Conscious Parenting
by Tomie dePaola
dePaola’s familiar, charming illustrations of chubby, round-faced children carry this book, which teaches an appreciation for the natural world. The text is the epitomy of simplicity. Each page proclaims affection for some element of nature” I love you, flower,” “I love you, stars,” etc. ending with “And you love me.” The bright artwork populated by multiethnic youngsters conveys the environmental message. Emily Kutler, Summit Free Public Library, NJ Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
by Nancy Tafuri
In this tender bedtime book, seven young creatures ask in turn a single, important question: “Do you love me, Mama?” The answer in each case is the same: “forever and ever and always,” but it is preceded by different, lyrical similes. Mama Rabbit loves her baby “as the earth loves you, warm and snug around you, giving you a warm place to sleep”; Mama Mouse loves her child “as the wild rye loves you, gently swaying above you, giving you food and cover from harm.” As the characters speak, the pictures quietly show the progression of the sun and moon to indicate the passage of time from midmorning to evening.
by Jane Yolen
Yolen’s short ode to evening touches upon the moon and fireflies, moths, an owl, and small nocturnal animals. Double-page paintings of a nighttime countryside feature flat figures of a boy, his mother, and their dog outside their lighted house. Hunter’s simple scenes are nicely textured with cross hatching, and her homely animal portraits a bat in flight, a squirrel asleep in a tree hole, a raccoon, an owl, and a sleeping dog are appealing. The simple scheme of winding down the day ends first in the boy’s bedroom” Tucked up under eiderdown/I nestle down, wrestle down/my hullaballooning thoughts/and drift through dark into dreams.” The concluding dreamscape places the boy’s bed back in the outdoors amid the grasses, fireflies, and night sky. The pictures illuminate the poem and make it more concrete for younger children, adding setting and a cast of characters to tell their own small story. An appealing addition to the shelves of bedtime books. Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
by David Elliott
A life-affirming look at nature’s beings. The lively, rhyming text celebrates different creatures, including “The Feather People” (birds), “The Bubble People” (fish), “The Leggy People” (bugs), “The Purring People” (cats), “The Giving People” (cows), and “The People People” (humans). Finally, the focus is placed on readers: “And here’s to you!/The You Person!/You!/Here’s to the sweet you,/The messy and the neat you,/The funny-way-you-eat you-. The total and complete you.” The effervescent, entertaining cartoons, done in oils, perfectly complement the narrative. Together, the words and pictures create a powerful package that conveys a sense of appreciation for all living things.
by Todd Parr
For anyone who ever doubted it, Todd Parr is here to tell us all that it’s okay to be different. With his signature artistic style, featuring brightly colored, childlike figures outlined in heavy black, Parr shows readers over and over that just about anything goes. From the sensitive (“It’s okay to be adopted”–the accompanying illustration shows a kangaroo with a puppy in her pouch) to the downright silly (“It’s okay to eat macaroni and cheese in the bathtub”), kids of every shape, size, color, family makeup, and background will feel included in this gentle, witty book. In this simple, playful celebration of diversity, Parr doesn’t need to hammer readers over the head with his message.
by Taro Gomi
A hilarious book showing many kinds of animals, their poop, and describing where and how they poop (e.g. while walking). Also reviewed are the ways a baby poops in a diaper, small child in a potty, and older children and adults on a toilet.
Hysterical graphics such as rear view of child sitting on toilet with the poop in midair, which we see between the gap in his buttock cheeks. Other scenes demonstrate how the toilet is flushed and the poop is washed down the pipes.
by Eric Carle
A cricket is born who cannot talk! A bigger cricket welcomes him to the world, then a locust, a cicada, and many other insects, but each time the tiny cricket rubs his wings together in vain: no sound emerges.
In the end, however, he meets another quiet cricket, and manages to find his “voice.”
by Robert McCloskey
It’s not easy for duck parents to find a safe place to bring up their ducklings, but during a rest stop in Boston’s Public Garden, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard think they just might have found the perfect spot–no foxes or turtles in sight, plenty of peanuts from pleasant passers-by, and the benevolent instincts of a kindly police officer to boot.
