Toby Suggests 25 Of His Favorite Books From Born To Read Back

This is a list of high-quality books to be read to children ages 0 to 5.
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A Chair for My Mother Vera Williams. Morrow William & Co. 1984. After a fire destroys their apartment, a mother, daughter, and grandmother save their coins to buy a new armchair. This story depicts a working class life that may be familiar to lower-income Maine children and an urban setting which may be familiar to urban Maine children and new to rural children.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Bill Martin, Jr., illus. by Eric Carle. Henry Holt, 1992. Large, spare illustrations help toddlers and preschoolers learn colors while enjoying the simple and repetitive text.

Caps for Sale Esphyr Slobodkina. Harper Trophy, 1968. Based on an old folk tale, this humorous book brings to life the troubles of a peddler with a very mischievous band of monkeys. Children will love the repetition of phrases and the peddler's exaggerated gestures. In fact, they might want to re-enact the story on the spot!

Clap Hands, Tickle, Tickle, All Fall Down, and Say Goodnight A set of board books by Helen Oxenbury. Aladdin Books (Macmillan Publishing Co.), 1987. Each of these 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. Babies will be fascinated by these glimpses of their own daily activities.

Families Debbie Bailey, illus. by Susan Huszar. Annick Press, 1999. Plentiful photos of many kinds of family groupings, multicultural, intergenerational.

Harold and the Purple Crayon Crockett Johnson. Harper Trophy, 1955. No situation is too difficult for Harold to draw his way out of or into! Johnson's inventive illustrations reveal a book creating itself as Harold creates his world. Children will want to test their own purple crayons after seeing this story unfold.

Houses and Homes Ann Morris, illus. by Ken Heyman. Mulberry, 1992. Photographs and minimal text, which mostly describe actions, allow children to see and discuss different types of dwellings throughout the world. This story invites a rich discussion of the various types of homes Maine children live in.

I Slide into the White of Winter, Mud Makes Me Dance in the Spring, Wind Spins Me around in the Fall, I Wear Long Green Hair in the Summer Charlotte Agell (Maine author). Tilbury, 1994. A set of 4 board books about sharing the seasons with a little girl. Daily life scenes.

Inch by Inch, The Garden Song David Mallett, illus. by Ora Eitan. HarperCollins, 1975. Lighthearted watercolor drawings illustrate the words of the song by Maine songwriter and performer, David Mallett.

It Looked Like Spilt Milk Charles G. Shaw. Scholastic, 1947. Using white shapes on a blue background, the author creates simple, vivid images of the forms a cloud can take. After being read this book, children may be inspired to watch the sky and come up with their own "cloud-pictures. " Available both in paperback and as a board book.

Little Miss Muffet, Wee Willie Winkie, Humpty Dumpty, and Jack and Jill A Mother Goose board book set by Lucy Cousins. Dutton, 1989. Simply drawn with black outlines and brilliant colors, Lucy Cousin's versions of favorite and lesser-known rhymes will catch the young child's eye and echo in his or her ear for years to come.

Machines at Work Byron Barton. HarperCollins, 1997. Very simple text accompanies bright illustrations of a multicultural construction crew. Both men and women are depicted demolishing an old building and beginning a new one---a blue-collar occupation like many in Maine. And kids love the great pictures of construction machinery!

More More More Said the Baby Vera Williams. Mulberry Books, 1996. The playful babies in this book--Little Guy, Little Pumpkin, and Little Bird--all take turns playing, running away from, and being scooped up by their father, grandmother, or mother. The variety of skin tones and family types are highlighted by the illustrations and the soothing, repetitious text shows how all the families are alike.

Mr. Gumpy's Outing John Birmingham. Henry Holt, 1970. Mr. Gumpy decides it's a perfect day for an outing in his little boat and gets joined by many others... children ask to join him, then a rabbit, a cat, a dog, a pig, a sheep...

My Very First Mother Goose Iona Opie and Rosemary Wells. Candlewick Press, 1996. Large format book of over 100 pages with whimsical illustrations by Rosemary Wells. Quite comprehensive collection of the classical rhymes.

Oh, A-Hunting We Will Go John Langstaff, illus. by Nancy Winslow Parker. Aladdin Paperbacks, 1991. Playing with words and rhyme, this old song is given new life - guaranteed to make all readers smile out loud. (Written music included)

Owl Babies Martin Waddell, illus. by Patrick Benson. Candlewick Press, 1996. In this charming board book, three baby owls wonder and worry about where their mother has gone, but are happily reassured when she returns.

Owl Moon Jane Yolen, illus. by John Schoenherr. Scholastic, 1987. On a still winter night, a girl and her father go owling, knowing they may or may not see the owl. Yolen's lilting text captures the magic of being out after dark, in the cold, doing something very grown-up, while the play of light and shadow in Schoenherr's pictures brings the frozen field and forest to life . This is an excellent "lap" book.

The Lotus Seed Sherry Garland, illus. by Tatsuro Kiuchi. Voyager Books, 1993. A moving tale of a young girl who flees Vietnam and makes a new life in the United States. Passing down the memories and stories connect new members of the family to their history.

The Snowy Day Ezra Jack Keats. Scholastic, 2000. With his distinctive collage-type illustrations, Keats shows the wonder of a child marveling at the first deep snow, and the ways he plays in it.

A Somali Alphabet Nadifo Ayanle, illus. by Melissa Girardin. Portland (ME) Adult Education, 2001. This unique publication reflects collaboration with several groups, among them the African Women's Literacy Project, and the Maine Humanities Council, creating an alphabet book about things in the Somali culture, described in English. An excellent partnership of cultures and skills and an ideal tool for helping immigrants learn English.

We Are All Alike, We Are All Different Cheltenham Elementary School Kindergartners. Scholastic, 1991. This book uses photographs and children's illustrations to explore the physical differences and similarities that children share. This is an excellent book for adults to use when talking about the "differences" children often perceive, but can't articulate. The message is simple and reassuring.

We Can Do It!! Laura Dwight. Star Bright Books, 1997. Individual photo-essays profile a multiracial group of young boys and girls leading interesting and independent lives. A book for disabled kids and their families and all classrooms where kids worry and wonder about being different.

Welcoming Babies Margy Burns Knight, illus. by Anne Sibley O'Brien, Tilbury House, n.d. Tender illustrations show love given to new babies all over the world, as different traditions inspire different customs.

What A Wonderful World George David Weiss & Bob Tiele, illus. by Ashley Bryan. Simon & Schuster, 1995. Ashley Bryan's bright illustrations give new meaning to the classic Louis Armstong song. Children and adults of various cultures are shown creating props for and putting on a puppet show to act out the lyrics, with Satchmo himself as the main character.