Baby Preschool Books

Whenever my 18 month old sees me reach for this book he instantly starts jumping around and shrieking with delight! He just loves this book!

The simple illustrations, the colored backgrounds, the adorable little baby--these are all great reasons to buy this book, especially if your little one is already on their way to becoming attached to his/her blankie. My son happens to adore his, and he truly does take it everywhere with him.

There is some controversy over the part where he takes the blankie to his time-outs (and the image shows him crying). I think one of the odd things about this book is that, while the main character is clearly a baby, there are several references that are more appropriate for an older character--I'm thinking both of the time-out scene and also the taking the blankie to school scene. Honestly, the time-out thing does not particularly concern me--I don't think it is meant to portray an infant/toddler too young to understand a time-out, and at the very least it makes for something interesting to talk about with an older child.

What actually kept me from giving the book 5 stars is toward the end. Kids emulate characters they like, and the lines "I don't like bedtime...." and "Blankie isn't afraid of the dark, but I am" seem very suggestive to me, and are in locations that are difficult to skip. My son loves to go to bed and is NOT afraid of the dark, and I hate for him to get the idea he should be! Still....

The best part of these books, in my mind, is that they have just a handful of words on each page, but unlike other books of this length, there are sufficient pages that there is a distinct progression in the "story", and it's long enough that he doesn't always insist on reading it 20 times in a row; but not so long that he can't finish it in one sitting.

My son is quite picky about books, and he loves all the Leslie Patricelli books, so we buy then, read them (over and over and over!), and accept that, unless we write the book ourselves, there will always be topics we don't love in the books our kids read.

I bought this board book because the baby on the cover (no hair, round head) looked so much like my little daughter wearing a diaper. Adorable. This is her *favorite* book and one she'll pick out of all the others to look at. She's able to turn the pages and seems to really love examining the cute, brilliantly colored but simple woodcut-like artwork. Now she's just 11 months old and -- possibly due to this book? -- wanting to hug a blankie more and more. No problem if this kind of book gets her loving books and reading early.

My daughter loves this book because she too has a blankie that does all that the blankie in this story does. She reads it over and over again.

Yet another awesome board book by Leslie Patricelli! My son loves that "Baby Boy" loves his blankie and how it goes on all his baby adventures with him. I can't wait for the new book to come out!

Caillou is a terrific t.v. show in my opinion. Both my boys adore him and they are 1 and 2. Caillou is acting like a lot of typical little 4 year old boys that is the point of the show. My 2 year old is about to be 3 and has been watching Caillou since 1 1/2 and he is autistic and has not demonstrated any bad behaviors as a result of the show. I think too many people overanalyze things now a days. The Books are also good in my opinion I read them to my kids and they love them. This book is good seeing how most children naturally develop a fear of the dark.

This is a very nice book, colors, pictures, quality, etc. However, for being a part of the Caillou series none of the people look like the same people from the TV show or the other book series. It's still a good book but my daughter notices they don't look like the people in the Caillou show she knows and loves.

The Caillou Good Night book is great. My two and five-year-old enjoy it. The cover and texture of the pages are so smooth and soft. It's a good quality book.

My daughter loves Caillou - she's 3 and she seems to relate to him on her level. Yes, he is whiny and I don't like him much, but hey, if my kid can relate to Caillou's experiences, it's good enough for me!

I think these books are good if your kid has an issue with something. I wouldn't want to introduce being afraid of the dark if my daughter hasn't already experienced this and if we didn't have an issue with bedtime. But, knowing your kid has an issue with something, these books are good for addressing these because they can relate to Caillou. Whining and all!

With this in mind, we really liked Good Night, putting away the toys, and Hurry Up!

I received a set of 3 Caillou books as a shower gift and my son just LOVES them. I was surprised with how much he likes the books (starting at about 14 months) because each page does have quite a bit of text. I also find the books and the show introducing negative emotions that might not enter a child's mind if it wasn't suggested. It seems as if Caillou and his parents are at odds with each other in the books I've read: Good Night, Careful, and Day Care. In the show, he is often whiny and demanding-not the kind of behavior I want my son modeling. Maybe I'm over-analyzing, after all, it's just a children's book and like I said before, my son can't get enough of Caillou.

This has been a great book for my son (age 3). He can't wait to work on a few pages each night and his skills have improved quite a bit as we near completing the workbook. This book is engaging and gives great instructions for the parents as well to encourage development while still focusing on encouragement. The skills develop incrementally which means the kids get better without realizing the skills are getting harder. My normally easily frustrated son is progressing rapidly and loves every minute of it! I'd recommend this entire series!

