Josephine's Favorite Books, 24-26 months (I know using months after 2 years old is annoying. So sue me.)

I'm trying to keep a few more promises I make myself lately, and one I made a while back was try to record some of Josephine's favorite books as she grows. Well, I only waited a few months this time, so here we go! In the first few months of Josephine's second year, these were some of the smash hits around here:

There's a Wocket in My Pocket!

Oh yes, "Pocket" (as Josephine calls it) is back, BIG TIME. I truly can't believe how into Suess she is, given they are way longer than the average book she likes, and her attention span with other activities can be 0.1 seconds. But seriously, Pocket is an excellent Suess choice, if you're in the market.

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?

A close second for favorite Suess is "Moo." In fact, yesterday at nap, she asked to take it to bed with her. I figured, good luck sister, the lights will be out and gave it to her. When she finally got quiet, I turned on the monitor to get a peek and see that she was sleeping safely and not wedged somewhere, and she was laying on her back, quietly "reading" in the dark. I ran to get my camera, but by the time I got it, she was fast asleep. I'll have to live with the mental image, I suppose.

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site

My mom found one of those "10 Books Your Toddler NEEDS" lists, and this was on it. This book was like CRACK for about a month. She needed it multiple times a night, every night, or all hell would break loose. She laughed, she smiled, she memorized the book, it was all well and good (except for the fact that I got pretty sick of it pretty quickly, and I was only reading it to her during the day -- Jeremy does the bedtime reading). She still loves it, but doesn't require 25 readings a day (thankfully). What can I say? She loves her some heavy machinery.

Gallop!: A Scanimation Picture Book

This is actually one in a series of books that I saw and loved in Barnes & Noble not long after Josie was born, and was also on the "GOTTA BUY THIS BOOK" list my mom found, so she bought her this when she bought her Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site. It is super super cool, as the images "move" across the pages. Very high tech and all. I always bring this one in the car, because I can throw it at her over my shoulder and she "reads" it herself, as opposed to other books that Mama must read (Yeah, that's a fun little fight in the car -- "Mama read it!" "I'm driving, honey; I'll read it when we get home." "MAMA READ IT!!!!!!" "MAMA'S DRIVING, PUNK!" -- just kidding. I just repeat myself through clenched teeth, that's all.)

Little Color Fairies

This was a birthday gift, and it's one of those lovely "something moves on every page" books. She is ALL ABOUT IT. She also calls one of the princesses "Mama," so I'm on board, too. You've gotta take every compliment you can get, am I right?

The Monster at the End of this Book

I am super geeked, in a super-nerdy way, that Josephine loves this book. This is one of the books that I have the most vivid memories of reading when I was wee. I loved all the yelling and laughing and page-turning involved. (If you're not familiar, Grover is begging the reader not to turn pages, and then when you do, he gets all mad. Hilarious.)

Another Monster at the End of This Book

Did you fans of the original know there was a new addition, this time with our little friend Elmo? (Of course, right? That monster's everywhere.) Well, there is, and this time Grover begs the reader not to turn the pages and Elmo tells them to go ahead and do it. Hilarity ensues.

And there you have it -- what Josephine is digging the most right now. If you have kids this age, what are they grooving on currently? I'd love to add to her collection if you have suggestions not on our shelves!

Josephine's Current Favorite Books (22 months)

Oh, how I wish I had had the foresight to do something like this every so often once Josephine became a book lover! I mentioned a few of her current favorites in the Holiday Giving Guide for the Wee Ones, but it was something I should have kept writing down. I am hoping to keep it up from here on out, because it has been so much fun to see which books stay in her "favorites" rotation and the new books that come out of nowhere and must be read ten bazillion times a day. It has been a lot of fun watching her choose her favorites, and I definitely want to remember them! So here we have what is hopefully the first installment in "Josephine's Current Favorite Books!":

Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton

Moo Baa La La La was one of the first books that Josephine "memorized," and she still loves to "read" it to us. Sometime if we're in the car and just say part of the book, she will go off on a big long recitation of all the animal noises in the rest of the book (in order!). She knows what's coming before we even turn the pages. Kills me. My favorite might be her rendition of the three singing pigs who say "La la la!" Love her little La Las.

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! by Mo Willems

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late is one of the books I was all excited about ordering for Christmas, and was CERTAIN she would love. And she does! This is another book she has memorized. It is a "bedtime only book" (we have a stack of books in our bedroom that are half all-time "bedtime only," like Goodnight Moon and half that I rotate in a out. Jeremy picks up a stack and lets her pick which to read that night. This is ALWAYS one of the choices!). My favorite parts of her recitation are when the pigeon shouts "I'M NOT TIRED!" and Josie throws back her head and shouts along, and when the pigeon starts yawning mid-sentence. Josie knows EXACTLY when the yawns are coming, and does a great yawn! There is also a page where the pigeon says, "I know, let's count the stars!" and Josie leans back her head and looks to the sky to count the stars. 

