More Children's Books: Board Books

Back in the days when I was pushing a pram, I rarely stepped foot out of doors without the following:

• Nappies
• Wipes
• Tissues
• Nappy rash cream
• Nappy sacks
• Sippy cup
• Snacks box
• Spoon
• Extra Onesie or t-shirt
• Teething ring
• Favorite toy
• Spare blanket
• Sunscreen
• Phone
• Wallet
• Lipgloss (untouched)

Is it any wonder I have a bad back?

This left scant room for reading material.  

Board books are marvelous as they are virtually indestructible, but toting around more than one is like carrying a load of bricks.

Therefore, every book in the bag had to justify its presence.

BOARD Books, Yes.  

BORED books, No.  

Here are a few that were worth their weight in gold.   

Hippos Go Beserk!  Barnyard Dance, The Going To Bed Book, all by Sandra Boynton.  

Rhyming, rhythmic, lyrical, and down-right funny.  

Do yourself a favor, and buy a A Big Box Of Boynton or Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2.  

Hug, Tall, and Yes by Jez Alborough.  

With just a word - or two - per book, Jez Alborough's cheeky little chimp communicates all the fun, frustration, worries and joys that come with being little.  

All wonderful, but Hug is our favorite.  

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman.

Another book of few words about a cheeky primate, and loved by my cheeky primates.  

The illustrations are amazingly rich with detail and humor - every one worth a thousand words.  

A joy. 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle.

What can you say about Eric Carle?  

I want to do collage every time I close one of his books. 

We loved predicting "what do you see?" before turning the page - 

not difficult after the 100th read, I grant you, but it never lost its novelty.

Fireman Small To The Rescue by Wong Herbert Yee.

Small people seem to love reading about other small people doing big, important deeds.

With two budding firefighters in the family (WB was rarely out of costume between 2004-2006), this was a favorite.

Firetruck by Peter Sis.  

Red, black and white.  So spare and so brilliant.  

We had to buy a second copy, because we wore the first out.