Gabblehatch Children's Picture Books

Pumpkins

2008-09-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

"Pumpkins" follows the life cycle of a pumpkin from 'seed to sprout to flower to fruit to holiday symbol' (Booklist). It does so with very simple words and wonderfully composed and photographed images of pumpkins in all stages of growth. The words and pictures also show the variety of pumpkins, from tiny, palm-sized to gigantic, prize-winning, monster pumpkins, as well as different colors and shapes. The photos of the pumpkins and the farms and harvesters really evoke the cool, crispness of the fall harvest season that takes us from summer into winter. This is a great book that will get you and your kids thinking about how food grows, who grows it, and where it comes from.

FOOD - FALLING FROM THE SKY!!

2008-02-17T14:11:00.000-08:00

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Written by Judi Barrett

llustrated by Ron Barrett

1978, 32 pages

June 29, 1999

By David Wiesner

1992, 32 pages

Here are a couple of our favorite books that fall in the category of 'fantastic food falling from the sky'. Well, maybe that's not such a broad category, but these two books are great for sparking the imagination by taking an ordinary, everyday thing like food, and putting it in an entirely new, and silly, context. And if vegetables are a sore subject in your household, here's a way to have a positive and fun conversation about them. Maybe if broccoli drifted in through the windows, my daughter would be more interested in eating it!

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is the story of the tiny, far away town of Chewandswallow, where food falls from the sky three times a day, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Such a great, silly concept will have your kids giggling and imagining what would it really be like to go outside with their plate and catch three, well-balanced meals each day drifting down from above. But, then the weather takes a turn for the worse, and the food combinations get odder and the food itself becomes larger and larger, until one day the town must be abandoned. The people sail across the ocean on giant slices of stale bread (which they then use for temporary shelter), and learn to get their food at...supermarkets! One of the best parts of this book are the illustrations - pen and ink drawings full of little details you'll discover on multiple readings.

June 29, 1999, is another book about food falling from the sky (who would've thought there would be more than one?), in this case, it's just vegetables. But they are beautiful, giant vegetables that float gently down to earth one day (June 29, 1999). "Cucumbers circle Kalamazoo. Lima beans loom over Levittown. Artichokes advance on Anchorage. Parsnips pass by Providence." A young girl believes the falling produce is the result of her science experiment, but there is a much more interesting cause behind the "airborne vegetal event". This is another beautifully illustrated book by David Wiesner, who won the 2007 Caldecott medal for his book "Flotsam".

FOOD PLAY

2008-01-31T15:00:00.000-08:00

By Joost Elffers & Saxton Freyman
2006
320 pages

This is a compact collection of over 300 images from a decade spent playing with food (and then photographing the results). If you haven't already seen some of the authors' books, you've probably stumbled across their images at some point over the last ten years. The author/artists simple carvings of fruits and vegetables create some of the funniest, most beautiful, and thought-provoking images you'll see. This book, which has no words, will generate many laughs and conversations between you and your children as you look at the pictures. It's great for exploring one's own feelings, and learning how to read the feelings of other 'people'. I found it very interesting to hear what my three-year-old daughter thought the different produce were thinking and doing - she will often come up with little stories describing the relationships between one piece of fruit and another.

DOREEN CRONIN CHILDREN'S BOOKS

2008-01-21T10:55:00.000-08:00

Author Doreen Cronin is a very funny children's author who seems to understand that she is writing for two audiences - the child listening and the adult reading. And she is adept at writing stories for all ages of children, from babies to grade schoolers. If you haven't yet discovered any of her books, pick any one of them and you can't go wrong - they're all excellent, fun reads that you and your kids will enjoy. Below are a few that my daughter and I highly recommend!

"Bounce" and "Wiggle" are a great pair of picture books for any age - babies to preschoolers. Cronin's trademark humor is here in simple rhymes that follow the same wiggling, bouncing dog in each book.

"If you bounce into a puddle, it's best to bounce in boots.

If you must bounce in the market, it's best not to bounce in fruits."

And from the "Wiggle" book:

"Do you wake up with a wiggle? Do you wiggle out of bed?

If you wiggle with your breakfast, it might wind up on your head."

The illustrations are a colorful combination of pen and ink, watercolor and collage. You'll have fun bouncing and wiggling with your kids while reading this book!

"Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type", "Giggle, Giggle, Quack", and "Dooby, Dooby, Moo" are three of Cronin's books that all take place on the farm of Farmer Brown, who seems to have some very advanced farm animals living in his barn. The first story begins when the cows find a typewriter and type out a note to Farmer Brown demanding electric blankets to keep them warm in the cold, drafty barn. When he refuses, they go on strike - no blankets, no milk. Typewritten notes are exchanged until a deal is negotiated that all involved are happy with. But Farmer Brown's troubles are just beginning, because now the ducks have gotten their hands (wings?) on that typewriter and send a new note to Farmer Brown:

"Dear Farmer Brown, The pond is quite boring.

We'd like a diving board. Sincerely, The Ducks"

"Diary of a Worm", "Diary of a Spider", and "Diary of a Fly", are another series of books by Cronin that are again very amusing in a variety of ways depending on how old you are. In the first, a young worm chronicles his life at home, school, and play. You will get a worm's-eye view of the best and worst things about being a young worm - never getting in trouble for tracking mud into the house, never having to take a bath are great, but having no arms and watching out for people digging for bait can be difficult. There are also many entries that human kids will relate to:

"My older sister thinks she's so pretty. I told her that no matter how much time she spends looking in the mirror, her face will always look just like her rear end. Spider thought that was really funny. Mom did not."

The illustrations bring you right down into the world of worms and are full of funny details that you will discover on multiple readings. Spider and Fly, friends of Worms, share their lives in the other two books.

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AMBASSADOR ANNOUNCED

2008-01-05T13:50:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Library of Congress and the Children's Book Council has selected John Scieszka as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. The position has been created to "help promote literacy and the joy of reading in young people."

"Scieszka will travel the nation speaking to parents, teachers, and the media, as well as attend events at book fairs, publishing houses, libraries and nonprofit centers. But his main job as ambassador will be to engage the children..."

Scieszka, the author of "The Stinky Cheese Man", and "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs", says, "What I'm going to try and do is bring back that real excitement about reading to counteract all this testing stuff that is going on because I see that everywhere and it's just sucking the life out of reading," he added. "Kids see books as an assignment."

Read more here: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-01-03-voa73.cfm

Sounds like a great idea to me!

WE LOVE OLIVIA

2008-01-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, we do, and so do a lot of other people according to the New York Times Bestseller list. It's just too much fun to watch what kind of fun havoc Olivia creates - and seems to pretty much get away with. My 3-year-old daughter loves books about other 'kids' being somewhat naughty, and Olivia really delivers in that area, with her gleeful, self-centered adventures. The author/illustrator, Ian Falconer's spare drawings, and simply-worded, but very amusing stories, are a nice change from a typical busy, bright, bouncy, children's picture book. We've read them all, and I think our current favorite is "Olivia and the Missing Toy". Although we have not seen "Olivia Helps With Christmas", which is Falconer's latest. The Olivia books website is also very well done, and worth checking out with young Olivia fans. The 'Fun With Olivia' section has some nice downloads, and a great painting game you can do online, and then print out. Take a look for yourself here.

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS PICTURE BOOKS

2007-12-20T14:41:00.001-08:00

Doesn't it seem like every popular singer out there has created a 'Christmas' album? No matter what the genre of music, they all have their version of holiday songs. Well, I see the same thing with popular picture book authors too - especially those who have created a series of books featuring a particular character. I guess it's hard to resist the warm, fuzzy feelings that the combination of children and Christmas elicit. So here are a few of our favorites in that category:

Little Rabbit's Christmas
by Harry Horse

The Wild Christmas Reindeer
by Jan Brett

Deck the Hall
by Sylvia Long

Christmas in the Big Woods
Adapted from the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Illustrated by Renee Graef

Angelina's Christmas
byKatharine Holabird and Helen Craig

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
by Dr. Seuss

What are your favorite Christmas picture books?

TWO BOY BOOKS

2007-12-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

While I hesitate to use the label 'boy books', it sure seems like the boys who visit our house love a certain type of book and want to hear them read again immediately (they certainly never want to hear me read one of the Angelina Ballerina books more than once). Books about construction equipment and books with action - things falling, bouncing around, and loud, funny noises seem to appeal to Macy's little boy friends. The following two books are both illustrated by Marc Rosenthal with a retro, 1930's style, similar to that of R. Crumb. Another of our favorites illustrated by Rosenthal and written by Mem Fox is 'Straight Line Wonder', a book about having the courage to be different.