Young readers will love the mother duck’s proud, loving protection of her wee webbed ones, and those with fond memories of Boston will enjoy familiar locales, from Beacon Hill to Louisburg Square, and over the Charles River–often from a duck’s-eye view.
by Beatrix Potter
The quintessential cautionary tale, Peter Rabbit warns naughty children about the grave consequences of misbehaving. When Mrs. Rabbit beseeches her four furry children not to go into Mr. McGregor’s garden, the impish Peter naturally takes this as an open invitation to create mischief.
He quickly gets in over his head, when he is spotted by farmer McGregor himself. Any child with a spark of sass will find Peter’s adventures remarkably familiar. And they’ll see in Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail that bane of their existence: the “good” sibling who always does the right thing. One earns bread and milk and blackberries for supper, while the obstinate folly of the other warrants medicine and an early bedtime.
by Giles Andreae
Gerald the giraffe doesn’t really have delusions of grandeur. He just wants to dance. But his knees are crooked and his legs are thin, and all the other animals mock him when he approaches the dance floor at the annual Jungle Dance. “Hey, look at clumsy Gerald,” they sneer. “Oh, Gerald, you’re so weird.”
Poor Gerald slinks away as the chimps cha-cha, rhinos rock ‘n’ roll, and warthogs waltz. But an encouraging word from an unlikely source shows this glum giraffe that those who are different “just need a different song,” and soon he is prancing and sashaying and boogying to moon music (with a cricket accompanist). In the vein of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Gerald’s fickle “friends” quickly decide he’s worthy of their attention again.
by Elsa Maartman Beskow
It is midsummer’s Eve and flowers of all categories and sizes come out to celebrate. Children will especially enjoy the ‘stories within the story’ as part of the festival is a storytelling contest. The illustrations in this book are beyond compare.
Elsa Beskow has an amazing ability to bring out the personality of the flowers and plants in her drawings and words.
by Elsa Beskow
Adorable tale about a miniature family, mother, father, two daughters and two sons who live in the forest. Children play and go to school with forest animals. The animals and children speak to each other.
There are several morals taught in the course of the story. Follows the family from one season through the next. The children help the parents work, harvest food for winter, etc. It is nice to see the children happily working with the family rather than just existing to be entertained.
by Sibylle Von Olfers
Originally published in 1906, The Story of the Root-Children is a tale of the seasons. Mother Earth (who looks a bit like Old Mother Hubbard) awakens the little “root children” beneath the dirt and helps them fashion colorful new clothes for the spring, an analogy for the spring flowers pushing through the ground.
Also the hibernating insects are readied, all told in beautiful and detailed illustrations.
by Kevin Henkes
Wemberly the mouse worries about everything: big things, like whether her parents might disappear in the middle of the night; little things, like whether she’ll spill grape juice on her toy rabbit, Petal; and things in between, like whether she might shrink in the bathtub. What she is more worried about than anything else, however, is her first day at the New Morning Nursery School: “What if no one else has spots? What if no one else wears stripes? What if no one else brings a doll? What if the teacher is mean? What if the room smells bad?”
Happily, Miss Peachum introduces her to a kindred spirit right away. Jewel doesn’t have spots, but she is wearing stripes and holding a doll. As Wemberly plays with her new friend, she still worries, but no more than usual. (“And sometimes even less.”)
by Kevin Henkes
For children who are facing the arrival of a new sibling, Julius, the Baby of the World makes for great biblio-therapy. At first, big sister Lilly thought it might be fun to have a new baby in the family. But when her parents repeatedly coo, “Julius is the baby of world,” Lilly’s mouse hackles begin to rise.
