One of the best ways to develop your child’s language skills from an early age is to read to them, but you’ve read I Love You Forever a million times and Goodnight Moon has lost its allure. Spice up your library with these funny children’s books you and your children will love!
Once Upon A Cloud
If your child loves Frozen and Tangled, they will adore Once Upon A Cloud. Author Claire Keane is already well known for her work as a visual development artist for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Her first picture book is all about a girl who wants to show her mother how much she loves her with a very special gift. She searches through the sky, chats with the stars, becomes friends with the moon and welcomes the sun. Even with all their help she can’t find a gift to show her mother her love. Will Celeste find a gift for her mother? This inventive story encourages inspiration and selfless giving.
Goodnight Already!
Goodnight Already! is about a struggle we are all familiar with. Author Jory John and Illustrator Benji Davis relay the tale of Bear. Bear really needs a good night’s sleep. The only problem is, his neighbor, Duck, really wants to spend time with Bear and is willing to keep him up all night with fun and frivolities. This is the perfect bedtime book for the child who likes to keep Mommy, Daddy and all their siblings up well into the night. Perhaps an amusing reminder to get to bed at a decent hour isn’t an unwelcome idea.
Please, Mr. Panda
You have probably asked your child, “What is the magic word?” In fact, you’ve probably asked your child to say please more than once just in one day. Please, Mr. Panda is a fantastic story that reinforces your consistent reminders to be polite. Unlike Chicken Little, Mr. Panda wants to share the food he has made, just so long as his friends say please and thank you. He asks a penguin, a skunk, and a whale if they would like a donut but when they accept his offer, each and every one of them forget their manners. What is Mr. Panda to do but try to find someone pleasant enough to receive a donut? Steve Anthony has written an engaging story accompanied with striking, adorable black and white illustrations and brightly colored donuts.
Last Stop on Market Street
Author Matt De La Pena and illustrator Christian Robinson tell the story of CJ and his grandmother. Every Sunday they ride through town on the buss. There CJ notices all the people on their mobile devices and wonders why he doesn’t have one. He wonders why they have to ride the buss instead of using a car like all of his friends. He wonders why they have to live in the run down part of town instead of all the beautiful places they pass by. His grandmother, completely prepared for all these questions doesn’t dwell on what they don’t have but, instead, focuses on everything they do.
Photo Credit: istockphoto.com
