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Tasha Tudor’s sweet
illustrations accompany the children’s poems of Robert Loius Stevenson, beloved for
generations. Favorites such as “Bed In Summer” (In winter I get up at night /
And dress by yellow candle-light / In summer, quite the other way / I have to go to bed by
day), “Pirate Story,” “Foreign Lands,” “My Shadow” (I have a
little shadow that goes in and out with me / And what can be the use of him is more than I
can see / He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head / And I see him jump
before me, when I jump into my bed) express the wonder in the everyday of childhood.
A Child’s Treasury of Poems
Mark Daniel
Mark Daniel has organized a timeless
collection of poems by some of the greatest American and English writers: Tennyson,
Kipling, Whitman, Dickinson, Shakespeare, Stevenson, Rossetti, Lear, and more; and has
paired them with beautiful paintings and engravings from the Victorian and Edwardian eras,
some from private collections seen here for the first time by the general public. The
poems are arranged in seven sections, beginning with “Daybreak” and ending with
“Sweet Dreams,” and are displayed with period full-color paintings and numerous
small engravings. His unique presentation is a wonderfully accessible introduction for
children to classic poets and artists. Other wonderful Mark Daniel poetry collections for
children include: A Child’s
Treasury of Animal Verse, A Child’s
Treasury of Seaside Verse, A Child’s
Christmas Treasury, and A Second Golden
Treasury of Childen’s Verse.
Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales
Beatrix Potter
“This deluxe volume
collects all of Beatrix Potter’s 23 Peter Rabbit tales and verses together--complete
and unabridged--in one book. All the original illustrations, both color and black and
white, are included. The stories are arranged in the order in which they were first
published to enable them to be read in the proper sequence, from A Tale of Peter Rabbit
to The Tale of Little Pig Robinson. Beatrix Potter’s tales were often
connected with real places, people, or animals; so each story also includes a brief
introductory note about its history. For example, “The story of naughty Peter Rabbit
in Mr. McGregor’s garden first appeared in a picture letter Beatrix Potter wrote to
Noel Moore, the young son of her former governess, in 1893.” In addition to the
original 23 tales, this edition contains two early narrative picture sequences, Three
Little Mice and The Rabbit’s Christmas Party. Also, there are two charming
little stories, The Sly Old Cat and The Fox and the Stork, which were
originally intended to be worked up into books, but remained unpublished.” These
tales are essential for beginning readers -- the stories are short but full of depth, and
the vocabulary is rich and rewarding.
Stone Soup: An Old Tale
Marcia Brown
“Three soldiers came marching down the road
toward a French village. The peasants seeing them coming, suddenly became very busy, for
soldiers are often hungry. So all the food was hidden under mattresses or in barns. There
followed a battle of wits, with the soldiers equal to the occasion. Stone soup? Why, of
course, they could make a wonderful soup of stones...but, of course, one must add a carrot
or two...some meat...so it went. Marcia Brown has made of this old tale a very gay book, a
carnival of activity, of dancing and laughter.” -- The Publisher. Stone Soup
is an ingenious lesson in hospitality. More Marcia Brown fables: Dick Whittington
and His Cat; Once a Mouse ...;
and The Three
Billy Goats Gruff.
The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant
Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff
“The Story of Babar is
essentially the tale of a country boy who comes to the city and, while there, comes of
age. In the end, he returns home to share his knowledge and experiences with family and
friends. The beautiful, delightfully detailed illustrations--de Brunhoff was a painter by
trade--never fail to amuse. (Although none of the characters seem to notice, the sight of
Babar in a suit leaning against the mantel while he regales his audience with tales of the
jungle is plainly hilarious.) All of the Babar books are notable for their ability to tell
larger stories with simplicity and style, and The Story of Babar is no exception.
Potentially troubling moments--the death of Babar’s mother, for example--are handled
with taste, emphasizing Babar’s unique gift for uncovering a silver lining in the
most persistent of clouds.” Other Babar adventures include: Babar the King,
Babar and His
Children, and The Travels of
Babar.
Bedtime for Frances
Russell Hoban
Frances is an irrepressible little badger
with a knack for delightful childhood innocence and a little mischief, which her parents
see right through. (“And if you do not go to sleep right now, do you know what will
happen to you?” “I will be out of a job?” said Frances. “No,”
said Father. “I will get a spanking?” said Frances. “Right!” said
Father.”) My favorite part is Frances singing herself a little alphabet song to help
her go to sleep. (“S is for sailboat, T is for tiger, U is for underwear, down in the
drier...” Frances stopped because “drier” did not sound like
“tiger.” She started to think about tigers...”) Every child will relate to
the rituals of bedtime, portrayed with humor and grace. Garth Williams’ illustrations
are a perfect accompaniment to Russell Hoban’s text. Other Frances books for
beginning readers include A Baby Sister
for Frances; A Bargain for
Frances; Best
Friends for Frances; A Birthday for
Frances; and Bread and Jam
for Frances.
