Sounds of the Day! What Does Little Crocodile Say? by Eva Montanari

How does the first day of Daycare School go? It begins early....

THE ALARM CLOCK GOES RING! RING!

Daddy Crocodile's morning tickle-tickle earns a "Tee Hee" giggle. With a splash to wash up, it's time to zip-zip up Little Crocodile's pants! He's ready to go ... somewhere!

Their door closes behind with them with a solid...... WUMP!

THE CAR GOES VROOM, VROOM.

And when Dad parks the car, they go up, up, up, to a doorbell that goes...

DING-DONG!

Inside there is Mrs. Elephant, with a cheery good morning to Little Crocodile. And there are what seems like a lot of other little ones, saying lots of things, like "Tweet" and "Meow" and even "Arooo!" Mrs. Elephant takes Little Crocodile up in her arms.

"AND WHAT DOES LITTLE CROCODILE SAY? "WWWWAAAH!"

Wiping away a tear, Dad goes away for the day. Mrs. Elephant holds Little Croc on her lap while she begins to read... "Once Upon A Time." She continues to hold Little Crocodile while she shows him how the toy drum goes Tat-a-Tat and the triangle goes...

TING!

Interes-ting! Little Crocodile joins the band parading all around the playroom, blowing his horn at the end of the line. Soon it is time for (YUM YUM) lunch! And after that, how does naptime go?

ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ zzz zzz zzz!

Time goes fast, and just as Little Crocodile is chasing down a big soapy bubble to pop, there's a sound at the door.

THE DOOR GOES KNOCK KNOCK!

And how does Little Crocodile's first day at daycare go?

It goes great! It ends with the sound of many big kisses for Daddy Crocodile, in Eva Montanari's What Does Little Crocodile Say? (Tundra Books, 2021). As in her first Little Crocodile story, What Does Little Crocodile Say At the Park? author-illustrator Montanari tells the story of a first day away at preschool with the sounds of that big day. Montaneri's charming faux naif illustrations, done in slightly scribbly colored-pencil drawings evoke the mood of this story that ends with an upbeat last sound, "See you tomorrow!" A fine book for reading aloud to youngsters about to leave babysitting behind for the first day of of nursery school, one with several short sight-words good for beginning readers.

Preschool Picture Dictionary! First 100 Christmas Words by Roger Priddy

HOLLY, IVY, WREATH, CANDLE, GARLANDS

"The holly and the ivy, when both are now full-grown!" The first signs of the coming of Christmas are all those things used to "deck the halls," the special greenery of the season, in Roger Priddy's little stocking-stuffer board book dictionary of Christmas time, First 100 Christmas Words (St. Martin's Press, 2018)

Up goes the tree, with lights and ornaments, and stars or angels on top.

And with that done, it is time for letters to Santa and wrapping paper for the gifts. Where's that tape when you need it? It's right there, too.

There's a feast to plan for. Will it be ham or turkey? There are candy canes, chocolate coins, and cakes and cookies with the scent of ginger and cinnamon. Maybe there's even some snow and sleds!

At last it is time for Santa to come down the chimney! Finally it's the night before Christmas. Hang the stockings by the fireplace and then it's on with the pajamas and off to bed for that long winter's nap.

And when dawn breaks on Christmas Day, there are the TOYS--trains, trucks, tricycles, Teddy bears, toy drums, dolls, and presents to open, and maybe this little picture dictionary for toddlers to learn the words of the season. Organized in order of the activities of the holiday season, little ones can learn the vocabulary of Christmas as it happens, and even the youngest can point to the pictures as each word is said. This is a great little board book to have on hand for the whole holiday time.

He's SO Unique! That's Not My Unicorn....Its Mane is Too Fluffy! by Fiona Watt.

THAT'S NOT MY UNICORN!

HIS MANE IS TOO FLUFFY!

For a mythical mystery tour, a kid must have a unicorn, ye old horne'd steed of the magical creed.

But the discriminating tot has to find just the right sort of wondrous ride. Just any old unicorn will not do!

As the title specifies, its mane can't be too fluffy.

Its ears cannot be TOO soft, either. On the other hand, its hooves best not be that bumpy, either. And then the wings aren't feathery enough, either.

In Fiona Watt's latest in the Touchy-Feely series, That's Not My Unicorn... (Usborne, 2017), illustrated in simple black line drawings by Rachel Wells, the best mythical beast simply must have a horn that sparkles!

But the young reader does not have to be forlorn! Just look! There's MY unicorn! The best fantasy mount has a sparkly horn! Usborne's touchable and tactile series of tiny but virtually indestructable board books offers lots of feely finger fun for the very youngest unicorn fancier.

