Toys Galore by Peter Stein

Toys Galore by Peter Stein, illustrated by Bob Staake

Rating: 5 stars

This author-illustrator pair is at it again!  First they created Cars Galore, which we own and love and have read approximately 52,486,002 times.  Next, there was Bugs Galore, which I liked even more, mostly because Jonathan and I chose a home for ourselves in the woods so we want to encourage bug-loving rather than bug-fearing.

Now, there's Toys Galore!

Hmm.  I'm not sure how I actually feel about it, because the whole reason Jonathan and I chose this home in the woods was to reduce the number of toys (and, I guess, increase the number of bugs) in our lives.  So I wasn't sure how I would feel about the message behind the book.

But Stein and Staake produce some good stuff, so of course we checked it out.  Literally.

Toys are silly.  Toys are fun.
Who loves toys?  Everyone!
THIS toy has a lot of flair.
What other kinds of toys are there?
It's good to know! And nice to share.

Hmm.  Okay.  So far, so good...  And the illustrations by Bob Staake are, as usual, fun and interesting and very quirky.  I mean, when you've got kids with green and blue faces, smiles beaming as they do silly things...  There is a lot for Kiefer and Ben to look at as I read the words to them.

And the words are good!  It's a long list of all the different kinds of toys: girly, musical, water-related, jump-on, ride-on, slide-down toys...you think of it, Stein's named it.  And then there's a lead up to the best toy of all, and as I'm turning the pages I, of course, am getting curious:

But which toy is the best toy ever?
The one most fun? Most cool and clever?
It can't be found inside a store
Or in a box or in a drawer
Or in your room or on your shelf.
No, this toy's found inside yourself.
It's there--right now a toy SENSATION!
Your very own imagination.

Ah!  I love it!  Yes, this is a book for us: one that includes toys but focuses on the most important one.

Such a good thing to remember as we roll towards the most toy-filled month of them all: December.

Bugs Galore! by Peter Stein, illustrated by Bob Staake

Bugs Galore! by  Peter Stein, illustrated by Bob Staake

Rating: 4.5 stars

Kiefer is our resident Bug Patrol.  We have a few patrols in our house--most notably, "Safety Patrol," which I am constantly calling out to make one of the big kids go to make sure the gate is latched so Kiefer doesn't go up and then (bump, bump, bump) down the stairs unaccompanied.

But Bug Patrol is serious business to Kiefer.  If he sees a stink bug--thankfully we're not yet inundated with them (yet?) this year--he will point to it and yell in his I-can't-talk-yet-but-I-can-yell-already voice: "EHHH!!!"  And he'll continue to yell that out in that piercing little voice of his until I get it.  We all think this is pretty funny, especially when we can't find the darn bug he's honed in on.

So, here are some bug books in honor of our little Bug Patrol officer.

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This book is almost as wonderful as Cars Galore; maybe once I've read it a hundred and three times I'll love it just as much.

There are kooky drawings, courtesy of the creative Bob Staake, and witty rhymes, courtesy of the funny Peter Stein.  Here's a little taste of what's between the covers:

Some bugs cruise / around in groups.
Some bugs fly in / loop-de-loops.
Some bugs land / smack-dab in soups.
Some bugs crawl / right under ... OOPS. 

Blah!  A stinkbug! / Plug-your-nose bug!
Funky, smelly, / wash-your-clothes bug!
Bugs and bugs and / bilions MORE bugs!
Googols, gaggles / bugs GALORE bugs!

Fun stuff!