I love the story my friend Susan tells about her niece; seeing all the dandelions in Susan's yard (gone to seed) the sweet girl gasped in delight and said,
"Aunt Susan! You have a WISH Garden!!"Madeline shares this delight for dandelions (don't most little girls?) so
Dandelions: Star in the Grass is the perfect read for us! It's going on our "to own" list... We're also loving Ladybug Girl, and Cowboy Kate and Cocoa (again - the first go-round on these was about 9 months ago), and a whole passel of new books too.
(Books beloved by my babes are marked with ****)- Dandelions : stars in the grass / Mia Posada.****
- Ernie dances to the didgeridoo : for the children of Gunbalanya / Alison Lester
- Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy / David Soman****Ladybug Girl organizes a Bug Squad, and saves the day!
- Ladybug Girl / David Soman**** The original and best - we love this tale of imaginative solo play and she's a tough little gal!
- Gardening with kids / Sharon MacLatchie.
- Bugs up close / Diane Swanson
- Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa : rain or shine / Erica Silverman****
- Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa : school days / Erica Silverman**** Mads' faves since she was two - horses, a ranch and a cowgirl, how could you go wrong??
- Bugs : poems about creeping things / David L. Harrison
- Why do we see rainbows? / Melissa Stewart.
- Pretend soup and other real recipes : a cookbook for preschoolers & up / Mollie Katzen****Cooking fun in the kitchen with Mama!
- Skunk's spring surprise / Lesléa Newman
- The happy day / Ruth Krauss****Sweet, simple, with a surprise ending! Black and white with a touch of color on the last page (filled with animals too).
- The wish / Elle van Lieshout
- Counting in the garden / Kim Parker.****The watercolor illustrations please Madeline.
- Polar Polka :
counting polar bears in Alaska / Chérie B. Stihler - A fire engine for Ruthie / Lesléa Newman****Fave of both kids - this tale of a girl whose gramma finally gives in to her love of "boy" toys, and has a blast!
- Raindrop, plop! / Wendy Cheyette Lewison
- Cindy Ellen : a wild western Cinderella / Susan Lowell****A recommendation from Aunt Shannon that we LOVE!! A spunky twist on Cinderella. Cinderella with True Grit... how can you not love it?
- The gingerbread man / Eric Blair
- Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose / Mary Engelbreit
- The gruffalo / Julia Donaldson****A classic favorite for us! Clever little mouse outfoxes everyone, even when faced with a surprise.
- Goldilocks and the three bears / retold and illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev
- Mother Goo
se numbers on the loose / Leo & Diane Dillon - Goldilocks and the three bears : a classic fairy tale / illustrated by Charlotte Roederer****Loving the classics right now...
- The three little pigs / Paul Galdone
- Lentil / Robert McCloskey****McCloskey can't lose in our house.
- On the day I was born / Debbi Chocolate
- The apple doll / Elisa Kleven****Fun directions on making an apple doll are included
- Jack and the beanstalk / retold by Richard Walke****A great version of this story (the illustrations are really fun and whimsical).
- Momo's kitten / Mitsu and Taro Yashima
- Lemons are not red / Laura Vaccaro Seeger
- Perfectly Martha / Susan Meddaugh
- 26 letters and 99 cents / Tana Hoban
****And we LOVE the Signing Time DVD series by Two Little Hands Productions. They teach ASL is such a clear, fun, and easy-to-remember style. It's fun to have the kids learning new signs (to add to the ones they learned as babies/toddlers). 
- Signing time. Series 2, volume 3, Move and groove / Two Little hands Productions
- Signing time. [Volume 8], The great outdoors / Two Little Hands Productions
- Signing time! Volume 6, My favorite things / Two Little Hands Productions
The kids' new love is Knock Knock jokes, but they don't exactly "get" them yet... meaning that any answer can crack them up really. So, a knock knock joke book for older kids isn't that engaging.
