Buy it: Stella: Queen of the Snow
Stella: Queen of the Snow (By Marie Louise Gay) – Stella and her little brother Sam are excited to head outside and enjoy the first snowfall. But Sam has never seen snow before and has lots of questions. He asks Stella if they can eat snowflakes, where do snowmen sleep, what do snowmen eat and why is fog coming out of their mouths. Stella fields all his questions with sweet, childlike answers. She tells him that polar bears eat snowflakes for breakfast, snowmen sleep in snowbanks and eat snow peas and their words freeze on cold days, which makes a fog come out of their mouths. An adorable story about the joy and wonder of children on a snowy winter day.
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: Ladybug Girl
Ladybug Girl (By David Soman and Jacky Davis) – A little girl named Lulu dresses up in a red tutu, wings, boots and antennae, and proclaims that she is Ladybug Girl. Lulu’s parents and brother are busy, so Lulu will have to make her own fun. She heads out into the yard and soon discovers lots of important things that Ladybug Girl can do. She helps a line of ants by moving a rock out of their way. She puts fallen rocks back on the crumbly stone wall and makes a fort. She walks the length of a fallen tree and doesn’t fall. Lulu realizes that she’s not little when she thinks of all the amazing things she did that day.
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: I Can Be Anything!
I Can Be Anything! (By Jerry Spinelli) – There are so many wonderful jobs in the world. This book gives a child’s point of view on the kinds of jobs he’d like to have when he grows up. He’d love to be a “dandelion blower,” “puppy-dog holder,” “puddle stomper,” “bubble gum popper” and “gift unwrapper,” to name just a few. In the end, the boy decides to be everything. The illustrations in this book are colorful and fun. Children will love reading this book and imagining what they’d like to be.
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: Appelemando’s Dreams
Appelemando’s Dreams (By Patricia Polacco) – Appelemando lives in a drab village where there isn’t much to do. But his daydreams take him away to a colorful world. He has four good friends who can actually see his dreams drift right out of the top of his head in colorful swirls. But soon the boys discover that Appelemando’s dreams have stuck to all the houses, stores and walls of the village. The village elders are angry and think it’s a prank. As Appelemando and his friends are walking home, they get lost in a forest. But the boys are found when Appelemando’s colorful dreams float out over the trees and are spotted by the villagers. Appelemando’s village is no longer drab and he grows old there, still loving to daydream.
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: Sky Castle
Sky Castle (By Sandra Hanken) – In this story, three fairies close their eyes and imagine building a castle in the sky. The fairies dream of a castle with room for oceans, rainforests and mountains inside with rainbow stairs and crystal floors. They imagine the animals, family and friends who will live there. Then they dream about bringing their castle down to Earth. The book lets children know that all dreams are possible with imagination and love.
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: Ready to Dream
Ready to Dream (By Donna Jo Napoli and Elena Furrow) – On a trip to Australia, a young girl named Ally meets an artist. Ally is excited to show the artist her own artwork. The artist teaches Ally that sometimes what Ally sees as “mistakes” in her own artwork can be the greatest part . For instance, her picture of a koala keeps curling up, just like a real koala. Ally draws all the animals and nature she sees on her trip and learns she can create art everywhere, sometimes with just sand and rocks.
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: Not a Box
Not a Box (By Antoinette Portis) – This is a simple story about a rabbit and a box. And while it looks like the rabbit is just sitting in or standing by a plain old box, as the reader turns the pages they see the rabbit is imagining that the box is a race car, a mountain, a robot, a hot air balloon or a rocketship. This is a cute book for any child who has ever played for hours with a simple cardboard box.
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: For Just One Day
For Just One Day (By Laura Leuck) – This is a cute rhyming story about a child who dreams about what it would be like to be different animals for just one day. He imagines what life would be like as a crocodile, a chimpanzee, a butterfly, a snake and a porcupine. He imagines how fun it would be to fly, dive in the sea or dangle from a tree. And while he’d like to be an animal for just one day, he decides that all the other days he likes being the special person that he is.
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: Fanny & Annabelle
Fanny & Annabelle (By Holly Hobbie) – On a rainy day, Fanny sits down to write her own picture book called “Annabelle’s Adventure.” Fanny creates a story, characters and pictures. The story Fanny is writing is about Annabelle needing to find enough money to buy a locket for her Aunt Sally. Fanny isn’t sure how to finish the story and decides to take a break. She finds some money out on a sidewalk and then her story and the story she’s writing start to intertwine. In the end, Fanny returns the money she found to its rightful owner and gives the story that she’s been writing to her mom for her birthday.
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: Where the Wild Things Are
Where the Wild Things Are (By Maurice Sendak) – A young boy named Max, dressed in a wolf suit, gets into mischief. So he is sent to his room without dinner. Then a forest begins to grow in his room and then there is an ocean and a boat. Max sails the boat to a land where big furry creatures live. Max tames the wild things and they make him their king. Max and the wild things play together; roaring and hanging from trees. But then Max realizes he wants to be with his loved ones. He sails home and finds his dinner waiting for him in his room.
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!
