Submitted by county youth coordinator Janis!
Not Yet, Rose by Susanna Leonard Hill. This is a great book for a young child who is waiting for a new baby to arrive in their family. Every morning, a young hamster races into her parents’ bedroom and asks, “Is the baby here yet?” and each time they answer, “Not yet, Rose.” Rose can’t decide whether she wants a sister or a brother, and at one point she decides that she doesn’t want a baby at all, but her mother encourages her by telling her what a good big sister she will be. When a brother is born, she carefully holds him, marvels at how tiny he is, and sings to him until he falls asleep in her arms. The book ends neatly with Rose’s parents asking if her arms are tired and she replies, “Not yet.” This book helps older siblings adjust to their new roles of big brother or sister. See this book listed in our catalog
New Baby
Bartleby Speaks
Submitted by Catherine from Charlotte Hall!
Crickets chirp, the wind blows, and birds tweet. But if you’re yelling and carrying on, you’ll never hear any of it. In Bartleby Speaks! written by Robin Cruise, and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, young Bartleby Huddle simply does not speak. He’s a happy baby, but a relatively quiet one. He’ll coo and chortle, but words just aren’t his thing. As he grows older, his family worries about his lack of words, so they try everything (as loudly as possible) to get young Bartleby to speak. But alas, no amount of opera, cello playing, tap dancing or woofing can convince Bartleby to chime in. But in the end, it’s Bartleby that teaches his family that you need to stop and listen to really have something to say. See this book listed in our catalog
In Our Mothers’ House
Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
In Our Mothers’ House is the latest from celebrated children’s author and illustrator, Patricia Polacco. Reportedly, Polacco was always interested is writing about a book about a non-traditional family, but was spurred into action while visiting a school, and hearing a teacher tell a child who was adopted by two women, that she did not “come from a real family.” Polacco modeled the family in this story after that school girl’s family: Two mothers, with three adopted children, and based her illustrations on her own family (her daughter Traci, and Traci’s partner Nikki, posed as the mothers). In the story we witness family events such as holidays, new puppies, treehouse building, and visits with grandparents. Gay rights are only addressed briefly. The true focus of the story is the love of the mothers for their children.
I Already Know I Love You
Submitted by Catherine from Lexington Park!
I Already Know I Love You, by Billy Crystal, is a simple and touching poem set to beautifully soft illustrations. It tells the story of a man who is so looking forward to the birth of his granddaughter that he can hardly contain his excitement. He tells the little girl that when she’s born, they will go to the zoo, read stories, and root for the Yankees (even though her Daddy loves the Sox). The simplicity of the words and the gentle colors of the pictures help to create a tender and appealing story that grandfathers and granddaughters, or just families in general, will be able to share and enjoy.
Blueberry Girl
Although Mother’s Day has passed, and Father’s Day is still a fair ways away, I couldn’t resist blogging about Blueberry Girl, the newest book by the fabulous Neil Gaiman, beautifully illustrated by Charles Vess, which is ideal to share with a special daughter. It’s a poem Gaiman wrote for his friend musician Tori Amos, when she was pregnant with her daughter. It’s a prayer to the powers that be to bless a baby girl as she grows in the world. To save her from nightmares at three, bad husbands at thirty, from dull days at forty, false friends at fifteen. “Her joys must be high as her sorrows are deep,” Gaiman writes — a lovely sentiment for every “blueberry girl.”
Knuffle Bunny
Does your child have a toy they just can’t be parted with? They will totally relate to Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems. Trixie takes her favorite stuffed animal, Knuffle Bunny (that’s pronounced ka-nuffle, by the way) on a trip to the laundromat. But Trixie realizes on the way home, her bunny has been left behind. Being a baby, and unable to communicate verbally, she tries to express the dire situation to her father–she bawls, she goes boneless, she becomes quite a handful. Luckily mom knows the reason, and saves the day!