Five Books I Discovered at the Library, Then Bought for Myself (I mean for My Kids)

1. Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
When the people aren't paying attention the duck on this farm climbs on the bike he's had his eye on. He quickly gains confidence and starts showing off for all the other animals who tell you what they think about his antics. In the end, they all get their own turn on two wheels.

2. Cha Cha Chimps by Julia Durango and Eleanor Taylor
This book has irresistable rhythm and rhyme. Plus it's useful for teaching your children how to count down from 10 to 1, and perhaps more importantly you get the chance to explain the difference between the tango and the samba . My favorite part? The mom calls the babysitter and gets to go back to da club after the babies are all tucked in. Very lively for a bedtime story!

3. Truck Duck by Michael Rex
A board book that packs humor into two rhyming words per page. One word names the vehicle and the other names the driver. Great for those who love vehicles and unexpected animal drivers. It's a lot of fun to read it as a guessing game where I read the first word and my son guesses the second part. Now he's started "reading" the whole thing with the help of the picture clues.

4. Tough Chicks by Cece Meng and Melissa Suber
We've all had those moments where we are so proud of our children's unique qualities and strive to encourage them, but yet also find ourselves explaining and defending them to those with other expectations. This cute barnyard story goes deeper than you would expect as it illustrates mama hen's unconditional love for her chicks. At first the farmer and other animals are critical and wish the chicks were just like all the others, but by the end of the story they appreciate the chicks for who they are.

5. Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney
If you have been on a shopping trip from you-know-where, you'll crack up as little llama decides he's tired of shopping and decides to throw all the stuff Mama Llama has put in the cart on the floor. She handles it gracefully, an inspiration to us all (well, and a little bribery is involved)! I was a little worried my son might start pulling a similar stunt, but instead I've been able to refer to this book and use Dewdney's humor to get us through the errands.