She also loves Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!and The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!
 She also has these memorized and will randomly shout one of the lines during the day and then we recite the rest of the book together. It's pretty much the greatest thing ever.

One Drowsy Dragon by Ethan Long

We got One Drowsy Dragon as a first birthday present from an Aunt and Uncle of Jeremy's, and I had never heard of it before we got it. The basic premise is one dragon really wants to sleep while the others are being noisy. Josie seems to like the voice I use for the Drowsy dragon, because I make him really disgruntled. She stares at the book until it's time for the Drowsy Dragon to shout something, then she whips her head around and looks at me and laughs. She has requested this book MULTIPLE times a night (also a "bedtime only" book) for the past few MONTHS.

There's a Wocket in My Pocket! by Dr. Suess

Oh, Dr. Suess. Jeremy loves to tell the story of how I begged him not to read her any Dr. Suess right before bed when she was younger because it got her "riled up." I only wanted him reading sing-songy books to soothe her, but now that she's older, I guess she can handle the zany bouncy rhythms of Suess right before lights out. :) I was shocked the first time she sat all the way through this book (it's LONG!) but she asks for encore performances most nights, and sits quietly listening. Amazing!

How Do I Love You? by Marion Dane Bauer

This is a sappy, rhyming book that I bought Josephine for this past Valentine's Day, and it has made its way into the "bedtime" pile because she was requesting it. She sits very quietly while we read this to her, and I have to admit that I can make it all the way through to the end, but the last page? I choke up every time and have a hard time getting out the last few words ("I love all that you will be and everything you are" SOB). 

But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton

The first time I read this book after buying it for Josephine, I was like, Huh. Kids like this? because it is simple and also a little mean (that poor hippopotamus gets left out of EVERYTHING!). The first time I read it to her, however, it was a HUGE hit. The last pages read "Yes! The hippopotamus! ... But not the armadillo" and we have a new left-out animal. For some reason, this is HILARIOUS to her. She loves to recite those two sentences, and her "not the armadillo voice is low and gravely and she shakes her head while saying it, and then she laughs and laughs and laughs. She does it out of nowhere, all the time. In the grocery store, in the bath, you name it; all of a sudden, the hippopotamus and armadillo will pop into her head, and it's all over.

Thanks for taking this very booky journey with me. There are lots more books Josephine loves, but these seem to be our can't-miss hits these days. I love how much she loves them. :)

2011 Holiday Giving Guide, Vol. II (For the Wee Ones)

Every mom knows that the easiest age to buy for is the age of your own child or .... oh, roughly two months younger. I scoured my memory for toys Josephine adored when she was little and gave you the heads-up on her current favorites. You're welcome. If you have a child under the age of two on your list this year, you are good to go!

These are listed roughly in age order, starting with the wee-est of wee ones. Here we go:

Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes

They have changed the design of this little ipod doo-daddy since we bought ours, and I happen to think ours is cuter, but the way this thing looks really has nothing to do with the magic it contains. This thing obviously plays music (which babies flip for), BUT that screen has little flashing lights that bounce around on the screen -- this will hypnotize ANY baby, guaranteed. I originally bought this as something to have for music on the go, but when I saw her eyes fix on those lights, I started taking this whenever we left the house. Whenever she would get fussy or overwhelmed, BAM! Hypnotized! I promise, this is magical.

Baby Einstein Count and Compose Piano

This is one of the first toys that "did stuff" that Josephine "got." When she figured out she could push buttons and they made noise because of HER ... mind freak. She loved the heck out of this thing. It has multiple modes, so it keeps doing new things all day.

Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Little Super Star Classical Stacker

We had a few stackers, but this was Josie's favorite. It makes all kinds of sounds and plays all kinds of music, and lights up like magic, and when you take that star off the top, there is a teeny-tiny button you can push to make music. When Josephine was able to push that button herself with the tip of a single tiny finger, she was SO proud of herself.

Playskool Busy Ball Popper

This thing is the absolute bee's knees. It took Josephine all of ten seconds to figure out how to press the button that makes it go, and once that crazy music started and balls started shooting in the air, she was in hog heaven. She got it for her first birthday and has played with it every single day since then. In fact, the batteries died today, and we only had THREE D batteries ... she cried. (Important note: requires FOUR D batteries). Comes in "boy" colors, too.

Bright Builders

We have these from when my mom was a Discovery Toys seller (I can't think of the real word for it now; it'll come to me), and Josephine loves these. She carries one of these around in her hand about 50% of the time. She doesn't know how to build things yet, but she loves them already.

Measure Up Cups

This is another Discovery Toy, and we have the "classic" version that looks a little different, but stacking cups are a MUST. She plays with these every single day, and she has finally moved past the phase where I have to stack them over and over and over while she knocks them down and laughs, and has begun to stack them herself (SQUEE!)

Little People. Back in my day they looked like this:

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Nowadays, they look a little different, but my GOD do they make kids happy. I have taken to taking a zebra, elephant, and polar bear with us whenever we leave the house. Pull one of those suckers out when she starts spazzing in line at a store, and she is happy as a clam. 

