books we love: I Can Do It Myself

I began writing the toys we love and books we love posts this summer while we were away from our home.  They ended up being pretty popular. Getting a text message from a friend with a photo of her daughter's Stackadoo tower or an email with a picture of someone's granddaughter holding up a new gift was pretty awesome.  So, I'm excited to continue these posts today with a few new favorites in our house; Stephen Krensky's board books I Can Do It Myself! and Now I Am Big!, both illustrated by Sara Gillingham.

I picked both of these books up from a local bookstore just before Ella's second birthday (she got a lot of books from us for her birthday).  I was immediately drawn to the simple and colorful illustrations -   they have an almost fifties, retro vibe - and the stories were short, rhymed, and carried perfect messages for any toddler.  Both books celebrate the newfound independence of toddlers and help remind them, and us, of all the things they can now do on their own.

books we love: For Just One Day

Happy 4th of July!  I don't have a special 4th post for you, but if it's raining where you are (which, there's a good chance it is or it will be), you could head to the bookstore for a spin around the train table OR this book!

So I've been writing about toys lately, but books occupy just as much of our play time around here as the actual toys do.  And this one is JUST too good not to mention!  We gave this book to Ella for her second birthday and it has become a fast favorite - we read it before every nap and as a part of her bedtime routine every night, and it is recited usually several times a day, mostly from memory, by both Ella and us.  To say it's caught on is an understatement.  It is an institution around here.

The book is For Just One Day written by Laura Leuck and illustrated by Marc Boutavant.  It's a great, rhyming story, encouraging imaginative play and introducing different animals on each page, but with an overall moral that the best person to be is yourself!  I mean, what could be better than that, right?!

OK, maybe I am a little overly excited, but this is a good one, trust me!