Kiddy Litter

Sheep in a Jeep By Nancy E. Shaw

Sheep in a Jeep is great for beginning readers.  It's also a great read aloud for young kids.  The illustrations are humorous (I am especially fond of the fact that one of the sheep is almost always knitting).  The sheep run into a few minor problems on their adventure and I think we learn a valuable lesson that sheep really shouldn't drive jeeps.  It's great rhyming fun for little ones.

Moses By Carole Boston Weatherford

This is such a moving book.  The illustrations are works of art...I would hang them on my wall!  This is not the Biblical account of Moses.  This is the story of Harriet Tubman, the Moses of her people.  It is her story told in conversations with God.  Her struggle for her own freedom and then her decision to go back and help others find freedom. She expresses her concerns and fears to God and He directs her and comforts her.  It is an emotional and beautiful retelling of the story. 

Maisy's Morning on the Farm By Lucy Cousins

I love Maisy!  She is great for the very young.  Simple phrases, bright colorful illustrations, and easy to follow situations.  This is one of our favorites.  Maisy spends her morning feeding pigs and chickens, driving a tractor, and milking a cow.  All the Maisy books are enjoyable and if you have a toddler in the family I would highly recommend them!

Goodnight Opus By Berkeley Breathed

I love this book!  I love the illustrations...I love the pink bunny jammies...I love the message!!  In this tale Opus is being read his bedtime story by Granny and he does something he's never done before, "he departs from the text".  He dreams big dreams and does crazy things.  He flies up to space to kiss the cows up in the milky way, he passes by the tooth fairy, and converses with Abe Lincoln (the statue version).  It's a wild and wacky ride that encourages us to color outside the lines.

The Boxcar Children By Gertrude Chandler Warner

Seriously, what could be better than living in a boxcar with your siblings and rummaging through the dump to find what you need.  OK, maybe as an adult that doesn't sound so appealing, but kids eat this book up.  It's about 4 siblings who are orphaned and find an old boxcar to make their own.  It's a great story and an easy read alone or good read aloud with the family.  It also helps kids (especially siblings) see the value in taking care of each other.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin By Laura Joffe Numeroff

Laura Numeroff hit the jackpot with her "if you give a..." series.  These books are all really great, fun and easy reads.  This one is our family's favorite.  The moose is adorable.  I love the illustration of him standing upright wearing a cardigan.  He also makes sock puppets and a set for them to perform on.  It really encourages creativity.  There is not much better then watching a moose with sock puppets!!

Fish Out of Water By Helen Palmer and P.D. Eastman

I loved this book as a kid.  It is such a fun imaginative tale.  A little boy buys a fish and names him Otto.  He is warned by the store owner not to feed the fish too much.  When the boy gets home he feeds Otto a little, but Otto still looks hungry so the boy pours the entire box of food in the bowl.  What happens next is thankfully very different from what would actually happen in that circumstance...Otto starts growing and won't stop.  Eventually, the firemen are called out and have to wheel him over to the local pool.  But, all is well in the end...although I still don't exactly understand how it happens.  Great fun to read and helps kids understand concepts of different sizes. 

Because Your Daddy Loves You By Andrew Clements

Seeing as Father's Day is coming up I thought I would feature a great book to honor dads!  This is an adorable book about the way a dad treats his little girl.  We follow the pair on an outing to the beach and back home again.  Kids will see how dad chooses to show his love over and over again throughout the day.  This would make a great gift for dad as a thank you for all he does! 

Curious George Goes to the Hospital By Margret and H.A. Rey

Yes, it's the George we all remember from our childhood.  George swallows a piece of a jigsaw puzzle and wakes up with a tummy ache.  The man in the yellow hat (the sometimes responsible and attentive guardian of George) rushes him to the hospital.  There kids get a great tour of things that might be seen in a hospital visit.  Admittedly, things are slightly out of date, but the fun is still there! 

Holes By Louis Sachar

This is the story of poor unfortunate Stanley Yelnats.  It is a quick and easy read for older kids.  It has a brilliant plot that ties past and present together in a series of incredible coincidences.  Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake for a crime he didn't commit.  Camp Green Lake is a desolate dry lake bed where the boys are forced to dig a hole everyday to turn them into good boys.  It's fun to watch the twists as they unfold in the plot and you begin to discover why they are digging.  Full of colorful characters and interesting connections.