Hannah loves the sound effects in this book. Any time anyone reads "flop flop...splash!" she has a fit of giggles.
Froggy Goes to Hawaii by Jonathan London, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz, is part of the Froggy series. The book follows Froggy and his family to Hawaii and the various Hawaiian adventures (or more accurately, misadventures) they partake in while visiting the gorgeous vacation spot.
As previously mentioned, the sound effects are Hannah's favourite part. She also likes the cartoonish illustrations. The plot is OK, but the ending is somewhat dissatisfying.
Froggy Goes to Hawaii retails for $6.99 (paperback).
I'd like to start this post by saying I'm not really a fan of Goodnight Moon. Thankfully, Goodnight, Canada by Andrea Beck is NOTHING like that book - although the titles are very similar. I guess it's true what they say - never judge a book by it's cover, er, or title.
Goodnight, Canada takes us into the bedrooms of children across our nation so our little ones who are being read to can learn the names of our provinces and territories (and a little bit about each of them - the Nova Scotia child can see Peggy's Cove from his bedroom, the Ontario child can see the CN Tower from her bedroom, the Alberta child is lassoing a toy dinosaur, etc.). Hannah loves looking at the photos and taking in each child's bedroom (and collection of toys).
It's a great book which I am happy to add to Hannah's collection - and should be part of any Canadian child's.
Goodnight, Canada by Andrea Beck retails for $16.99
A personalized book, Hannah's Zoo Adventure is from the folks at First Time Books.
In it, Hannah (customized to have brown hair, brown eyes) goes to the Zoo with her cousin Peter (who also is customized to have brown hair, brown eyes). They accidentally get locked in at closing time. The book follows their adventure with the assistance (and sometimes unfriendly encounters) of all the animals in the zoo while trying to find the exit.
For a personalized book, the plot is a lot better than I expected it would be. It is fast-paced and entertaining. The images are also bright and colourful. The cartoons are pretty lifelike to actual animals, as are their exhibits/habitats.
I'm sure when Hannah is a little older and can understand the book is about her and Peter, it will become one of her favourites. It's already become one of her parents favourites to read to her.
First Time Books offers hardcovers ($20), softcovers ($14) and PDFs (free - you can print yourself) of a variety of books including ABC Book, Birthday Book and many more. You can visit their website for more details and to order.
It's like some books were written with me in mind. Even Children's Books.
We found this gem at the library the other day. It's about what could happen if you give a cat (my favourite animal) a cupcake (my favourite dessert). It is written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond.
The possible trajectory described in the book begins with the cat then asking for sprinkles which leads (believably) to taking the cat to the beach, the gym, a merry-go-round and even visiting dinosaurs at the museum.
Hannah liked the big pictures and bright colours. I liked the adventure the cat and his poor owner went on. And, of course, the pictures of the cupcakes.
As part of the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" franchise, this book does not disappoint. You can order it on Amazon.
I know what you're thinking. A book about a witch should only be read in October leading up to Halloween.
Not so with Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, gorgeous illustrations by Axel Scheffler.
This rhyming tale follows a kind, klutzy witch who, along with her cat, picks up a dog, frog and a bird after they help her find items that have fallen off her broom.
When the broom reaches maximum capacity and snaps, a mean dragon finds the witch. Her new friends save her, and with the help of magic, together they create an even better broom that benefits them all.
In the Jingle Jangle Jungle author/illustrator Nick Bland sets up an entertaining story about four friends who'd like to play in Bear's cave on a rainy day.
The rhyming story follows Moose, Lion and Zebra attempting to make the bear happier so they can play cards inside his cave. Poor Sheep is left out because she is "plain", but she's actually the smartest of the bunch and is able to find a way to help Bear, and in the end, help her friends get out of the rain.
The illustrations are almost as great as the rhyming story. There is just enough text to keep Hannah entertained while she looks at the colourful images.
Ten Tiny Tickles by Karen Katz was first introduced to me at Baby Time at the Toronto Public Library.
The book follows the morning routine of a baby (from waking up, feeding, bath, getting dressed and getting into a stroller) and the tickles start at her head and end at her toes, which teaches body parts.
There are nice big pictures for Hannah to look at while I tickle her and read to her. It's a great interactive book which also helps children learn their numbers and how to count from one to ten.
I love to read. Chris loves to read. And we love to read to Hannah. I kept a lot of my books from childhood and many people have given us the classics as gifts for Hannah.
Since we've started attending the Baby Sign weekly classes (post to come), I've put books on hold that interest me and hopefully Hannah.
Pete the Cat is frequently on the New York Times Children's Picture Books Best Seller list. According to the Toronto Public Library website, there's two Pete the Cat books currently on the list.
So when I saw a black cat wearing red chucks I had to put this book on hold. Booyah is a black cat. Chris owns red chucks. It was destiny!
The story follows Booy-er Pete as he makes his way through a day at school - visiting the library, lunch room, playground and more. The artwork is superb and so colourful, it definitely keeps Hannah's attention.
There's even a song that goes along with the book! Here's the YouTube video:
Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes was written by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean. It retails for approximately $15 on the Chapters Indigo website, or you can loan it from the Toronto Public Library. Just don't expect my copy, I intend on reading it to Hannah as much as I can in the next couple of weeks!