DIG! Written by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha Illustrated by Marc Rosenthal 2004, 32 pages We follow Mr. Rally with his big yellow backhoe, and his dog Lightning, through a day filled with five big digging projects. The book includes a simple counting lesson woven seamlessly into the story - Mr. Rally has completed two projects, how many are left? The words have a nice rythm and repitition, and, as is typical with a book illustrated by Rosenthal, there is a secondary story line about the dog, Lightning, finding a bone at each site, which he buries at the end of the book.

PHOOEY! By Marc Rosenthal 2007, 40 pages The bored boy in this book spends most of the story complaining that "Nothing ever happens around here!" Then he kicks a can which starts a series of exciting events, which he fails to notice as he continues to mope around the town. All the while, there is so much happening right behind him throughout the whole book, that you have to read it a few times to see every interesting and exciting thing that he is missing. Most of the text consists of words describing the sounds made by all the action in the background - "ZOOP", "BONK", "FLUMP", "YOWL", "SKREEE", "AROOO", "PLOP", and many more... There are many subplots going on in the pictures, including one involving a pirate! Finally, at the end of the book, something quite exciting and unexpected happens to the boy, the result of kicking the can at the beginning of the story. Now he says, "This place is great!"

TOOT AND PUDDLE: PUDDLE'S ABC

2007-12-13T15:55:00.000-08:00

By Holly Hobbie
2000
48 Pages

Toot and Puddle are two sweet pigs who are best friends. One day Puddle decides to teach Otto (his turtle friend) how to write his name. Puddle begins by teaching Otto the alphabet, "The alphabet is all the letters we need in order to write all the words we know." So Puddle paints a picture to illustrate each letter, but nothing so simple as 'B is for ball'. In Puddle's picture's 'B is for ballerina blowing bubbles', and 'C is for crocodile crunching carrots', and 'Z is for zooming zucchini'! After Otto has learned to read the alphabet, Toot and Puddle teach him how to write the letters. He practices writing his name, and realizes Otto is Toot spelled inside out! Otto is very pleased with himself for learning how to write his name, and Toot and Puddle are very pleased with themselves for teaching their friend the alphabet. Kids and parents both will love Holly Hobbie's bright and humorous illustrations.

HOW TO MAKE AN APPLE PIE AND SEE THE WORLD

2007-12-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

By Marjorie Priceman
1994
40 Pages

A little girl's simple plan of going to the market to buy ingredients for an apple pie, is transformed into a trip around the world when she discovers the market is closed. She decides to go to Italy for the wheat, France for a chicken (egg), Sri Lanka for cinnamon, England for a cow (milk and butter), Jamaica for salt and sugar, and Vermont for the apples. Lovely watercolor illustrations depict lessons in geography, transportation, culture, and the understanding of where food really comes from (not the market!). The book includes maps tracing the little girl's journey, recipes for apple pie crust and filling, and an idea for an apple tasting party.

A BABY SISTER FOR FRANCES

2007-12-05T15:48:00.000-08:00

By Russell Hoban
Pictures by Lillian Hoban
1964
32 Pages

Little Frances has a new baby sister, Gloria, who, in Frances' eyes, is causing Mom and Dad to fall down on the job of taking care of Frances' every need, as new siblings tend to do.

"Is my blue dress ready for me to wear?"

"Oh, dear," said Mother, "I was so busy with Gloria that I did not have time to iron it..."

"Why did you put sliced bananas on the oatmeal? Did you forget that I like raisins?"

"No, I did not forget," said Mother, "but you finished up the raisins yesterday and I have not been out shopping yet."

"Well, things are not very good around here anymore. No clothes to wear. No raisins for the oatmeal. I think maybe I'll run away. What time will dinner be tonight?"

"Half past six," said Mother.

"Then I will have plenty of time to run away after dinner," said Frances.