Soon the jealousy is too much for her, and she embarks on a rejection campaign that is hysterically funny, but also comforting for siblings who probably feel just as much resentment but would never go to Lilly’s extremes.
by Golden Books
Little Golden Books illustrated by Eloise Wilkin are among the most remembered, beloved, and requested by consumers. This collection, which contains nine of her best-loved books, will be cherished by collectors, parents, and children for years to come. It contains Wilkin’s most famous Little Golden Books (such as Baby Dear), as well as lesser-known Little Golden Books, prayers, poems, Mother Goose rhymes, and an introduction written by Wilkin’s daughter.
There are various authors of the books contained in the treasury, including Jane Werner Watson, who edited and wrote hundreds of Golden Books. She called Eloise Wilkin “the soul of Little Golden Books.”
by Jane R. Howard
Now available in a large, sturdy board book edition, this enchanting bedtime story will soothe and beguile children and adults alike. As a little girl wonders what it would be like to sleep like animals do–curled up in a basket, or hanging upside down, or lying in a hollow log–the carefully detailed pictures show her peacefully slumbering as she rests on a cat’s warm fur, hangs companionably next to a bat, and is lovingly held by a raccoon. Although many of the pictures are funny, the overall atmosphere of the book is tender, dreamy and (yawn) very soporific.
by Barbara Joosse
This exceptional board-book tells a beautiful and timeless story about a daughter’s attempt to find the limit of her mother’s love. Barbara Lavallee’s exquisite illustrations of Alaska, with their exaggeratedly foreshortened perspective and rich tones of violet, blue-gray, and gray-green, tell of an easy declaration (“I love you more than the raven loves his treasure, more than the dog loves his tail, more than the whale loves his spout”) that is pushed, and pushed, and (“What if I put salmon in your parka … and ermine in your mukluks?”) pushed.
There’s a quiet joyfulness in both the antics of the Inuit mother and daughter and in the animals–including a polar bear and a musk ox–that the daughter imagines she might become. A charming story for mothers and daughters of all ages. (Baby to preschool) –Richard Farr
by Sam McBratney
Based on the popular bedtime story Guess How Much I Love You, My Baby Book is a delightful way to record and cherish the important events of your baby’s first two years. Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare return to scamper through the pages, adding just the right touch of whimsy to this charming scrapbook. Divided into sections such as “Up and About” and “On Vacation,” the book is enhanced by the well-known declarations of Little Nutbrown Hare. “Guess how often I fell over! Oops-a-daisy!” he says, balancing himself on a tree stump under “My First Step.” Anita Jeram’s soft watercolors and expressive line drawings are truly heartwarming without ever being saccharine, and the baby-book section ideas are refreshingly innovative. With ample room to record everything from baby’s height and weight to the price of a newspaper on the date of baby’s birth, and plenty of space to add photographs, My Baby Book is one of the best available. –Aimee Damann
by John Langstaff
The old animal counting song. “Numbers for knee highs couldn’t be more fun.
Also has music for the song at the end.
Feodor Rojankovsky’s charming illustrations are in full color and black and white.”–Kirkus Reviews
by Ann Whitford Paul
Paul (The Seasons Sewn) surfs through history, emerging with an assortment of 14 plucky young heroines–some famous, some not–to commemorate in verse. In “Ida Lewis,” one of the strongest poems, the poet’s use of repetition and rhythm mimics the pounding of the waves from which the 16-year-old daughter of a lighthouse keeper single-handedly rescues four men whose boat has capsized.
Other poems highlight such galvanizing girlhood incidents as Amelia Earhart rocketing off the toolshed roof in a homemade roller coaster she fashioned from a wooden crate; more contemplative poems reflect cerebral heroines such as nature writer Rachel Carson and educator/activist Mary Jane McLeod (later Bethune).
by Judy Blume
There are remarkably few authors that have managed to write for almost every single age group. Judy Blume is one of the few. Though admittedly she has yet to write a baby book or large print text for the elderly, Ms. Blume has somehow managed to write picture books, young readers, full chapter books, teen novels, and even an adult title in her day.
