Rainy Day Fun

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells."
                                                                 — Dr. Seuss

No collection of Dr. Seuss books would be complete without The Cat in the Hat.  The mischievous cat with the red and white-striped hat, red bowtie, and blue umbrella has captured the hearts of children worldwide and has become an icon of children's literature.  Who can resist the Cat and his bag of wacky tricks?  He and his rascally sidekicks, Thing 1 and Thing 2, certainly knows how to have fun on a dreary, rainy day.  His tricks can cause chaos and create quite a mess, but he always cleans up, so please don't be stressed.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
                                        — Dr. Seuss (I Can Read with My Eyes Shut)

Today is Read Across America Day, a nationwide reading celebration that takes place annually on March 2—the birthday of one of the most beloved contributors to children's literature, Theodor Geisel, more famously known as Dr. Seuss.  We would like to celebrate this week by sharing some of our favorite Dr. Seuss books with you.

"Every day, from here to there, funny things are everywhere"

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish was my favorite book as a child and now I enjoy sharing it with my children.  With each turn of a page, the nonsensical rhymes take you deeper and deeper into a fantastic world that includes "Mr. Gump and his seven hump Wump," a Yink who "likes to wink and drink pink ink," and a Yop who likes to "hop from finger top to finger top."

"Do you like green eggs and ham?  I do not like them, Sam-I-am."

Green Eggs and Ham is my daughter's favorite Dr. Seuss book.  She would read it "in a box."  She would read it "with a fox."  From the first word, she is enchanted by the whimsical rhyme as the persistent Sam-I-am tries to convince his stubborn friend to try green eggs and ham.  The friend finally gives in and to his surprise, he actually likes green eggs and ham!  This book definitely comes in handy when trying to convince your own stubborn toddler or preschooler to try something new.   

"He can go like a cow.  He can go MOO MOO.  Mr. Brown can do it.  How about you?"

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? features onomatopoeia at its finest!  Mr. Brown has a talent for making a multitude of sounds.  He can buzz like a bee, sizzle like a frying pan, and dibble dibble dopp like the rain.  Have you ever wondered what sound a hippopotamus makes when he chews gum?  Mr. Brown can do it...how about you?

We'll be back tomorrow with more of our favorite Dr. Seuss books!

Dinosaur Week - Scientific Saturday

Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages by Dr. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. and Illustrated by Luis V. Rey

I know you probably don't immediately think "encyclopedia" when you think of bedtime stories, but if your little one is a serious dinosaur fanatic like mine, they will love this book.  Jam-packed with illustrations and information, you could spend hours browsing through this book (I speak from experience!).  Did you know that a Pterodactyl is not really a dinosaur?  Or that Tyrannosaurus Rex and Stegosaurus never lived in the same time period?  This book makes the nerd inside of me very, very happy!  So if your child is interested in the scientific side of dinosaurs, think outside of the box and check out this encyclopedia. You won't be disappointed.


That brings Dinosaur Week to an end.  Thank you for joining us as we shared our favorite dinosaur-themed books with you.  We hope you enjoyed our collection and made a few new discoveries of your own.

Dinosaur Week - Ferocious Friday

My daughter loves going to the doctor because she knows the receptionist is going to give her a sticker and a lollipop on the way out.  But what if instead of the usual treats, she received a Triceratops with every visit to the doctor?  A Velociraptor with every visit to the barber?  A Stegosaurus with every fast food meal?  That is exactly what happens in When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach.  When a young boy sets out with his mother on a day full of boring errands, he discovers that every place offers a free dinosaur with purchase and his boring day becomes a lot more exciting.  What a deal!  It's a dream come true for the boy, but not so much for his mother.  What on earth are they going to do with all of these massive dinosaurs?  Luckily the boy's mom finds a creative way to put the dinos to good use around the house.  Problem solved!

The watercolor and ink illustrations by David Small capture the excitement of a city filled larger-than-life dinosaurs.  Let your imagination soar as high as a pterosaur with this fantastic book, When Dinosaurs Came with Everything. 

Dinosaur Week - Theropod Thursday

Today we offer up some goodies for the tiny tots who love dinos.

Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! by Sandra Boynton - an adorable board book about opposites by one of our favorite authors

Dinosaur Babies by Charles Reasoner - a chunky board book perfect for your little dino lover

My Big Dinosaur Book by Roger Priddy - another fantastic picture book from the beloved My Big Board Book Series

My sleepy little dino gives these books two thumbs up!

Author Spotlight - Jane Yolen

We are big fans of Jane Yolen's entire How Do Dinosaurs? series of books.  How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? was the first book of the series we ever read and still remains our favorite.  Do dinosaurs use all of the classic toddler stall tactics when it's bedtime?  "Most certainly not. Dinosaurs give their mommies and daddies big hugs and kisses, tuck their tales in, and whisper 'Good night!'"  The rhyming text reads like a lullaby and we love that the name of each dinosaur is included in each entertaining illustration by Mark Teague.  How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? is the perfect bedtime story for your little dino lover.

No collection of dinosaur books would be complete without the How Do Dinosaurs...Pocket Library by Jane Yolen.  My daughter delights in seeing the dinosaurs in these tiny board books clean their rooms, play with their friends, learn their colors, and count to ten.  This set is just the right size for your preschool paleontologist.

Dinosaur Week - Triassic Tuesday

 Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae

What could be better than a book about dinosaurs?  A book about pirate dinosaurs, of course!  When a boy named Flinn goes into the supply closet in his classroom to get some new markers, his imagination runs wild, taking him on a swashbuckling dino adventure.  Rawr matey!

Dino-Baseball by Lisa Wheeler

It's a beautiful day for baseball!  Join in the play-by-play as the plant-eating Green Sox take on the carnivorous Rib-eye Reds at Jurassic Park.  Let's play ball!

Three Little Dinosaurs by Jim Harris

In this Triassic twist on the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs, three young Brachiosaurus brothers outwit, outsmart, and eventually outgrow the terrible Tyrannosaurus Rex.