Duck and Gander are having a contest. But Duck swims faster, and Gander flies higher. So which one is the champion Then Duck gets an idea: “Don’t move,” she says, “Don’t talk. Don’t fidget a feather And the winner will be the one and only, true and forever champion
Rating: ****
What’s good for the goose is not always what’s good for the gander and this gander proves it. It’s still a very cute book and opens the way for a nice discussion about friendship and winning.
Look out! There’s a sleepy, creepy, deeper-than-you’d-think mud puddle on the preschool playground, and it has swallowed up a pizza van, a fire engine . . . even a tow truck! But don’t worry, this group of clever preschoolers knows just how to rescue them!
Rating: *****
This book is perfect for the preschool crowd. It includes an icky yicky mud muddle, a bunch of noisy vehicles and preschoolers at play.
One day down on the farm, Duck got a wild idea. “I bet I could ride a bike,” he thought. He waddled over to where the boy parked his bike, climbed on and began to ride. At first he rode slowly and he wobbled a lot, but it was fun!
Rating: *****
There is so much that’s great about this book: trying something new, overcoming fear, and even showing individuality. That duck sure is one good role model.
Max is tired of having his mother say “no” to everything he wants to do. When he threatens to trade her in for a mother who lets him wear dirty shirts, who never forgets to buy Chunky-O’s cereal, and who hates string beans as much as he does, his mother sagely comments that she would never trade him in.
Rating: ***
As a mom it’s hard to read stories where the child hates the mom. It all works out in the end, but it still hurts.
Gracie has always been a good dog, but when some noisy painters arrive, she barks at them for raising a racket and is put outside. When Gracie decides to go for a walk, the painters, the neighbors, and the garbage man all run after her.
Rating: *****
Although it’s odd that a dog would want peace and quiet, this is a funny book that your child will respond to.
This book deftly presents the concepts of “in” and “out” by using nothing more for text than its title words in various combinations. A dog and cat pursue their daily routines as a toddler and her family follow theirs. Cheerfulness and humor highlight each scene, giving youngsters a glimpse into this particular household’s activities.
Rating: *****
A really nice way to learn about time. Each page has a clock and the activities around each time of the day are explored.
Each story begins with “Not so long ago,” & the under-five audience will be quick to recognize & embrace the boy who wants to be a honey bear, the girl who longs to chew bubble gum, the little boy who wishes he were as big as his sister, & many more.
Rating: *****
My son loves this book. His favorite was the chewing gum story and for days wanted to be a bear eating honey.
At One Hoppin’ Place, the countdown to bedtime is about to begin when a family of hamsters–a mother and father with nine kids and a baby all wearing numbered striped jerseys–arrives at the front door.
Rating: ***
I’m not sure I understand the story in this book. A child has 10 minutes till bedtime and as each minute is count down you see him go through his bedtime routine. All the while a very large group of hamsters is watching him prepare for bed. At the end of the book you see the hamsters moving but never actually see the boy in bed.
Nobody in the forest wants to be friends with Orson, a big brown bear, but one day, he finds a lost toy bear, and a deep, lasting friendship develops between the two.