The Skin You Live In

Michael Tyler (2005), 32 pages

Illustrated by David Lee Csicsko

Audience: pre-K

Format: picture book

The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler not only talks about skin's different colors & tones it also talks about all the fun things you can do in your skin … such as "the skin that you have fun in; the skin that you run in; the skin that you hop, skip, and jump in the sun in..." Ending with the moral that what's most important is not the skin, but what's within.

Supplement this book with an activity of coloring. Using Coloring Pages, a free online resource that offers printable templates (sorted by subject) print the "children" series and offer an array of skin tone options with Crayola's Multicultural crayons.

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Shades of People by Shelley Rotner, The Colors of Us by Karen Katz, and What I Like About Me! By Allia Zobel Nolan

Other books by this illustrator: Behind the Lions: A Family Guide to the Art Institute of Chicago

Peek-a-Who?

Nina Laden (2000), 10 pages

Audience: babies

Format: board book

Looking for a book to entertain your infant? Look no further. With bold graphic illustrations, creative cutouts, and rhythmic rhyme Laden's take on the classic peek-a-boo board book is the perfect read! Entertaining for both baby and adult; the short, quick rhymes are great for reading aloud, especially fun is the last line where the author writes …Peek-a-Who? … Peek-a-You ... appropriately ending with a foil mirror on the final page for the baby to look at! Published as a sturdy board book means it should hold up to the wear and tear of little hands. For additional reading, pair with In My Nest by Sara Gillingham or Owl Babies by Martin Waddell. Or try incorporating some games ... babies love playing the classic game of Peek-a-boo; play a round after reading to start teaching your baby basic motor skills.

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: In My Nest by Sara Gillingham

Other books by this author: Button Noses, Who Loves You Baby? and Ready, Set, Go!

I Love You

Remy Charlip (1995), 32 pages

Audience: babies, toddlers

Format: picture book

“I love you ... say it again" … so begins a clever dialog between mother and child. Equipped with fun wordplay and a wonderful sense of humor, Charlip creates an endearing and playful story of a mother getting her child ready for bedtime. Illustrated with simple drawings and a limited color scheme of black, white and red--at first glance this book is deceptively simple ... but, don't be fooled! This book's creative and clever narrative will leave a lasting impression and soon become one of your child’s favorites. This is the perfect bedtime book! This storyline finds an ideal song accompaniment in an all-time American classic "Skidamarink." So, before bedtime don't forget to sing a chorus or two:

Skidamarink a dink a dink,
Skidamarink a doo,
I love you.

I love you in the morning,
And in the afternoon,
I love you in the evening,
And underneath the moon,

Oh, Skidamarink a dink a dink,
Skidamarink a doo,
I Love You!

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Someday by Alison McGhee and In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck

Other books by this author: Baby Hearts and Baby Flowers, Fortunately, Sleepytime Rhyme, and Mother, Mother, I Feel Sick - Send for the Doctor, Quick, Quick, Quick

Baby’s Beginnings: Colors

So Smart (2009), 30 minutes

Audience: babies

Format: DVD

Instrumental music, soft narration, and colorful animation combined make learning colors fun for babies and parents! In short intervals (for a total playing time of 30 minutes), seven colors are featured in separate segments allowing babies to learn easily and at their own pace. All seven colors (green, purple, blue, yellow, orange, red, and pink) are brought to life using simple shapes and cute animated animals! This video is charming, sweet, and imaginative -a great teaching tool for parents and infants.

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this DVD, you may like: Crazy for Color produced by The BumbleBee Kids Studio

Other products by So Smart: Baby’s First-Word Stories: Pets, Beginning Shapes, Beginning Letters

Language Nursery

Baby Einstein (2002), 62 minutes

Audience: babies

Format: DVD

The Baby Einstein Language Nursery video presents babies with short, colorful vignettes in eight different languages: Japanese, Russian, English, Hebrew, German, Italian, French, and Spanish. The video features traditional rhymes, songs, numbers, alphabets, and lullabies by native speakers and uses very simple imagery (close-ups shots of dolls and toys along with minimal graphics), engages babies’ sense of sight and sound. The DVD contains additional footage of flashcards (29 different vocabulary words) and a video tutorial, which instructs the parents on how to watch the video while interacting with their baby. The Baby Einstein brand declares that the videos should be used in conjunction with parent interaction, citing “that parent-child interaction is one of the most critical elements to the development of a healthy and happy baby during the first three years of life” (Baby Einstein Company, 2007, ¶ 2). Additional videos concentrate on other subjects, such as music (Baby Mozart and Baby Bach), poetry (Baby Shakespeare), and colors (Baby Van Gogh). An excellent source for parents and babies will find the content appealing and fun!

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this DVD, you may like: Little Pim (Series) produced by The Little Pim Co.

Other products by Baby Einstein: Discovering Shapes, Baby Mozart, and Neighborhood Animals

There’s a Wocket in My Pocket!

Dr. Seuss (1974), 36 pages

Audience: toddlers, Pre-K

Format: picture book

Dr. Seuss is famous for his ridiculous and tongue-twisting rhymes and this book is no exception! There's a Wocket in My Pocket features an entire narration of clever and entertaining nonsense words! These words are an excellent tool for teaching phonemic awareness … have children practice making up words and sounds by replacing the first or last letter of a word (a technique is know as phonemic isolation and substitution) For instance, wocket=pocket, wasket=basket, woset=closet, nink=sink, or yottle=bottle. The possibilities are endless! A great read-aloud book, parents and children will have fun making up words and listening to the rhymes.

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Jamberry by Bruce Degen

Other books by this author: Hop on Pop, Foxs in Socks, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

What Rhymes with Eel? A word-picture flap book

Harriet Ziefert (1996), 16 pages

Illustrated by Rick Brown

Audience: babies, toddlers

Format: picture book

Children and parents will love this interactive picture book! By removing one letter in the word and replacing it –new words are formed. For instance, remove the “C” in Carrot and replace with “P” … what do you get? Parrot; a perfect tool to teach phonemic-isolation and segmentation plus the rhymes are easy to sound out, allowing children to hear the blending between the sounds.

Use this book in addition to ReadWriteThinks' Construct-A-Word game to boost phonemic awareness; for instance, participants can try finding all the "ig" or "an" words. Parents and educators can practice this technique on their own (just remember to speak slowly and elongate sounds) by asking kids what certain sounds words make, such as b/at (bat), l/ate (late), or s/and (sand), a great way to learn onset rhymes!

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Dear Zoo: A Lift the Flap Book by Rod Campbell

Other books by this author: Who said Moo? Lift the Flap Book and Where is My Friend? A Hide and Peek Book