Some of the favorites around here include:

Little People Animal Sounds Zoo

Which is the old version of:

Fisher-Price Little People Zoo Talkers Animal Sounds Zoo

Fisher-Price Little People Noah's Ark

And I'm guessing she would adore this one:

Fisher Price Little People A to Z Learning Zoo Playset

Josephine is also ape over a farm set my mom scored at a mom-to-mom sale. It's not available anymore (that I know of), but it is very similar to this one:

Fisher-Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm

And, OF COURSE ... BOOKS!

Goodnight Moon

If you know of a child who does not have this book yet, BUY IT FOR THEM. They will love it, I swear. Also, if you kind of want to drive their parents crazy, this meets that need too, because I guarantee they will be reading this book over and over and over and OVER. AND OVER.

I Am a Bunny (A Golden Sturdy Book)

Josephine stares at these pictures as if in a trance. There are only like four words per page, which is great for those phases when they just want to turn pages, but she always stops the page-flipping when we pull out this classic.

Animal Babies Peek a Boo!

This is another book Josephine brings over and hands to us roughly SEVEN HUNDRED times a day. It can drive an adult a little mad, but she loses her mind every time she opens a flap and there is a baby animal behind it. She is now also VERY close to being able to say "Meow" and "Grrr" thanks to this book.

Touch the Art: Catch Picasso's Rooster

The touch-the-art series is fantastic. Pieces of art with "feels" on every page? BRILLIANT! Josephine has felt the heck out of the two that she owns (Catch Picasso's Rooster and Brush Mon Lisa's Hair).

There are a ton of other books in this series, too:

Touch the Art: Make Van Gogh's Bed

Touch the Art: Pop Warhol's Top

Touch the Art: Count Monet's Lilies

Touch the Art: Feed Matisse's Fish

Touch the Art: Brush Mona Lisa's Hair

Touch the Art: Tickle Tut's Toes

Touch the Art: Find King Henry's Treasure

And now I must stop because the post has become long AND looking things up on Amazon has led me to want to buy many many more things. Good luck with the holiday shopping for your littlest of rugrats!

UPDATE: I thought of a few other things, and I couldn't help myself but add more to this list. :)

Okay, any kid over the age of 6 months should probably have some sort of giant stuffed animal. Josephine is lucky enough to have a few, including a giant teddy like this one:



Melissa & Doug 24" Plush Big Henderson Bear

She also loves her Pillow Pet ...


My Pillow Pet Dolphin

... and her Squishable:


Squishable Octopus

That Squishable? It is LOVED. Check it:

Another favorite book is the Old MacDonald book

Old MacDonald Had A Farm by Salina Yoon

Josephine got this book from her Granny and Gramps (Jeremy's parents), and she has become more and more obsessed with it with every passing day. I seriously read/sing this book to her about twenty times a day, and she laughs and dances and just thinks it's the greatest thing. Those animals are tabs at the top of each page, and they are also fuzzy (bonus!). Definitely a favorite book.

Lullaby Gloworm Girl

How could I have forgotten the Gloworm the first time around? She liked it right away when she was little and still loves it to this day. Some toys seem to get outgrown quickly, this is one that still makes her smile, and seeing her hug and cuddle it? MELT.

Same thing with the soothing seahorse.


Ocean Wonders Soothe and Glow Seahorse

She loves hugging the thing!

We also have a few things we are giving Josephine for Christmas that I am REALLY excited about, and I wasn't going to post them, but then I thought to myself ... Josephine doesn't read your blog. Your secret is safe.

Melissa & Doug Wooden Shape Sorting Clock

Josephine saw this in a store a little while ago, and she about LOST HER MIND trying to break into the packaging and play with it, so I thought, sure. But in a few months. I'm so mean.

Pacific Play Tents Find Me Multi Color 6' Tunnel

My mom taught Nursery school (among other things), and had a huge, awesome tunnel at school that we got to take home over summer vacation (!) and it was the best. I can't wait for my little bean to play in this tunnel!

Little Tikes DiscoverSounds Camera

Josephine is OBSESSED with my camera, and I've been looking for one that will seem "real" enough, but every toy camera looks like a toy. HOWEVER, this one has a "viewfinder" and you can see all the way through, and it makes great sounds when you push the button. I think this one is going to do the trick!

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!

We also got Josephine some of Mo Willems' books, specifically three of his pigeon books. We have gotten them from the library and love them. We think these will be books she will love even more as she gets older, too.


Disney's Beauty And The Beast Belle Talking Tea Set

I know not EVERY little girl needs a tea set, and the old me would be saying "No! Too feminine!" but ... I love it! And I love Beauty and the Beast! And Josephine loves cups and dishes and pouring and pushing buttons. She's gonna love it.

I know Christmas isn't JUST about material things, and these guides kind of make it seem like that, but come on -- presents are a part of it, and I love to give ones that people will REALLY love and cherish, not just some random thing in the price bracket. Enjoy shopping for your loved ones, and I hope you get to see some excited faces opening presents this year!