Loose Tooth Books

Kids love books they can relate to. (So do adults for that matter!) When kids can see their own lives mirrored in the characters or settings of the book they are reading, it instantly draws them in. (Which is why multicultural picture books are SO important. All kids deserve to read stories about kids like them!) My daughter Anna is six, and like most six-year olds, she is losing teeth left and right. I had forgotten what a big deal losing teeth is for kids, but when she lost that first tooth, it quickly came back to me...the excitement of looking under your pillow in the morning to see what the Tooth Fairy left behind, the pride of showing off your gap-tooth grin to your friends...it's a childhood rite of passage for sure! Picture book authors clearly recognize this because there are quite a few books out there about losing teeth. Here is a list of our favorites!

1. Anna and the Tooth Fairy by Maureen Wright, illustrated by Anna Chernyshova. Anna has her first loose tooth and is so excited for the Tooth Fairy to visit...until she begins to suspect that her baby sister might actually be a Tooth Fairy in training! It only makes sense...Sophie is up all night, wears pink frilly dresses, and has a rattle that looks like a wand! But if Sophie becomes the Tooth Fairy, will Anna ever see her again? Maybe Anna doesn't want to lose any teeth after all! This was a really sweet story about a big sister's love, and the illustrations are really cute. My daughter loved this one, especially because her name is also Anna!

2. Arthur's Tooth by Marc Brown. This was a favorite of mine as a kid. Poor Arthur is the only one in his class who still has all his baby teeth. All his friends give him tips to help his wiggly tooth fall out sooner, but nothing seems to work. Will he be stuck with all his baby teeth forever? This is a great one for kids who are late joining the lost-tooth club and may feel left out.

3 The Tooth Mouse by Susan Hood, illustrated by Janice Nadeau. Did you know that in France, a Tooth Mouse visits kids instead of a Tooth Fairy? I sure didn't until reading this book! The Tooth Mouse tells the story of Sophie, a little mouse in France who dreams of one day becoming the Tooth Mouse. When the old Tooth Mouse announces she is retiring and must find a successor, Sophie must complete three difficult and dangerous tasks to prove she is worthy of the job. I loved the soft watercolor illustrations and the French words incorporated throughout. I also like the list at the end of different countries' tooth traditions. Apparently in Botswana, the Moon takes your tooth and in India, it's a sparrow!

4. I Lost my Tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite and Baba Wague Diakite. This story is inspired by the actual experience of the author's sister. Amina is a girl from America who visits her father's family in Mali for the summer.  When she loses her tooth there, she places it beneath a gourde in the hopes that the African Tooth Fairy will bring her a chicken! This was another fun glimpse into another country's tooth-losing traditions.

5. Silverlicious by Victoria Kann. When Pinkilicious steals her brother's cookie and bites into it, her tooth falls out. Unfortunately, it's her sweet tooth and she can no longer taste anything sweet! She writes a note to the Tooth Fairy to help her, but the Tooth Fairy is very busy and sends several other visitors including Cupid and the Easter Bunny to help instead. When nothing seems to work, Pinkilicious learns that the sweetness must come from within. While I didn't enjoy this book quite as well as Kann's Pinkilicious, it was still a fun read, and I liked the message about being kind.

6. Fancy Nancy and the Too Loose Tooth by Jane O' Conner. In this early reader story, Nancy has a very loose tooth but it absolutely MUST fall out at school so she can get a fancy tooth necklace from the school nurse! She wiggles it furiously each day at school and then refuses to talk or chew at home in fear the tooth might not hang on until school the next day. We love Fancy Nancy at our house, and Anna read this one on repeat for weeks. (Anna found out her school also has tooth necklaces and she really wanted one so she could be just like Nancy! She had a tooth that was seriously hanging by a thread the last two weeks of kindergarten, but it hung on until school was out, and she didn't get her necklace. "But maybe next year!" she said.)

7. The Tooth Fairy Wars by Kate Coombs, illustrated by Jake Parker. Most kids are excited to get money from the Tooth Fairy but not Nathan. He wants to keep his teeth! Nathan wages war on the Tooth Fairy and hides his teeth in increasingly clever places, but the Tooth Fairy always finds them. Will Nathan be able to outsmart the Tooth Fairy in the end? This was a really fun story with a unique perspective on teeth-losing. My kids were definitely rooting for Nathan! And I wouldn't mind if Anna takes a leaf out of this book and decides to hide her tooth from the Tooth Fairy the next time around. ;)

8. I Lost My Tooth! by Mo Willems. Willems' new Unlimited Squirrel books are just as fun as the Piggie and Gerald series! When Zoom Squirrel loses his tooth, he can't wait to tell his friends. When his friends hear the news, they mistakenly believe the tooth is literally lost and they valiantly prepare to find and rescue Zoom Squirrels poor lost tooth! This one is sure to draw endless giggles from your tooth-losing kid!

