What are your child's favorite sandra boynton (and other) books?

[brittone2]

Hi everyone!
I post a lot on these boards, but not this one specifically very often (I'm due w/ our first, a baby boy, in February).

I know I've seen a LOT of recommendations for Sandra Boynton books on here. DH and I are huge readers and want to share our love of books w/ our little one. In the meantime, we'd like to start amassing a nice collection of books.

I'm curious if your kids have favorites out of the Boynton books? I haven't looked at any IRL yet but was just checking them out at Amazon.

We'd like to start a nighttime ritual of a story at bedtime very early on. What book(s) did you start w/ for your very young baby? I would imagine anything with rhythmic words would be nice. I'd love some suggestions.

Also, at what age did your child become interested in listening to music by Raffi or other famous children's performers? Just curious how early they show interest in such things.

Thanks all!!

Beth

[pale_ale]

To answer your questions in order from my experience with DD1, now 15 months:
1. Favorite books: all the board book versions of stories by Eric Carle (Very Hungry Caterpillar, Very Busy Spider, Very Quiet Cricket, Brown Bear). We used them from birth to stimulate her vision, then she learned to manipulate them & turn pages, and now we are using them to work on her vocabulary - fruits/veggies, animal names & sounds, colors, etc.

2. Bedtime ritual: we actually had to wait to incorporate story time into bedtime until very recently. She would get so stimulated by the book, and she would just grab it from us and get frustrated, that there was no "reading" to her at bedtime. However, we did have music as a part of bedtime from the beginning, and our ritual of sitting in a chair and rocking quietly was already established, so when we did introduce books into bedtime a few weeks ago it worked really, really well. We started with the board book version of Good Night Moon. It signals "bedtime" to her, rather than the Eric Carle books, which she associates with playtime.

3. Music: she seemed to become more interested and aware of music once she could move her body to it, after she started crawling. So, music time became more interactive with her around 7 months or so. Since then, she's only become more aware of music - now, she watches her reflection in the oven door while she dances to all sorts of tunes. I haven't stuck to children's music - I play "adult" reggae, pop, jazz, etc. I personally have found that entire CDs of children's music can be somewhat hit or miss. I've found the kids songs/artists I like best by playing the "For Kids Only" music station from our cable TV provider (some satellite providers have this option, as well). The channel displays the artist name and CD title. If I hear something catchy, I can look for it on an online music provider and pay for only the song(s) I want rather than investing in the entire CD. That's what works for me, as I've purchased too many kids CDs that only have 1-3 good songs. Most of the songs I have wanted have been available to download, too, which surprised me. If you are interested in the contents of my music library, let me know and I'll post the CD names/artists, etc. along with my opinions :)

GL!

Becky

with Shelby 09/19/02 and Sydney 10/16/03

[Karenn]

You know it's funny. My favorite Sandra Boynton books are not the same as Colin's. Also, while he likes some Boynton Books, I'm realizing that she is much more *MY* favorite children's author than his. :) I love Pajama Time & Barnyard Dance. Those are the books we often read to him before he started showing a preference.

Of Sandra Boynton's books, Colin really likes:
Hey, Wake up!
Moo Baa La La La
Red Hat Green Hat

His other favorite books are:
The Wheels on the Bus w/ Raffi
Five Little Monkeys
Pat the Bunny
Pat the Puppy
Brown Bear Brown Bear
The Foot Book
Any books with photographs of other babies.

[sntm]

jack loves pajama time (especially the "pajammy to the left, pajammy to the right" part) and doggies. i love hippoes go berserk.

his bedtime routine is usually 1-3 books, with fun ones starting and quieter ones ending (or whenever he goes "unnnhhhh!" which is his signal to cut story time and go straight to bed.)

Fun bedtime books:
pajama time
how do dinosaurs say goodnight

Quiet bedtime books:
i love you as much (our fave)
time for bed
guess how much i love you
goodnight moon

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[McQ]

I recite Time for Bed every night. We can't exactly "read" as Declan is either chewing the book or grumbling for his bottle (he knows it's coming and does not like to wait). It's funny because there was a night that I didn't read Time for Bed and I couldn't get him to quiet down for the life of me. I was walking around with him in his room and then I started reciting Time for Bed and he snuggled in then fell asleep after the story.

As far as the Boynton books I love Pajama Time (although to me it's a more pep me up book with all the dancing) and A to Z. I make up all kinds of stories about the letters and animals. H, Hippos Hiding. We can still see you hippo. You can't hide from us.

I also like Silly Little Goose. Can't remember who it's by but it's this goose that's looking for a place to make her nest all around the farm and runs into pigs, chickens, sheep etc... And I just love saying Silly Little Goose.

Allison
~ mommy to Declan 3.24.03

[Piglet]

To combine the 2 questions - check out Philadelphia Chickens. It is Sandra Boynton with a whole slew of celebrities singing crazy songs. The book is nice and the songs are great (on a CD in the book). It is our favourite car CD. It includes Pajama Time, so you can finally know the tune to that one!

Here is a link to Philadelphia Chicken on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0761126368/104-6555337-1030359?v=glance

I have given it as a gift and people really like it. It is not too childish and the tunes are fun, not annoying.

We also have Hippos go Berserk and my son likes it a lot. It has a nice rhythm to it and not too wordy.

