My kindergartener can’t get enough of chapter books these days, and that suits my husband just fine (though I still pine for the days of 6 Elephant & Piggie books at bedtime), but we still get our fill of picture books for our three year old as well. To that end, we have a little something for everyone in this month’s round up.
As always, we encourage you to shop local and hit your favorite indy bookstore or local library to pick up these tomes! In Philly we love Headhouse Books and in Brooklyn, a couple of our faves are Greenlight or Word, but you can check out Indiebound for a local bookseller near you. Find your own favorite!
The Sisters Grimm, by Michael Buckley
With fantasy and fairy tales being all the rage these days, we thought it was the perfect time to highlight The Sisters Grimm. We’re just finishing Book 1 (although there has been a lot of peeking into Books 2 and 3 on our bookshelves to see where all this is headed), and we are loving every page. Daphne and Sabrina, two sisters raised in New York City, have been bouncing in and out of foster homes since their parents mysteriously disappeared more than a year earlier when out of the blue a woman purporting to be their grandmother, Relda Grimm, arrives to take them upstate to live with her in a strange little town called Ferryport Landing. Scrappy and skeptical Sabrina doesn’t believe for a minute that “Grandmother Grimm” is in any way related to them, but ethereal and trusting Daphne is willing to give it a whirl. And then, we are off to the races. With early appearances by Prince Charming, one of the Seven Dwarfs and Glinda the Good Witch, it’s clear from the beginning that we are in for a wild ride. In turns spooky and endearing this book satisfies my kindergartener’s attraction to the macabre without being gory or gratuitous. I highly recommend it for your older kids. We can’t wait to tear through all nine books!
Time to Pee! by Mo Willems
In an effort to offer support to the potty-training set, I feel obliged to highlight the one book that my girls really loved when they were graduating out of diapers (also check out Superhero Potty Time). This sweet, straightforward book shepherds your child through the potty process, from getting that “funny feeling” to heading to the bathroom cheered on by a legion of little mice (we promise they’re cute mice!). With a hand washing reminder, lots of cheers at the end, and a page of reward stickers, this book has always made us happy and is a great encouraging tool for the wee ones.
What Do You Do With An Idea? by Kobi Yamada, Illustrated by Mae Besom
So, what DO you do with an idea? You change the world. This gorgeous picture book takes us on a journey with a little boy and his idea and how he learned to love this little idea, nurture it, and help it grow. Beautifully illustrated and gently told, this award-winning children’s book is a must have on every family’s shelf.
The Book With No Pictures, by B.J. Novak
A picture book! With no pictures! This is a tongue in cheek torture of the grown up reader who has to say (sing!) things like, “glug, glug, glug, my face is a bug” and try not to laugh while saying “boo boo butt” and “ga-wocko ma grumph a-doo.” We love giggling our way through this one at bedtime. A book with no pictures has never been so entertaining.
Mollie Michel is a South Philly resident and a Philadelphia public school parent. A recovering non-profit professional, Mollie is also an experienced birth doula, Certified Lactation Counselor, and the mom of two awesome girls and a sweet pit bull named Princess Cleopatra. In her spare time, she is usually trying to figure out how Pinterest works, training for a(nother) half marathon, or simply trying to keep up with her increasingly wily daughters.