What other childhood milestones would you like to read more books about? I think I'll compile a list of first-time-riding-a-bike books next...

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11

I rarely buy books I haven't read before. I love owning books, but books are expensive, and I want to make sure I am only spending money on titles that I really love. (Which is why I love checking books out from the library...it's like a free trial!) But I somehow missed the memo that it was the 50th anniversary of the moon landing until last week! I wanted to find a book to share with my kids, so I quickly researched picture books about the moon landing. Moonshot: the Flight of Apollo 11 was recommended by two of my favorite book reviewers, and has an almost 4.5 rating on Goodreads. When I couldn't find a copy at our library, I went ahead an trusted the reviews and bought a copy on Amazon. And the reviewers were right. This book is a keeper for sure!

The cover drew me in right off the bat; it is striking with a black background and the word "Moonshot" in large block letters. The inside is just as visually appealing with lots of white space and beautiful ink/watercolor illustrations. I read the book silently to myself first, and I noticed and liked how the author chose to tell the story in present-tense as if it was actually happening right now. But it wasn't until I read it out loud to my kids that I realized how poetic and evocative Floca's writing truly is. I felt anticipation as the rocket took off, suspense as the Eagle ran low on fuel before finding a clear landing site, and triumphant as Armstrong and Aldren took their first steps on the moon while everyone on earth watched and cheered. I really did feel as if I was there! 

Moonshot: the Flight of Apollo 11 is definitely worth a check-out from your local library. Or if you want to take a risk like I did and trust my review, go ahead and buy a copy for yourself. It is out of this world! ;)

Blue Sky, White Stars

Happy Fourth of July! I'm always on the lookout for great holiday-themed books to share with my kids to teach them a little about the holiday. We stumbled across Blue Sky, White Stars earlier this year, and I knew it would be my new go-to for Independence Day. (It would also be perfect for Flag Day, but I never seem to remember that holiday until it's already over!)

Blue Sky, White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus and illustrated by Kadir Nelson draws beautiful parallels between the American flag and our country's history.  It begins with a picture of the Statue of Liberty against the starry night sky with the four words, "Blue Sky, White Stars." The next page repeats the words, "Blue Sky, White Stars" but shows the white stars and blue background of the American flag. My favorite page is a picture of Betsy Ross sewing the first American flag with the words "Sew together, won nation." And then the next page is a picture of diverse Americans with the words, "So together, one nation." The words are few but POWERFUL. And the illustrations are just GORGEOUS and equally powerful. It is also a great way to introduce or review American history with your kids as it depicts everything from the pioneer crossing to the civil rights movement to the moon landing. I love absolutely everything about this book, and it's rare for me to say that. (Because I'm picky, remember?) Blue Sky, White Stars gets five (white) stars from me!

What are your favorite holiday-themed books?

Best Baby Board Books (that you can read over and over without going crazy!)

My baby boy is 8 months old and really starting to show an interest in books (mostly in chewing them, but I think he likes when I read to him too)! I read to him as part of his nap/bedtime routine. It only takes a couple of minutes, and yet I know those two or three minutes are so essential to fostering a lifetime love of reading.

Whoever came up with the idea to make books out of sturdy board material for babies was a genius!  The trouble is, maybe I'm just picky, but it is so hard to find good board books! I can't stand "my first word" books. Or most ABC/Number books. Or most cutesy "I love you" books. Or those board book editions of classic children's books like Dr. Seuss that cut/change parts of the story and totally ruin the book! (Ok, I'm definitely picky.)



Here are some things I look for in a great baby board book:
1.) It is short. I'm talking two minutes tops.
2.) It has engaging illustrations, preferably with lots of white space and/or bright, contrasting colors.
3.) It has repetitive and/or rhythmic language.
4.) It invites fingerplay, sound effects, or other interactions.
5.) It is enjoyable to read over and over and over and over. :)

So, without further ado, here are 15 of my very favorite board books to read to babies!

