Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin

“This one.”

“THIS one.”

“THIS ONE!”

We recently explored the pumpkin patch and if B had her way, we’d have 17 pumpkins on the front porch. We brought home one perfect pumpkin and she painted it. Ain’t it a beaut? 😉briaspumpkinWe’ve also been reading books that fit the season, like Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum (Happy early birthday, Mom!) and a favorite since last year at this time, Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin.duckandgoosepumpkinWhen sweet, silly Duck & Goose see their friend, Thistle, lugging his own beautiful pumpkin, they realize they need one, too. They search and search– looking in all sorts of places for their perfect pumpkin.

“Is our pumpkin in the log, Goose?”

“No.”

“Is our pumpkin in the leaf pile, Duck?”

“No.”

Around they go, looking everywhere except the one place that they’re sure to find a good pumpkin. Eventually, they find it– thanks to their friend Thistle.

Last year, 1.5 YO B picked up on the repetition of this book and it was so much fun to read the book with her, and she still loves the call and response aspect of this book.

Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin
Tad Hills
Schwartz & Wade Books

Jammy Dance

Jammy Dance is turning out to be the book of the month in our house. If you saw a bit of yourself and your best dog inside a book, you’d love it, too.

sunny3

jammygirl

Reading a lively book like Jammy Dance to B is an experience– and it’s so fun to see her study the pages and figure out all of the ways she can relate to the children as we read.

“Bubbles! Lotsa bubbles. Big towel. Brush your hair. Brush your teeth!” All through the book, she finds similarities to her life. The kids dancing, jumping on the bed, on the couch, but definitely not the part where “Sunny Dog drink toilet… EW.”

With the rhythm of the words, you can’t help but want to do the Jammy Dance with the family in this book. You’ll be wiggling with your little one as you read.

“Snappin’ fingers, stompin’ feet.

Tappin’ toes to keep the beat.

Tossin’ Teddy in the air;

Try to catch him if you dare.”

As the story goes on, you’ll notice the words magically guiding you to s-l-o-o-o-w down as you read…

“Touching hands in sweet ballet,

Holding all the hopes we pray,

Snuggled close inside our beds,

Quiet hearts and sleepy heads.”

As you read that part, I suggest faking a yawn– it might get your little one to realize it might be time for bed, too… unless, of course, they want to do the Jammy Dance one more time. 🙂

Jammy Dance
Rebecca Janni/Illus. Tracy Dockray
Farrar Straus Giroux

When your toddler picks out a book that has 192 pages…

…and she sits on the floor and starts flipping through, you go with it. Right?

She whisked this gem off of the bottom shelf this morning at Target. Our Daniel Tiger super fan just had to have it.

192 pages of 12 of her favorite (side note: they’re all her favorite) stories, written so that each one only lasts 5 minutes… catered to busy, busy kiddos?

“Okay, Mug. You can read it in the cart.”

And she did, for the rest of our shopping trip. Win!

(Yeah, I call her Mug. A long line of lovey nicknames warped into that *cough* affectionate, lovingly picked word.)

Knuffle Bunny

We’ve been so lucky not to lose B’s Duck. There have been a handful of times that we’ve left Duck at home because “She doesn’t need it,” or “She’s a big girl,” and paid the price…

Flashback to a couple weeks ago when Kyle & I decided it’d be nice to go out on the nearby lake with the fishing boat. We decided, (correction, decided,) that it wasn’t worth going upstairs to find Duck after B was already in her car seat. (Note: I’m very close to hitting the mark of “third trimester” with Baby #2 and, after all, she’s a big girl… right?)

Oy.

That. was. a. terrible. decision.

Huge tears! “My Duckie! My Duckie!”

Screams! “Duck!” “Where Duck go?!”

Bigger, huger tears!

6-7ish miles later, she saw the lake and decided that she’d temporarily forget about her our betrayal, and focused on going to ride the boat. Phew.

Either this story makes you chuckle and remember a time when your own kids had a dear, stuffed friend, or you’re thinking, “Nah, we won’t do that to our kid.”

