School's out and we'd rather be outside. While that doesn't mean we've stopped reading, it does mean I don't want to spend a lot of time reviewing. Naturally, I feel guilty about that, so I'm going to experiment with giving you three quick hits on books (and music) that we've enjoyed over the years, rather than one long review.

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

My Many Colored Days
By Dr. Seuss
Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1996

A wonderful way to begin to approach the subject of emotions. By relating something toddlers don’t understand — their emotions — to something they can understand — colors — Dr. Seuss gives parents language they can use to talk with their very young children about how their sometimes out-of-control feelings can spill out into their days and what we can do about it. This book is a wonderful addition to any child’s first library, but is particularly useful for parents with children in preschool.

A Day, A Dog by Gabrielle Vincent

A Day, A Dog
By Gabrielle Vincent
Front Street, 1995

Heralded by the late Maurice Sendak as “an entirely unique work of art,” Gabrielle Vincent’s A Day, A Dog relates the tale of a rather tragic day in the life of an abandoned dog entirely through pencil sketches.  Although there are no words to create a barrier for the pre-reader, it’s probably best to reserve this one for older kids or enjoy it yourself. The pencil sketches are amazing.

You Can’t See a Dodo at the Zoo by Fred Erhlich

You Can’t See a Dodo at the Zoo
By Fred Erhlich
Blue Apple, 2011 (first published 2005)

The Five-Year-Old enjoyed this book more than I did. I was put off by the illustrations and Comic Sans-like font. But she didn’t mind those and focused on the content, soaking up everything Ehrlich would tell her about the various animals and why they are either endangered or extinct. And that’s something this book is really rather good at.

Cross-posted on Caterpickles.