Ro and Ree's bookshelves

The girls love books, maybe even as much as they love their mangy stuffed snowmen. Well, maybe. Anyhow it's been a real kick this week to introduce Catherine to Ro and Ree's favorite books, so I thought it might be interesting to capture their current faves in a blog post. Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin. The newest fave (introduced to us by fellow booklovers H2 and S2). This book is hilarious, I giggled the first time I heard it and still crack up each time I read it to the girls. Get this book right now -- seriously -- you'll love it. Oh, and make sure you have the kids say "Moo" each time you say "Click, Clack." That's how H2 and S2 do it, and they'll be happy to know that's how Ro and Ree's whole preschool did it when they brought the book in today. The rest of the books, in no particular order other than the sporadic way I slapped them on the floor for this pic: Grandpa's Mask by Jing Jing Guo and Di Wu. A beautifully illustrated story that we got in Australia on our babymoon (the trip we took days after receiving our referral for the girls). Cool story about a girl and her Grandpa from China who really dig Peking Opera. The girls think it's tops. Froggy Bakes a Cake by Jonathan London. The girls love the entire Froggy series. Going to the Dentist, a DK First Steps book. We got this book to help the girls get ready to go to the dentist, and, sadly, still haven't taken them. (Will remedy that very soon, I promise.) Anyhow, they think the book is just fascinating. Every Year on Your Birthday by Rose Lewis. Great story, the girls love every word and so do we. Food for Thought by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers. These guys make some amazing things out of food. Fascinating. My Visit to the Aquarium by Aliki. We picked this one up at the Monterey Aquarium and the girls just have a ball poring over the pages and saying "We saw dis! We see dis too!" Neat book, especially if you've ever taken the kids to an aquarium. Chicks and Salsa by Aaron Reynolds. Hilarious. Really. And quite clever. The Eentsy, Weentsy, Spider by Joanna Cole and Stephanie Calmenson. If you're like me and can never think of any songs when the kids demand one, this book is for you. It has all the good "hand motion" ones. The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman. Has been a fave for two years now and still going strong. DW's Guide to Preschool by Marc Brown. When the girls were going to start preschool we scoured the bookstores looking for a nice, friendly way to prep them. This book was the best. It was Ree's hands-down favorite book for almost a year and gave nice, concrete examples of what they could expect at preschool. (We're big on prep around here.) The Berenstain Bears Go to School by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Good story to introduce the idea of school. Mother Goose Rhymes by Platt and Munk Publishers. This was one of my books when I was a kid, so it's (ahem) four decades old. I Love You Like Crazy Cakes by Rose Lewis. The girls love this book because it tells the story of a baby who was adopted from China. But I have to say we have never read the words as printed. The story is told in first person, which is confusing for the girls, and we don't love exactly what it says, so we flip through the pictures and tell our own story to accompany the images (sorry Miss Lewis!). The Dancing Dragon by Marcia Vaughan. Great pictures and a great flip book for Chinese New Year. It folds out to read. The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood. This one was a fave when they were babies and they still like to hear it. It's a short one. A Quilt of Wishes by Teresa Orem Werner. The girls are fascinated by this story of a mother who makes a good wishes quilt for her baby in China. Wonderfully informative story, but make sure you read it the first few times by yourself because you will not get through it without crying. Trust me. Dim Sum for Everyone by Grace Lin. Ro and Ree especially like to read this book before or after they've gone for dim sum. Bear Wants More and Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. I just love these books and could read them over and over. Thank goodness, because they consistently get picked for bedtime. Fun stories, vibrant writing, and beautiful illustrations. Wet Pet, Dry Pet, Your Pet, My Pet by Dr. Suess. A good one for younger kids. Our girls still love the interactive stuff on each page. It's short. Olivia and the Missing Toy. Love all the Olivia books. Brain Quest by Smart Start. Have you seen these little fan-like Q&A books? Awesome learning materials. And the girls are utterly captivated by them. They beg "Can we do questions mama?" Applemouse. Another book from when I was a kid. Great story, I'll bet I've read it a thousand times in my lifetime. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess. Another vintage book from the 1960s. I actually can't stand to read this book, but the girls keep finding it (gee I don't know who keeps hiding it) and begging for it so I suck it up and do it. Well those are the books I grabbed in a quick pass through the playroom. What other ones should we add to Ro and Ree's bookshelves? Please share your favorites!