Wheels on the Race Car

This is another favorite that James' wonderful speech therapist loaned us a few months ago.  We quickly found it at the library and have checked it out 2 or 3 times.  I would say this is a winner!

I love all the sounds that are in the book...  the gas can says glug, glug, glug; the mechanics say zizz, zizz, zizz....  These are new words in our vocabulary on a daily basis.

If you know a little boy, buy this book for him!

James' age:  2 years 9 months

Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo

James' speech therapist let us borrow this week recently.  Wow!  It is quickly become one of his favorite books EVER!  He will literally have us read it to him over and over again in one sitting.  We have never had a book like that before.

The language in this book is really fun and the pictures are wonderful.  This is a great book for a little boy.  Especially if you are trying to get him to talk more!  After two reading James was already following along with us and actually "reading"  whooooo whoooo part.  {My oh my was I thrilled!}

I would absolutely recommend this book if you have a young boy or need a gift for a 3 year old boy who likes trains!  {His speech therapist said every little boy says he has this book.... I think they just really like it  ;)}

James Age:  2 years 11 months

Dr. Seuss's ABC

James has known his letters for a while...  Not really sure how it happened, but once we realized it we ran with it.  Lately he LOVES to tell us all the letters in words {on tv, on every book, on signs...}.

So the other day I pulled out this book and he loved it!  Again I think it's because he likes the alphabet, but also because he recognizes some of the characters from The Cat and the Hat tv show.

I would recommend any and all Dr. Seuss books.  They make great gifts (we have only bought maybe 2) or just great additions to your child's library.

James age:  2 years 10 months

The Cat in the Hat

A good friend gave this book to James for Christmas.  We have some other Dr. Seuss books,  but James has not been into them yet.  {Perhaps they are too long for him to stay interested...}  Anyway he has fallen in.love with this book.

I think a big part of this love affair is there is a Cat in the Hat cartoon on PBS that we often watch in the morning.  So he already know the characters.  I think that there is really something to be said for reading young ones books about characters they already know!  I am just happy to have kids interested in books and will take it anyway we can get it.

I do LOVE that PBS has shows about some quality literature.  Dr. Seuss is such a classic and I love getting to read this to James each night!

James' age: 2 years 9 months

Free Spirit's Best Behavior Series

Now as you may know sweet James is a little over 2.5.  At times he tests boundaries like all two year old.  When the needs arises Aaron and I talk to him about using gentle hands, etc.  But when I saw this one the other day at the library, I thought a little reinforcement couldn't hurt {a certain someone may or may not have been in time out numerous times at school for unkind touching recently...}

The first book in this series that I found at the library was Diapers Are Not Forever.  It is still one of my favorite potty training books.  {We have read TONS of those lately!}  I wish I knew about Pacifiers Are Not Forever when we were getting rid of the paci!

Anyway this is another series that I think is great!  We may or may not need the Tails Are Not For Pulling edition around here....

Begin Smart Series

I don't always write about specific series for kiddos books, but this series of books has really grown on me.  They offer books for all age ranges of little ones.  This is awesome for anyone {including a former Reading Specialist!}  Sometimes I am not exactly sure what James should be expected to know/do since I was not an early childhood person....

When James was little we had quite a few of the black and white ones for birth-six month olds.  Those were really some of his favorites!  At the library recently I found the book pictured above {along with 2 others in the series}, and after reading these I can say I think they are great!  I loved all of the fruits and vegetables in the book.  The pictures were great and really gave us a lot to talk about.

Talking about the pictures and not just reading the words in books can be really helpful for little ones.  It can really help improve their vocabulary.  Sometimes I just want to read what it written, but in these sorts of books you just feel like you should do a little more talking.  Exactly what James' speech therapist wants us to do!

If you run across these book, I highly recommend them!

Train and Truck Mice

These are a few of the favorites that we have gotten from the library lately.  When I ask James what he wants to read when it is bedtime, he will often say trainmice!  Which is kinda funny because I think that they are kinda silly.

Just goes to show that just because you as a grown up think it's a great book doesn't mean a toddler will and vice versa!  All I care about is having books in young children's hands.

These are some of those books that are not in print any longer, so it shows how valuable it is to get to the library.  Please, please if you have not taken your little one to the library, give it a try!