And so, after dinner, she runs away under the dining room table, just far enough so that she can hear her Mother and Father talking about how lonesome and empty the house is without her, how they miss her songs. They talk about how babies are nice, but a baby is not a family, a family is everybody all together. Needless to say, Frances eventually returns home, and is assured that while there may not always be enough raisins for her oatmeal, there will always be plenty of chocolate cake.

There are other books about Frances and her family that we like very much, "A Bargain For Frances" and "Best Friends For Frances", wherein she negotiates the complications of friendship. In "A Birthday For Frances", she lets go just a tiny bit of the notion that the world must revolve around her and is very pleased with herself for doing so (the story is actually about sister Gloria's birthday). Although written in the early sixties, these are all great books that really capture the dialog and oh-so-logical thinking of the preschool age group, that is, apparently timeless.

GOOD BOOKS, GOOD CAUSE

2007-12-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

While shopping at Kohl's recently, I came upon a display of three of the "How Do Dinosaurs..." books by well-known children's author Jane Yolen, and Mark Teague, the illustrator. These are large (9 x 12) hardcover books selling for only $5.00! Kohl's is donating 100% of the net profits from sales of these books to support health and educational opportunities for children in communities nationwide. The three titles being offered are: "How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?", "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?", and "How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?". They also had a rack of dinosaur stuffed animals for $5.00 each. These would make great birthday presents, either the book alone, or with the stuffed animal. Each book follows a similar storyline showing the giant dinosaurs, with their small, human parents standing by, behaving the way one would expect a dinosaur to behave - throwing food, roaring for more books before bedtime, and generally being loud, rude and selfish. The second part of each book shows the same, giant dinosaurs behaving quite nicely, proving even dinosaurs can learn to be polite and respectful. These books would definitely be popular with any dinosaur-lovers out there!

ALEPH-BET BOOKS

2007-11-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

Aleph-Bet Books is a website for a business that sells first editions of children's books and other illustrated books. They have put several of their book sale catalogs online which are full of antique and vintage illustrations. Not like holding the real thing in your hands, but still, I had fun salivating over all the fine, old illustrations shown here. There is also an interesting article and list covering the 'Highspots in Children's Literature (1863-1963)', which has many classics you'll recognize that are still available in reprint.

COUNTING KISSES

2007-11-14T16:58:00.000-08:00

By Karen Katz
2003
32 Pages (board book)

My favorite books to read with babies are the ones that prompt some type of interaction with the baby, and "Counting Kisses" is a great example of that type of book. A cranky baby is calmed and put to sleep with kisses coming at her from many sources. Mommy gives her "ten little kisses on teeny, tiny toes", Daddy gives her "eight squishy kisses on chubby, yummy knees", all the way down to "one last kiss on your sleepy, dreamy head", delivered with the whole family smiling down at the now sleeping baby in bed. This is a great bedtime book, or any time baby is in the mood for snuggles and kisses.

Karen Katz has written and illustrated a many other children's books, many of them lift-the-flap books, including another one of our favorites: "Where is Baby's Belly Button?". She also has a nice website at KarenKatz.com.

BEAR SNORES ON

2007-11-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

By Karma Wilson
Illustrated by Jane Chapman
2002
40 Pages

"In a cave in the woods,
In his deep, dark lair,
through the long, cold winter
sleeps a great brown bear."

Thus begins the story of one hibernating bear whose cave is visited by all manner of small forest creatures: mouse, hare, badger, gopher, mole, wren and raven. Each one arrives with a contribution to a spontaneous midwinter party in the bear's cave. The party gears up while the bear snores on, until a small pepper fleck wakes him up: "He blows and he sneezes, and the whole crowd freezes..."

The cadence and flow of Karma Wilson's verses are really delightful, especially when read out loud - it's hard to believe this was her first book. She has written two other books about Bear, "Bear Stays Up For Christmas", and "Bear's New Friend", with a third just published: "Bear Feels Sick". She also has a very nicely designed website, where you can learn more about the author and her work.

BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL

2007-11-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

By Robert McCloskey
1948
64 Pages

"Little Sal picked three berries and dropped them in her little tin pail...kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk!"

"Blueberries For Sal" is another favorite classic children's books of ours that's been around for 60(!) years. It's the story of a mother and her Little Sal (a girl), and a mother bear and her Little Bear wandering over a late summer hillside in Maine, covered with blueberries. The mother and Sal are picking berries to can for winter, and the mother bear and Little Bear are eating as many berries as they can before winter arrives. A mother/daughter mix-up follows, with just the right amount of drama for little kids. This one makes my list of perfectly written children's stories!

