More Great Books for Toddlers

There are few preschool teachers who are blessed with a center that keeps them waist deep in books. I happen to be lucky enough to be one of those few. The only problem with all of these books is that I have three year old students who only want to hear the same stories over and over again. Or so I thought.

I recently was gifted with a new group of students. My old standbys were simply not working and I found myself floundering, desperately trying to gather their attentions for just ten minutes of Circle Time. These children had heard my voice carry across the hallway saying "...and the bear snores on..." one too many times. What was I to do? Thank the Literary Gods for their reinforcements! When digging into my book shelve's bottom cubby I came across a few new magical titles.

I am one of those people who just cannot keep a good thing to myself. I love to share. So, that being said, my magical formula is as follows:

One copy of "Unloveable" by Dan Yaccarino. Published by Scholastic Books and copyright 2001.
Unloveable is the story of one little pug puppy who, no thanks to his housemates and the neighborhood dogs, has very low self esteem. He thinks he is too small and too ugly to ever be loved. When a new family moves in with a new dog that wants to be friends with the puppy, the puppy lies about himself. Your toddles will learn a valuable lesson as they find out what happens when the neighbor's puppy crawls under the fence!

One copy of "Olivia" by Ian Falconer. Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers and copyright 2000.
Olivia is a very adorable, very precocious pig. In fact she reminds me very much of my three year olds! The story goes through Olivia's typical day, including her getting into big trouble. When the books closes as Olivia's mother tells her how much she loves her, inspite of her mischeif making, it reminds toddlers that they too, are very much loved.