Looking for storytelling books to entertain your favorite toddler or kindergartner? Then check out these read aloud books by Caldecott winner Mo Willems and baby book author Carol Casey that show kids how much fun reading can be.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
A constant hit with kids (as well as grownups), Mo Willems’ Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is one of those rare read aloud books that effortlessly pulls audiences into its hilarious interactive text.
When the bus driver has to leave his bus for a little while, he breaks the fourth wall by telling the readers, “Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus!” Immediately after he leaves, readers are confronted by a mischievous pigeon who politely asks if he can drive the bus – letting readers tell him, “No!”
“I’ll be your best friend!” Pigeon promises readers – although when flattery doesn’t work, he quickly tries bribery (“How ‘bout I give you five bucks?”), sulking (“No fair!”), and guilt trips (“I have dreams, you know!”) – before going totally nuts in a memorable double-page temper tantrum. And while Pigeon never reaches his quixotic dream, the last page shows him gaining a new and even more hilarious goal.
Cartoonist Mo Willems won the Caldecott Award for Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, which quickly started a whole line of “Pigeon” books, including The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!, and The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! Teachers have used the picture books, which are presented in comic book frames, to introduce young kids to the graphic novel medium, while their hilarious style has encouraged reluctant readers to pick up books on their own.
Simple, fun, and unfailingly entertaining, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is one read aloud book storytellers, teachers, and librarians will always want to keep on hand.
Dear Baby, Let’s Dance!
Author Carol Casey returns with a new “Dear Baby” book, this time focusing on the kids dances cute toddler Baby learns from her family. Through rhyming text, Baby enjoys an active day practicing ballet, waltzes, and the tango with her parents, grandparents and aunt. Soon, her sister, uncles, and even the family dog join in the fun, teaching Baby their own hip hop, rock-n-roll, and touch down moves.
Unlike the first “Dear Baby” compact baby board book, Dear Baby, Let’s Dance! is a larger picture book with full-spread illustrations that showcase Jason Oransky’s adorable artwork. Casey also gets more ambitious with her rhyming schemes, moving from the rhyming couplets of Dear Baby, What I Love About You! to ABAB rhyming stanzas.
Overall these are positive changes (although not all of the rhymes roll off the tongue easily) and make this read aloud book easier to share with young children. Storytellers can also use the child picture book to segue into toddlers’ activities that let kids try out the book’s kids’ dances for themselves.
Fans of the book should keep their eyes open for Casey’s upcoming book, Dear Baby, It’s a Colorful World, due May 2010, which teaches kids about different colors.
Find more great kindergarten and preschool books at Storytelling Books for Kids with Bears and Dinosaur Picture Books for Kids.
Casey, Carol. Dear Baby, Let’s Dance! Hong Kong: DearBaby Books, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-9820972-1-2
Willems, Mo. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! New York: Hyperion Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0786819881
Michael Jung - Michael Jung is a professional writer, children’s literature specialist, and online book dealer whose articles, reviews, interviews, ...
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