A Bevy Of Board Books Roundup

Meet two guest reviewers new to Good Reads With Ronna who happen to be husband and wife.
Michael Faucher is a network administrator for an organ transplant research lab at Harvard Medical School affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital. He has been a journalist and writer for 13 years, writing for The Lowell Sun (MA) newspaper, and music magazines Instant, Northeast Performer, Music & The Arts and Micstand. Candace Faucher is an elementary school teacher in Somerville, MA and is currently on hiatus to care for the couple’s new twin boys, Hunter Robert and Beckett Alexander. The family lives in North Reading, Massachusetts.

Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish (by Lorie Ann Grover, illustrations by Debra Ziss) and The Book of ZZZs, photographs and written by Arlene Alda

When it comes to sleep, nothing makes anyone happier, baby or adult. Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish is a very fun little book that has big, bright fish drawings perfect for reading after a bath (but before bedtime or a nap). Pretend with your baby while they’re bathing that they’re a fish or a baby shark- probably appropriate if they’re teething- and they’ll be swimming in good dreams all night! Arlene Alda’s The Book of ZZZs has sharp pictures of animals and babies in all sorts of states of nocturnal bliss, sure to encourage your newbies that it’s ok to sleep whenever the urge strikes!

Good Night World, by Adam Gamble and Cooper Kelly

Although a little loose in its mantra, what’s nice about Good Night World (most recent of the Good Night Our World series) is how it spans the world, highlighting different cultures and animals as they begin and end their day. From the beginning of “Good Morning, rain forest” to “good night stargazers, dreaming of other worlds” very colorful illustrations highlight people around the world to show young readers how everyone else begins, spends, or ends their day!

Baby Giggles, by Rachael Hale

Having just purchased my first digital camera, I would aspire to take such wonderful pictures of my twin boys as there are in Baby Giggles, by Rachael Hale. With large pictures and vibrant colors, infants are immediately drawn to this durable board book, while toddlers can enjoy and mimic the smiles, frowns, pouts, and other faces and emotions displayed. With such relatable images and wording that rhymes, it’s easy to show growing children other tots feeling as they often do.

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

Being a first and second grade teacher, I am automatically drawn to all books by Eric Carle, and this book is certainly no exception. Created for children ages 3 and up, The Tiny Seed is able to reach a wide range of children at varying stages of development, and is an excellent tool for parents to teach about how seeds become flowers. Younger children will enjoy following the little seed on its journey using the bright bold pictures that Carle creates using tissue paper collages, while older children can engage in discussions of what happens to seeds throughout the seasons and rejoice in the tiny seed’s ability to survive and continue the plant life cycle. What I also love about this version of the book is the seeded paper and instructions that are included to grown your own flowers! This is the perfect way for children to first read about what happens to a tiny seed, plant seeds and witness what takes place. From the science lesson to the art possibilities, The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle does not disappoint!