PS-  be on the lookout for Christmas time favorites.  I can't wait to find out which ones he likes!

Library Visits

As James and I reading some library books the other day, I thought I need to blog about this...  we go to the library every 2-3 weeks to check out new books for James (usually 3-5 books/visit).  Y'all this boy l.o.v.e.s his library books.  

Each week he falls in love with some new book.  I always think that we are going to end up having a huge fit about missing one of his books....  luckily though he finds a new book that he falls in love with.  

We generally check out a potty training book (maybe one day we won't need these any longer ;)), a truck or car book, a Caillou book, and a Thomas book.  

Right now he is obsessed with Dumpy and His Pals.  Last time it was a train book.  I love the library because they have books that are out of print like Dumpy, but awesome!  Also it just saves us money.  James already owns probably 200+ books...  we have spent plenty already.  ;)

So if you don't already go to your local library, I encourage you to take advantage of one of our favorite places!

James' Halloween Favorites

James loves reading books about Halloween this year.  These two in particular have been hits.  It has been really fun to watch James start to understand about Holidays a little more this year.  

The Little Critter book is read numerous times each day, and I think that I am going to have to find my other Little Critter books for him.  These seem to be just the right length for a 2.5 year old.  I think that the pictures are also really fun for him.

Pumpkin, Pumpkin is a great book to read if you have been visiting the Pumpkin Patches lately.  

A Couple from the Bedtime Rotation

I cannot believe that it has taken me soooo long to write about these books.  They have both been apart of the Bedtime Routine {which used to be so much easier....  dang terrible twos!}  for quite some time.  

They are just like what they sound like.  The Daddy Book tells all about different sorts of things that daddies like to do while The Mommy Book tells all about different things mommies like to do.  

I just love Todd Parr and kids do, too!  The pictures are fun and bright and he is always so inclusive in his writing.  I  guess my love for him stems back to my more liberal pre-Mommy days.  Ha!

If you don't own any Todd Parr books, get some now!  One of my personal faves is The Underwear Book!  Early Elementary age kids love it!  

And that is officially the end of my list that I had going....  that means, gasp,  I am all caught up.  So now I just have to finish some books on my bookshelf!  I know you will be sitting on the edge of your seat.  I will try to read fast!  ;)

James Favorites from 2-2.5

I am going to go totally out of order and write first...  Hope you don't mind.  ;)

Right now James is very into trains, trucks, cars, and animals.  So most books that are read over and over in our house are about one of those.  That is really the key for getting kids of any age to read, I think.

Some hits are novelty sorts of books like lift-the flap books and any book that makes noise.  Some of his favorite include those shown below:

There are also quite a few non-novelty books that he likes read over and over!  Some are classics, some are fun songs!  Here they are:

There are quite a few that he still reads found here and here.  It's kinds crazy he has been reading some of these books for more than a year!  It's also crazy that I have more than 50 posts!  I guess I really like to read.  ;)

Cars books

These are currently some of James' favorite books.  {James is currently 2.5 years old}  A friend gave him one in May when he began his H.U.G.E obsession with Cars.  Truth be told I never really was a fan of the Step into Reading sorts of books as a first grade teacher {mostly didnt like the vocabulary and thought they were boring)...  but now I see the value in some of these little jewels.

 Now James is not actually reading {yet, ;)} but these are the perfect length for an impatient 2 year old. The Step 1 books are the perfect length because they are about 1 sentence per page.

Most importantly though, it is just having books about something that your child is interested in!  I have quite a few more books that I want to share that James has been interested in for the last few months.

I am trying soooo hard to catch up { I have at least 5 James books, and 9 of my books that I need to blog about!}, but James is going thru a little I don't want to nap phase and that is my time to blog...

Lift the Flap Books

Lately James loves lift the flap sort of books. This makes perfect sense for an active little man. We like to look at the pictures and lift up all of the different flaps. Here are two of his current favorites.

1.

This is a really fun one that I think will last us a long time because it teaches numbers, colors,etc. We are not quite at that stage yet, but I always talk with him about the color, animals, and numbers. I found this one at Target.

2.I bought this one a few months ago thinking that he was not quite ready for it because it is actually a slide and find. I thought that the slides seemed a little hard for him. James has recently fallen in LOVE with cars so this one is perfect for him! We are working hard to help him realize that truck are trucks not cars... ha!