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[CCBC-Net] Books for Babies and Toddlers
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From: Marti Anderson <marti>
Date: Sun, 04 Aug 2002 20:53:41 -0500
gravity_rabbit wrote:
illustrated
I would like to enthusiastically add my applause for this charming book.
Maybe I'm growing crotchety in my "old age," but I'm finding fewer and fewer new books for the "under-three set" that are neither overly
"cutesy" nor dripping with sentimentality. _On a Wintry Evening_ touches both adult and child reader with lyrical verse where every word is absolutely essential to the tale. The verses' rhythm captures the cadence of the father?ughter adventure into the wonders of a winter day. Words and illustrations work together to not only paint the scene, but bring voice to the loving, nurturing relationships that often exist between father and child. The reader *knows* the little girl and her dad have a very special relationship without that relationship being hammered at the reader's consciousness.
Perhaps I've missed a number of recent top-notch books for babies and toddlers simply because most of my search for children's books lately has been for the three- to six-year olds I teach. However, I *do* know that I've seen a *lot* of books for tiny children with sing-song rhymes and cutesy pictures. I think kids *deserve* better.
One other recent book for babies and toddlers that I really liked was illustrator Marla Frazee's version of the folk song/lullaby, _Hush, Little Baby_. This one gives the song/tale a background in Appalachia. Strangely enough, this book also highlights the relationship between a father and his baby, though this one has the addition of an older sibling for an interesting twist. This book's illustrations remind me very much of some of the classic books for toddlers.
I am happy to have discovered these books from the last two or three years, but I wish I'd found more for this age group that I think will stand the test of time. I think of the following books as infant/toddler classics (a label I think will apply to the books discussed in the preceding paragraphs), some, of course, much more recent than others:
_Good Night, Moon_ by Margaret Wise Brown; _The Napping House_ by Audrey
& Don Wood; the Moonbear books by Frank Asch; _Goodnight, Gorilla_ by Peggy Rathman; _But Not the Hippopotamus_ by Sandra Boynton; _Time for Bed_ by Mem Fox; and _Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See_ by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. These are books that capture the pulse of a baby or toddler, and I think that's the most important factor in the success of these books.
Enough rambling.....
:-) Marti Anderson mailto:marti at execpc.com Early Childhood: Exceptional Educational Needs teacher, Sherman Multicultural Arts Elementary, Milwaukee, WI Serendipity: A Course in Creativity: seeking new home after disappearance from xoom/nbci site Help Linda Smith: http://www.execpc.com/~marti/
Received on Sun 04 Aug 2002 08:53:41 PM CDT
Date: Sun, 04 Aug 2002 20:53:41 -0500
gravity_rabbit wrote:
illustrated
I would like to enthusiastically add my applause for this charming book.
Maybe I'm growing crotchety in my "old age," but I'm finding fewer and fewer new books for the "under-three set" that are neither overly
"cutesy" nor dripping with sentimentality. _On a Wintry Evening_ touches both adult and child reader with lyrical verse where every word is absolutely essential to the tale. The verses' rhythm captures the cadence of the father?ughter adventure into the wonders of a winter day. Words and illustrations work together to not only paint the scene, but bring voice to the loving, nurturing relationships that often exist between father and child. The reader *knows* the little girl and her dad have a very special relationship without that relationship being hammered at the reader's consciousness.
Perhaps I've missed a number of recent top-notch books for babies and toddlers simply because most of my search for children's books lately has been for the three- to six-year olds I teach. However, I *do* know that I've seen a *lot* of books for tiny children with sing-song rhymes and cutesy pictures. I think kids *deserve* better.
One other recent book for babies and toddlers that I really liked was illustrator Marla Frazee's version of the folk song/lullaby, _Hush, Little Baby_. This one gives the song/tale a background in Appalachia. Strangely enough, this book also highlights the relationship between a father and his baby, though this one has the addition of an older sibling for an interesting twist. This book's illustrations remind me very much of some of the classic books for toddlers.
I am happy to have discovered these books from the last two or three years, but I wish I'd found more for this age group that I think will stand the test of time. I think of the following books as infant/toddler classics (a label I think will apply to the books discussed in the preceding paragraphs), some, of course, much more recent than others:
_Good Night, Moon_ by Margaret Wise Brown; _The Napping House_ by Audrey
& Don Wood; the Moonbear books by Frank Asch; _Goodnight, Gorilla_ by Peggy Rathman; _But Not the Hippopotamus_ by Sandra Boynton; _Time for Bed_ by Mem Fox; and _Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See_ by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. These are books that capture the pulse of a baby or toddler, and I think that's the most important factor in the success of these books.
Enough rambling.....
:-) Marti Anderson mailto:marti at execpc.com Early Childhood: Exceptional Educational Needs teacher, Sherman Multicultural Arts Elementary, Milwaukee, WI Serendipity: A Course in Creativity: seeking new home after disappearance from xoom/nbci site Help Linda Smith: http://www.execpc.com/~marti/
Received on Sun 04 Aug 2002 08:53:41 PM CDT
