Maine Humanities Council, Born to Read, Many Eyes

Books for the Youngest Readers, Many Eyes

A wolf learns to read (by attending school, going to the library, and going to the bookstore) in order to impress a group of farmyard animals he has met. While infants and toddlers cannot typically engage in sustained conversation, nor attend to books read aloud for very long, they do notice differences and can participate in an adapted version of the Many Eyes, Many Voices curriculum. In addition to sharing some of the core titles, you might want to explore the books on this list. Some are drawn from the supplemental book list in the curriculum guide, others are Born to Read favorites; almost all should be available in your local library.

America: A Book of Opposites. W. Nikola-Lisa. (1997)
Celebrate the hot, cold, high, low, rough, and smooth America in English and Spanish.
Babies on the Move. Susan Canizares and Daniel Moreton. (1999)
Photographs and phrases show the many ways that babies around the world travel.
Baby Born. Anastasia Suen. Illus. by Chih-Wei Chang. (1998)
Gentle verse and glorious watercolors depict baby growing as the seasons change.
Baby Faces. Margaret Miller. (1998)
A multi-ethnic cast of babies delights children with their expressions and exclamations.
Baby Says. John Steptoe. (1988)
In a very common family scene, a baby knocks over his big brother's block castle, but all is resolved through the baby's smile and efforts at conversation.
Big and Little by Margaret Mitchell. (1998)
Photographs to illustrate concept of relative size in a way even the youngest children can enjoy.
Bread, Bread, Bread. Ann Morris. Photographs by Ken Heyman. (1989)
People of all different cultures enjoy their own kinds of bread.
Brown Sugar Babies. Charles R. Smith, Jr. (2000)
Babies with all kinds of skin tones are deliciously described and pictured.
Can I Help? Marilyn Janovitz. (1998)
A young cub helps his patient papa wolf with gardening.
Clap Hands, Tickle Tickle, All Fall Down, and Say Goodnight. Helen Oxenbury.
This series of oversized board books features toddlers at work and play, accompanied by a rhyming four-line text spread out over eight pages. The chubby bodies and busy hands of these children bring simple movements-such as brushing hair, clapping hands, and bouncing on a bed-to life.
Daddies at Work. Eve Merriam. Illus. by Eugenie Fernandes. (1991)
A book that features all sorts of daddies with all sorts of jobs.
Dancing Feet. Charlotte Agell. (1994)
Every child pictured is unique, but everyone's body parts do the same things!
David's Drawings. Cathryn Falwell. (2001)
A story about a shy child making friends while preserving his own creative vision.
Everywhere Babies. Susan Meyers. Illus. by Marla Frazee. (2001)
All kinds of babies in all kinds of families share universal activities and loves.
Families. Debbie Bailey. Photographs by Susan Huszar. (1999)
A volume in six parts explores, through photos of diverse people and activities, the various aspects of "family."
Feast for 10. Cathryn Falwell. (1993)
A counting book (1-10) about a big, bustling family preparing for a meal together.
Flower Garden. Eve Bunting. Illus. by Kathryn Hewitt. (2000)
Through the city toward home, a girl and her father guard their beautiful box garden.
Grandmother's Nursery Rhymes. Nelly Palacio Jaramillo, illus. by Elivia Savadier. (1994)
Bilingual English and Spanish texts of lullabies, tongue twisters, and riddles from South America are accompanied by fanciful watercolor-and-ink illustrations.
A House is a House for Me. Mary Ann Hoberman. Illus. by Betty Fraser. (1982)
Types of houses are listed and described in rhyme.
Hush Little Baby. Sylvia Long. (1999)
New lyrics and beautiful artwork highlight this book about all the things that Mama's going to show her beloved child.
I Love You Like Crazy Cakes. Rose Lewis. Illus. by Jane Dyer. (2000)
A mother describes her trip to China and her love for the baby she adopts there.
Let's Talk About It: Adoption. Fred Rogers. Photographs by Jim Judkis. (1998)
This book assures readers that all children, adopted or otherwise, are very special.
Let's Talk About It: Extraordinary Friends. Fred Rogers. Photographs by Jim Judkis. (2000)