We all know who Judy Blume is, but we probably know her for very different reasons. As a kid, I knew her primarily as the author of “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing”. My husband, on the other hand, associates her with that deliciously forbidden text, “Forever”.
by Isaac Millman
Having previously tailed young Moses to a concert (1998) and to school (2000), Millman now accompanies the deaf youngster and his hearing family to the circus. Moses uses American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with his parents and little sister, and children looking at this book can easily follow along. The richly detailed double-page spreads and the simple, descriptive text make room for boxed sequences showing Moses demonstrating signs for children to learn. By the story’s end, youngsters not only will have enjoyed the circus acrobats, trapeze artists, clowns, and animal acts but also learned how to express much of the experience through ASL.
A colorful depiction of a loving family and its entertaining day at the circus that has much to offer in elementary-school applications. Ellen Mandel Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
The Secret of Roan Inish from Sony Pictures
As one of the most respected American indepe dent filmmakers, John Sayles has created a body of work as distinguished in its diversity as for its consistent quality and inspiring originality. He’s never been one to march to the commercial beat, but chooses instead to follow his creative impulse wherever it leads him. The Secret of Roan Inish led Sayles to the beautiful and moody West Coast of Ireland; it is a tale of a girl who discovers that her family has been touched by myth and magic throughout the years. Following the death of her mother, young Fiona (Jeni Courtney) is sent to live with her grandparents on the Irish coast across from Roan Inish, the island where her family once lived. She’s told stories about the selkies–seals that can turn into humans–who have been connected with Fiona’s family over the ages. At first she’s not sure if the selkies are real or mythological, but she later realizes that they hold the key to reclaiming her family heritage.
The Secret Garden from Warner Home Video
A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned
to England to live at her uncle’s castle. Her uncle is very distant due to the loss of his wife ten years before. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and neglected. Aided by one of the servants’ boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.
Listen. You can hear the lives and dreams of children from many cultures dancing through these bouncy international rhythms. Sarah’s joyous songs touch the place inside that makes us strong and connects us to each other and to our wonderful, magical Earth. Dance along to “The Journey Dance” (a perfectly silly movement song that invites you to pretend you are dancing through peanut butter, applesauce and marshmallows); learn to ”Talk It Out” (a catchy zydeco tune about making up after an argument with your best friend); visit the ocean and rainforest with “White Whales” (based on a true story) and the “Mahogany Tree”; meet and make friends with children from all over the world and learn about other cultures in the “Other Side of The World” and “Walls and Bridges”. Magical Earth is a triple Award Winner.
The younger brother of the late Harry Chapin, singer/songwriter Tom Chapin carried on his sibling’s legacy admirably, becoming a popular children’s entertainer.
The son of jazz drummer Jim Chapin, he was born in New York City in 1945; he and his brothers performed music together regularly during their adolescence, later earning acclaim on the Greenwich Village club circuit.
Track Listing–
1. Half Moon Rising
2. Puff The Magic Dragon
3. Waterbound
4a. Faeries Are Gathering b. In finitely Faerie
5. A Friend Is
6. KubiandoTM, Green Blessings
7. Flowers Flowers
8. L.O.V.E.
9. The Teddy Bears’ Picnic
10. Houseful of Faeries
11. Make New Friends
12. The Blue and Green
By turns mournful and mystical, these 14 Celtic lullabies performed by musicians from around the world give voice to the experience of mother and child in haunting, evocative folk songs. “More often than not,” veteran Irish singer Nóirín Ní Riain writes in the liner notes, ”a true lullaby is more indicative of the mental state of the mother than of her wish to lull her child to sleep, and so often her frustrations find a legitimate voice through song.” Celtic Twilight 3: Lullabies will become a bedtime favorite, both for its lulling pull to sleep for baby and the numinous, soothing tones of old-country songs for parents winding down at the end of the day.
–Stefanie Durbin
by Various Artists
Vocalists Len Graham and Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin are accompanied by a number of musicians and the multitalented player and producer Garry Ó Briain on a collection of songs that kids will appreciate and love and that parents will both remember on occasion, and enjoy throughout. It’s never cutesy or cloying and offers both the repetitive songs that younger children love and some clever (and once or twice scary) songs that grab the older kids’ attention. Throughout the album the musicianship is high, with a special nod to accordion work of Mairtin O’Conner that’s quite impressive. When I Was Young is a step above the current bumper crop of preachy or New Age children’s records that masquerade as “Celtic.” This one will actually have them clamoring for some of the real (adult) thing in a few years.
