I make good use of the local library. I particularly appreciate the search-and-hold feature. Sometimes we take the boys in to browse in person, but it's hard to discover the real gems on the shelf when you have about two minutes to scan titles while keeping your toddler from pulling ten DVDs off the opposite shelf and your preschooler is most interested in the hand stamps doled out by the librarian at checkout.
So when Christmas and New Year's were over and I finally returned the stack of holiday books we had had for a month, I was at a loss as to what to search for next. It had been months since I had thought to request anything that didn't include the current seasonal celebration in the title.
And then I came upon this:
How have I not discovered this darling tale of a tail before? It's adorable. Featuring no words other than that of "hug" on each page, it follows a lost little monkey, Bobo, who comes across other animals in the jungle having a hug with each other and embarks on his quest to find and receive a hug of his own.
My 19-month-old took to it immediately. He can "read" it almost all by himself. He says "sad" when Bobo's face falls, and "cry" when he begins to do just that. He leans down and tries to give Bobo a hug himself. He recognizes and can say the names of most of the animals: the el-phants, snakes, hippos, giraffes, and "lie-lies" (lions) all having a hug. And then, at the end, comes the best part of all: "Mommy!" "Hug!" "Happy!"
My 19-month-old took to it immediately. He can "read" it almost all by himself. He says "sad" when Bobo's face falls, and "cry" when he begins to do just that. He leans down and tries to give Bobo a hug himself. He recognizes and can say the names of most of the animals: the el-phants, snakes, hippos, giraffes, and "lie-lies" (lions) all having a hug. And then, at the end, comes the best part of all: "Mommy!" "Hug!" "Happy!"
The discovery of Hug then lead to the discovery of the other Bobo books in the series:
I like series.
Tall is much appreciated by my oldest son, whose most favorite animal in the whole wide world is and always has been the giraffe. Bobo is small, but Giraffe is tall, so Bobo climbs on board ... but then takes a tumble from the top, lands in Mommy's arms, and is happy to be small again.
And Yes is a sweet bath-and-bedtime book. One can never have too many of those. Bobo says yes "Yes!" to baths, but "No, no, no!" to bedtime. At the end, Little Brother says, "Shh, sleeping," when Bobo has finally worn himself out and is at last asleep in Mommy's arms, recognizing that it's now his turn to follow suit.
Tall is much appreciated by my oldest son, whose most favorite animal in the whole wide world is and always has been the giraffe. Bobo is small, but Giraffe is tall, so Bobo climbs on board ... but then takes a tumble from the top, lands in Mommy's arms, and is happy to be small again.
And Yes is a sweet bath-and-bedtime book. One can never have too many of those. Bobo says yes "Yes!" to baths, but "No, no, no!" to bedtime. At the end, Little Brother says, "Shh, sleeping," when Bobo has finally worn himself out and is at last asleep in Mommy's arms, recognizing that it's now his turn to follow suit.
Oooh, we are not familiar with these books, but I am going to see if our library has them! Thanks for the recommendation.
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