For more fantastical feely experiences, share this one with That's Not My Dragon...(Usborne Touchy-Feely Books).

Babylove! I Love You, Baby by Giles Andreae

GUESS WHAT I'VE GOT?

A BRAND-NEW BABY TO LOVE!

And Baby makes FOUR in this family, as a toddler big brother welcomes the new baby!

This older sibling feels lucky to have a baby. He's round and dimply, with chubby cheeks and a cute little nose, and the tousled-haired new big brother can't wait for him to learn to say "Hello" and to learn to play with him.

Meanwhile, Big Brother goes along with Dad to the pool, where he shows the baby how to kick and splash in the pool. And when Baby is tired and bedtime comes, his big brother gets to say goodnight as the little one goes off to sleep first.

Although Mom's lap is now a bit crowded with her two boys, there's a lot to love, in Giles Andreae's I Love You, Baby(Hyperion, 2015 American ed.), welcoming the entry of the newest member of the family. Illustrated by notable artist Emma Dodd, this celebration of new babies is a fine gift for Valentine's Day (or any time) for big brothers with a new baby in the house. As Publishers Weekly says, "a baby lovefest from start to finish!"

Other books in Andreae's and Dodd's series are I Love My Mommy, and I Love My Daddy (Board Book).

Off to School: Mouse's First Day of School by Lauren Thompson

ONE BRIGHT MORNING MOUSE FOUND A HIDING PLACE...

THAT TOOK HIM TO A BRAND-NEW PLACE!

Unbeknownst to him, Mouse stows away in a school backpack, and soon he finds himself whisked away to a preschool classroom filled with delights for an adventurous mouse.

Mouse first finds blocks--blocks that count: One, Two, Three Four!, and books that spell with the A B Cs. There is a mouse-sized toy car that goes VRRIM, VRUM, VROOM! when he climbs into the driver's seat, and paints--RED, BLUE, AND YELLOW--just waiting for artwork. Even the snacks have their own appeal:

SSIP, SSLURP, CRUNCH!

SNACKS!

There are BLINKY, CUDDLY, CURLY dolls in the play corner and FEATHERY, FLOPPY, BOPPY hats in the dress-up center, and CLANG, BANG, STIR pots in the cooking center. Mouse tries out all the centers before it is time for everyone to gather together in a friendly circle--wiggly, giggly friends to make and remember when the day is done!

Lauren Thompson's top-selling Mouse's First Day of School (Little Simon) is now newly available in a handsome and sturdy board book edition for those little ones just getting ready for their first day at preschool or day care. Mouse makes a merry model as he explores the pleasures of the classroom, complete with plants and puzzles, toys and various types of hands-on learning opportunities, and, as in all the Mouse books, artist Buket Ertogan adds his bright acrylic illustrations to delight the eye of the youngest budding scholar. A great ice-breaker which gives the very young child a chance to become familiar with the preschool classroom and draws out questions about what the world of preschool will be all about.

Too-Too (II): Too Pickley! by Jean Reidy

TOO WRINKLY!

TOO SQUISHY!

TOO FRUITY!

TOO FISHY!

It's always good news when a picky toddler declares he's hungry, but that joy soon turns to consternation as this freckly little redhead turns up his persnickety little snub nose at a variety of foods--wrinkly raisins, squishy tomatoes, fruity fresh fruits, and an undeniably fishy whole fish, eyeballs, scales, and all.

Nothing pleases this little food critic, from the sublime (spicy pizza) to the ridiculous (slimy snails). Soda pop is too "burpy," carrots are too "crunchy," and on and on through a progressively absurd selection--freezy peas in a block right out of the freezer, and stringy spaghetti which wraps up the tot like a mummy. A bowl of eyeball and octopus soup is, predictably, "PEE-YOOEY!"

Will this kid NEVER eat again?

Jean Reidy, in her latest tantrumy-tot tale, Too Pickley! (Bloomsbury, 2010) finally breaks the tension with a final page in which we see the youngster with a big smile and a cleaned plate, proclaiming at last:

"SO YUMMY!"

As in her companion piece featuring a fashion-conscious little girl, Too Purpley! (Bloomsbury, 2010), (reviewed here) Reidy reinforces the common wisdom that dealing with this irritating but inevitable self-assertive stage of preschool development is best met with a sense of humor. Again illustrator Genevieve Leloup's deft use of super-saturated watercolors and backgrounds backup Reidy's bouncy rhyming text to make feeling finicky about as much fun as it's ever gonna be.