It’s been an interesting week around here. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and found out I have strep throat. I was pretty miserable Wednesday and then even worse on Thursday. I’m hoping that the medicine will finally start to clear up my throat and that I’ll have a fun weekend.
Today is Arbor Day. If you have a minute, please send a virtual tree through Hanes’ Facebook Page and they’ll plant a real tree for you! A simple way you can help make a big difference.
This week’s theme is books to sing. When we first started reading books with Sammi, the only ones she liked at all were books that had tunes. It was a great introduction to books for her and we had a blast singing.
Hush Little Baby by Brian Pinkney
I grew up to the song Hush Little Baby. My mom sang it to me every night and it’s always been one of my favorites. Brent and I have a hard time singing this together though because I always sing it “Mommy’s gonna buy you…” and he feels funny doing that. So when I found this version of Hush Little Baby in book form I fell in love. It’s all about a day when Mom goes on errands and Daddy is with the brother and baby sister. It’s so cute how the dad tries to make her laugh and forget that Mommy just left. Plus it was one that Brent loved reading/singing with Sammi.
Down by the Bay by Raffi
We have loved our Down by the Bay book to pieces. I really struggled with the tune at first because it was unfamiliar to me. Fortunately it has the music at the end of the book and I was able to plunk it out on the piano till I got the hang of it. The illustrations are great for this crazy song about moose kissing a goose, a whale with a polka-dotted tail and more. I liked this one because it broadened my horizons and taught me a song I should probably have known, but didn’t.
Ten Little Fingers by Annie Kubler
I’d recommend any of the song books illustrated by Annie Kubler and published by Child’s Play. They are so adorable and really bring the song to life. We received Ten Little Fingers as a gift when we were expecting Sammi. This was another one where the tune was unfamiliar to me and I had to practice a lot to get it down. But the actions are great and it’s so much fun to see little ones go from passively listening to the song/book to actively doing the actions and trying to sing the song.
Have books to share? Want to find more book recommendations? Check out Feed Me Books Friday hosted by The Adventure of Motherhood.
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Oh, these all look good, but particularly “Hush Little Baby”. I’ll have to see if our library has that. Thanks for the recommendations!
This week is your specialty. I remember that too-I used to sing books more when B was young so she would sit longer. The tune was diff. every time but it did help. Thanks for reminding me of that.
Hope you are feeling better soon! Thanks for posting even when you are sick.
I love these, Thanks for the recommendations! Singing books are my daughter’s favorite
Strep throat and singing books – what a combo! We’ll have to look into “Down By the Bay” – I’m not that familiar with the song, either, but the children love his “If I had a Dinosaur”.
We have a Raffi CD but have never tried the books. Thanks for the suggestions.
Hush Little Baby looks beautiful. Thanks for the recommendation!
I loved Raffi’s “Down By the Bay” when I was little. My parents bought me a Raffi cassette and we played that song over and over!
PS, yes it is the book by McKinley. I haven’t read any of her others but I love beauty!
Hush Little Baby looks very cute! My girls love the original song. I’m definitely going to look for this version!
We also love Hush Little Baby by Sylvia Long. She also didn’t like the concept of Mama’s going to buy things to quiet baby!
I hope you’re feeling better! Thanks for the suggestions! It’s nice when my kids think I sing well, when I know otherwise! My husband is always making up verses to Hush Little Baby, it keeps the kids amused! We’re going to have to look up that book!
Thanks for sharing these books! Singing books are so much fun to read w/ the kids!
We love Ten Little Fingers by Annie Kubler. I haven’t listened to much Raffi, but it looks like we should really check him out. Thanks!
Oh wow – I remember “Down By the Bay” from when I was in elementary school. It definitely deserves to be a classic! I’d like to check out Ten Little Fingers – my toddler is really into books and actions (finally!)
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