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More More More Said The Baby: Three Love Stories by Vera B. Williams

"More More More," Said the Baby: Three Love Stories is a 1991 Caldecott Honor Book, chosen because of its colorful and unique gouache style paintings. The book was written by Vera B. Williams and follows three young toddler age children of different ethnicity interacting with their loved one. The book is multicultural as well as mulch-generational and follows the three toddlers as they are swung, tickled, and kissed by their daddy, grandma, and mama. This story has a lot of voice and if you don't read it with the right expression it can seem a little awkward. In my opinion is best told with a little bit of a southern twang or drawl.

I love that this story is about the dedication of the adults to their "Little" nicknamed loves. The illustrations really show the affection the adults have for the babies and is so fun to connect to as I read with my own "Little".

Buy Your Own Copy of "More More More," Said the Baby: Three Love Stories at a local bookstore or from Amazon:

The Very Quiet Cricket By Eric Carle

Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

What baby's collection would be complete without a copy of Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt? Every time that I pull this book out, Benjamin grasps for it frantically. It's as though he is starving and wants to eat the book and in baby language I'm taking that to mean that he loves it. We have the spiral bound plastic comb version of the book and it's just the right size for us. The only thing is because he loves it so much and puts it in his mouth, I'm not sure if the copy is going to hold up in the long run. This may be a book that you want to have multiple copies of. The corners are also a bit sharp with this version so you might want to watch out for that. Since the book is delicate, it's one that you might want to share instead of hand over but I promise you won't mind. The book is in the "Touch and Feel" category. There are multiple textures for baby to experience. There is a scratchy and soft page. There is also a smelly page, a peek a boo page, and also a reflective mirror for baby to see himself.

There are many different versions of this book. Some of the copies only have the soft bunny. Be sure to include the one with the multi-sensory details and then add the others.

Pat the Bunny was first published in 1940. It's one of those timeless classics that you yourself might remember someone reading to you. It's such a peaceful and simple book, one that is just right to cuddling and interacting with your little one. This would be a great gift, a must have for baby shower. One of those books that parents will enjoy sharing just as much as their children.

Buy Your Own Copy of Pat the Bunny at a local bookstore or from Amazon:

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney is one of those stories that you read to your child over and over and over again but for some reason you just never get tired of sharing it. It's a familiar story, one that you would have a difficult time in finding someone who has NOT read the book. It's a book that all mothers and fathers should have in their repertoire and available at all times because this is one that is going to see a lot of wear. It is of course the story of a young curious little bunny trying very hard to impress his daddy on just how much he loves him. In turn, daddy bunny trumps him each time with an even bigger show of his devotion. The story is timeless and definitely a classic that deserves it's place in a child's collection. The story is simple with lines such as: "I love you all the way up to my toes!" he said. "And I love you all the way up to your toes," said Big Nutbrown Hare, swinging him up over his head. You can see too that Anita Jeram's soft depictions of baby bunny with daddy are real compliments to the gentle story. Not only is this book on the list for must have's in a baby shower book basket, it would make for a fantastic Mother's or Father's Day gift.

Buy Your Own Copy of Guess How Much I Love You at a local bookstore or from Amazon:

Pop-Up Peekaboo! Things That Go by DK Books

You know I have to admit, that when we first received this book, I wasn't thrilled. I'm not really a fan of pop-up books nor DK books for that matter. At first glance from the cover I thought this was going to be one of those colorful but utterly boring books that just name objects. However, I was pleasantly surprised with this book and it's become a favorite repeat. The book is a collection of photographs overlaid on computerized backgrounds of various "Things that Go" such as airplanes, astronauts and hot air balloons. The illustrations are bold and colorful and really keep my son's attention. He's really too young still to open up the flaps for the surprises underneath but he is not too young to enjoy the peekaboo surprises on each page. The flaps are very durable and construction of this book is such that I think it's going to last long into the toddler years (I hope). Pop-ups are known to be not only fun to share but educational as well, in that they promote imagination and memory. I think one of the issues that I have with a lot of movable books is besides all of their flaps breaking or ripping off after a handful of readings, the pop-ups usually end up being just a distraction from the book's supposed theme. Fortunately, this one is durable, engaging to read, and follows the mantra of "less is more".

Buy Your Own Copy of Pop-Up Peekaboo: Things That Go at a local bookstore or from Amazon:

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I Love You As Much...by Laura Krauss Melmed

One of the first books that I read to both of my sons was I Love You As Much...by Laura Krauss Melmed.  I have really fond memories or reading this over and over to my oldest son thirteen years ago.  I think I read it for my own benefit as much as I read it on his requests.  It's a very basic story of how much enormous  love various animal mother's have for their babies.  As a mother (especially a first time mother)  when you read this book to your own baby that you are holding in your arms, the simple words of course take on such a deeper meaning.

 

The words are gentle rhymes and with beautiful light watercolor illustrations of animals and their babies.  The text is very pleasing and works well with the pictures.

I Love You As Much... is a must give at a baby shower or maybe as a gift for a new mom for Mother's Day.  This is a great book to read to reiterate how much love you have for your child and they will want you to read it to them for many years to come.  Highly recommended.

Buy Your Own Copy of I Love You As Much from your local bookstore or from Amazon:

                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

The first book that I had to review without a doubt had to be Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.  It was my older son's favorite book when he was a baby and it's becoming Benjamin's favorite as well.  This was the first book that I ever read to him and even though he was so young, he really sat intently listening to the words and looking at the illustrations.

We are reading the board book version and it's just the right size for us.  It's going to get a lot of wear and it seems to be built to be up for the task.

Goodnight Moon was published in 1947 so it's definitely a timeless classic.  It's simple gentle rhymes and colorful contrasting illustrations from Clement Hurd are what make this book stand the test of time.  This is a staple for a child's book collection and a go to perfect gift for new baby.

The book alternates from black and white to colorful contrasting colors which include orange, yellow, blue and green.

Without a doubt, my favorite line has always been, "And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush."  There is just something about saying goodnight to mush that gets me every time.

 Buy Your Own Copy of Goodnight Moon at a local bookstore or from Amazon:

                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Welcome to the Blog

Bedtime Stories for Benjamin came about when my youngest son was about six months old.  I wanted to document all of the books read on our journey through children's literature. I have another son who will soon be a teenager and we read lots of books together over the years and I wish that we would have documented some of the choices and favorites along the way.  So this is our journey.

Every child that is read to grows as a reader.  They continue to grow as they become readers themselves.  Every time anyone finishes a book they also grow in some way as a person.  Some books are more inspirational than others, but nonetheless all books leave you with something.  I look forward to looking back on this blog and remembering all of the stories we shared, the lessons we learned, and the favorites that emerged.

This blog reviews classic and new options available in children's literature.   I envision this to be a type of journal where I am often times quickly typing up the post while Benjamin is napping so hopefully you will forgive any slights of grammar and/or spelling issues.  I feel like I want to get all of the information down without dwelling too much on the editing so hopefully you will forgive me and not be too judgmental if you come across any errors (let me know if you see any though!)  I love  to create book lists and I get a kick out of checking on the books recommended on someone else's list and love for you to share yours.  Hopefully, this site will also inspire readers to read more to their children and enjoy these simple moments in life.  They will go by so quickly.

I am a former elementary school teacher and former children's librarian who is now a full time stay at home mom.  I am married and I have two boys (one baby and one teenager).  We also have a dog that we rescued from our local SPCA.  These days we call Charlottesville, Virginia home.