On another note, my two year old (25 months) has been using the "Let's color" book in this series for 2 and up and I'd say that he's a bit young still for that book, let alone this one. I would say that the 2-3-4 recommended here refers more to the average 2.5 year old rather than a young 2 year old.

I can't say enough about Kumon books. I got 5-6 books for my 2 1/2 year old. My daughter is very interested in painting but not so much into crayons and coloring. I wanted her to get interested in coloring as that is the basis for writing later. She is very interested in the coloring books and the fact that the coloring spaces progress from small to large is very thoughtful. The paper quality and picture quality are excellent. I will probably purchase this coloring book and the others in the series again and it will be good to see how she has improved.

My son had a lot of fun with the Kumon First Steps book "Let's Color" and so when Kumon just recently released "My Book of Coloring", I bought him one. It is very very similar to "Let's Color", only is in a bigger format. There are 40 pictures to color, all on the right side pages. On the left side pages, are "mazes" for the child to go thru, to learn crayon control. The coloring pages are in full color, the maze pages are in black and white. The coloring pages have only partial white areas for the child to color, a white circle in the cherries, a white sqare in the cheese, a white triangle in the fire truck. Later pictures have more than one white space to color, and then it becomes coloring things like, the stripes on the tiger, the spots on a giraffe, the strawberries on the cake. Some of my favorites are at the back: finish coloring the prince and princess, the robot, the magician, the tropical fish. Artwork is pleasing and fun, cute, but not babyish. The book is recommended for ages 2-4, but I think older children will like it too. My son is 8 and he likes it. Some children don't like coloring; a whole blank page to color can crush the spirit of some children to even start. Kumon gives the child only small areas to finish in the picture, so the completion of the coloring page is more quickly realized, and the child is satisfied. I guess I would have liked to see this coloring book be a bit beyond the first "Let's Color", and have had more pages like the ones at the end of the book, with a bit more white areas to color. The purpose of the book is for the child to learn control of a crayon/pencil (my children have all enjoyed coloring with colored pencils best), and to match colors. This book teaches these skills in a fun way. My son is always amazed that if he colors neatly, and the colored pencil he chooses really matches the surrounding printed ink color, that it's hard to tell where he colored it! Printed on heavy white paper, My Book of Coloring is a far superior book to the junky coloring books printed on flimsy newsprint paper that you find at the local store. I think any child just learning to color would love this book, and I think it will please parents too! Note: cover art does NOT represent the inside art. Be sure to also give a nice box of crayons or colored pencils when you give this book to a child! I recommend Prismacolor colored pencils and Crayola twist up crayons.

As a teacher, and mother of a 3 year old, I think this workbook deserves a good solid A. The only thing the designers of this book could do to improve it would be to provide more practice of the same skill. My daughter loves the book and asks for it when we are out to eat.

Another of my favorites. This story has adorable illustrations and simple text for the preschooler/kindergarten child. Introduces simple math for nos. 1-10.

This was a favorite book when I taught preschool and today with my children. The dialogue is great for using fun voices for the snake and the mice and the repetition invites the children to read along.

My own fault I guess. I should have read the reviews for this book before purchasing it. I just assumed that the wonderful author of Mouse Paint would have a similar charm for this book.

I'm sure you read the gist in other reviews. The snake is collecting each "tasty" mouse to be eaten later.

This is reminiscent of the old fables where bad things happen to the characters. The mice do make their escape.

This book got two stars because the bloodbath didn't occur and the mice are indeed cute.

Now I have to decide if it's worth returning or if I should give it away and traumatize someone else's children.

As a preschool teacher I like this book.
Far from the snake's description of the imprisioned mice making it inappropariate for children: it is a good moral lesson! Don't be greedy! It is also not a problem because mice are on earth to be food for the snakes and the preditors are not "bad" animals; there are just fulfilling their role in the ecology.
I don't like it as much as "Mouse Paint" but it is a fine counting book.

This book is a really fun one to read aloud to my kindergarten class. It is not scary! They love it! And the fact that snakes eat mice is a basic fact that they understand. I especially like the moral of this story: Don't be greedy! When I read it, I always hear "Read it again, please". To make it even more fun, we get a plastic jar, a toy snake, a rock, and little toy mice to dramatize the story. They love to make the jar rock back and forth until the mice spill out and run away. This is a favorite centertime activity that the kids choose over and over again. It's a great prediction book with basic counting forward and backward concepts imbedded in it. You can't go wrong with this book for the PreK/K range.

