Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr., and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr., and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert

Rating: 4 stars

Poor Kiefer, our third child.  He's often the last thought.  Toys often equal an empty water bottle or reusable snack bag.  Despite the fact that she has loved him since the moment she saw him, Lorelei has only recently included him in her pictures of our family.  So I thought it was time to write about some books for babies and for 1 year olds.

What is the point of reading to babies?  The sounds builds listening and memory skills, teaches language, boosts their blooming brain skills, and exposes them to concepts and experiences beyond his or her day-to-day world.  Okay, but HOW do you do it?  How do I help make Kiefer as book obsessed as his big brother and big sister?  Here are a few things I do:

Kiefer dives into our library bag...

1. Read two books to him before naptime and bedtime.
2. Keep a book basket in his room full of board books that he can play with/read when he plays in his room.
3. Lorelei and Ben choose books for him when we go to the library without him
4. Include board books for him in our book basket in our car
5. Make books easily accessible in the playroom, where we keep our library books
6. Read anytime...we sometimes read books during mealtimes (we used to always do this, but now...just sometimes)

Now, about this Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book...

This should be one his favorite books!  I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I read this book for the first time just a few hours ago.  We've had the board book version, and I've thought it was okay, but I really like the hardback, real version of it--it is twice as long and much better.  I love that the beat is like a rap, providing me the opportunity to be gansta-like in my own suburban mom way for a few brief (and hopefully secluded) moments.

Skit skat skoodle doot.
Flip flop fleep.
Everybody running to the coconut tree.
Mamas and papas
and uncles and aunts
hug their little dears,
then dust off their pants.

You've probably found this book already, but if not...definitely grab the long version and spend some wildly fun moments rapping it...I mean reading it...to your kid.  Enjoy!

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

Rating: 4.5 stars

I think that Lois Ehlert is an acquired taste.  So maybe I just haven't read enough of her books?  I know that there are plenty out there--even in our small local library there are a dozen through which I've flipped a few times but, for whatever arbitrary reason, I've put back on the shelf.  Her images are somewhat Eric Carle-like, and we like him, so...what's the problem?

But this book is definitely a good, despite my lack of love for the author.  It is nonfiction; it tells the story of how caterpillars become butterflies through a nice poem and beautiful artwork.  I like that the focus is the butterflies themselves, and that the story doesn't end when they come out from the cocoon.  They fly out and "catch a whiff of something sweet. / They follow that fragrant scent of perfume, / until they find our garden in bloom."

The fact that we have several unruly butterfly bushes that are nearly trees helps make this book attractive to us.  On any given day and at any given time, we can walk out and watch four or five huge butterflies feasting on the flowers.  This book provides a little bit more information--just the right amount for a 3 year old or 4 year old--about what the butterflies are doing on our butterfly bush.  Lois Ehlert also includes that butterflies unroll their tongues to eat, so that's been fun to mimic both while we're watching our butterflies and while we're eating our own feasts.  Ben's attempts to "unroll" his tongue is pretty funny!

The other nice thing about the book: It doesn't end when the poem does.  There are two huge pages dedicated to butterfly identification, one of which included the Tiger Swallowtail that is the main feeder at our bush.  There's also one page for flower identification, with pretty pictures of all the different flowers that attract butterfly.  Sadly for us, deer are also attracted to many of them, but we still manage to squeeze in some so that our family can watch these flying beauties all summer long.

I love that there Ben and Lorelei are learning, through this book and others, about how species are unique within their own category.  That'll be the same when Lorelei starts preschool next year, so I'm glad that our butterflies and this book are teaching her that lesson a little sooner than she needs it.