Daddy's Lullaby by Tony Bradman, beautifully illustrated by Jason Cockcroft, is a children's storybook about a young dad who comes home late at night to find the baby wide awake in his crib. In his efforts to soothe the baby back to sleep, dad cuddles him in his arms and tours the house with the baby to see all the other sleeping members of the family.
This is a simple story of a mother describing her baby's first day after birth. It focuses on how the baby looks and acts and how much the baby is loved by the parents and extended family. The best part, I think, are the illustrations. The illustrator has wonderfully captured the lovable yet wrinkly face of a newborn and the beautiful excitement and exhaustion of bringing a new life into the world. It is a wonderful book for toddlers and other young children to read while anticipating the arrival of a new sibling.
This treasury incorporates the stories Little Bear, Little Bear's Friend and Little Bear's Visit - sweet stories from the "I Can Read" series of the 1950s and 60s. Little Bear is a walking and talking bear who makes friends with other animals and a girl named Emily. The stories involve humorous adventures and stories told by Little Bear's parents and grandparents. The stories involving Little Bear and his mother are especially sweet and portray some of the simple questions and worries of childhood. Another family favorite.
This is one of our family's favorite books in the "non-religious" category. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard are looking for a safe place to start their duck family. They make friends with Michael the policeman who helps Mrs. Mallard and the ducklings make their way safely to the Public Garden to meet up with Mr. Mallard. The illustrations are SO charming - my children ask for this over and over.
This latest title in the Bethlehem Books Lamb Time series is a short but sweet (and very funny) story about a busy little girl going through the very important and imaginative process of getting ready to walk the dog. Any parent with small children will appreciate the humorous truth about how children are that the author so clearly understands, even in such a simple story. This shouldn't surprise fans of the author's grandmother and the book's illustrator, Hilda Van Stockum, whose own books portray a beautiful understanding of small children.
Billy and Blaze are on a family trip out west where they encounter Thunderbolt - a beautiful wild horse that is the envy of every cowboy. Rather than trying to capture Thunderbolt with fast horses and lassos, Billy makes friends with Thunderbolt slowly and eventually gains his trust.
This book is a bit shorter than others in the series, and so might be a particularly good one for less-confident readers. It seems to average about five lines per page.
In this story, Billy and Blaze search for the lair of a mountain lion that has been troubling ranchers and rescue a baby calf from a ledge on a cliff.
Billy visits with a friendly old neighbor who tells him of a quarry he used to visit as a boy the location of which had been lost to the townspeople for many years. With some clues, he and Blaze find the old quarry - a beautiful spot and a great place for swimming. They rescue and befriend a dog.
Billy and Blaze befriend another horse and boy-rider team. Tommy and his horse Dusty are just getting used to each other and Dusty is a little nervous about jumping. Nevertheless they decide to try out for a pairs jumping contest.
Another great collection compiled by William Bennett which includes beautifully illustrated tales and poems such as: Father Junipero Serra, the story of the First Thanksgiving, Paul Bunyan, the Story of the Star Spangled Banner, an Indian legend, and patriotic songs and poems. This is one of the books that my children ask for over and over - probably because of the wonderful illustrations, interesting content and great variety of stories. I especially like the story included about Father Junipero Serra which very nicely portrays the faith and fortitude of this humble priest.