Waiting for the Little Someone who will fill these shoes...

Today was a cozy day:  my French Press wore a cozy this morning and my feet got to wear slippers!  Nice to finally have some fall weather!

I spent the morning digging through, washing, and sorting old treasures that had been stashed away in plastic storage bins out in our garage...

Hard to believe my oldest son wore these little guys 27 years ago;

now they're all washed and ready for our little Peter Ensley, whose due date is tomorrow!

In between loads of laundry and after breakfast,

I cooked, (freezing for later)

and cleaned,

hoping my daughter was resting - and almost done nesting!  (We'll see, since after eight weeks on bed rest she is now up and around, but Baby Peter is taking his sweet time coming!)

These board books (each with a finger puppet) by Sara Gillingham and Lorena Siminovich are just adorable! (baby - 3 years old) Layered die-cut pages allow a peek at all the colorful things that make up each animal's home, and an adorable folk-art style finger puppet make these books perfect for baby/toddler reading and playtime fun.

WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT DENISE FLEMING'S BOOKS? EVERYTHING!

Your toddler will love the bright artwork of Denise Fleming, and you will too! Her THE EVERYTHING BOOK (ages 1-3) covers just what is says...


The book starts with a rooster crowing, 

"Cock-a-doodle-do!  Hello!  Good day! Good morning to you!" 

and ends with a mother hen and her chicks, 

"Five little chicks without a peep close their eyes and go to sleep.  Good night".  

What's in between?  Mealtime, colors, shapes, ABC's, 123's, traffic lights, seasons, pets, faces, nursery rhymes, fingerplays, and more! (even ladybugs to count on each page)

ABOUT DENISE'S AMAZING AND UNIQUE ARTWORK (in her own words):
Over the years, my work changed, then changed again. I now work primarily in paper—creating images by pouring colored paper pulp through hand-cut stencils. I feel that my art has come full circle from the bold, colorful paintings of childhood, through a period of tight, detailed images, and back again to bold, colorful, more childlike images.
Papermaking for me is cathartic. Part of its appeal is that it’s very physical—toting buckets of water, beating large quantities of pulp, hand-mixing huge vats of color. It’s different from the Bob Cratchit-like existence that my former finely detailed style required—hunched over my drawing board with electric pencil sharpener close at hand. What other medium requires that you be up to your elbows in brilliant color? It’s wet, messy, and wonderful – I haven’t picked up a brush or a colored pencil since I discovered papermaking.

Want to see more books by this prolific author/illustrator?  CLICK HERE to view her webpage booklist.

HUGS FOR DADS!

There are lots of ways that parents nurture and hug their offspring -- not just with arms! But no matter how the embrace is made, one thing remains the same: all hugs are given with love.  Told in sweet rhyme with soft pictures: hugs with noses (elephants) and hugs in red roses (ladybugs) show that from the largest animals to the small bug, hugs are important to all! This sturdy board book (best for toddlers) shows how all sorts of animals express affection for one another. I love this little book for Father's Day, because even though it's about all kinds creatures, the last page shows a Dad hugging his child. (Written by Lorie Ann Grove and illustrated by Rebecca Malone)

If you'd like to read my post about Father's Day choices for older readers and Dads-who-love-baseball, CLICK HERE.   Last year I posted "Celebrating Dads", with a variety of picture books for kids up to age 8.  Another great Father's Day book is THE FATHERS ARE COMING HOME, from my recent post about Margaret Wise Brown.

The board book choices listed below are more great stories for First-Time Dads or any Dads with children, ages baby-4 years old:


DADDY HUGS

DADDY KISSES

DADDY CUDDLES