books for the kidlet

Caps for Sale by . A peddler of caps gets a surprise when he takes a nap under a tree full of mischievous monkeys. This seems like it might be a folk tale. It was one of my husband's favorites as a child, and now the Kidlet loves it too. He likes the monkey noises, the ability to act out shaking his finger or stomping his feet, and shouting at the naughty monkeys (no surprise; he also likes telling the pigeon to go to bed). It's a good length for a two year old and not too onerous to re-read a lot. Recommended.

The Pout-Pout Fish written by Deborah Diesen and illustrated by Dan Hanna. First in a series. Pout-Pout fish thinks he's destined to be gloomy until an encounter with another fish makes him realize he's really a "Kiss-Kiss" fish. Lots of kids books are written in rhyme (thanks Dr. Seuss!). Lots of them suck at this, because they force rhymes and don't maintain a consistent rhythm. The Pout-Pout Fish does really well with both issues. I also like that it's fairly evenly split on gender for characters, and that he kisses all the animals (not just the girls). Cute book that provides a good excuse to kiss your toddler a lot. Could be used to help teach moods. Toddler and parent approved.