Robert McCloskey was a well-known author and illustrator of many other titles you would probably recognize including: "Make Way For Ducklings", and the Homer Price stories.

WEBSITES FOR FAVORITE BOOK SERIES

2007-11-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

If your child has a favorite book or series of books, they often want more stories than the author has written. Many publishers have created websites for these books which usually have more information about the author/illustrator, favorite characters, coloring pages that can be printed out, and interactive games. Three of my daughter's favorites book series are the Babar books, the Angelina Ballerina books, and the Ella books. Each has a nicely designed website, and lots of new images and short animations to look at, and interesting tidbits about the creators of the books. Here are the links to each site:

Babar

Angelina Ballerina

Ella the Elegant Elephant

TWO BY DR. SEUSS

2007-11-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

We all know about "The Cat In The Hat", "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas", and "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish", but here are a couple other Seuss books you may have missed that my daughter and I really enjoy. The first is "Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book" (1962), which leads us through a story of sleep beginning with one yawning bug named Van Vleck. It continues through the falling asleep of many other Seussian creatures, counting up the number of sleepers as we read along, until the end when everyone is sleeping but you. Be careful before agreeing to read this one at bedtime, because it's a pretty long book!

"Ninety-nine zillion, nine trillion and two
Creatures are sleeping! So...how about you?
When you put out your light, then the number will be
Ninety-nine zillion, nine trillion and three.."

The other book is "Happy Birthday To You!" (1959). We should all be so lucky to have a birthday like the one the little boy in this book has. I think it would be fun to make a tradition of reading this book to each family member on the day of their birthday (including Mom and Dad). Reading this book (as well as the Sleep Book), you really get a sense of how much fun Dr. Seuss must have had writing the verses:

"They smell like licorice! And cheese!
Send forty Who-Bubs up the trees
To snip with snippers! Nip with nippers!
Clip and clop with clapping clippers.
Nip and snip with clipping cloppers!
Snip and snop with snipping snoppers!
All for you, the Who-Bubs clip!
Happy Birthday! Nop and nip!"

Both books are pretty wordy, so I would recommend them for 3-year-olds and up. Enjoy!

CAN'T YOU SLEEP, LITTLE BEAR?

2007-10-29T17:28:00.000-07:00

By Martin Waddell
Illustrated by Barbara Firth
1988
32 Pages

Big Bear is puttting Little Bear to bed in the Bear Cave, but Little Bear is afraid of the dark. Big Bear brings successively larger lanterns trying to fill the room with light and banish Little Bear's fear, but Little Bear is still afraid, because it's dark "out there", outside the Bear Cave. So Big Bear takes Little Bear out into the night and shows him the bright yellow moon and the twinkly stars. Meanwhile, Little Bear has fallen asleep in Big Bear's arms.

It seems with little kids it's always nice to be able to tell a story about someone else dealing with a similar problem or fear. Much better than Mommy or Daddy trying to explain why they don't need to be afraid of the dark, dogs, men with mustaches, etc. "Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?", with it's soft pencil and watercolor illustrations, fits very neatly into that category.

THE LITTLE HOUSE

2007-10-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

By Virginia Lee Burton
1942
44 Pages

"The Little House" sits on an apple-covered hill in the country, through the seasons, through many generations of one family. She wonders what it would be like to live in the city. The distant city comes closer and closer, until the little house finds herself surrounded by tall buildings, bright lights, and noisy trains, and many people rushing by without noticing her. Until one day the great-great-granddaughter of the man who built the little house comes by and remembers the little house that "was way out in the country on a hill coverd with daisies and apple trees growing around." The woman takes the house out of the city and returns her to the country, where, "once again she was lived in and taken care of." A sweet story with a happy ending for children, with soft, detailed pictures showing the little house's journey as her world changed around her.

Burton won the 1943 Caldecott Medal for "The Little House", and is also the author of "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel".

