Introducing Top 5 Friday – Board Books

I’ve decided after a year of blogging that I’m ready to commit to a weekly post. The idea for this was inspired by one of my girlfriends who always texts me asking me for quick and easy ideas for all different things: cleaning, kid snacks, things to do with chicken, how to wear a scarf…totally random, I know! Going forward these kinds of topics will be featured in “Top 5 Friday”

Top 5 board books

I loved books as a kid. I still remember the library at my school and all of my childhood favorites. It’s no wonder I began collecting books for our at-home library before Chase was even born. We keep a rotation of books at the foot of his crib along with a little battery operated owl night-light so he can read before bed and when he wakes up in the morning. Whether it be the shrieks he makes as he points to the pictures, handing me the same book over and over again or me coming into his room at night to find the book left open and his arm half draped over top, Chase makes it clear which are his favorites. So, I’ll begin this weeks Top 5 Friday with 3 of Chase’s favorites.

1) The Big Red Barn, by: Margaret Wise Brown

Every kid loves farm animals! This cute rhyming book lyrically captures the events from day to night on a tour of the farm.  I think of my sister every time I read this part:

“The sheep and the donkey, the geese and the goats, were making funny noises down in their throats.”

2) Goodnight Gorilla, by: Peggy Rathmann

Yet another gift from my sister who obviously knows what she’s doing. There is no narrative to this book, simply pictures and a few speech bubbles so the story telling is left to the imagination of both the kids, and mom & dad. The story is about a zookeeper who at the end of the night goes around the zoo to say goodnight to all the animals. What he doesn’t know is that the silly Gorilla stole his keys and trails behind him opening the cages of all the animals. When the zookeeper crawls into his bed with his wife, he has no idea his room is filled with the animals who followed him home until his wife says goodnight and she gets more responses than expected!

3) Goodnight Moon, by: Margaret Wise Brown

Although originally written in the forties to warn against the perils of communism, this classic book has stood the test of time as a well-loved favorite around the world. Kids, who are none the wiser to the subtle symbolism seem to appreciate the gentle lullaby and parents want to tear their hair out after reading it for the gazillionth time. Either way, this one makes it on the list as one of Chase’s picks!

Wait…you mean I have only have 2 slots left to choose MY favorites? Hmmmm…..

4) Ten Little Fingers & Ten Little Toes, by: Mem Fox & Helen Oxenbury

This book makes the list for many reasons. One, it is short enough to keep Chase’s attention span, two, there are lots of captivating illustrations of babies and lastly, I really appreciate the underlying message. This is a simple story reminding us that babies are born in many different places with many different faces but they all have one thing in common…. ten fingers and ten toes. So sweet.. I love it!

5) Anything Sandra Boynton

I am so glad a friend turned me onto this author. Her tag line is, “Serious Silliness for all ages”, which fits perfectly into our way of life with our silly boy Chase. We have many of her board books and they are all attention holding with silly themes that make it easy to get animated with your storytelling. I also love that in some of her books, there is an element of humor intended for the adult to appreciate. I was excited to discover a number of her books are available on the ipad as well. The electronic versions are very interactive with music and animations that can be played as a recording or page turns can be initiated by the child.

Sandra Boynton favorites: But not the Hippopotamus, Barnyard Dance, Moo Baa La, la, la, Doggies, The Going to Bed Book