I Drive a Dump Truck
Written by Sarah Bridges
Illustrated by Derrick Alderman and Denise Shae
Age: 3-5 years; 5-7 years
This book will teach you all kinds of things you never knew about how dump trucks work. If you and your children like this book, you might also enjoy I Drive a Bulldozer and similar books by Sarah Bridges.
Out and About at the Fire Station
Written by Muriel L. DuBois
Illustrated by Anne McMullen
Age: 3-5 years; 5-7 years
Simple and engaging book about fire safety. Abby (15 months) liked pulling this one off the shelf to "read" on her own.
Fire Truck
By Peter Sis
Age: 0-2 years; 3-5 years
This book, like Sis's Trucks! Trucks! Trucks!, is fun and imaginative. Perfect for any child who easily gets lost in his/her imaginary world.
The Firehouse Light
Written by Janet Nolan
Illustrated by Marie Lafrance
Age: 5-7 years; 7-10 years
Again, I'm recommending a slightly older audience for this book, but both Joshua (4 years old) and Hannah (3 years old) enjoyed reading this book. If you have a kiddo with a short attention span, maybe wait a bit before checking this one out.
This is based on a true story of a light bulb that has been burning in a California firehouse for over 100 years. I like the historical aspect as the author tells the story of time passing as the little light bulb keeps burning. You can learn more about the Centennial Bulb and even see footage of their live webcam by visiting their website.
Fire! Fire!
By Gail Gibbons
Age: 5-7 years; 7-10 years
I'm recommending this for elementary school ages and not preschoolers because it is wordy. That said, we've checked it out two or three times since Joshua was 3 years old, and he's only 4 now. For younger kids, I ask them to pick one section - there are sections about fires in the city, country, forest, and water - and then I skip over some information if I start to lose their attention.
All of that said, this book is just as good as you would expect from Gail Gibbons. Packed with information, simple but detailed illustrations, and an exciting topic, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in fire trucks. I liked that this one discusses lesser-known fire emergency vehicles such as helicopters and fire boats. I'm sure we'll be getting this one many more times before the kids outgrow the children's room at the local library.
Twenty-One Elephants and Still StandingWritten by April Jones Prince
Illustrated by Francois Roca
Age: 5-7 years; 7-10 years
This became a favorite even before we checked it out. Joshua (4 years old) absolutely loves architecture - buildings, bridges, if it's man-made he's fascinated by it! Living just outside of NYC, he is especially inspired by the many monumental skyscrapers and bridges in the area.
Over the summer we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge - a free activity that I highly recommend to anyone visiting or living in the NY area. So, when I ran across this book about elephants AND the Brooklyn Bridge in my search for books on elephants, I was excited. And this book did not disappoint our high expectations. The illustrations are beautiful, with some spectacular ones of the bridge itself. The story is interesting, chronicling a true story of P.T. Barnum Bailey's stunt of walking his 21 world-famous elephants over the newly constructed bridge. I'm sure you and the kids in your life will enjoy this book!
Big Little Elephant
By Valeri Gorbachev
Age: 3-5 years; 5-7 years; 7-10 years
This is the second book by Valeri Gorbachev that we have checked out, and it is the second book of hers that we have liked. There's something about her style that is inviting. In this book, Little Elephant learns about being a friend - a lesson that most children love (and need) to hear.
Tweak, Tweak
Written by Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
Age: 3-5 years
Cute illustrations for a cute story! I enjoyed reading about this curious little elephant and was definitely inspired by her (very) patient mother. Hannah (3 years old) seemed to like this the most of all her siblings.
Splash!
By Flora McDonnell
Age: 0-2 years; 3-5 years
This was one of the first books I checked out from the children's library when we lived the simple life of a family of three. Joshua (now 4 years old) was very small at that time and we both enjoyed reading this book. I like its simplicity best. We've enjoyed checking it out many times since Hannah (3 years old) and Abby (15 months old) have joined the family. I'm sure we'll continue to enjoy it.