1. Freight Train by Donald Crews. Like many on this list, Freight Train was not originally published as a board book. Thankfully, someone besides me realized how perfect it was for babies and.now Freight Train comes in a compact board book edition. The text is brief, and the illustrations are bold...I love how the colorful train stands out from the white and gray background. Freight Train also gives a natural opportunity for fingerplay as you move your finger with the train "through tunnels" and "by cities." And, of course, adding in chugging and choo-chooing sound effects is a must while reading this book!

2. Hello Baby! by Mem Fox, illustrated by Steve Jenkins. All my babies have loved this book. The pairing of Mem Fox's lyrical rhymes with Steve Jenkins' incredible, lifelike illustrations is pure magic. I love how this book branches out from the familiar dog, cat, horse, etc and instead features wild animals including an eagle, jaguar, and gecko. (Side note: I like to make different animal noises as I read this book, and when my daughter was a baby she would respond to "What does a gecko say?" by sticking her tongue out like I did while reading Hello Baby! It was adorable.)

3. Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli. The playful illustrations of the cute big-headed baby together with the short, repetitive text make Leslie Patricelli's board books ideal for the littlest readers. Yummy Yucky is our very favorite of hers because it's just so darn funny! I love how each of the yummy/yucky examples share something in common and yet are very opposite in their palatability. "Blueberries are yummy. Blue crayons are yucky." "Apple pie is yummy. Mud pie is yucky." And so on. My older kids think its hilarious and love to read this one to their baby brother!

4. Orange, Pear, Apple, Bear by Emily Gravett. This cleverly simple book uses the same four words in different (and surprising!) combinations. The sparse text and generous white space make this fun book great for babies!

5. Piggies by Audrey and Don Wood. Adorable and imaginative, Piggies is probably my personal favorite on this list. The illustrations are a little more detailed then what I typically look for in a baby board book, but because the book lends itself SO well to fingerplay, it always keeps my babies' attention. My baby boy loves to put his hands on top of the illustrated hands in the book, and with the board book edition, his hands are almost the exact same size!

6. Rhymoceros by Janik Coat. One bright blue rhinoceros and one word per page makes this rhyming book very accessible for babies. Some of the pages even incorporate different textures making it extra fun for little hands. I love Rhymoceros uses uncommon examples, so instead of "cat/bat and house/mouse" you get "wilted/tilted and "mossy/glossy." (Also check out Hippopposites and Llamaphones by the same author!)

8. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. This classic children's book has sold over 50 million copies and for good reason! The bright illustrations, repetitive text, and the chance to turn your finger into a squirmy caterpillar make this book awesome for babies.

9. Moo! by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. This hilarious story of a cow and a car was the first book I remember making my now 4-year-old laugh out loud when he was a baby. Except for the very last page, the entire text of this book is the word "moo." It's like a challenge for me to see how many different voice inflections I can use to change the meaning of a single word!

10. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow. The bouncy rhyme, obvious opportunity for fingerplay, and the funny twist at the end is sure to make both parents and babies smile!

11. Egg by Kevin Henkes. This funny and sweet story about four eggs is a family favorite. We already have a hardcover copy of this book, but I'm really tempted to buy the board book version too because it is just great for babies...single word captions, simple and bright illustrations, and plenty of white space!

12. The Go series by Steve Light (Trains Go, Trucks Go, Planes Go, and Cars Go). My babies and I love the onomatopoeia and bold primary colors in these extra-long board books.

13. Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle. This timeless color concept book with its gentle cadence and vivid colors is an instant favorite of babies.

14. Train! by Judi Abbot. This cute story about an elephant who loves trains is geared more toward toddlers, but I think it's great for babies too. I especially love the bright illustrations and the almost song-like repetition in this book. "Train-plane-digger-digger-train-plane-car!"

15. Anything written by Sandra Boyton. The colorful illustrations and brief text make Boynton board books perfect for babies...and the quirky humor makes them lots of fun for parents, too. Some of our favorites are Opposites, Moo, Baa, La, La, La! and Blue Hat, Green Hat.

I hope this list helps you find some new favorites to share with your baby! It's never too early to introduce kids to great books...even if they currently make better teething toys than reading material. ;)

School's First Day of School

My daughter (my oldest!) started kindergarten this year. In the weeks leading up to her first day, we checked out several "first day of school" books from the library.  We enjoyed them all, but our favorite was School's First Day of School by Adam Rex, illustrated by Christian Robinson.

