Written by Nancy E. Shaw and illustrated by Margot Apple, Sheep in a Jeep is a fun book whose humor begins with the simple idea of sheep driving a jeep. The story emphasizes the importance of paying attention to what you are doing, problem-solving, and facing consequences using short phrases and a fun rhyme scheme.
I love the excitement of an entire farm over the arrival of a single baby chick in Hurry! Hurry!, written by Eva Bunting and illustrated by Jeff Mack. Mack’s illustrations are adorably expressive. The minimal text makes this an ideal book for a very young child while the storyline is one of 3.5-year-old Emma’s favorites.
I read Owl Babies, written by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Patrick Benson, to Emma nearly every day until her second birthday or so, and this book is a current favorite of 18-month-old Johnny’s. I found this book at a local library while living in the UK, and I do wish we had the UK version or that they hadn’t “translated” the book into US English. Waddell is a British author, and I consider his original prose superior to the “translation” even if the changes are minor. The three baby owls who star in the story are adorable, and the storyline of worrying if their mother will return (she does, of course) is an emotion both of my separation anxiety prone children identify strongly with.
The Gruffalo, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, is an illustrated poem that tells of a clever mouse who outwits every predator he meets. The book’s creative storyline and fun illustrations alongside smooth-flowing and highly accessible poetry make it one of my personal favorites.
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
We have all of these except for Hurry Hurry. I must look out for than one because it looks good too :)
ooh, i LOVE sheep in a jeep so will have to try these other suggestions too. Owl babies seems familiar too, but can't remember how it goes now.
p.s. there are some "sequels" to sheep in a jeep (sheep in a shop, sheep on a ship) which are OK too, but not nearly as delightful as the original.
Oh, which reminds me of another book we LOVED (but whose "sequel" seemed a little forced) was "Parts" by Tedd Arnold. The illustrations are fabulous and the poems are really funny, about a kid who thinks he's falling part when he discovers various parts that don't seem to be staying inside his body (like his belly button lint, I think, stray hairs, etc)
Hey, we just checked out Sheep in a Jeep at the library today. Glad to hear it's good. I think I have another sheep book in my pile too. My kids went crazy and checked out a huge batch. I'm sure I'll have quite a late fee in a couple of weeks because there's no way we'll keep that batch organized. Oh well.
Thanks for the recommendations – we haven't read any of them except Sheep in a Jeep early on. I'll check those books in the library.
I haven't seen Owl Babies, so I'll go check it out at our local library. It sounds like it would be Emily's new favorite book. We like to go on night hikes and look for owls! Sheep in a Jeep is a great story too. You picked some really good ones!
We love Owl Babies, too! We first read the British version at the library (it also had the Chinese translation on each page). I was excited to find it at a consignment store for a great price, but it's the American version. I still read it "I love my Mummy!" It's just cuter in British English!
@Kitten Muffin – thanks for mentioning the gruffalo website, I didn't even know it existed and my kids will love it! We need to look for more books by this author, we've only read The Gruffalo so far but it's definitely a favorite in our home
We love The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child too! In fact all the books by this author are fab! My youngest had a Gruffalo second birthday in the woods, she loved it that much!
The gruffalo website has some great games and printables for kids too.
Owl Babies is a popular book in our house, too. I'm convinced my daughters have the book memorized and could read it to me.