I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean

I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean

by Kevin Sherry

The giant squid is big. Very big.

She's very proud of how big she is. She even thinks that she's the biggest thing in the ocean - bigger than shrimp, clams, and crabs. Even bigger than jellyfish, turtles, and octopodes.

But she's forgotten that everything has to eat and that even giant squid have predators. Along comes a sperm whale and gobbles her up. Now worries though, optimist that she is, the squid realizes that she's the biggest thing in the whale!

Kevin Sherry's delightfully playful I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean is a delightful read. The pictures are cute and they're even anatomically correct (no eyes on these clams). Packed with humor, this is a fantastic board book for your toddler (or your favorite marine biologist) to explore beautiful art and relative sizes.

I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean
by Kevin Sherry

The Little Dump Truck

The Little Dump Truck

by Margery Cuyler, illustrated by Bob Kolar

Does your little one obsess over trucks and construction equipment? Have I got a book for you!

Margery Cuyler's The Little Dump Truck recounts a day in the life of a dump truck and her driver, Hard Hat Pete. They drive through the city, visit a construction site (visiting bulldozers, excavators, forklifts, and lots of other trucks) and then dump their load, all with a good pace and a nice rhyming scheme. Bob Kolar's vibrant illustrations blend nicely with the text. From the sullen garbage truck to the blissful microbus, all of the vehicles (particularly the very determined looking limousine) have very expressive faces and unique personalities.

This is a fun book for the newborn through 4 year old crowd. I highly recommend this book for the aspiring construction worker in your life!

The Little Dump Truck, by Margery Cuyler, illustrated by Bob Kolar

Rah, Rah, Radishes!

Rah, Rah, Radishes! A Vegetable Chant

by April Pulley Sayre

Want to punch up a visit to the farmers' market or garden? This is a great book to help get your little one excited about discovering the joys of vegetables. With bright, intense colors and vibrant prose, this homage to healthy eating is a multi-sensory pleasure. Most times that we read it, Yuri nearly falls out of my lap with glee.

"Note: No vegetables were harmed or mistreated in the making of this book. Most, however, were later eaten."

Rah, Rah, Radishes! by April Pulley Sayre

I Know a Rhino

I Know a Rhino

by Charles Fuge

Have you ever taken a bath with a giraffe? Played doctor with a dragon? Brunched with a bear? Rocked out with an orangutan? The female lead in I Know a Rhino is a little girl with a big imagination. She brings her stuffed animal friends along in all of her imaginative adventures.

Charles Fuge's luscious illustrations in I Know a Rhino made this Yuri's favorite board book from infancy. The text flows nicely, with well-formed rhymes and a good pace. You will quickly be able to read this book with your eyes closed (which is quite handy with a cranky child who's up all night long).

As an added bonus, this is a great book to start working on scientific names of animals (if you're so inclined). A close reader might notice that the black rhino (Diceros bicornis) on the cover seems to become an Indian rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) on the final page.

I Know a Rhino by Charles Fuge