As indicated by the title, this story is about a brand new school, nervously anticipating the first day of being a school. The fresh perspective was definitely what made this book stand out from the other "first day" books. I loved Rex's storytelling style and the voice he gives to the school. It was fun for my daughter to wonder about how a school might feel on its first day. And for kids who are a little nervous about their first day, the idea of the school itself being nervous would be comforting to imagine. My favorite part was when School "accidentally has a fire drill" and feels so embarrassed, as if it's something it couldn't help, like having a potty accident. But when everyone is nice about it, School doesn't feel so bad anymore. It is such a genius way to address one of the many fears a kid may have about starting school!

I also thought the author did a wonderful job of accurately capturing a typical first day of school.  Like when the kids in a class introduce themselves and two boys are named Aiden and one named Caiden. And when a boy laughs so hard at a joke during lunch that milk comes out his nose. And how a little freckled girl is so scared to start Kindergarten that her mom has to carry her in...but at the end of the day, she chooses to draw a glittery picture of the school and her teacher hangs it on the bulletin board.

Christian Robinson's illustrations are a mix of collage and acrylic paint, with bright colors and ample white space. The childlike, whimsical style perfectly fits the theme of the book. Altogether, I don't think there's a single thing I would change about this book. It's fresh, authentic, and imaginative with just the right balance of seriousness and humor. This will definitely be my go-to picture book to share with my kids and students on the first day of school!

Florette by Anna Walker

The children's librarians at our little hometown library do a fabulous job of selecting wonderful books to feature on the display shelves. When I don't have time before our weekly library trip to put books on hold, I will simply walk up and down the aisles and choose books from those on display; nine times out of ten, I will come home with a new favorite. Florette by Anna Walker was this week's winner!

Published just this year, Florette is a heartwarming little story about a girl named Mae who moves from the countryside to a busy urban neighborhood. To her disappointment, Mae discovers that her new home has no garden, no winding paths, and no leafy hiding spots. Mae is a resourceful little girl, however, and she attempts to bring nature into the city by drawing butterflies on the sidewalk and apple trees on the empty moving boxes. Sadly, the butterflies get washed away and the apple trees fall over. Then one day, to her delight, Mae discovers a "forest" (a greenhouse) in the city! Inspired, Mae brings a little sprout from the "forest" back to her apartment and begins growing her own urban garden, sharing her love of nature with everyone around her.

This is the first book I've read by Anna Walker, and I'm already in love with her storytelling style. Her text and illustrations work together beautifully, like different harmonies to a song. Either one could tell the story on its own, but together, they add depth and detail that would be missing without the other. The text moves along in perfect rhythm with the illustrations; when Mae walks through the city, the words dance across the page following the path she walks. And the soft watercolor illustrations are just beautiful. I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this talented author/illustrator!

The Princess and the Pig

I wanted to include this book with my fractured fairy tale post, but it didn't quite fit. The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett and Poly Bernatene cleverly references several classic fairy tales, but it is definitely an original story!

Princess and the Pig tells the tale of Pigmella the pig and Priscilla the princess who accidentally get swapped as babies. Both the king and queen and the farmer and his wife believe it to be the work of fairies...after all, it's the sort of thing that happens all the time in books! Without a second thought, Priscilla the princess becomes the farmer's daughter, and Pigmella the pig becomes the royal princess. Priscilla grows up happily with the farmer and his wife, but poor Pigmella has a much harder time adjusting to life as a princess! My kids were busting up at the pictures of the pig wearing dresses and make-up, and the unexpected ending had us all laughing. Full of humor and wit, this fresh fairy tale is a new favorite of ours!

Fractured Fairy Tales

I've been a fan of fractured fairy tales ever since our class did a unit on them in 3rd or 4th grade and our teacher challenged us to write our own. (I wrote a version of The Little Red Hen where the hen is really the lazy one and makes the other animals do all the work but still eats the bread herself. Haha!) I love how authors can take stories that have been around for generations and give them a fresh and modern feel, making these classic stories more accessible to today's generation of kids. There are tons out there, but here are six of my favorites.

1. The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz, illustrated by Dan Santat

In this version of the classic story, the three pigs take martial arts classes so they can defend themselves against the Big Bad Wolf. It's written in catchy rhyming verse with several lines that make my kids laugh out loud (like when the first pig tells the wolf to "Get out of my hut, or I'll kick your big butt!") Despite it's lighthearted feel, The Three Ninja Pigs teaches a valuable lesson...hard work and tenacity will always pay off. Be sure to also check out Ninja Red Riding Hood by the same author/illustrator team.

