Reading Our Library- Karen Baicker

One of Karen Baicker's books appeared on a booklist for children 0-12 months old. We picked up the book, as well as another series of Baicker's. Here's what we thought:

Tumble Me Tumbily

We picked up this book from a recommendation on a booklist for children ages 0-12. It's a book in three parts showing different times of a toddler's day- playtime, mealtime, and nighttime. Illustrator Sm Williams' playful illustrations show bouncing toddlers, bears and bunnies rollicking through the pages until at the end of the book a mother is shown rocking her toddler to sleep. Baicker's text is equally playful, and is written from  toddler's perspective. I found the text slightly annoying but I can see how it holds its appeal to toddlers. Jonathan enjoyed the book, but it wasn't a frequent request. (Note: You can also purchase this book in the form of three board books, which I would recommend. The segment divisions in the story don't flow as smoothly but the board books could be pulled out and read at the appropriate point during the day. See Snuggle Me Snuggly!, Yum Tummy Tickly!, and Wake-ity Wake! )

PeaPod Babies 

This is Baicker's second collaboration with Sam Williams. In this book, three babies are born inside a little peapod. They're seen as perfect little peas in a pod, but the babies each have their own unique personality. They dislike being regarded as a "set" and escape and have their own unique adventures. The three adventures happen simultaneously and highlight each baby's personality. The text is sing-songy and similar to that of the previous book and William's illustrations are equally whimsical and fun. The verse didn't flow well for me as a read-aloud, and therefore the book wasn't as enjoyable to Jonathan. Twins or Triplets might better appreciate this book. 

I Can Do it Too! 

Toddlers are notorious for insisting that they can do things by themselves, and this story affirms their desire to be independent. An African-American girl narrates the story, sharing things that different family members can do and then asserts that "I can do it too!" Ken Wilson-Max's bold illustrations show the warmth of the girl's family as well as the girl's imperfect attempts to copy the actions of her older family members. It's a charming book that Jonathan really enjoyed. 

You Can Do it Too!

In this follow-up to I Can Do it Too! the same little girl is trying to teach her little brother the skills she has learned. There's obviously a warm relationship between the siblings and I think, as a big brother, Jonathan could relate to this story. It was another book he requested that I read "again!" 

I'm linking this post to:

Read Aloud Thursday @ Hope is the Word

Feed Me Books Friday @ Little Sprout Books

What My Child is Reading @ Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns