Otoshi, Kathryn (2008)  One.  (PreS-K)

"Red is hot, and Blue is not."  Blue is quiet and gentle, even when taunted by a bully.  But Red's meanness leaves Blue feeling blue.  Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple try to tell Blue that blue is cool ... but no one stands up for Blue when Red is around.  Red bullies and sneers and makes the other colors feel small and unimportant.  No one wants to go against Red.  Not until One shows up.  With One's help, all the colors start to stand up for themselves and for each other--and they learn that everybody counts.

The simple shapes and lines of this book introduce both colors and numbers as characters--maybe even as friends.  The delicate watercolor textures lend themselves to close, quiet readings between a parent and child, but the simplicity and scale of the illustrations would also work well for smaller group read-alouds.

Silly Picture Books

In Alethea Kontis’ Alpha Oops! The Day Z Went First, the alphabet is interrupted by the letter ‘Z’ and Zebra who are tired of going last. ‘Z’ gets his way and begins the alphabet, but he doesn’t get very far when ‘P’ interrupts him! Soon the middle letters want a change too and the alphabet is completely out of order with ‘D’ following ‘R’ and ‘B’ after ‘G’! Children who know their ABCs will find this book extremely funny.



Children will love Victoria Kann’s Pinkalicious in which a young girl has one too many pink cupcakes and becomes pink herself! At first she enjoys being pink, but when she turns red after eating sneaking one more cupcake she decides to take the doctor’s advice and eat her vegetables. This is a silly and imaginative lesson in what might happen if you over indulge in sweets.

Another silly book is David Shannon’s A Bad Case of Stripes in which Camilla Cream who worries about what others think of her begins to turn different colors until an older woman helps her discover her true colors.

In Alan Durant’s Burger Boy, Benny only eats hamburgers and when his mother warns him that he will turn into a burger if he does not eat his vegetables, the prediction comes true! It is then up to his mother to turn Benny back into a regular boy by feeding him vegetables. A perfect and very funny book for picky eaters!

Books from Baby Book Time

Fleming, Denise. Lunch. Join the mouse on his colorful eating adventure. Kids will enjoy the vivid pictures and story about a very hungry mouse.

Hubbell, Patricia. Pots and Pans. Baby explores the kitchen cupboards, pulling out pots and pans and other noisy things.

Offen, Hilda. As Quiet as a Mouse. Rhyming text describes animals making different noises, such as clapping, laughing, and snoring.

Tafuri, Nancy. Have You Seen My Duckling? A mother duck and her seven ducklings swim around the pond looking for the eighth duckling. Can you find the little duckling on each page?