2. Little Roja Riding Hood by Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Susan Guevara

This book is a such a gem. I love how it intermixes Spanish words with the English in a way that kids who don't know Spanish but know the story will have no problem understanding the foreign words. I also love Guevara's bright illustrations and their depiction of modern Latino culture. This would be a great read-aloud for younger grades, especially for classes with mixed language speakers. I can see Spanish-speaking kids' faces lighting up at hearing a fairy tale that incorporates their own language and culture!

3. The Three Triceratops Tuff by Steven Shaskan

The story of  The Three Billy Goats Gruff always puzzled me a bit. It doesn't teach any kind of moral, and I always wondered why the biggest goat didn't just cross the bridge first and make quick work of the troll. But while this version doesn't answer those questions either, it's automatically better than the original because, well, DINOSAURS. Way more fun than some goats and an ugly troll!  Other than the character and setting swaps, Three Triceratops Tuff stays pretty true to the original story. Shaskan's illustrations are simple yet engaging; I like how he gives each of the Triceratops brothers a distinct personality. I love reading this one aloud and giving each character a different voice, especially the deep, menacing growl of the Tyrannosaurus Rex!

4. Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems

My family loves Mo Willems (who doesn't?), but this book might be my personal favorite of his. Like the rest of his books, it's hilarious. However, unlike Willem's Pigeon series where the humor targets young kids, a lot of the humor in this book goes right over my preschoolers' heads...but my husband and I laugh our heads off! Just to give you an idea, it starts out with, "Once upon a time there were three dinosaurs. Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur...and some other dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway." It kills me! And even though my kids don't always get why it's funny, they still laugh with me and want to read this book over and over again. And again, dinosaurs just make everything better. :)

5. Waynetta and the Cornstalk: A Texas Fairy Tale by Helen Ketteman, illustrated by Diane Greenseid

As you might guess from the title, Waynetta and the Cornstalk is Jack and the Beanstalk, but with a female protagonist and a Southwestern flair. This book is SO much fun. With phrases like, "purty as a bluebonnet" and "you must be chuckle-headed girl!" it is almost impossible to read without breaking into a Texan drawl. It is also hilarious...I laughed out loud when instead of a hen that golden eggs, the giant has a longhorn cow that drops golden cowpatties! The illustrator's use of warm colors and thick brush strokes add to the Southwestern charm of the story. But my favorite part of this story is that Waynetta (unlike Jack in the original) is hardworking and honest. The giant was the actually the one who stole the longhorn, lasso, and bucket from Waynetta's ma in the first place, making him the thief and not Waynetta. And rather than living a life of luxury on the gold and magic, Waynetta and her ma use the golden cowpats to buy more cattle and then work hard to rebuild their ranch. And if you love Waynetta and the Cornstalk, Helen Ketteman has a whole slew of Texas fractured fairy tales, including Armadilly Chili (The Little Red Hen), The Three Little Gators (The Three Little Pigs), and Bubba, the Cowboy Prince (Cinderella). They are all great!

6.  Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Meg Hunt

Space. Spunky heroine. Superb illustrations. There were so many things I liked about this book! In this version of the story, Cinderella is a spaceship mechanic who catches the eye of the prince by fixing his space ship. When he invites her to the space ball, instead of a glass slipper, she leaves behind her magic socket wrench. Interstellar Cinderella is written in rhyming verse, which I liked for the most part, except it did seem to skip ahead in a couple places. But since almost everyone is familiar with the story of Cinderella, I can forgive the minor gaps in the story line...especially when everything else about the book is fantastic.

When sharing these books with my kids, I like to first read the classic version and then introduce a fractured version. They immediately begin comparing and contrasting the two stories, which is a key comprehension skill. I love when learning happens naturally!

What are your favorite fractured fairy tales to share with your kids?

Digger, Dozer, Dumper by Hope Vestergaard

If you have a toddler who is at all like mine, diggers are the coolest thing on the planet. We have two different housing developments going up right now by our neighborhood, and every time we walk or drive by, my two-year-old wants to stop to watch the "diggers digging." He is always bummed out when it's after 5 pm and the diggers are "sleeping." But when we can't watch the real diggers working, the next best thing is reading books about them! We seem to find a new digger or truck book check out from the library almost every week (which proves to me that there must be other kids as obsessed as mine)! We've found several winners, but my favorite, hands-down, is Digger, Dozer, Dumper by Hope Vestergaard and illustrated by David Slonim.