A childhood favorite of mine this was a gift to my children. This book covers everything! There are so many things on each page that each time we open it we are talking and looking at different things. Great for kids that are just starting to use 'words' as well as those that are old pros. Richard Scarry makes it fun!

Someone gave me Richard's Scary's Best First Book Ever when I had my baby back in the 80's. My son loved it. We read it so much that I taped it and taped it. When my nephew's wives had their babies, I gave one to each of them. They loved it. Now I give the book as a gift whenever I am invited to a baby shower.

While there are some oddities in the book (like the parents sleeping in separate beds and Mommy Cat always wearing a dress), it's still a good and solid introduction for vocabulary building. Every page has every item labeled in a variety of situations and places: home, the kitchen, the living room, the laundry room, school, the grocery store, an ice cream parlor, and so forth. It also introduces the basic parts of the body, color theory and counting.

Richard Scarry's books often times contain a running gag of some sort. In Cars and Trucks and Things That Go, readers are asked to find Gold Bug on every page. In this book, readers can follow Mr. Fumble as he tries to catch his windblown hat.The question of where's Mr. Fumble's hat and the often times surreal things depicted and labeled are what make these books so much fun to read.

My adult children grew up with an ealier version of this book. I taught 1st and 2nd grades for 30 years and realize the value of literature in the home. Even though this book is not a form of literature, it is a great tool for vocabulary building. I bought this current book as a Christmas present for my new grandson, who will be 3 1/2 months old at Christmas.

This is a wonderful book for young children.They learn what a chair is,what a table is etc.My children loved it when they were young and now our grandchild can enjoy the same book.Highly recomended.

My 2 year old daughter LOVES Skippyjon Jones... I've bought all the board books for her that are available & am planning to buy the picture books as well. I personally love & enjoy the drawings, they are SO life-like to how a cat acts & looks, right down to the mischievousness in his eyes & his little front teeth. She loves his antics and all the things she can look at, point to, and the words she can try to repeat.

Can't recommend these books enough for toddlers. Don't know about yours, but even though she LOVES for me to read to her, her attention span doesn't hold long w/ very many books. These have consistently been her favorites for a long while now, I'm quite certain she'll enjoy them for a long time to come.

Cheers,

Single Mama of Dexy Girl

This may seem wierd, but my turtle, jeni, is a huge fan of skippyjon! she has alot of the books and i bought her this one to teach her her colors. i have know idea if it worked but i think she liked it! and my turtle can dance. who dosen't take a dancing turtles advice for books? haha!

My daughter saw this book in a bookstore and asked for it---a rare thing for her, so I bought it. She has adored it every minute since! I would guess I've read it about 500 times, and she has looked at it about a thousand more. I didn't realize when I first got it that there were bigger, fuller books about Skippyjon, and I've since gotten some of them, but this book still rules for her. And I have to admit I've gotten to love it too. Part of it is that it's just fun to say Skippyjon Jones! Another part is the wild pictures---drawn with abandon, and without regard for what color things really are---yellow grass, a purple puddle, etc. The last page, where Skippyjon enjoys the world he has drawn, engages my daughter for a long, long time. I can't say she's really learned colors from this book, but that shouldn't really be the goal of an enjoyable book---you can just read it for fun and to start discussions! It IS hard to tell just what Skippyjon is supposed to be, and that's part of the appeal. Janey calls the Chihuahuas "bunnies" every time, and that's fine with me!

Overall, a book that sneaks into your consciousness and you enjoy the ride!

I have all of the Skippyjon books for my grandchildren and they just love them...even the newest for the very young one I surely hope there are more coming from Judy Schachner.

Thanks from Katie and her grandbabies....

Reviewed by Cayden (age 3-1/2), Max (age 18-months) Aures and Mom for Reader Views (3/08)

"Skippyjon Jones: Color Crazy" is a non-conventional 12- page board book designed to teach young children their colors. In Skippyjon Jones' world the sun is blue, a bunny is green and a tree is orange.

This was our first Skippyjon Jones book and at first my children did not know what Skippyjon was.

Cayden: "I like him. Is he a bunny?"
Mom: "I think he is a cat with big ears."
Cayden: "Oh yeah, he is!"

Cayden: In response to Skippyjon coloring a big blue sun on the ground: "He's drawing on the carpet??"

Cayden: "Skies aren't pink!"
Mom: "Sometimes when the sun sets they are."

Mom: "Which picture did you like best?"
Cayden: "The one where he is coloring on himself because that is funny!"

