Kiddy Litter

The Three Billy Goats Gruff Retold By Alice O'Grady and Frances Throop



In this story the three billy goats gruff try to cross a river to get to the green grass on the other side. They go from littlest to biggest. Each time one crosses over a grumpy troll appears and tells them that he is going to eat them.The billy goat tells him that his brother is much bigger so the troll waits for the next goat. It goes on like this until the third and final billy goat crosses. The troll once again threatens to eat the goat, but the goat simply butts him off. The troll lands in the river and turns into a stone.

This is my favorite version of the three billy goats gruff. It is told in simple words that will make it easy to understand for young children and old. I love the illustrations and the way the goats look. It's also great way to help children understand size differences. Perfect for an older sibling to read to the little ones.

Verdi By Janell Cannon

In this story a mother python sends out all her babies into the jungle, but Verdi is a curious young python who seeks adventure and action. He meets some older pythons who are lazy, fat, and green. He thinks to himself, I don't want to end up like them! So Verdi tries his hardest to stay sleek, active, yellow, and small. He slithers through the jungle as fast as he possibly can and jumps of of trees doing twists and turns, but time goes on and his skin starts to turn green. He grows older and longer. Before he knows it, he's turned completely green. He is sad that he is turning into the thing he most feared. Two little snakes come by one day and start whispering to each other, they are just like I was, he thought. Then he asks them if they would like to play in the jungle with him. They agree and have a fantastic time slithering, leaping, twisting, and doing tricks. Even though he changed in appearance, he was still the same snake at heart.

This story is very charming and beautifully written. With it's wonderful illustrations and meaningful moral, it is sure to be an instant family favorite. This story is great for older kids.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane By Kate DiCamillo

Edward Tulane, the toy rabbit, thought of himself as perfect and in many ways he was. He was made completely of china except for his ears and tail which were made of real rabbit fur. He had wire joints in his arms and legs so that they could be bent into any position. He also had a wide variety of clothing. Each outfit was detailed and each hat had two holes for his ears. There was only one thing he was missing, love.

His owner, Abilene, loved him with every bit of her heart, but he had no love for her in return. One day she brings Edward with her onto a cruise ship. She accidentally drops him into the ocean and his adventure begins. He meets many people and sees many places. In the process he finally learns what it is like to love, have your heart broken, and then restored.

This story is beautifully written. It shows the world from Edward's perspective, how his heart turns from hard, to soft. You feel the emotions the characters are feeling, sorrow, joy, and love. It makes a good read aloud and will leave your kids begging for just "one" more chapter. It also has wonderful illustrations! This book is amazing, I've read it over and over again.

 

Skeleton Hiccups By Margery Cuyler

    This story is about (as you may have suspected) a skeleton who has the hiccups. In the story he tries various ways of ridding himself of them, but fails every time.

    It has simple words and hilarious illustrations that will make you want to read it again and again! This book makes a great read aloud for kids of any age. 

I Just Forgot (A Little Critter Book) By Mercer Mayer

Little Critter is trying hard to do all the things he's supposed to do and trying hard to do them right.  But, sometimes little critters just forget!  He gets it almost right over and over, like when he remembers to take a bath, but forgets to use soap.  Kids will relate to Little Critter's forgetfulness and parents will feel like maybe their little one isn't the only one of his kind.  The entire Little Critter series is worth a look.  Full of great illustrations that kids love with lots of little details and creatures to spot.

There Is a Bird on Your Head! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) By Mo Willems

Elephant and Piggie are besties!  They have lots of different adventures together.  This is a fabulous series for new readers and also great for reading aloud to tots.  My 2 year old ran around the house for months saying "fly, fly, fly, fly..." after we read Today I Will Fly.  I chose There Is a Bird On Your Head! because I cannot read it without laughing out loud.  The illustrations work so well with the words to create a very definite feeling.  Elephant asks Piggie if he has a bird on his head and Piggie proceeds to narrate all that is happening on Elephant's head.  This includes the bird falling in love, building a nest, laying eggs, and then eggs hatching.  A book to make parent and child happy!

Creole By Stephen Cosgrove

When I was a little girl I collected the books in this series (called Serendipity Books).  They are beautifully illustrated and each teach a lesson.  I have great affection for all the books in this series, but narrowed it down to one for this review.  This is a beautiful and sweet story of a creature who has a heart full of beautiful things to share, but is horribly ugly.  She is shunned by all the other animals who are afraid of her until one day she has a chance encounter with a baby alligator with a stutter.  The alligator is also an outcast and is not afraid of Creole.  He sits with her and gets to hear all the beauty in her heart.  He becomes determined to introduce her to the other creatures.  They come up with a plan that has surprising effects on all of them.  A great story to help kids understand the concept of not judging a book by it's cover.

Owen By Kevin Henkes

Here's a selection in honor of back-to-school season.  This is the story of a small mouse named Owen who is about to attend school for the first time ever.  He has a fuzzy yellow blanket that is his closest companion.  His well-meaning neighbor, Mrs. Tweezers, suggests he get rid of the blanket before school starts.  Owen is horrified by this suggestion, but his mom comes up with a brilliant idea that makes going to school a fun experience for everyone (and even Mrs. Tweezers approves). 

We're Going on a Bear Hunt By Michael Rosen

This is such a fun book to read as a family.  It's got a great rhyming rhythm.  When we read it, I read one line and then the kids repeat it.  They also love to get up and act it out as we read.  The story tells of a family going on an adventurous bear hunt.  As the obstacles appear they discuss ways to get around them.  For instance when they come to the mud, they can't go over it and can't go under it, they have to go through it.  The kids love pretended to tromp through the mud.  We have the pop-up version of this book and it adds a whole other element to the book, but even without any bells and whistles this is a great story that stands on it's own.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz By L. Frank Baum

Most of us are familiar with at least parts of this story thanks to Judy Garland and MGM studios.  I grew up on the movie and didn't lay hands on the book until my first child was in kindergarten.  Then I decided I would read it aloud to her.  We had so much fun and she was enchanted by the story.  It is quite different than the movie and has so much more to it, including more characters (very entertaining ones).  A great tale of fantasy that children will eat up and adults will enjoy feeding them.