As a mom of young kids who love animals, I know firsthand the benefit of finding fun books that are also easy to read, fun to look at, and short enough not to make you flinch when your kids pull them off the shelves during those later bedtime nights.
This gentle rhyming book is the perfect book for your child and their best stuffy friend to read just before they drift off to sleep. The imaginative watercolor pictures will stick with you, and children will love finding how each child’s BFFs find their way into dreamland. Bonus? The book is short enough for a quick bedtime story, but has enough of a story for you to read it over and over without making you feel tired, too!
Take a bedtime journey with the New York Times bestselling author of The Wonderful Things You Will Be and discover the adventures that await while you dream!
You only have to close your eyes And when you snuggle in…. You’ll be carried to your dream tonight On wing or paw or fin
Snuggle into bed and discover what your dream animal might be and where it could take you! Could it be a bear who brings you to bake pastries? A fox who ushers you into a magical forest? Mermaids with whom you can sip tea?
He is obsessed with trucks and sounds right now. This one features Blue, the truck, getting stuck in the mud. He asks all the animals to help him. My grandson likes all the animals and sounds in this one, and when the dump truck goes, “Honk!” And he learns why it’s important to be nice to animals!
Beep! Beep! Meet Blue! Filled with truck sounds and animal noises, Little Blue Truck is a rollicking homage to the power of friendship and the rewards of helping others.
A muddy country road is no match for this little pick-up—that is, until he gets stuck while pushing a dump truck out of the muck.
Luckily, Blue has made a pack of farm animal friends along his route. And they're willing to do whatever it takes to get their pal back on the road.
Little Blue Truck is a joyful cacophony of animal and truck sounds that will have youngsters beeping…
As a child I was always fascinated by nature, especially the way the trees changed throughout the seasons. This may be what stimulated my love of growing and caring for bonsai trees and why I have written many books about the seasons myself. Now as an author, ex-primary school teacher, parent, and grandparent I am aware of the importance of encouraging other children to have this same interest and fascination in nature and the ever-changing seasons. I believe it fosters an awareness of how the world is far bigger than themselves and everything is interconnected. I hope these books will inspire young mind’s love and understanding of the natural world.
Little Bear's Spring is an inspired picture book about friendship that emerges from the unlikeliest of things. When Little Bear wakes up from his long winter sleep he discovers everywhere is covered by a blanket of snow and is eerily quiet. He feels alone and afraid. You can’t help but go Ahhhh when Little Bear picks up a small pebble which he thinks is just as alone as he is. He clutches it tightly in his paw and sets off on this heart-warming adventure in search of friends.
You can really identify with Little Bear as he wonders at the magnificent changes the seasons have on his environment. This caring picture book is a celebration of how amazing the natural world is.
Little Bear's Spring is a glorious reminder for children and adults of just how wonderful the natural world is, and that, sometimes, the unlikeliest of friendships are the best kind.
Little Bear has just woken up from his long winter sleep. But when he pokes his head out of the den, the world around him is vast, white and silent. The only thing he sees is a smooth little stone, just as alone in the snowy wilderness as he is. He nestles it in tight to his fur and off they go in search of friends.
I began as a picture book illustrator and gradually started writing my own stories, but I still love illustrating other people’s stories. From their manuscripts, I learn to look at the world in new and unexpected ways. As a visual artist, I learned from a young age to pay attention and really look at the world around me. When I have days full of errands and chores and forget to look and be present, the day becomes gray and boring. All of these books in words and pictures offer nature and the act of paying attention and celebrating as transformation and connection.
This book begins with a declaration: “It was a bad day….” and proceeds to show in pictures how bad a day it was for little yellow bird, little white dog, little red fox, and little brown squirrel. Every time I read this book, I remember that even though a day may feel like a bad day, you never know what could happen that could completely turn the day around. It is a story to remind me to go outside and stay curious.
I’m a poet, children’s writer, and songwriter from Drogheda, Ireland. Ballads were always part of my family life. My favourite uncle, Gerry Cullen, is a song collector and singer who was central to the revival of folk singing in Drogheda. It was only when I embarked on a Creative Writing PhD in 2015 that I fully recognised the influence of ballads on my work. This has brought me deeper into ballad studies and I have just begun a postdoctoral fellowship at University College Dublin to reclaim lost street poets and tenement balladeers of 19th-century Ireland. For me, the ballad is a peerless narrative form: compact, rhyming, rhythmic, and memorable.
Patricia Forde is one of the stars of Irish writing, and this magical book was always meant to inspire a song. It’s the story of Fia, who longs to visit the mythical island of Hy Brasil, and finally reaches it by walking across a moonbeam. Her adventures with creatures, real and legendary, are realised in glowing illustrations by Nicola Bernardelli. The book was commissioned by Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture with versions in Irish and in English. Local composer Anna Mullarkey wrote a song to accompany it. Story, song, and pictures combine to show how a child’s imagination becomes part of the enchantment of a special place: “Fia felt the pull of magic in the air / and the pull of her own strong heart.”
Fia looks out her window and across the bay. She longs to see the mysterious island, which appears and disappears in the water.
