My Favorite Things illustrated by Renee Graef

My Favorite Things is a visual representation of the classic song from Roger & Hammerstein's Sound of Music. Perhaps I'm feeling a bit sentimental today but this song has always been a favorite (I can remember belting it out as a child) and the images in this book (no specific reference to the Sound of Music) call to the childlike joy of the song. My daughter also knew and loved the song long before we had the book so it was great to reintroduce the song in a new format. This book is definitely mind candy but sometimes we all need that extra rush of sugar. 32 pages.

The Orange Book by Richard McGuire

The Orange Book is the creative adventure of fourteen oranges from tree to final destination. And, those destinations are quite imaginative and often funny. With just one sentence to describe the path of each orange, the reading goes almost as quickly as a count to fourteen. The retro illustrations bring a jazzy edge to the story as well. 32 pages.

Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

Our daughter was just beginning to associate words with pictures when we found a copy of Orange Pear Apple Bear at our local library. Surprisingly, despite the fact that the entire text consists only of the four words in the title, the words and the pictures play well against one another in an amusing and thoughtful way, encouraging early "reading". Orange Pear Apple Bear is an engaging book for both the listener and the reader. 32 pages.

Don't Forget I Love You by Miriam Moss

Don't Forget I Love You is a familiar story for anyone who has ever had to rush a child through the morning ritual of getting dressed and eating breakfast to get to daycare/preschool and work on time. For readers, it's a gentle reminder of what's important and, for listeners, a reaffirmation of love. Wonderful for anyone where drop-off is a regular routine. 32 pages.

One by Kathryn Otoshi

I found a copy of One at an independent bookstore in Berkeley, California.  It's the story of "blue", a blue spot on the page that overcomes the bullying of "red" through the courage of friends.  I love the story because it is very clever at many different levels and has appeal to a range of ages.  For the youngest readers, it begins the identification process of colors.  Applying emotions to these colors (young children often apply emotions to inanimate objects as they begin to explore their own understanding of feelings) calls to older children.  The story then incorporates the use of numbers, thereby introducing basic number recognition and counting.  So many different levels may sound complex and intimidating but it's done in a very lighthearted way with an average of about 15 words per page in easy to read print (very helpful also for early readers).  32 pages.