

 Board book by Sandra Boynton A book about feelings that is both validating and funny.

 Board book by Sandra Boynton A book of animal sounds with some humorous twists! Delightful!

 Board book by Sandra Boynton. The rhythm and rhyme make this a joy to read over and over again! 

 Board book by Gabe Pyle. This book has hilarious illustrations in which an octopus has contorted itself to look like various other creatures. The text is simple, but the illustrations are so much fun to examine! Perfect for ages 4-8, but too sophisticated for the board book audience.

 Picture book by Jamie Deenihan. This is a cute take on the saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” A little girl receives a lemon tree from her Grandma, which was not on her birthday wish list. But she accepts it gratefully, learns to care for it, then harvests the lemons to make lemonade, which she sells to earn money to buy herself what she wants, which turns out to be more plants for her newfound gardening hobby.

 Picture book by Katelyn Aronson. I love this tale of a bull in a China shop controlling his temper and responding to criticism with grace and reconciliation.

 Book by Kate DiCamillo. This is a charming fantasy involving a host of characters who begin broken but end up whole. There are themes of forgiveness, hope vs. despair, being seen, belonging, the importance of real intent, honesty, and love. Could be enjoyed by the whole family. A few quotes: “It is important that you say what you mean to say. Time is too short. You must speak words that matter.” “Looking out over the city, Peter decided that it was a terrible and complicated thing to hope, and that it might be easier, instead, to despair.” “Deep within herself, the elephant said this name, her name, over and over again. She was working to remind herself of who she was. She was working to remember that, somewhere, in another place entirely, she was known and loved.” “What are we to make of a world where stars shine bright in the midst of so much darkness and gloom?” “He said it with the profound hope that it would well and truly work, and with the knowledge, too, that there was onl...

 Picture book by Avery Monsen. This book is ingenious! On each page it sets up a rhyme, then ruins it by using a non-rhyming synonym. Kids who understand the concept of rhyming will be unwittingly practicing that skill as they giggle along. So much fun!

 Board book by Sandra Boynton. An adorable board book that explains to some nervous chickens why they are seeing lots of strange creatures (children in costumes) on Halloween. Perfect rhymes as usual with this author!

 Board book by Annabel Blackledge This board book is designed to be interactive, with offset edges to make page turning easier, and an invitation on each page to try to make the animal sound. It ends by having the baby say “Bye bye”. The illustrations are simple and colorful. A hit with babies and toddlers.

 By various authors and illustrators  These “indestructibles” baby books live up to their name. They are waterproof and wipeable which is an improvement over board books. Although my grandbaby crumpled one of the pages in her fist, the page did not tear, though there were noticeable creases left. Finally, this book is so thin and lightweight in comparison to a board book, that it’s a great option for travel. The book “Big and Little” by Amy Pixton has very cute illustrations and the examples of opposites selected are relevant to a toddler. One of my favorites! The book “Baby, Let’s Count!” by Katerina Trukhan is also a good one!