One night a moonbeam reaches across the bay and leads her to the island. She walks with magical creatures, dances with a host of girls and boys, and visits the bottom of the sea and the stars in space.
Lyrical text with gorgeous colour illustrations, from a multi-award-winning Irish author. Based on the mythical Irish island of Hy Brasil, which lies off the west coast of Galway.
My name is John Priest and I've been writing children's books, mystery stories, and factual articles since the 1980's. I've been traditionally published and have publshed my own books too. I love writing funny books and rhyming stories. Seeing my 5 grandchildren reading a book and laughing is one of the best sights of all. I've worked in schools and really believe that having your imagination ignited by any book is the start of building your own personality and creating wonderment in your own mind. And who knows? Maybe one day your child will write the next batch of beautiful books!
I really enjoy funny, hilarious children's books, anything that makes you laugh until your tummy hurts is fine by me, just so long as they are packed full with love and respect for each other.
Who would have thought that fruit in your kitchen would come to life at night?
These fruits even have their own disco and sing and dance the nights away!
This is a fabulous fun book for kids to enjoy. It's got rhyme, song and fun all rolled up in its pages, I know that they will read it again and again.
At night when you are sleeping There's a party in your house, It's a pumping, jumping, funky bash When all the lights go out . . .
When the sun goes down, the Kitchen Disco starts up - and all the fruit in the fruit bowl come out to play. There are lemons who break-dance, tangerines who twirl and some very over-excited apples.
Kitchen Disco is a zany and hilarious rhyming picture book for young children, featuring a stunning holographic foil spread in the middle of the book.
As an animal advocate and part-time pet sitter, I wanted to instill the love of animals to babies with a fun board book. I’ve always enjoyed the surprise factor of lift-the-flaps so I was thrilled when Squeak-a-boo! was published. These types of books make for wonderful interactive bonding moments between reader and baby. I hope you enjoy the books on this list, not only for their fun concepts and text, but also for their colorful illustrations.
The information in this lift-the-flap goes deeper in describing the animals and birds that live on the savanna.
Under the flaps are nature facts such as “The song of the hoopoe bird goes ‘oop-oop-oop,” This book has more flaps per page and tinier shapes to lift, and is geared toward 2-5-year-olds. I think the information skews a little older, but this is a good introduction to the savanna.
There are lots of animals on the savanna. Where are they hiding and what are they doing? In this innovative lift-the-flap book, little ones can pore over the beautiful collaged pages and explore under leaves and behind trees and rocks to find out interesting facts about wildlife on an African savanna.
As a birth, foster, adoptive, and pseudo mom to many children, I know firsthand how hard it is to find quality literature that reflects their experience and gives them skills for their own life journey. As a therapist, certified in trauma and resilience, having spent many years in social services, I also see the lack of resources available to caregivers, teachers, and counselors. It's my passion to help remove shame, build resilience, and reclaim hope in the lives of each member of these families. I’ve done this through a TEDx talk on the power of story on the brain, authored multiple books, speak regularly, offer trainings, and private parent coaching.
Sandefer, a foster mama herself, wanted to give other foster parents words of comfort to give to their own hurting foster children. Love You From Right Here does just that. Kids in foster care have had so many choices taken from them. I love how this book gives some back. Sandefer has created a place where children can see another child’s agency protected and cared for, where the adult invites (instead of forces) and the child responds when he or she is ready. Sandefer’s story does a beautiful job of illustrating that trust and safety aren’t to be rushed, but developed through patience, kindness, and empathy. Kids and adults need this book.
The Second Edition of Love You From Right Here is a children’s book for children in foster care. Featuring a diverse representation of characters including men, women, boys, and girls, it is written from the perspective of the foster parent to the child in foster care. This book takes you through an abbreviated look at the emotions a young child experiences throughout their transition to a new foster home. The message to the child is that while they are in that home, they will be safe and loved. Love You From Right Here also serves as a keepsake book, with…
Plus, Catherine's
1, and 3-year-old's favorite books.
Why did Catherine's
1-year-old love this book?
This is a wonderful, sturdy book for inquisitive little hands. The use of photographed appliqué to illustrate is inspired, and the visuals clearly capture my youngest son’s imagination.
The different rhymes each elicit a smile of recognition now, and even just seeing the book being brought out sparks a squeal of excitement. This is a book that I think we’ll all remember sharing in years to come.
Featuring seven classic nursery favorites like Humpty Dumpty, Little Bo Peep and Hey Diddle Diddle, this sturdy board book format is ideal for sharing with babies and toddlers.
I wrote Billy Balloon in fourth grade for a writing exercise. I remember the teacher reading it to the whole class.I was filled with pride. Then through the years I’d revisit the story and think about getting it published. Many years later, with the support and encouragement from my family, I finally decided to go through with it. We then went from wanting to publish one book to building a brand similar to Curious GeorgeandThomas the Train. We had such a great experience and fun time we also decided to share the adventure with others. We invite readers to submit ideas for other books in the Billy Balloon series through our website.
Youngsters can learn their colors and shapes as they help Nova the Robot build himself a friend, in a robot-shaped board book which features the author's popular eight-year-old robot boy, Nova.
