#1. Up, Down, and Around by Lisa Ayeres Have a toddler that is constantly asking where her favorite foods come from?  Up, Down, and Around goes through all our favorite veggies and talks about whether they grow up above the ground (corn, peppers, okra) or down under the ground (beets, potatoes, onions) or sometimes around and around in vines all over the ground (pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers).  It’s really the perfect first look at exploring how things grow with a younger child.  There aren’t too many words, and it rhymes easily throughout, but there is plenty of opportunity for further discussion and more questions.  Not that any toddler ever needed an excuse to ask more questions, but… you know… educational purposes and all that. We really liked it: 4 out of 5 stars #2. Frozen: A Sister More Like Me If you were with us for last weeks haul, you might remember that I was not a huge fan of the Frozen book Sophia found. It was basically the movie, written out in long form to torture parents at bedtime.  You can imagine my terror when Sophia found another one.  It was something to the tune of, “Good God, will it never end?”  I’m happy to report that my fears were unfounded.  This is what I was hoping for last week.  It’s a cute little rhyming story where Elsa and Anna talk back and forth to each other about the sort of sister they always wished they had, but in the end, how they are happiest to have each other.  It was really sweet.  Of course, Sophia loved it.

We really liked it: 4 out of 5 stars

#3. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

I’m pretty sure most people have read Madeline.  Multiple generations have read about the ‘smallest one named Madeline’, as it was first published in 1940.  I always think it is so cool to take the books that I enjoyed as a child and introduce them to the new generation, so this was a somewhat nostalgic, sentimental read for me, at least (haha). If by some weird chance you haven’t read it… Paris, ambulances, surgery, and chocolate.  See?  Don’t you want to read it now?  It’s obvious why this book has remained popular throughout several generations.  It has all of those things, and it rhymes!

We really liked it: 4 out of 5 stars

#4. When Stella Was Very, Very Small by Marie-Louise Gay

This is a weird kind-of prequel, but not really because unless you know about Stella, it really doesn’t make much sense.  So, the quick version–Stella is a little girl with a big imagination, who has a little brother named Sam.  They love playing outside and imagining all sorts of adventures.  Sam asks lots of questions, and Stella is the reader, so she generally has an answer. (We’ve also read ‘Read Me A Story, Stella’).  Anyways, as you’ve probably guessed from the title, this book is about when Stella was very little, before Sam was born.  We learn from this story that Stella has always had a very big imagination, even when she was very small. It was cute enough as stories go, and we had fun imagining right along with Stella what it would be like to be a turtle.  I’m not sure if the book series came first or the tv series, but there is also a show about Stella and Sam on Netflix.

We liked it: 3 out of 5 stars

#5. Hermelin the Detective Mouse by Mini Grey Hermelin is a mouse in a row of townhouses, but he’s not your ordinary sort of mouse.  He is great at finding things, and it just so happens that he found a typewriter, and so he has been running around the flat, leaving notes that tell the occupants where to find their missing things. This was a really unique, entertaining book.  There was a lot of dialogue, and a lot of little text boxes that would be a lot more entertaining to read by one’s self.  This is one book that I really feel was just a little too advanced for Sophia.  There was too much going on on each page, and since she obviously isn’t reading on her own, I think it was just a little difficult for her to follow.  I think you’d have better luck reading this with an older child, maybe one who has begun to read a bit.  My sweet little almost-3-year-old just did not appreciate it.  I, on the other hand, thought it was charming, so we’ll probably give it another go in a few years.

We liked it: 3 out of 5 stars

#6. Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett

This is a counting book, where you count all sorts of terrifying animals that keep scaring off the monkeys.  Lots of roaring happens while reading this book!  Don’t read it when any other babies are sleeping 😉

We liked it: 3 out of 5 stars