Children's Books We Love | Part VI - Namesake

These first two are books NLW will say "Norman" "Norman" when he wants them read aloud :) The others are ones I'm sharing just for fun! 

Norman the Doorman by Don Freeman

Not Norman by Kelly Bennett

Clifford the Big Red Dog Collection by Norman Bridwell

Imogene's Antlers by David Small (her brother's name is Norman!)

I haven't actually read these, but they are on my list!

Norman One Amazing Goldfish! by Kelly Bennett

Norm by Sylvia Liang

We also have a few custom books with NLW's name inside, which are fun to read. A good gift idea for any babies in your life :)

Nothing like being the star of the show,

- SJW

Children's Books We Love | Part V - NLW's Picks

It's difficult to pin point what exactly NLW loves about each of the titles below, but it's clear that they are his top picks. We've read them multiple times a day and he can fill in lots of the words if you pause and give him a chance :) 

These are the books that NLW will bring to us over and over again:

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry 

Good Night, Little Bear by Richard Scarry 

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

His current favorite is the quirky little book, Bus Ride by Marianne Dubuc. He loves saying "tunnel tunnel," "Rats!" and "Gee!" and calls the grandma at the end "Mirma" :) 

Kids have preferences too,

- SJW

Children's Books We Love | Part IV - Board Books

Here are some of our favorite BOARD BOOKS: 

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

Books by Emma Garcia are a recent discovery

Let's Dance, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton

The Loud Book by Deborah Underwood

The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood

The best of the best award goes to: Goodnight World: Animals of the Native Northwest and Night Night, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton. We read these books nightly as part of NLW's bedtime routine!

Sturdy books for little hands,

- SJW

Children's Books We Love | Part III - Fiction

This next set of books are clever, whimsical, and endearing with some of the best word-play and visual combinations. No hesitation, I'd add all of these to our at-home library!

Here are some of my favorite FICTION picture book titles: 

I'll Love you Till the Cows Come Home by Kathryn Cristaldi

Look by Fiona Woodcock

Hello by Fiona Woodcock

A Greyhound a Groundhog by Emily Jenkins

A Fine Dessert by Emily Jenkins & Sophie Blackall

The Apple Pie that Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

Tricky by Kari Rust

The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken

Yaks Yak Animal Word Pairs by Linda Sue Park

I Feel Teal by Lauren Rille

Me I Am! by Jack Prelutsky

Scranimals Poems by Jack Prelutsky

So Many Smarts! by Michael Genhart

Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel

Noisy Night by Mac Barnett

The best of the best award goes to: No Matter What by Debi Gliori. NLW isn't super cuddly but on the line "But if I turned into a bug, would you still love me and give me a hug?" he always leans over and rests his head on me. I've strategically read this book just to get a little hug out of him :)

I'll give a shout out to these two titles, ones that made Mr. Fleece tear up!

The Better Tree Fort by Jessica Scott Kerrin

Together by Emma Dodd

Cozy up and read read read,

- SJW

Children's Books We Love | Part II - Non-Fiction

Today I'm featuring my favorite NON-FICTION titles:

Owen Davey's animal series 

Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick

The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth: Understanding our World and its Ecosystems

Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies

Lifetime by Lola M. Schaefer

Hidden Dangers by Lola M. Schaefer

The best of the best award goes to: An Anthology of Intriguing Animals by Ben Hoare

NLW absolutely loves this book and can name the animal on nearly every page...it really shows you the power of exposure and repitition! 

Loving that animal kingdom,

- SJW

Children's Books We Love | Part I - Illustration-Only

In honor of NLW's (and soon to be the twins - woohoo!) birthday month, I'm starting a series featuring children's literature. I've discovered most of these captivating books in the past year or so through the library and would recommend each for the following three reasons:

1. Visually appealling (especially for this first post)

2. A high re-read value

3. Engaging for a variety of ages, including 30-somethings :)  

Today's category is the best ILLUSTRATION-ONLY titles:

Inside Outside by Anne-Margot Ramstein & Matthias Aregui

Before After by Anne-Margot Ramstein & Matthias Aregui

The Other Side by Istvan Banyai

Zoom by Istvan Banyai

Flotsam by David Wiesner

Free Fall by David Wiesner

Sector 7 by David Wiesner

Monkey on the Run by Leo Timmers

Bang by Leo Timmers

While You Are Sleeping by Mariana Ruiz Johnson

The best of the best award goes to: The Birthday Cake Mystery by the Tjong-khing

For sure, words matter, and I plan to share some endearing, rhyming, educational, and humorous books in the next few posts. But I wanted to start by highlighting the beauty, wit, whimsy, and craft of these illustrators. I love when you can tell a story or simply ask questions from book images. 

Books galore,

- SJW