Buy it: Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl
Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl! (By Tedd Arnold) – My daughter Ally asked to go to the store to buy a Fly Guy book because they are so popular with her kindergarten class. I’d never read them before but I was happy to discover that the Fly Guy books are cute, funny and feature simple words for early readers. The books are about a boy name Buzz who has a pet fly named Fly Guy, who can say his name. In each Fly Guy book, the Buzz and Fly Guy have fun adventures together like playing hide and seek, going on vacation or the time Buzz’s grandma swallowed Fly Guy. In Fly Guys Meets Fly Girl Fly Guy and Buzz meet a little girl named Lizz and her pet, Fly Girl. Fly Girl is great at tricks and eating gross things. My daughter always laughs at the pages where Fly Guy eats a rotten tomato and Fly Girl eats a dead worm. This book proves that kids love books that are simple, fun and yes, maybe a little disgusting.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 5, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: Being Friends
Being Friends (By Karen Beaumont) – Two little girls are great friends despite their differences. One wears gowns and crowns and one likes caps and jeans. One likes playing dress-up while the other likes rocks and tools. One pretends to be a princess while the other pretends to be a chimpanzee. But both girls like counting falling stars, having pillow fights and playing ball. But most importantly they both like being friends. A great story to teach children that being friends doesn’t mean being exactly the same.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 5, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: The Pout-Pout Fish
The Pout-Pout Fish (By Deborah Diesen) – There is one fish in the sea with a constant pout, who spreads the “dreary-wearies.” The other fish try to get the Pout-Pout Fish to cheer up but he says it’s just the way he is and he can’t help it. Then one fish gives the Pout-Pout Fish a kiss and he finally feels happy. He realizes instead that he’s a Kiss-Kiss Fish and he kisses all his friends and spreads happiness. A cute story about having a positive attitude.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 5, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: The Mine-o-Saur
The Mine-O-Saur (By Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen) – This book illustrates the importance of sharing in a way children can understand. In this fun rhyming book featuring dinosaur characters, the Mine-o-saur snatches all the toys and snacks for himself, calling out “Mine, mine, mine!” The Mine-o-saur’s classmates say that it’s not fair and eventually decide to play without him. Soon the Mine-o-saur has all the stuff he wanted, but he’s all alone, and across the schoolyard he can see the other dinosaurs playing together. The Mine-o-saur gathers up all his stuff and takes it over to share with the other dinosaurs. But they don’t care. Then as the Mine-o-saur is walking away they say they want to play with him if he’ll share. Now the Mine-o-saur has what he wants and exclaims that his friends are “Mine, mine, mine!”
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 5, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: Zen Ties
Zen Ties (By Jon J Muth) – A giant panda named Stillwater teaches three children about friendship, giving and helping others. Stillwater asks the the children to come with him to help Miss Whitaker, an elderly woman who isn’t feeling well. The children are afraid of her because she shouts at them when they pass her house. The children help Stillwater to bring her food, clean her home and cheer her up with their artwork. One child is preparing for a spelling bee and Miss Whitaker helps him study. Soon the children have developed a friendship with Miss Whitaker. The story also features a haiku-speaking panda named Koo, which is a fun way to introduce this style of poetry to children.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 5, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: George and Martha
George and Martha (By James Marshall) – When it comes to books about true friendship, the George and Martha books are my absolute favorite. My daughter loves the hippos and situations they get into and I love the message of how real friends treat one another. Each book is a collection of short stories, where George and Martha learn lessons about telling the truth, supporting each other and respecting each other. In one story, George doesn’t like Martha’s split pea soup, but instead of telling Martha, he pours the soup into his shoes. Martha catches him and reminds him that friends should always tell each other the truth. In fact, Martha doesn’t like her split pea soup either. The stories are short, sweet and full of humor.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 5, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: Ella the Elegant Elephant
Ella the Elegant Elephant (By Carmela & Steven D’Amico) – Ella is going to be starting at a new school in a new town and she’s worried. But she’s excited when her grandma sends her a “good luck hat,” which is big and orange with flowers on it. Ella wears the hat on the first day and stands out from her classmates, who make fun of the hat and nickname her Ella the Elegant Elephant. But Ella’s mother insists that things will get better in time. One day the school bully is falling off the school wall, when Ella decides to help. As they fall off the wall together, Ella’s hat turns into a big parachute that brings them down for a safe landing. The next day at school, everyone is wearing a big hat like Ella’s to express their love and appreciation for her. Things had gotten better like her mother said.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 5, and I have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
The Jellybeans and the Big Dance (By Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans) – This is a story of four cute animals who are starting a new dance class together. The “girls” have trouble dancing together at first, but then decide to work as a team and draw on their individual talents for dance, sports, arts and reading to prepare for the big recital.
Buy it: The Jellybeans and the Big Dance
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 5, have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy
Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy (By David Somar and Jacky Davis) – A little girl named Lulu, or as she calls herself, Ladybug Girl, wears a red tutu, wings and antennae. At the playground, she meets up with her friend, Sam. The two kids find out that the best way for them to play together is to use their imaginations and pretend to have superpowers. She pretends to be Ladybug Girl while Sam is Bumblebee Boy. They use their imaginations to fly (on the swings) and to save a dog from a monster (a squirrel). Other kids join in and they form the Bug Squad.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 5, have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
Buy it: The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza
The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza (By Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans) – Anna loves to read and she reads everywhere – even in the bathtub. But her friends have other interests like soccer, dancing and art. When they are all assigned a book report at school, Anna is thrilled to take her friends to the library with her. She and the librarian help them find the right books for them. But when it’s time to give the report, Anna is nervous to read in front of the class. Her friends encourage her and stand beside her as she reads. Anna explains in her report that she loves to read because she can go anywhere or do anything in a book, like be a soccer star, a famous artist or a ballerina.
The book recommendations included on this website are books that my daughter Ally, now age 5, have read and enjoyed together. I recommend the books that stand out to me as excellent children’s books for writing, illustrations, originality, story and characters. Ally and I hope you enjoy them too!
