Grateful Hearts: A Children’s Book about Gratitude, Feelings and Emotions, and Animals

Written and illustrated by Emily Hartmann

This is an adorable picture book filled with soft and beautiful illustrations of animals. It is appropriate for babies and toddlers. Each page spread features an animal family sharing their thanks and wonder for another day. There are only two lines of simple rhyming text.

A charming book to share and celebrate family love with babies and toddlers.

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Shep Dreams Of Home: A Bedtime Story

Written and Illustrated by Jason Matthews

Shep begins his life as an overzealous pup. He has a large head and teeth. Shep is clumsy and frequently finds himself in trouble. Soon his owners reject him and he finds himself homeless until one day he encounters a lonely man. Can these two find friendship and a happy home? Will Shep grow up to find acceptance and his place in the world?

This is a short book that is appropriate as a bedtime story. It appeals to children who enjoy animals and stories about family pets, friendship, and individual differences.

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Wherever You Wander

Written by Peggy Kan Hai

Hai uses poetry combined with the beauty of nature to convey a message of unconditional love. This book allows a parent or grandparent to give young children an outlet from a stress-filled world.

The digital images of animals and natural scenes portray a vision of calm and beauty. Hai manages to reduce the rhymes to no more than two lines, which perfectly convey meaning.

This book should be read aloud before bedtime as a perfect way to prepare for a restful sleep. I would especially recommend it for children in the four-to-seven age range.

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Becky and Bo

Written and Illustrated by Angela Greensill

Becky laughs when her teacher, Mrs. James, wears an octopus hat to class. Then she asks the class what they would like to be and why.

As each student takes a turn, they give answers like a kangaroo, cheetah, monkey, and alien. Becky begins to think that her answer (Becky’s pet dog) is too ordinary, and she is embarrassed.

Becky is in for a surprise when she finally gets her chance to contribute to the class discussion.

I love the claymation illustrations. They are huge in size, brilliant in color, and appear to pop off the page.

I heartily recommend the book for parents of children ages three through seven.

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Mrs. Wiggles and the Numbers Patterns: Discover Patterns for Ages 3-6 

Written and illustrated by Lisa Konkol

Patterns and numbers are everywhere! Teacher, Mrs. Wiggles, summons her pupils to the schoolyard to play an I Spy Game. They will be searching for patterns among flowers, farms, animals, ponds, and gardens. Poor number zero is confused, but soon catches up with the other numbers.

At the end of the book, children find a number chart including numbers one through zero, and a useful tool to help them count by tens. The rhymes are crisp and sharp, enticing children to learn while not even realizing they are doing work.

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Teachers should add this resource to preschool and kindergarten libraries.

The Legend of the Sleep-Eating Elephant (Global Beekeeping Tales)

Written by Nocola Williams

Written by Henry Ezeokeke 

A charming legend from Kenya relates the tale of an elephant who cooperates with the humans and animals of his village by watering the crops.

One day, a cabbage is missing from the fields. On subsequent days, more crops are missing. Elephant becomes distressed as do the other animals and humans of the village. The members of the beehive community invent a clever solution.

Readers discover the problem and the innovative solution after reading this book. They also learn facts about elephants, honeybees, the environment, and conservation.

A good choice for the classroom or home bookshelf for children who enjoy learning about animals, problem-solving, and conservation.

Recommended for ages six through twelve.

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Jazzy and Kettle

Written by Rick Quinn

Illustrated by Sefira Lightstone

A charming picture book that focuses on two children who accidentally meet. They are both new to the neighborhood. Although a bit apprehensive about their new surroundings, the girl and boy named Jazzy and Kettle decide to leave the confines of the yard and explore the area behind them.

They discover animals, plants, and springtime. Jazzy is braver and she gets herself in a bit of trouble. That leads to Kettle using his problem-solving skills and acting beyond his comfort zone. This multicultural book is appropriate for children ages three and older. It will be useful for children who have recently moved or who may be hesitant about making new friendships.

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My Trains Coloring Book For Kids 2+45 Cute Coloring Pages

Written by BipBapBop

If you know a child who loves train and enjoys coloring, this is the book for you. It contains 45 drawings of train scenes. In addition to containing trains, the illustrations include animals, different seasons, and holidays. Some of the scenes are simple drawings and others a bit more complex.

While the book is targeted for ages two and up, I believe it is most appropriate for ages five through eight. A good choice for developing fine motor skills and visual discrimination skills.

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Thankful Day In Animalsville: Thanksgiving Story About Being Thankful And Showing Kindness to Others By Serving The Community

Written by  Virtuous Nyamesem Cornwall

This book is a beautiful and effective way to explain the meaning of giving thanks and putting the message into action. It is particularly effective for young children.

Using animals as the main characters, the author explains that the town has decided to express gratitude on Thanksgiving Day by doing kind things for others. Thinking as a community, each family decides on a way to help someone outside their own family. Then the families of Animalsville present the action steps. Examples include visiting a food pantry, cleaning up trash, visiting a nursing home, assisting the homeless, and cleaning house for the elderly.

At the end of the book, young readers receive a list of suggestions to practice their own action steps of gratitude in their own communities.

Highly recommended for parents and teachers of children from ages five and older to teach the values kindness, respect, gratitude, and civics.

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Animals Color by Number: For Kids Ages 4 – 8

Created by Zara Brown

This book features all sorts of animals to color. Some drawings are simple, requiring two colors. The most complicated drawings involve six colors.

The book can be enjoyed by a wide variety of ages and could be shared as a family activity.