So you know I always write about books that are coming out this month right? Well, publishers like to be ahead of things, so if you’re grumpy about my autumn books and 9/11 pick, blame the publishers! Just kidding, you don’t actually have to blame anyone, just enjoy being extra prepared with your new book options!
Mornings can be hard, but they become even harder when mischievous monsters disrupt your routine. Bartholomew loves his nightly wild rumpus with his monster friends, but they all had so much fun that they decide to stay instead of leaving in the morning. From swallowed alarm clocks to tiny monsters hiding in his toothpaste tube, Bartholomew is confronted by chaos at every turn. As his morning breaks down and leaves him in tears, Dad is quick to step in with calm words and love. Little ones have big emotions that may seem to come out of nowhere, and I love the explanation of silly monsters. This book is a wonderful example of how to move forward after a bad morning, without ever becoming didactic. Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: August Favorites 2021”
YAAWWNN! Time for a nap! The hot weather, frequent rain and longer days that we’ve been having this summer have made many, including myself, long for some relaxing time in bed, on the couch or in a hammock dozing off or letting your mind wander. The month of August features two special days to celebrate taking a break and getting some shut-eye: National Lazy Day on August 10th and National Relaxation Day on August 15th. Here are some books focused on the world of sleep, naps, dreaming and lazy days.
Have you ever noticed that babies can fall asleep just about anytime and anywhere? In the aptly titled, “Babies Can Sleep Anywhere,” author Lisa Wheeler and illustrator Carolina Buzio compare the ways in which various animals get to sleep with all of the places in which babies can easily doze off. In Phyllis Gershator’s “Time for a Nap,” with illustrations by David Walker, a young bunny goes on various errands and adventures with his mother each day but knows that after all that excitement it’s always time for a nap! For more books about all the strange and cute ways that animals nap, check out “Snooze-o-Rama” by Maria Birmingham, illustrated by Kyle Reed, and “Animal Naps” by Catherine Ham. Continue reading “It’s Naptime!”
On Friday, July 23, the Olympic flame will arrive in Tokyo, and the most anticipated sports event of the year will begin! The opening ceremony will be full of dancing, singing, art and an explosion of culture. Then, the events will begin. Regardless of age, we all discover new heroes, cheer until our voices grow faint and feel the chill of inspiration watching athletes overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
My favorite summer sport has always been gymnastics. The strength, grace and pure power it takes to defy gravity, spinning so fast you can barely track the rotations, and then sticking the landing—wow, it just blows my mind! While *I* am not a gymnast, my sister is a preschool gymnastics teacher in Tennessee, and she’s agreed to share some of her favorite exercises for you and your young athlete!
Babies:
Tummy time works the neck muscles and strengthens the core.Incline lifts: a.k.a, airplanes!
It’s July! Which means it’s the perfect time to sit poolside and read some awesome new books from your library. Here are a few of my favorites that have recently come out. Enjoy!
Picture Books
“It Took Two Wishes” written by Edwina Wyatt and illustrated by Irena Freitas
Do you remember the excitement of waiting for your birthday party? The main character in this book has been looking forward to her birthday for “twelve moons” and measures the time it took to make the invitations in hours, smudges and sandwiches consumed. This book is full of surprising measurements, which is a great way to reinforce numbers with little ones. As the family heads to the park for the birthday party, the event is tragically rained out. But on their way home they find a lost dog, and search through the park until they find the owner. The grateful owner invites the birthday girl to their house, and their party supplies and birthday cake get to be enjoyed after all. This sweet and delightful book models staying positive even when dealing with disappointment. Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: July Favorites 2021”
In the book “I’m Not Using the Potty” by author Laura Gelh, Peep is excited. “Today is the day!” Peep said. “Time to start using the potty!” But to Egg, the potty is too slippery to sit on, the toilet paper is too tangly and the flushing noise is too loud!
Encouraging a child to try something new is often challenging. But when it comes to potty training, there are also so many questions. Is my child ready? Am I ready? What’s the best method or approach? How long will this take? Additionally, there’s a plethora of advice from well-meaning family and friends, each with their own stories, proven techniques and absolute dos and don’ts.
For this month’s favorites, we’ve got elephants and dogs and bears—oh my! I couldn’t resist all the animal books for our “Tails and Tales” Summer Reading theme this year, but I did throw in a few others as well. Enjoy!
Have you ever noticed that the word “underpants” is somehow funnier than “underwear”? Try saying it out loud to compare. Now get ready to say “underpants” approximately 34 more times, because this book has a lot of hilarious repetition! It is possible you’ll get tired of saying this word, but I assure you, your kids won’t get tired of listening to it. One morning Bear Cub wakes up and notices a pair of underpants hanging outside his cave. They’re not labelled, and Bear Cub is determined to find their owner, so no one will have to go underpants-less. As he asks each of his friends, they all show off their own undies and demonstrate why the tighty whities in question can’t be theirs. Of course the mystery is solved in the end! This is a perfect book for this year’s Summer Reading theme of “Tails and Tales,” as readers will get a delightful tour of the tail-ends of various forest animals. Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: June Favorites 2021”
Nothing says summer like fresh fruits and vegetables! So, why not start a family garden? A healthy, outdoor activity, gardening allows children to see something through from beginning to end, while also learning responsibility, cooperation and patience. And at harvest, their efforts are rewarded with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Continue reading “Kids Dig Gardening!”
This month I decided to highlight not one, not two, but THREE illustrators! Earlier this year, Grace Lin, Oge Mora and Yuyi Morales did a webinar about diversity in children’s books for the organization EmbraceRace. EmbraceRace collects resources for parents to help young children celebrate and learn about diversity in the world. Grownups, you can watch the full webinar here (1 hour 17 min) or you can watch the shorter one with your kids (20 min).
In the videos, the three women speak about their artistic journeys and how they approach drawing different characters for their books. As an artistic exercise, they then draw each other and talk about the wonderfully unique and loving experience it is to draw someone else.
EmbraceRace also included an action guide to help parents support their young artists as they learn to draw people and the world around them.
Just for fun, I decided to draw my husband since he is the person I see the most! He has a favorite red t-shirt, so I made sure to draw him in it. Who can you draw?
If you want to see more of their artistic flair, you can check out their books from your favorite library or the bookmobile!
Yep, it’s time for another “Brianna’s Books.” There are so many good books coming out right now, it was hard to pick my favorites. But I did it, just for you! Check out my recommended reads below.
Have you ever read something so silly that it makes no sense, and yet it makes perfect sense? Toasty wants to be a dog, to bark and play and roll in puddles. Unfortunately, as a piece of toast, he’s made of bread. Puddles make him soggy, and cats don’t run when he chases them, but he is undeterred and heads to the dog park anyway. The dogs don’t exactly welcome him into their ranks, but he does make a new friend. I don’t want to spoil the ending for you, but reviews called this one delightfully absurd and said it has “the meandering joy of a small child’s storytelling logic.” Also just look at Toasty’s face! He’s so cute! Continue reading “Brianna’s Books: May Favorites 2021”
“Bartholomew and the Morning Monsters” written by Sophie Berger and illustrated by Ruan Van Vliet