–Louis Gibson
In 1976 a young Toronto musician released a fun and lively record called Singable Songs for the Very Young. The artist was a fellow called Raffi, and in the liner notes he wrote at the time that “there are very few good children’s records.” True as that was in the ’70s, Singable Songs became the No. 1 bestseller in its field and set the standard for today’s greater volume ofhigh-quality material. The Singable Songs Collection reissues the classic Singable Songs for the Very Young and its superlative successors, More Singable Songs and Corner Grocery Store, as a set. Raffi’s exhilarating acoustic musicality and sense of humor shine brightly through. Single-digit-age kids and their parents will get a kick out of these silly, educational, and joyful songs, which range in subject matter and tone from shared peanut-butter sandwiches and instrumental ragtime to standards like “Goodnight, Irene.”
–Paige La Grone
Baby Beluga is a fun-filled collection of favorite children’s songs and Raffi originals, all performed in the singer’s folksy, expressive style. Beluga begins with the sounds of whales communicating in their high-pitch squeaks (which presented here come across as cute and sweet) and features melodic lines that evoke vivid pictures of gentle waves and a frolicking whale. An illustrated sing-along book that is published separately is a nice companion to this first track, giving young listeners visual images of the song’s narrative. The rest of this varied album blends traditional songs like “Oats and Beans and Barley” and “This Old Man” with four original pieces by Raffi, including the instrumental “Water Dance.” Liner notes have the complete lyrics, a description and history of beluga whales, and explanations of Raffi’s inspiration and ties to each song. This is an excellent album with catchy tunes that’s sure to become a household favorite.
–Tami Horiuchi
Angel Love for Children was conceived as a musical offering to expectant mothers, babies and children.
This musical lullaby is very relaxing and soothing as it harmonizes our bodies and emotions. This music is also recommended for adults who wish to enhance their relaxation, meditation, massage work or any other healing art.
The appeal of this album isn’t limited to children–though the gentle repertoire and soft acoustic musical accompaniment will surely soothe little ones at the end of a long day, adults will find the silky-smooth vocals, beautiful harmonies, and creative production just as engaging. Parents will enjoy listening to the metamorphosis of Loggins’s 1969 Top 40 hit “House on Pooh Corner” to the updated ’90s version. And with titles like the traditional “All the Pretty Little Ponies” and “To-Ra-Loo-Ra” and covers of Paul Williams’s “Rainbow Connection,” Jimmy Webb’s “The Last Unicorn,” and John Lennon’s “Love,” Mom might find herself borrowing this CD from the nursery when it comes time to kick back and relax after the kids are asleep.
–Deborah Moore
The Mozart Effect: Music for Little Ones by Don Campbell
In the last decade or so, research has proven the astounding effects classical music can have on our minds. Not only that, in the first years of human life, the brain is essentially being “wired” and shaped by its environment. A stimulating environment — one that is rich with emotion, music, language, etc. — has a long-lasting and at least semi-permanent impact on a person’s entire life.
In the last decade or so, research has proven the astounding effects classical music can have on our minds. Not only that, in the first years of human life, the brain is essentially being “wired” and shaped by its environment. A stimulating environment — one that is rich with emotion, music, language, etc. — has a long-lasting and at least semi-permanent impact on a person’s entire life.
Don Campbell authored a definitive book entitled The Mozart Effect, and this title has become somewhat of a catch-phrase to describe the power of music in our lives. Campbell’s book helps to correlate the music of Mozart with an increased ability to learn, and improved health of body and spirit. Though there have since been a number of attempts to disprove the theories behind the Mozart Effect, few will deny that classical music sets a distinctive mood, helps to inspire, and has powerful — even transforming — effects on its listeners.
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