Rather than telling a story, "Digger, Dozer, Dumper" is actually a book of poetry with each poem showcasing a different truck. I love that the poems aren't silly like a lot of poetry for kids but instead pack a lot of information about the function and mechanics of each vehicle. Kids will learn that a garbage truck uses a hydraulic arm to lift the garbage cans, a skid-steer loader uses levers instead of a steering wheel, and a backhoe uses it's front end to push dirt and it's back end to "dig out muck."

While the poems are informational, that doesn't mean they are boring! Hope Vestergaard is a master poet and her perfect use of rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration make my word-loving heart sing. The poems personify the trucks, sparking kids' imaginations as they wonder what it would be like to actually BE a firetruck, bulldozer, or steamroller. David Slonim's illustrations add to the wonderment, with simple lines and cheerful colors. Digger, Dozer, Dumper is a joy to read and one I can happily read to my kids over and over again.

Finally, I always appreciate when authors/illustrators make the effort to reach a wider, more diverse audience, and Digger, Dozer, Dumper does that in the simplest way possible...by making some of the trucks girls! The use of feminine pronouns and eyelashes drawn on the "girl" trucks suddenly makes the book appeal to little girls as well as boys and sets this book apart from most of the digger/truck books out there. Digger, Dozer, Dumper is a must-read for any truck-loving boy or girl!

Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman

If I had to guess, I would say Seven Silly Eaters is my mom's favorite picture book. She checked it out from the library for the first time when I was about 12 or 13, and it was probably not even three weeks before a copy was on our bookshelf. I loved it then because it was funny. I love it now for the same reason my mom did, for it's accurate and endearing portrayal of family life (particularly BIG family life), with both its messy chaos and permeating love and warmth.

The story is about a family whose children take picky eating to the max. Each of the Peters children will only eat a single, very particular food item. (Not hot or cold but WARM milk, homemade applesauce, perfectly smooth oatmeal, etc.) With each additional child, Mrs. Peters grows steadily more frazzled as she valiantly struggles to meet her kids' outlandish food requests. At the climax of the story, the seven kids attempt to make their mother a birthday surprise, which at first seems to go horribly wrong, but then turns out to be the solution to the Peters family's mealtime woes.

Mary Ann Hoberman tells her story in verse, and the rhyming words and perfect rhythm makes it both fun to read and easy to memorize. The text itself is delightful, but it's Marla Frazee's illustrations that really give the story life. You learn from the text that Mrs. Peters is a loving, overly-patient mother: from the illustrations, you learn that she has wild, curly black hair, plays the cello, and stands a head taller than her husband. Mr. Peters isn't even mentioned in the text of the story, but from the pictures, you learn that he has a full blonde beard, loves to play with his kids, and definitely does his fair share around the house. You learn that Peter loves to read, Lucy is a bit of a diva, Jack is always climbing things, Mac is softhearted, Mary Lou is the laid-back one, and Fran and Flo are the trouble-makers. And the house. Everything about the house, from the beautiful lakeside view, to the old-fashioned kitchen with it's wood-burning stove and cute breakfast nook, to the upstairs loft where all seven kids sleep, makes you want to live there too. It's impossible not to fall in love with the Peters family and their crazy, happy home.

Seven Silly Eaters is one of those rare books that perfectly combines silly, kid-approved humor with a heartwarming message of family love and devotion. Check it out today. You won't regret it!

Press Here by Herve Tullet

Press Here by Hervé Tullet is pure picture-book genius. It is interactive and engaging and yet so creatively simple. The first page greets you with a dot...a single yellow dot and the instructions, "Press here and turn the page." As the reader turns each page and follows each new set of directions, the dot changes in an unexpected way. Both my preschooler and 18-month old were totally drawn in right from the start. I think it made them feel powerful, as if they were the ones controlling what was happening in the book. It was a bit magical to watch their faces light up at each page turn.

Press Here is also surprisingly educational. It is obviously great for teaching kids to follow directions but additionally introduces concepts such as patterns, right vs left, and color mixing. While it perfect for a parent-child read-aloud and discussion, it unfortunately isn't ideal for reading to large groups (unless you had a copy for each child). It is definitely a hands-on kind of book!

In summary, Press Here was a delightful change from the usual picture story book, and I was excited to learn that there are two similar interactive kids' books by Hervé Tullet: Mix it Up! and Let's Play! We will definitely be looking for these at our next trip to the library!