Nascar ABC's
By Paul DuBois Jacobs and Jennifer Swender
Illustrated by Aaron Zenz
Ages: 3-5 years, 7-10 years
What could be more exciting to a little boy than a rhyming ABC book about Nascar! :) Even I enjoy this book and I'm not real big on the car thing. The text has a nice rhythm to it and the illustrations are bright and cheerful. A good tool to reinforce the alphabet letter seqence.
My First Airplane Ride
By Patricia Hubbell
Illustrated by Nancy Speir
Age: 3-5 years
This is a definite favorite in our house. We check this out so often that I have thought of purchasing our own copy. My favorite line is: "Snacks are coming on a tray. What a long, exciting day!" :) We're heading to Australia in about a month - I think the last half of that line will pretty much sum up our travel experience!
In the future, look for more books written by Patricia Hubbell on this blog. She, along with various illustrators, has written several transportation-themed books that the kids love.
Trucks, Trucks, Trucks
By Peter Sis
Age: 0-2 years, 3-5 years
Fun and imaginative!
The Enormous Carrot
By Vladimir Vasil'evich Vagin
Age: 3-5 years, 7-10 years
We LOVED this book! Each time we visit our library we find good books, but it's still a rare to find a book that is so engaging for all of us and has the kids talking about it during their free play. That said, I'm not sure what drew us to this book. Just check it out for yourself and find out if you enjoy it as much as we did. :)
The Tiny Seed
By Eric Carle
Age: 3-5 years
Bright and beautiful pictures make this an enjoyable book, like pretty much everything else by Eric Carle!
The Carrot Seed
By Ruth Krauss
Age: 0-2 years, 3-5 years
Hannah (turning 3 tomorrow!) picked out this book before I even got to the shelf. I didn't think much of it, but after reading it throughout the week I came to appreciate it. The main character is a little boy who demonstrates great faith. When everyone around him says that his carrot seed won't come up, this boy goes on watering and weeding. His faith and perseverance pay off big in the end!
I liked that Hannah - the one whom the Lord has indicated has a great gift of faith - was drawn to this simple yet inspirational book.
Boat Book
By Gail Gibbons
Age: 0-2 years, 3-5 years
What's a week without a book by Gail Gibbons? We've checked this out a number of times, and while it's not always a top pick for Read Aloud Time, it is still well-loved. This, unlike Marge's Diner, which is lengthy, this book is far from wordy. Joshua (4 years old) likes to take his time studying the detailed pictures.
Busy Boats
By Tony Mitton and Ant Parker
Age: 3-5 years
A friend of mine once made the following comment after reading one of Mitton and Parker's books, "Wow, that's pretty impressive to make rhymes about tractors!" She isn't as well-versed in the land of transportation picture books as I am since she doesn't have a son, but she is definitely right - Mitton and Parker have a way with rhymes and with vehicles.
This particular book really sparked Joshua's interest. He asked a ton of questions about the different parts of a boat and how each part was used. He has never shown an interest in boats before this week, and this book was most definitely a catalyst.
Busy Boats
By Susan Steggall
Age: 0-2 years, 3-5 years
This was a fun, colorful, and (like the title says) busy book about boats. The book was a tiny bit over-sized which meant that it didn't quite fit in our magazine file boxes. However, there's something nice about really huge picture books - and this book was definitely a nice read.
"Little House, Little Town"
By Scott Beck
Age:0-2 years, 3-5 years
The kids don't often choose new books from the library shelves. They know exactly where to find all of the old favorites. I was glad when Hannah (almost 3 years old) brought this to me. I really like the illustrations. Do I say that a lot??? Perhaps I do, but most of my time is spent reading picture books. :)
"Marge's Diner"
By Gail Gibbons
Age: 3-5 years, 7-10 years
When Hannah (nearly 3 years old) pulled this from the library shelf I wondered if it would be too wordy for her. It turns out that I was wrong. Both she and Joshua (4 years old) sat through this entire book more than once during the week. As always, I liked Gail Gibbons' clear and simple style of explaining how things work in the world around us.
