Why We Love It:

The Going-To-Bed Book

What happens when it is time for a batch of zany animals to go to bed on the boat? This short, rhyming book describes the animal’s bedtime routines. The regular meter of the poem ensures that your child will eventually be able to chant along with this funny, yet soothing bedtime story.

Why We Love It:

Picky eating in a family full of siblings brings special challenges for Mrs. Peters, the dedicated mother in this rhyming picture book. Young children (and their parents) will delight in seeing how each child’s unique eating habits combine to make a wonderful birthday surprise.

Why We Love It:

It won’t take many reading before your child happily chants along with the regular metered rhythm of this delightful book. Detailed ink and watercolor pictures work perfectly in delivering the escapades of lovable Hairy Maclary and his canine friends. This is the first in a popular series.

Why We Love It:

Get your child to chant the …”But the bear snores on,” while you read the rhyming words about all of the animals who party on while bear hibernates. Enjoy what happens when bear finally wakes up and finds all of the animals in his cave!

Why We Love It:

Good luck finding a funnier, rhyming counting book than this Sandra Boynton classic. The rich visual detail combined with the consistent rhyming pattern will keep your child’s interest and attention for every reading of this short, colorful board book. A great early concept book for teaching counting, number sense and rhyme..

Why We Love It:

This outstanding rhyming picture book makes use of all the nursery rhymes and fairy tales you’ve read to your children. Colorful and detail-rich pictures combined with rhyming couplets presented in an I Spy format are sure to entertain and hold your child’s interest. This book should be in every child’s library.

Why We Love It:

This book hits the mark with rhyming text, sound words and detailed pictures of trucks and animals throughout. Themes of friendship and helping others delivered with a jaunty rhythm put this on the road to becoming a family favorite.

Why We Love It:

Stomp, clap, bow and spin along with a variety of barnyard animals in this delightful Boynton book. The rhythm, rhyme and words work perfectly and encourage bouncing and dancing—things that young children love so much.

Why We Love It:

Settling down for the night can be challenging for many young children including Llama llama.  After a story and kisses, Mama Llama  leaves little llama to sleep.  The separation proves too much for little llama whose imagination goes wild when mama does not immediately appear when called.  Young children will identify with little llama’s dilemma and find reassurance knowing that “ Mama Llama’s always near, even if she’s not right here.” The soothing rhythm and clever rhymes make this a hit and a favorite to recite.

Why We Love It:

Engaging and witty illustrations, repetition and rhyme make this book a must-have for any home library! This book introduces the concepts of opposites, adjectives, counting and colors while hunting for the elusive green sheep. The simple words and predictable pattern make it easy for children to finish the sentences as they read together with a parent. And the well-placed Spanish text is an additional bonus for Spanish speakers.

Why We Love It:

Rhythm and rhyme make this board book so much fun to share with young children. Your little one will soon be chanting and bouncing along with the animals in the story. Simple rhyming couplets and colorful pictures with just enough details for pointing and naming will will make this book a favorite.

Why We Love It:

The funny pictures and words delivered in a rhythmic rhyming text make this a delightful book to read again and again. Sandra Boynton’s animals make the kind of sounds that young children love and the regular beat lends itself to a variety of activities. First published in 1982, this sturdy board has sold over 3 million copies and is Boynton’s most popular title as you will see.

Why We Love It:

A bear and a boy go on a magical berry-picking adventure filled with ice skating elephants, a brass band of raspberry rabbits and shooting rockets. Bruce Degan’s lively illustrations, short rhymes and familiar repeats are especially enjoyable to young children.

Why We Love It:

Why We Love It

Four lines of rhyming text set the reader up for guessing who or what is being described in each poem. Illustrations are hilarious with super-silly surprises on every page turn.

