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By Mom Unplugged, March 4, 2007 4:12 pm

Some serious-types might argue that this book encourages rampant consumerism at an early age, or teaches children that happiness comes through the acquisition of material goods. We like this book because it is a happy story about the joy of buying a shiny new pair of shoes! Who doesn’t like that?

The simple story rhythmically enumerates all the different kind of shoes one can encounter, “…but best of all are MY shoes!” The childish illustrations are bright and colorful. This has been a favorite of ours since we first discovered it five years ago.

So…if you are an aforementioned “serious-type,” don’t read this one to your kids. But otherwise … enjoy!

UPDATE (January 15, 2008): Judging by the current used price of the book in the Amazon link below, it might be out of print. Of course, try the library. But if you want to buy a copy, with a little research and patience you can sometimes get very good prices on Ebay or Half.com. Good luck!

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By Mom Unplugged, March 1, 2007 2:46 pm

Babies love faces and my babies have all loved this simple board book.

Each of the 16 pages has a different baby with a different expression. Underneath the full-page photo is a one word caption describing the baby (“happy,” “sad,” “laughing,” etc.).

Hint: Toddlers think it is the height of hilarity if Mom or Dad imitates the babies’ expressions while reading aloud (just don’t let anyone else see you!).

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By Mom Unplugged, February 27, 2007 8:52 pm

This book might not transform your picky eater into a lover of exotic food, but it sure will interest him and open his eyes to the fact that kids around the world eat different things. I think that the best lesson is that although kids from different countries eat different things, they are really all the same, having fun with their families and eating their favorite foods.

Packed with photos, this book provides a fascinating glimpse into the daily lives of five boys and girls from around the world (India, France, South Africa, Mexico and Thailand). We follow them through their day, and their meals. We also attend an important celebration or activity involving food.

The book also includes one favorite recipe from each child: Condensed Milk Tart (South Africa), Tomato Salsa (Mexico), Thai Fried Eggs, French Chocolate Cake, and Coconut Sweet (India).

I find this book as enthralling as my children do. Hopefully you will too. An added bonus: all royalties go to Oxfam, so by buying the book, you are actually helping children and families around the world too!

(You might also be interested in my post about this other wonderful Beatrice Hollyer book.)

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By Mom Unplugged, February 26, 2007 10:05 am

This delightful series centers on the fantastic adventures of two small stuffed dogs living in a human world. Nobody seems to notice that Gaspard and Lisa are not human children! The charming stories combine real children’s issues with a touch of fantasy and silly humor.

What really makes this series and its two canine stars so appealing are George Hallensleben’s marvelous oil painted illustrations.

Each small hardcover runs about 30 pages (with minimum text and maximum illustrations on each two page spread) making them ideal short bedtime stories.

Here are plenty of links for you to browse:

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By Mom Unplugged, February 23, 2007 6:44 pm

Astrid Lindgren, the author of the well known Pippi Longstocking series, also wrote this lesser known set of books about a pack of children from three small farms in Sweden. If I had discovered this as a child, I would have LOVED it! I think all children love simple, “nice” stories about children having fun adventures.

I bought this for Christmas thinking that my first-grader might eventually enjoy it. One boring, snowy Sunday in January, my two oldest kids (4 and 6) and I sat on the sofa in front of the fire and I began reading. I planned on reading just one or two chapters, however they would not let me stop until we had read the entire book. They laughed and laughed, and were genuinely interested in the antics of the children. Even I found the book charming, witty, and engaging.

We have since bought the other title in the series, Happy Times in Noisy Village, and my daughter did a school book report on it.

I recommend The Children of Noisy Village to any intermediate-level reader, or any family looking for a “nice” book about simple childhood fun.

The Children of Noisy Village and Happy Times in Noisy Village are chapter books, however there are also two other short, picture-type books: Christmas in Noisy Village and Springtime in Noisy Village. We have the Christmas book which is a good, short bedtime-read. The Springtime book is harder to come by.

If anyone knows of any other books in this series, please comment. I would love to find more!