Valentine Books 2012

Can you believe I have never done a Valentine book list on this blog? It might be because it is kind of tricky to find good Valentine books. Plus Valentines Day seems to just sneak up on me--suddenly it is February and Valentine time.

Biscuit's Valentine's Day by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Biscuit is a beloved character of my oldest daughter. This is a safe story to read (some Valentine books revolve around boys hating girls or vice versa, which can be okay for older children since you can talk about what is and isn't nice, but not okay for younger children).



Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart by Jane O'Conner

Another beloved and trusted character. Fancy Nancy is great especially for preschoolers and older.





Valentine's Day: A Sparkle 'n' Shimmer Book by Michelle Knudsen

This is a good one for your little one.






Will You Be My Valenswine? by Teresa Bateman

This is a great one for the child who likes to laugh. It also shows the love of a parent. Cute little story.





Where Is Baby's Valentine?: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Karen Katz

This is a great one for your baby or pre-toddler. Even the young toddler will really enjoy this.

Winter Books 2012

Time for some great winter books! These really are all must-haves in our home.

The Big Snow by Berta Hader and Elmer Hader

Caldecott winner of 1949. This is my four year old's favorite winter book right now. She is my major animal lover and this book is right up her lane as a story about the animals preparing for winter.




Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner and Mark Buehner

This is a great story for sparking the imagination of children. What do snowmen do at night? Why do their shapes change over time? It must be that they are out playing with their friends.




The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

This is a total classic. It is a wordless picture book, which is great on so many levels. My two year old loves this for telling herself the story.




Here Comes Darrell by Leda Schubert

This has been a favorite of my six year old son's for several years. It is about Darrell and the various service he does for his neighbors. It isn't all about winter, but part of it is and it is definitely worth taking note of. Anyone who loves equipment like plows and tractors will love this book.


A Polar Bear Journey by Debbie S. Miller

This is another favorite of my animal-loving four year old. This book is factual and offers lots of information on polar bears told in a way that is interesting to children.

Christmas Book List 2011

That's Not My Reindeer by Fionna Watt

We love these books of "That's not my..." They are really fun touch and feel books. This is a great Christmas book for the little ones.

This one is currently unavailable on Amazon, so I can't link to it for you.  Hopefully you can find it at the library or at a different bookstore.









Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney

This is another series we love at our house. This little llama is always full of passion. His mama is always patient about teaching him how to be, so it is a funny story that teaches the children correct behavior and reminds mom to always be patient.







There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bell! by Lucille Colandro

We fully enjoy this series also (notice a theme to these book recommendations...). These are silly stories where the lady swallows several different objects that she...regurgitates? in some way to produce a product. It is fun to look at how the small parts contributed to the whole picture.








Merry Christmas, Splat (Splat the Cat) by Rob Scotton

And yet another fun series. Splat the cat is a fun cat who is also funny. He is always messing up somehow :) In this book, he helps mom and dad out--in typical "helping" way.










Who Was Born This Special Day? by Eve Bunting

This one is not part of a series. I do have others that are fun, but this story is Kaitlyn's absolute favorite already this season, so I had to pass it along. This one is not silly and not fun--it is sweet. It goes through the animals and asks them if they were born this special day. They all explain when they were born. Finally it comes to the Christ child. This is a sweet Christmas book.

Thanksgiving Books 2011

Here are five new recommendations for you for Thanksgiving books this year!

Fancy Nancy: Our Thanksgiving Banquet

Love Fancy Nancy books! You can't go wrong with these.







The Littlest Pilgrim

This is about a little pilgrim, but the things she can do even though she is small. This made me think of my youngest because she is smaller than the rest of the family, but always finding her own way to contribute.





Give Thanks for Each Day by Steve Metzger

I love that this book focuses on all of the things we have to be thankful for daily.







Thanksgiving Is Louise Borden

A simple book about Thanksgiving.







This First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story by Laura Krauss Melmed

This is a counting book about Thanksgiving!

Halloween Books 2011

Here are 5 new recommendations for Halloween Books for you this year.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! by Lucille Colandro

My children enjoy these "old lady" books so much that we own almost all of them. This is the Halloween version.





Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex

This book is a parody on the classic book "Goodnight Moon."





Fancy Nancy: Halloween...or Bust! by Jane O'Conner

The Fancy Nancy books are an absolute favorite in our home. The kids love Fancy Nancy. The books bring in extensive vocabulary. This is our new Halloween book for this year.



10 Trick-or-Treaters by Janet Schulman

Count down backwards with this fun Halloween book.





Pick a Perfect Pumpkin by Robin Koontz

This is a book that is heavily science-oriented designed to teach about pumpkins.

Fall Books 2011

Here are five more book recommendations for your reading this Fall!

Colors of Fall by Laura Purdie Salas

This is a new book that talks about the colors you can see in fall and uses photos.






Autumn Is for Apples by Michelle Knudsen

It can be hard to find apple books that hold the interest of younger readers. This one is simple and rhyming, which really holds the interest of the young.




Amelia Bedelia's First Apple Pie by Herman Parish

This is another new book this Fall. We were lucky enough to stumble across it at the library, but quickly had it snatched away by a requestor! Anyway, if anyone can make apples fun, it is Amelia Bedelia. It is a great introduction to Amelia Bedelia to get your child interested in her character young before moving on to the pre-chapter books later in preschool years.

Who Loves the Fall? by Bob Raczka

This is a fun rhyming book about the wonders of fall. This is fun for preschoolers and younger.




Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills

These characters might be familiar to your child. This is a funny book your child will love.

Five Great Back to School Books

Here are five book that are great for back to school (or first time at school).

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate

There are several of these Miss Bindergarten books, from starting, 100th day celebration, to the last day. So check these out all year long.

Mouse's First Day of School by Lauren Thompson

This is from the author of the "If You Give A ____ a _____" books (give a mouse a cookie, moose a muffin, pig a pancake, etc.). If your child loves those books, she will love this one, too.

I'm Your Bus by Marilyn Singer

If your child will be riding the bus, this is a great book! It is also helpful for other children if your school uses buses for field trip transportation.

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg

This book helps those children who are nervous get over their jitters.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

By far my favorite. This is a must-own in my opinion. This is such a cute story that gives parents and children alike an idea for helping each other feel each other's love all day long.

Independence Day Books

Here are some great books for Independence Day!

ABC of America by Kim Bellefontaine

Fun for the younger readers who are just learning their ABCs.

How to Bake An American Pie by Karma Wilson

I love, love, love this one. I am someone who very much loves my country and very much loves the history of it. This book pays great tribute to the founders of this country as well as the immigrants who built it up. 

Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller

This is a great book for learning about the geography of the states. Geography can be a difficult subject for young children. This book is silly and interesting to the children, so they pay close attention!

The Journey of the One and Only Declaration of Independence by Judith St. George

Similar to the book above, this book is able to teach about history (another tough subject for young children) in an interesting manner. 

A is for America by Tanya Lee Stone

This is another fun "American" alphabet book.