Big Red Barn

Big Red Barn
Margaret Wise Brown
pictures by Felicia Bond
HarperFestival

From the author who brought you the bedtime classic, Goodnight Moon, here is one of our favorites. While it is good to read all year long, it is especially fun during the fall months when we take many trips to local area farms.

It is also good to read anytime of day, but I prefer to read it near bedtime as we follow the animals from the start of their day and finish with them fast asleep. It is also a great book that can be read easily in a soft, hushed voice.

I love the author's use of a few words a toddler doesn't hear quite often, such as the bantam rooster and hen, the big cow lowed, and the donkey gave one last bray. My son likes when he hears new words he gets to learn the meaning of. This is also the book that taught my son the word  reflection as there is a pretty picture of the moon reflected in the water. There are also some nice sunset pictures. My son's other favorites are the teeny tiny pictures of the sun rising, mice, little pink pig and bats. They are so small and fun to find.

Corduroy's Best Halloween Ever!

Based on the Character Created by Don Freeman

Illustrated by Lisa McCue

Grosset & Dunlap

This is a great book to add to a fall collection. We like to read it in September and October to get excited about pumpkin patches, leaves, pies, parties, costumes and trick-or-treating. The illustrations are warm, fun and colorful. We go on the journey with Corduroy, Rabbit, Puppy and Mouse as they scout out their costumes for Halloween. Like many folks, Corduroy is having trouble deciding what to be for Halloween. There is a lovely message of friendship wrapped up in this seasonal story.

Whose House is This?

Written by Caryl Koelling
Illustrated by Carol Wynne
Price/Stern/Sloan Publishers, Inc.

My Mom brought out a book for my son and I to read telling me it was one of my favorites when I was a little girl. I had completely forgotten all about this book, that is until I laid eyes on it. Then it was like I had always remembered it. Every page and cute creature hiding under the flaps was instantly familiar and evoked memories from when I was little.

The pictures and words are enchanting. So many adorable creatures living in their sweet homes just as a child would imagine. The rhyming is anything but forced. It flows so naturally while making the pictures come to life.

I hope in years to come, my kids will see a book long forgotten and be brought back right back to their childhood once they see it again.

Already Gone

John Fluent
Passages Press

I don't want to hide the fact that my dad is the author of this book, but I also don't want to hide my praise. This book is enlightening and interesting, and I got swept away from the very first page. The author has a way of making you feel like you are a character right along with Marcus Reno with his attention to detail and the way he sets the scene. Already Gone is captivating and though provoking touching on life after death. The way the dialog is written combined with the multiple story lines and historical mystery made it hard to put the book down at night.

Passages Press

The book can be purchased here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/dp/1507551878