Why We Love It:

Why We Love It

Don’t be surprised if your young children laugh with delight whenever you open Karen Beaumont’s I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! Little ones giggle to see the cheeky young boy causing mayhem as he coats his house in Technicolor splashes of paint. David Catrow’s brilliant illustrations capture this wild rumpus perfectly. From beginning to end, Beaumont’s story maintains a pulsing beat and makes you want to sing it from the rooftop even after the book has been put away.

Why We Love It:

Repetitive lines help children remember and become active participants during read-aloud time. And when the simple line,” …what do you see? I see a …looking at me.” is repeated on every page, it won’t take long before your child is chiming in. First published in 1967, this classic concept book features a bouncy rhyming repetition that has sparked three similarly popular concept books. Eric Carle’s colorful tissue-paper collage allows children to focus on the animal and its color.

Why We Love It:

“A hill is a house for an ant, an ant.

A hive is a house for a bee.

A hole is a house for a mole or a mouse

and a house is a house for me!”

This  rhythmic rhyming book explores a ride variety of different kind of shelters.  The repetitious finale to every page can be supplied by younger children  who recognize the pattern and are eager to supply the final line — and a house is a house for me! The detailed illustrations perfectly support the text and should provide great launching points for further conversation.  Older children typically enjoy creating their own versions using the books’s format.

Why We Love It:

“Young Iggy Peck is an architect,

and has been since he was two.

When he built a great tower – in only an hour –

with nothing but diapers and glue.”

With its hilarious storyline, clever text, lyrical rhyme and spectacular illustrations this book is a home library must-have. Iggy uses all sorts of unusual objects to build his masterpieces: dirty diapers, dirt clods, underwear and peaches, to name a few, and manages to save the day when a school field trip goes awry. Iggy Peck Architect is a terrific story that encourages children to think outside of the box. It is a fantastic read-aloud for kids and grown-ups alike with lots of post-reading potential for building fun.

Why We Love It:

This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of when “Silly Sally went to town, walking backwards, upside down.” On her jaunt to town, Sally meets some equally silly characters (a pig, dog, loon, sheep, and Neddy Buttercup) and together they have a rollicking good time.  Children will enjoy hearing this classic tale over and over. The repetition and rhyme throughout the story makes it easy for children to remember the words and read or sing along with their favorite parts.

Why We Love It:

Why We Love It

Just try to read this one without laughing. It cannot be done. Pick up the pace and everyone will be in stitches following young bonnet-wearing piggy who just wants to play in the mud. Despite her family’s objections, one by one, they all end up in the squishy-squashy, mooshy-squooshy, oofy-poofy mud.

Why We Love It:

Why We Love It

Read this simple rhyming story to your truck-loving child at bedtime. A variety of construction vehicles get ready to stop work so they can be ready for another day of construction fun. Detailed illustrations perfectly capture the mood and truck fun in this delightful bedtime story perfect for toddlers and preschool age children.

Why We Love It:

Why We Love It

Colorful full page illustrations with delightful rhyming text describe the bedtime antics of ten misbehaving dinosaurs. Human dinosaur parents of different ages, body types and races are shown in the book. Their reactions to the misbehaving dinosaurs make for a silly, funny and satisfying bedtime read. By story’s end, each dino becomes compliant, loving and bedtime-ready. As an added bonus, children will enjoy finding the dinosaur’s name hidden on every page.

Why We Love It:

Why We Love It

Since 1947, generations of children have been soothed to sleep by this classic bedtime tale of a bunny saying goodnight to objects in his room including “a quiet old lady whispering hush”. The language is soothing and slow with a rhyming pattern that makes the story so appealing to young children. In addition, there is a small mouse hiding on each page which is great fun for older babies and toddlers.

Why We Love It:

Why We Love It

Lyrical, rhyming text and luminous illustrations are perfectly paired in this magical bedtime tale. Sleeping children are drawn in black and white while their dream adventures are in dark, rich brush-stroked colors. Each child’s dream animal takes them on a colorful and magical journey in this beauty of a bedtime story.