Just wait– it will happen to you.

knuffle bunny 2

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems is so relatable. Sweet Trixie is off with her Dad through their neighborhood to do their laundry while Mom sits on their steps and waves goodbye. She has a good book in hand, and a big smile on her face (I totally understand, Trixie’s Mom.)

Dad & Trixie are having such a good ol’ time at the laundromat that Dad doesn’t notice he snags Knuffle Bunny and puts him in the washing machine (let’s face it, Knuffle Bunny could probably use a good washing anyway…)

*gulp*

Poor Dad.

After experiencing one gargantuan toddler tantrum, Dad & Trixie get home and Mom immediately notices that their friend Knuffle Bunny has gone missing.

Never fear, Mom, Dad AND Trixie end up having a better day– after a race through their neighborhood, of course.

See? Totally relatable.

This Caldecott Honor book is filled with photographs of Booklyn, New York, where Trixie’s funny cartoon family lives.

Knuffle Bunny
Mo Willems
Hyperion Books for Children
*Caldecott Honor

Where Is the Green Sheep?

To those of you who know me, I don’t know where B ever got the idea to hide from someone *cough*, but…

When Kyle gets home from work, she’ll shout, “Daddy home!” run to the window & wave, jump up and down, then urgently whisper…

HIDE.

So, then we hide. It might be in a closet, the laundry room, eyes covered, sitting obviously in the chair, or once (my favorite of her choices)– in the middle of the living room in her new (not fully assembled) wagon covered by a quilt.

b hiding

That Daddy of hers, he’s a good sport. 🙂 “Where could she possibly be?”

Where Is the Green Sheep? caught my eye at the library. I knew our happy hider B would be curious and willing to find someone who is missing– especially since we’ve been on many, many missions to find her beloved Duck.

greensheep

In this book, your little one will meet all kinds of sheep– scared sheep, brave sheep, sun sheep, and rain sheep. There are sheep playing with sand, sheep doing acrobatics, and even snorkeling sheep (think of all of that wet wool…) and still, your little one hasn’t yet seen the (*hint*) sleepy, green sheep!

Your little one will be entertained and so busy meeting the whimsical sheep through rhyme, that you’ll get a few reminders.

“Where is the green sheep?”

Oh yeah, where is that green sheep?

This engaging picture book (AND board book!) is geared towards ages 0-5.

Where Is the Green Sheep?
Mem Fox/Illus. Judy Horacek
Harcourt

DINOSAUR vs. THE LIBRARY

Have you seen the movie Elf?

If you’re not familiar with it (or need a quick reminder), here’s a link to a clip on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eto6DU_2oI.

This moment in the movie makes me think “toddler.” Buddy, the enthusiastic, cheerful elf is trying to convince his new friend that anyone can sing whenever & wherever they want. He demonstrates by singing very loudly in the department store where he “works.”

“I’m singing! I’m in a store, and I’m singing!!! I’m in a store, and I’m singing!!!”

Well, our 2YO B has Buddy the Elf tendencies. “Shh… inside voice please,” we’ll request at church, stores, and the library… with practice, her inside voice is lasting longer and longer.

In DINOSAUR vs. THE LIBRARY, our familiar dinosaur friend has the same problem.

dino lib

Dinosaur is on a mission to roar his way to Story Time at the library. On his way, he meets some friends and shares his roars with them. A cow (who gives him some chocolate milk), some chipper baby chicks, a shy (turned not-so-shy) turtle, and an owl happily join Dinosaur on his trip to the library.

As he’s stomping along…

“Now dinosaur will roar where no one has roared before… the library!”

Of course, Dinosaur does it.

“ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!”

“No, Dinosaur! Use your inside roar!”

Dinosaur is challenged to keep his roar to an inside level, and (lucky for the library), he keeps it hushed. But then, it’s time for Story Time… *gasp*… and he’s just so excited… well, do you think he’ll be able to not roar?

Like a good little dino, he sits– happily roarless through the whole story.

I think I’ll be reminding B to be like Dinosaur next time we need to use our “inside roar.” 🙂

This picture book is geared towards little dinos ages 2-5.

DINOSAUR vs. THE LIBRARY
Bob Shea
Disney/Hyperion Books
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