Frog and Toad are Friends
Arnold Lobel
Frog and Toad are friends, and they do
all sorts of things that friends do together: they have adventures together, they help
each other feel better when they are sick, they share sadness and happiness, they protect
each other’s dignity, and they make sacrifices for each other. Children love these
simple, sweet stories of love and friendship (Frog and Toad were my son’s favorite
book friends when he was learning to read). Other Frog and Toad books for beginning
readers include Days With Frog
and Toad; Frog
and Toad All Year; and Frog and Toad
Together.
Fables
Arnold Lobel
“Short, original fables with fresh, unexpected morals poke subtle fun at human
foibles through the antics of animals. . . . The droll illustrations, with tones blended
to luminescent shading, are complete and humorous themselves.”--Association of
Library Service to Children. Caldecott Medal; ALA Notable Children’s Book; full-color
illustrations. Other charming Arnold Lobel books for beginning readers include The Book of
Pigericks; Mouse Soup; Mouse Tales;
Owl at Home;
Small Pig;
Uncle
Elephant; Whiskers
& Rhymes.
Little Bear
Elise Minarek
“This is the first I Can Read Book ever, and
the first of five classic Little Bear books, expressly designed for beginning readers.
Elsa Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak teamed up to create these simple stories that
are deeply comforting and lovingly playful. In one story, “Birthday Soup,”
Little Bear cannot find his mother and presumes she has forgotten his birthday. With the
prospect of guests arriving and no cake in sight, he sets out to make birthday soup (all
his friends like soup). Just as the gathering is sitting down for soup, Mother Bear shows
up with a big, beautiful birthday cake. “I never did forget your birthday, and I
never will,” she says to her son as he hugs her leg. The gentle, teasing repartee
between Little Bear and his mother will delight young readers, and the spacious layout and
large type will encourage them to keep on reading!” Other Little Bear books for
beginning readers include Father Bear
Comes Home; A Kiss for
Little Bear; Little
Bear’s Friend; and Little
Bear’s Visit.
The Parables of Jesus
Tomie de Paola
Tomie de Paola has written and illustrated
dozens and dozens of warm, beautiful, sweet, and fun picture books for children. This one
retells seventeen of the Lord’s parables, including The Good Samaritan, The Lost
Sheep, The Laborers in the Vineyard, and The Prodigal Son. Although almost all of de
Paola’s books for young readers are delightful, the ones we have especially enjoyed
include: The
Miracles of Jesus; Patrick: Patron
Saint of Ireland; Francis: The
Poor Man of Assisi; Christopher: The
Holy Giant; The Clown of God;
The Knight
and the Dragon; Nana Upstairs
and Nana Downstairs; Oliver Button is
a Sissy; Simple
Pictures Are Best.
The Cat in the Hat
Dr. Seuss
This wonderful book using beginning phonics
needs no introduction from me! However, I will say that when my youngest was having
trouble distinguishing between letter sounds; beginning and ending sounds; and rhyming
words; a few weeks of daily Dr. Seuss cleared up the problem with no extra effort on my
part. Other Dr. Seuss books for beginning readers include: Dr. Seuss' ABC;
The Foot Book;
Fox in Socks;
Green Eggs
and Ham; Hop
on Pop; Mr.
Brown Can Moo! Can You?; One Fish, Two
Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. And don't miss these Dr. Suess stories not only for a
little more advanced reading practice, but for communicating worthwhile lessons in a way
that sticks for life: Horton Hatches
the Egg; How
the Grinch Stole Christmas; I Had Trouble in
Getting to Solla Sollew; The Sneetches
and Other Stories; Yertle the
Turtle and Other Stories.
Mary, Did You Know?
Mark Lowry
Inspired by the hauntingly beautiful lyrics
of the contemporary classic Christmas song written by Mark Lowry and recorded by numerous
artists, Mary Did You Know? captures uniquely the wonder and mystery of God coming
to earth ... and explores a mother’s-heart perspective of how His life would forever
change the world. “Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
/ Mary, did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters? / Did you know
that your baby boy has come to make you new? / The child that you’ve delivered will
soon deliver you.” Reverent and majestic, words and watercolors infused with
God’s love, this is a picture book to treasure.
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