Parent's comments:

After the second time reading "Skippyjon Jones: Color Crazy," Max went through and was able to name some of the colors. He did not get into the book as much as Cayden did though. Cayden wanted to take the book and go "read" it by himself and Max did not have any interest in it once we were done reading.

I like how the words for the colors were printed in the corresponding color as this helps preschoolers learn how to read. However, whereas a 4-year-old knows what color certain things are, I think this book may be confusing to a younger child when it is telling them that a puddle is purple.

I have purchased several Spanish books on Amazon and as always make many of my purchases based on the reviews of those who have gone before me. My daughter is trying to teach my granddaughter how to speak Spanish and she loved this book. Of course she loved sucking on the corners too but it was colorful, well planned out and joyful.

This is a colorful book, and my 4-year-old daughter likes it a lot. She carefully repeats the Spanish words after me. The only draw-back is that there is no pronounciation guide, so the grown-up needs to know their Spanish alphabet already.

This is a great alphabet book, with a picture on each page and the word in Spanish and English. The author chose items that begin with the same letter in both Spanish and English. Because of this, however, they are almost all cognates, and the Spanish words don't seem to be the ones that would normally be used for each letter - many are words that have been borrowed from English. It also uses the word "bolas" for "balls" - it works for "b", but we generally use the word "pelota" instead of "bola". But, that kind of thing happens with any Spanish book due to regional usages. Overall, a nice bilingual alphabet book.

Before I begin my critique, I must say that my three kids have all enjoyed hearing this book at the appropriate age. The illustrations, by Michele Noiset, are bright, clear, fun, and functional. Most of the items depicted in this ABC book are interesting and/or familiar to young children (train, ocean, juice).

BUT there are inherent difficulties in portraying ABC-linked items in English and Spanish. What do I mean? Well, Spanish has very few, if any, words that begin with "W". So, in this book, the "W" page has a 1978 George Washington quarter for its illustration. What USEFUL word do our aspiring bilinguists learn from this page? "Washington". Similarly, "Y" is for "yo-yo" in both languages, and 'R' is for "robot". As far as I'm concerned, this is "lame/lamé".

The next difficulty (closely related to the first) is that español has three more "letters" than English has: "ch" ("chay), "ll" ("el-yay"), and "ñ" ("en-nyay"). Fact is, NO English-only words begin with these "letters". That means that this book gives us "chimpanzee" (spelled identically in both languages), "llama" (fine, but there's no pronunciation guide to distinguish between the two), and "ñandu", which the authors and editors had to acquiesce, has no English equivalent. (It's a an emu-sort-of thing.)

I wouldn't bother with this book unless you get it practically free. There are many better ABC books and there are many better (i.e. more educational) English-Spanish/español/inglés books on the market.

My son, who received this book from me as a travel occupier on a long-haul flight, loved looking at the vibrant and large illustrations on each page and listening to me read aloud the words for each letter in both the English and Spanish that he insisted on having it read to him again and again throughout our 19 day vacation and has since requested it at least once a week. We are concentrating on trying to raise him bilingual, though we are neither native Spanish speakers but have learnt over years. However, this is a great book for beginning words, regardless of which language or languages you prefer.

Our 2 year old daughter, adopted from China, asks us to read this one again and again. She always points out the page where the baby is handed to her mommy for the first time and touches the tears of the baby... "sad eyes." It's all she can do to wait until the final pages where she exclaims "now happy!"

I think this book captures that special and amazing "birth" really well. The process for an international adoption... paperwork, waiting, travel, uncertainty... all becomes a distant memory the minute that baby is placed in your arms. This book brings me back to that glorious day that we will never forget-- and a day that is important to celebrate. I think part of why my daughter loves it is that she sees how it touches me (it's a hugging book, for sure!)

After reading this book with our two daughters hundreds of times, I still get choked up at certain parts. Lewis does an amazing job of telling this realistic story that is not overwhelming for children, yet still interesting to adults. I first read this book when my husband and I were very early in the adoption process and had narrowed our possible "country list" down to 2 or 3. After bursting into tears halfway through the book in a Barnes and Noble, I told my husband, "Buy this book for me and we're going to China!" You will definitely want a copy to save and a copy to share; it's that important of a book if you are adopting from China.

Rose Lewis creates a wonderful story to share with adoptive children and parents. I Love You Like Crazy Cakes is sure to be a special gift for adoptive families, especially mothers. The bond of adoption is beautifully described reflecting on the anticipation and hope of parents while valuing the child's birthplace and birthparents.