Mr. Rogers helps us learn how to be comfortable and make friends with kids who have disabilities.
Little Blue, Little Yellow. Leo Leonni. (1959)
Little Blue and Little Yellow share wonderful adventures. One day, they hug until they become green. Are the original colors lost?
Loving. Ann Morris. Photographs by Ken Heyman. (1990)
Love is a universal language, as the reader learns in this book about families around the world.
Lullabies Around the World. Sara Jordan. (1996)
A CD holds a variety of lullabies sung in ten different languages (each then sung in English translation). The accompanying book offers both lyrics and extension activities
Machines At Work. Byron Barton. (1987)
With one line of text per page and bright, blocky pictures, Barton brings the world of machines to life. A perennial favorite with budding engineers and construction workers.
Mama, Do You Love Me. Barbara M. Joosse. Illus. by Barbara Lavallee. (1991)
An Inuit mother and her child explore the boundaries of love through a series of "what if" questions and answers. (Papa, Do You Love Me, set in Maasailand, Africa, was published in 2005 by the same author/illustrator team.)
Mama Zooms. Jane Cowen-Fletcher. (1993)
On the lap of his mother in her wheelchair, a toddler imagines many adventures.
Margaret and Margarita/Margarita y Margaret. Lynn Reiser. (1993)
This bilingual book shows two little girls who overcome a language barrier while sharing a park bench.
Max. Ken Wilson-Max. (1998)
A lift-the-flap book about Max and his friends, a purple pig and a blue elephant.
Missing Rabbit. Roni Schotter. Illus. by Cyd Moore. (2002)
Kara goes back and forth between Mama's house and Papa's, and unless Rabbit comes along, there will be "too much missing!"
Mommies at Work. Eve Merriam. Illus. by Eugenie Fernandes. (1976)
All kinds of different mommies work at various jobs, but all of them love their children.
More, More, More, Said the Baby. Vera B. Williams. (1990)
The same loving routine of getting a baby ready for bed is repeated in three very different families.
A Mother for Choco. Keiko Kasza. (1992)
A small bird searches for a mother who looks like him, only to find that the perfect mother does not look like him at all.
My Friend and I. Lisa Jahn-Clough. (1999)
Two fast friends fight over a toy, but they find that playing alone just isn't as much fun.
Nursery Tales Around the World. Judy Sierra. (1996)
18 read-aloud folktales organized into six themes to connect the familiar with the new.
A Ride on Mother's Back. Emery Bernhard. Illus. by Durga Bernhard. (1996)
Learn about many cultures through the daily tasks to which they bring their babies.
Round Is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes. Rosanne Thong. Illus. by Grace Lin. (2000)
A book about shapes seen through the eyes of a Chinese girl, with simple rhyming text and a brief glossary of Chinese words. The same author/illustrator team has also produced Red Is a Dragon: A Book About Colors and One Is a Drummer: A Book About Numbers.
The Snowy Day. Ezra Jack Keats. (1962)
A Caldecott winner with unforgettable cut-paper illustrations and a tranquil story that perfectly captures the magic of a small boy's adventures in the snow.
Someone Special, Just Like You. Tricia Brown. Photographs by Fran Ortiz. (1995)
Positive words and photos show that all children, with or without disabilities, are lovable.
Ten Nine Eight. Molly Bang. (1991)
A young girl and her father count down from ten to one by observing their bedtime surroundings.
Toddler Two. Anastasia Suen. Illus by Winnie Cheon. (2002)
A board book about two toddlers on a romp through their backyard, discovering things that come in twos. Also available in a Spanish/English bilingual edition.
When Mama Comes Home Tonight. Eileen Spinelli. Illus. by Jane Dyer. (1998)
A mother and her child share a peaceful evening after work and before bedtime.
Yum Yum Dim Sum. Amy Wilson Sanger. (2003)
This board book introduces dim sum using rhyming text and collage illustrations. Part of the World Snacks series, which also includes Hola Jalape�o, Let's Nosh, First Book of Sushi, A Little Bit of Soul Food, and Mangia Mangia!

You can download the booklist, as a word document or as a pdf.

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