Llama Drama!

Llama llama holiday drama by Anna Dewdney was the first book that we read in this Llama llama series. Yet another fun read that Paapa loves. There is a lot of scope for mamas to act! My baby loved it whenever I would act out the scenes in the book and she would squeal with laughter and imitate me (we first read this when she was 18 months old). The book reminds you of what is really important during the 'holidays'. Obviously the love of family is very important. I do wish it would showcase that Jesus is the reason for the holiday season.
A very good series that catches the eye of the preschooler and teaches them important life experiences. If I had any extra thumbs, I would lift them up as well for Anna Dewdney's engaging artwork.
Other books in the series: 

This book is about every child's absolute nightmare, sleeping on their own. It is very hilarious to read and helps the child see the perspective of the parent.

The 'mad' book is wonderfully written to show a child's frustration at their play being interrupted and them wandering around looking at grownups' knees in grocery stores! Anna Dewdney presents it all wonderfully!

Llama llama misses mama - is about the child's first experience leaving the protection of home and mama and going to school. The child learns that mama will come back at the end of the day and till then there will be friends to make and new things to learn from teachers.

Baby llama's got the sniffles and yet like any typical baby cannot stay still or rest! Llama tries to avoid boredom and while he is still figuring out how, mama gets the sniffles and gives llama something to do and someone to care for!

After doing all sorts of things with mama, llama is now at the age to have playdates. However no playdate is fun if there is no sharing. It time for llama to learn how to share. He learns that the best way to have loads of fun is to share his toys and time with a friend!

Paapa's Verdict:*****

Not so Tiny!

Not so Tiny Fun

Tiny Goes to the Library by Cari Meister is lots of fun to read. It is easy to fall in love with Tiny, he is cute and a loyal friend. In this book we learn that Tiny is a good friend who loves to go wherever his friend goes. My Paapa learnt that you need a library card to check out books, that dogs are not allowed in libraries. However we can still get books for our pets and read with them. 

This is yet another favorite series of Paapa.

Other books we have read in this series:

Tiny learns about the various things you need in order to have a great camping experience. 

This book takes us back to when Tiny was so tiny that he used to fit in his bestie's shoe. A good way to learn differences in size. 

Tiny like all good dogs is quite excited about having a bath. First we need to figure out where he can be given his bath since he is not so 'tiny'. Another book where the child learns that big things don't fit in small spaces. 

The success of this series is the cute and colorful art and the short sentences that are easy for a toddler to repeat and eventually memorize!

Paapa's Verdict: *****

Girly Adventures

Girly Adventures Begin Here
Brownie and Pearl Take a Dip by Cynthia Rylant and Brian Briggs was the first book in the series that we read when Paapa was still a toddler. Even though she wasn't still talking she loved this book and wanted to read it over and over again. Even now when we go to the library she goes straight for these books. There are currently 8 books in the series and we have read all of them! All the books in this series are colorfully illustrated by Brian Briggs.
What surprised me the first time I read the book to Paapa is the fact that the girl is called Brownie and the cat is named Pearl! I think the books appeal to her because it is about a girl and various new things a toddler might do for the first time in his/her life. Needless to say the Brownie and Pearl series is a favorite of mommy as well!
Here is a list of the titles available in the series
Brownie and Pearl:
1. Take a Dip
2. See the Sights
3. Step Out
4. Hit the Hay
5. Grab a Bite
6: Go for a Spin
7. Get Dolled Up
8. Make Good

Here's a link to the illustrator's website: http://mrbiggs.com/books/brownie-and-pearl/

Paapa's Verdict: *****

A Tall Order

A Tall Order Beautifully Accomplished
Abigail by Catherine Rayner is a visually beautiful book. Meet counting queen Abigail the giraffe, who likes nothing better in life than to count. She counts anything and everything from the spots on the Ladybug, to the stripes on the Zebra. But none of them stay still long enough for her to finish counting. Finally she decides that in order to successfully count she needs to teach her friends to count as well. Once they master counting they enjoy counting and each other's company!
I found the artwork of Catherine Rayner- amazing, the concept of mixing counting with friends was very appealing along with the surprise pull up page in the book.
Paapa's Verdict: *****

Delightful

A Delightful Read 
It was Bedtime in the Jungle is a delightful book written and illustrated by John Butler. Butler has a very illustrious (no pun intended) career as a childrens' book author and illustrator. This book transports the child to nighttime in the Indian jungle and how the different animals prepare to go to sleep. The book is a really good book to learn counting. Every number is written out in words and numerical form. I used this good opportunity to spell each number for my child. The illustrations of the animals were very soft and nice. The book is written in the rhyme form and is inspired by the song "Over in the meadow". 

"It was bedtime in the jungle
And the stream was shining blue
A monkey made a bed
For her babies two.

"Rest," said their mother,
"we'll rest," said the two."

The rhymes makes for a quick and easy read for a child with short attention span. I particularly liked how the author cleverly begins and ends the book with an owl. This lets a parent talk to their young reader about how not all animals go to bed at night. My child enjoyed this book a lot. Overall a good book for children of preschool age and younger. The book is quite sturdy and the pages are thick enough for a gentle child to turn without ripping.
Paapa's verdict: *****

A Cute and Cuddly Book
If You See a Kitten  - is an adorable, cute and fun book. It so happened that without realizing, I had picked up two Butler books to read at the same time. Butler definitely goes down in my list of favorite children's illustrators. Amazing talent! The book is about what one might say when they see a certain animal. The illustrations are excellent; the animals look cuddly or stunning, for the most part. I would call this a book of adjectives. Every animal is described by one of its attributes and hence the parent can actually get the child to guess what they might say when they encounter that animal. For eg. "If you see a cuddly kitten, say ahhh!" Once again a sturdy hardcover book with thick shiny pages that my child thoroughly enjoyed.
Paapa's Verdict:*****

'Thank you God' for all my friends

Grateful for this book
'Thank you God' with illustrations by Moira Maclean, is another book that I have enjoyed reading for a really long time(I am counting in baby days) now. Ever since I was wee little baby, Amma has made sure to read this book to me and with me. She felt it was important for me to know my surroundings through this book and to be able to give glory to the God who created it all for me. I learned a lot of new words through this book as it had nice colorful pictures of objects that would really appeal to a baby my age. The book begins with friends and ends with family.
"Thank you God for my best friend, we share everything!"
Thank you God for this sweet book!
Paapa's Verdict: *****

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Exciting Finish!

This was one of my first books. Amma read this book aloud to me when I was probably only 5 or 6 months old. Eric Carle's book is about a really hungry caterpillar who could not stop eating and what happens to him in the end. I love the bright colors in this book so much, that all I wanted to do was read and reread and reread this book.What was truly exciting was how the story and the pages kept building up to an exciting finish! The pages grow just like the caterpillar and there are tiny holes in them where the caterpillar has eaten through a fruit and emerged on the back of the page! I could slip my tiny fingers into these little holes. Amma did not even know that I was secretly learning to count, learning about different fruits and the days of the week, through this book. She would also mention the color of the fruits to me and she would talk about how eating all that junk got the caterpillar into trouble. You really have to get your parents to read this book to you, to know how great it is! Believe it or not, I now know the story by-heart! I cannot believe that this book has been around for over 40 years and yet it is so fresh in its ideas and the clever way it has been presented!

Paapa's Verdict: *****