WIth I LOVE YOU LIKE CRAZY CAKES, author Rose Lewis brings to lifer her true story of adopting a baby from China. What begins as a letter to Chinese officials ends with bringing home a baby girl, to the delight of her new mother and extended family.

Jane Dyer's illustrations are soft and dreamy, and perfectly compliment the story of Rose and her daughter, Alexandra Mae-Ming Lewis. From that first time of holding her new daughter, to the first night alone back in America, the feelings of love and devotion are evident on every page.

Although this is a book sure to appeal to parents who have adopted children from other countries, specifically China, it's a great story for any child, adopted or not. In fact, my daughter was especially enamored by the book, since it was her first introduction as to what adoption truly means.

Great as a bedtime or any time story, it's no wonder that I LOVE
YOU LIKE CRAZY CAKES is well on its way to becoming a children's classic.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

What a brilliantly written and illustrated book. It explains in gentle language how much these children are truely loved by both mothers and that there are other ways to make a family. This was a favorite of my daughter for her first five years and I could not read it to her without tearing up. Even now it brings back such loving emotions and memories of the day we met our precious daughter. If I could give this book a 10 rating, I certainly would. This beautiful, loving book is a must have in any adoptive childs library.

I bought this product for my just-turned three year old daughter. We usually do "mommy homework" together and discuss it the next day in the car as we drive to school. Since I am guilty of hoarding my cousin's own Brain Quest from time to time (she's 10), I knew what is about. (By the way, as per the questions... I am definitely not smarter than a fifth grader, but I am getting close.) The price was low enough to not feel so bad if it was to be eventually destroyed like her other toys.
I don't think my daughter was much challenged by it. (3-4 year old questions). But there were many things I did like. For example, "What doesn't belong?" and rearranging events, (teaches sequence) But why I gave this product 5 stars, is that she likes to teach other kids and adults from it. There is a wide range of topics and lessons in these little cards. It gives her chance, to role play and what she sees is reinforced as she repeats it. It is portable and very sturdy. It is one of the few things we are able to salvage for our next child. We are able to share it with other kids, and it comes with two bunches of cards. It is also compact enough to fit in her hands. I look forward to purchasing the next level up.

My daughters love to sit on my lap and answer these questions- It's amazing how much they know at this age. You won't be disappointed.

I bought this on a whim for my 2 1/2-year-old; at the time it was the youngest series on the shelf. She could already answer 3/4 of the questions. She loves to play with the cards and actually brings them to me, but after only a few weeks of play, she's memorized the few questions she didn't know. Don't wait until a 3rd or 4th birthday for this one.

These are cute and keep my 3 year old girl entertained. Sometimes I do it with her, sometimes she just looks at them in the car or when we're in a waiting room or something. I keep them in the diaper bag for such things. Don't buy ahead, they seem to be age-appropriate. She does very well with the "my first" brain quest when I'm not there to interact with her. The only reason she does so well with these is because I did them with her the first few times.

both kids love them though. At first I thought they were literally cards in a box, but they are attached like a color sample/pantone book (plastic screw in the corner)

We lost one at a rest stop on a trip once and replaced them the next day! I wouldn't have done that if I didn't like it.

My daughter loved the Toddler decks, so I purchased this one. She is not even three yet and could answer most of the questions. But, what I like about them is that they expand her vocabulary and help her with comparisons. They also reinforce counting and other important skills. We have moved on to the decks for ages 4-5 and she is enjoying those too. FYI, comparison shop, sometimes you can find them at warehouse stores for nearly half the suggested retail price.

I was a little disappointed when I opened the book towards the end. The child is supposed to write a sentence in cursive, but the example is written in print. I just feel if a child is learning how to write in cursive, they need to have the written example, especially if they are just learning how to write in cursive. I will still use this book, although I will write the sentence out for our children. This would probably be a good one for a 4ht or 5th grader who just needs extra practice.

My eighth grader has horrible handwriting. I am hoping with this practice book he will improve.

I used this book for teaching 3rd graders cursive and I found it to be helpful.

I combined this book with Cursive Writing Made Fun & Easy by Kama Einhorn for my 7 year old son. He does really well. We do 2 pages from the the other book and then one page of review from this book and so on. This book can stand alone for anyone who needs more practice. I wouldn't recommend it for teaching unless it's in addition to her other book, but it is a great review and drill practice. Pages are in black and white for reproduction but are creative enough to not bore the student. It even has teacher ideas to help you!