CAPTAIN'S PURR

2007-10-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

By Madeleine Floyd
2003
22pages

Captain's Purr is a charming story about the author's cat, Captain, who lives with her by the River Thames in London. She has painted a beautiful series of watercolors showing off the imposing Captain in all of the important activities that fill his days - sleeping, washing, and eating. But it seems that Captain has a secret life at night which really makes him purr. A great book with a twist for cat lovers of any age.

MARS NEEDS MOMS

2007-10-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

By Berkeley Breathed
2002
40 Pages

Poor Milo is driven by his thundering, humorless tyrant of a mother to eat various vegetables and take out the trash. He just doesn't get what's so special about mothers. Until the Martians, who grow motherless out of the ground like potatoes, come to earth one night with a big net to steal a mother - Milo's mother. Milo tags along on the spaceship ride to Mars, where his mother makes the ultimate sacrifice and he finally realizes what's so special about mothers - and teaches the Martians a lesson about mother-love, too.

Mars Needs Moms reminds me of the classic, "Where The Wild Things Are", a story about another little boy who has a bad day, is sent to his room without supper, and whose mother comes through in the end. You may know Breathed as the creator of the Bloom County and Opus comic strips. His illustrations are thick, lush, funny, and finely-detailed. This would make a great Mother's Day gift too!

FAVORITE BABY BOOKS

2007-10-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

Thinking back on what my now 3-year-old's favorite baby books were, she liked books with big, bright, colorful pictures, books with Mommies and Daddies interacting with babies, and books with animals. I know, that covers most baby books, but here are a few of our favorites (all available in the form of board books):

Baby Dance, by Ann Taylor, illustrated by Marjorie Van Heerden. In a re-working of the lyrics to "Hush Little Baby", a daddy dances with his baby girl, while Mama gets a little sleep.

One Sleepy Baby, by Pamela Levine, illustrated by Stephanie Milanowski. Baby goes through his (her?) predictable bedtime routine with Daddy counting 1-10 each step of the way. "One sleepy baby, two tired eyes, three bedtime stories, a special lullaby..."

Who Are You?, by Stella Blackstone, illustrated Debbie Harter. This one is a real page-turner and invites interaction with your baby, as the question, "Who are you?" is posed on one page with a visual clue, and then answered on the next with the partial illustration completed. I love the illustrators style - bright, geometric, and full of energy. This author/illustrator team has published many more books that are just as much fun to read.

Hug, by Jez Alborough. Baby chimp, Bobo, sees different animal pairs hugging, and realizes how much he wants a hug from his Mommy too. With the help of the other animals, he finds her and gets his hug. Another good interactive book, because it has only the one word in it, "hug". It's more like having a conversation with your baby about what is happening to little Bobo. This author has created a few other excellent one-word books about Bobo and his Mommy, too, like "Yes", and "Tall".

WONDERTIME MAGAZINE

2007-10-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

I'm going to stray from the subject of children's books for a moment to tell you about my favorite 'parenting' magazine. It's called Wondertime, and is for parents of children aged 0-8 years old. I like their very positive approach to all the usual parenting magazine subjects of eating, sleeping, health, and development, as well as the short pieces that remind me to enjoy my daughter's innate love of learning. They'll send you one issue for free, and if you like it, an additional nine issues (not quite monthly) for $10. Here's how the publisher describes their magazine:

"Wondertime is dedicated to helping parents nurture their children's love of learning. A blend of how and why, Wondertime inspires parents of infants through 8-year-olds to see the world through the eyes of their children, and to celebrate the wonder of this all-too-fleeting time.

MAMA, DO YOU LOVE ME?

2007-10-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

By Barbara M. Joosse
Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee
1991
32 Pages

My 3-year-old daughter is pushing, pushing, pushing the boundaries A LOT right now, and I think that is why "Mama, Do You Love Me" is her current favorite book. It's about a conversation between an Inuit mother and her young daughter, in which the daughter asks how much her mother loves her, and tries to think of situations that might make her mother stop loving her.

"What if I turned into a polar bear, and I was the meanest bear you ever saw, and I had sharp, shiny teeth, and I chased you into your tent and you cried?"

Her mother replies:

"Then I would be very surprised and very scared. But still, inside the bear, you would be you, and I would love you."

It's a lovely story with soft, watercolor illustrations. I'd highly recommend it to you if you are finding yourself pushed into feeling angry with your kids lately, and looking for a way to let them know how much you will always love them no matter what they do.