Other popular books are:

-Hop on Pop, ABCs, One Fish Two Fish, Green Eggs and Ham (all by Dr. Seuss)
-anything by Robert Munsch (we have his anthology Munschworks)
-just about anything by Eric Carle (board books and not)

As for when DS got into music, I assume it varies kid to kid. He started to like Philadelphia Chickens when we bought it (around when he was 1 year old). He liked listening to us sing more than CDs when he was younger than that, I think.

[kapow]

We love Boynton books! Right now the favorites are Snuggle Puppy (I sing that to him all day long actually), Opposites, and the Hippo one. I found most of them at TJ Maxx. We also have a few Dr. Seuss books but as he chews on everything, I've had to keep them on the shelf. We play with a few Lamaze softbooks, such as Discovery Farm.

[kaitlinsmommy]

Kaitlin really likes Snuggle Puppy and Barnyard Dance.

[lisams]

DD also likes Barnyard Dance and Snuggle Puppy the best.

[Marisa6826]

Hands down, it's Pajama Time in our house. Jonathan has even found himself reciting it at work in his head.

We also love Hippos Go Beserk and But Not the Hippopotamus.

Her drawings just crack me up.

I also suggest Philadelphia Chickens. My faves are "Cows" and "Pig Island". I got nailed by some lady singing Pig Island REALLY loud in a parking lot on day. Good thing Sophie was with me! :P

-m

[Momof3Labs]

The sun has set not long ago
Now everybody goes below
To take a bath in one big tub
With soap all over, scrub scrub scrub.
They hang their towels on the wall
And find pajamas big and small.
With some on top and some beneath
They brush and brush and brush their teeth.
And when the moon is on the rise
They all go up...
To exercise!
And down once more but not so fast,
They're on their way to bed at last.
The day is done, they say good night
And somebody turns off the light.

The moon is high, the sea is deep
They rock and rock and rock to sleep.

Colin still grabs the Going to Bed Book almost every night (has for a good 5-6 months) - I don't know why, except it is very rhythmic. He also really likes Doggies (especially the one that goes nnn nnn nnn). I like Pajama Time and Barnyard Dance, but he doesn't get as excited about those.

[DCmommy]

So funny that you wrote all the words to The Going to Bed Book! I know them all by heart, too! Sandra Boynton is Patrick's favorite by far -- they're not too wordy, so he can turn the pages frequently, and they have a nice rhythm. We've found that when they have too many words, he gets impatient and squirmy, which is not great for bedtime.

Our bedtime ritual was/is as follows: When he was really small, he'd have a bath in his room in the baby tub with the lights dimmed, we'd slather him with Johnson's bedtime lotion, and he would get one story, which was usually The Going to Bed Book. This really seemed to calm him and get him ready for bed -- priceless!!! We'd read his other stories during the day when we had some quiet time, but I think the ritual of the same book every night at bedtime was really calming for him when he was small. Now that he's older, he still gets his bath (in the big boy tub!) and we read about three stories a night, but we almost always end with The Going to Bed Book. It's nice and calm, and it also lets him know what's coming -- i.e. sleepy time.

His other fave Boyntons are:
Moo Baa La La La (he surprised me one day by actually pointing to the cow when I asked where it was! He likes to read this one over and over, and point to different animals so I'll make the sounds.)
Hippos Go Berserk (another one I know by heart)
One, Two, Three

My husband's favorites are: Barnyard Dance and Pajama Time. Patrick likes these, but not as much as the others, although he thinks it's funny when Daddy sings them.

Patrick's Non-Boynton Faves:
Miss Spider's Tea Party
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Good Night Moon
Rainbow Fish
Lamaze Star Light, Star Bright

I should mention that these are ALL board books -- he likes to manhandle them, and they'd be destroyed by now if they weren't. He has some cloth and bath books in his toybox that he plays with during the day, and we've also designated some board books as "play" books that we keep in his toybox so he can have them whenever he wants. Lately, he'll pull them out and sit down and turn the pages over and over for quite a while. We're hoping this means he'll be a reader!!!

Best of luck in your search, I really enjoyed baby book shopping and I hope you will, too!


Megan
Mommy to Patrick, 1/16/03

Edited to add: As for music, when he was a newborn I'd play Mozart for Mommies and Daddies while we were playing. At about 3 months he started to notice music more and his hands down favorite has always been Sesame Street's Platinum Hits -- a lot of it is old stuff that you'll probably remember, but the new stuff is good, too. We keep this in the car for when he gets antsy.

[sntm]

when i was younger, we had a sandra boynton book geared more for adults called "don't let the turkeys get you down." was hilarious -- i highly recommend it! similar drawings :)

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[brittone2]

Thanks everyone!! I ordered several books off of overstock.com yesterday and got some good deals vs. amazon prices. I had a $10 store credit at overstock that was of course burning a hole in my pocket.

I got:
Goodnight Moon
The Very Hungry Catepillar
Pajama Time
Guess How Much I Love You
Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?

So for the 5 books after my 10 dollar credit and including shipping I think I paid $12, which was great!! I want to get a nice collection going so this is a good start (we already have several others).

Thanks for the suggestions from everyone!

Beth

[Karenn]

I forgot to mention Good Night Gorilla! That's definitely in the top five and it's one we both love!

[Kimberly H]

I am a HUGE Boynton fan and bought "Philadelphia Chickens" for Mia, or rather, my husband. He played it at work and now the entire IT department sings "be like a duck..." They play it at least once a day over the speaker system.

The last one they loved? The Muppet Show CD ::sigh::

[sntm]

YES! I have "M-nah M-nah" saved as an MP3 on my computer, as well as "Rubber Duckie" and "It's Not Easy Being Green."

I may have to get this CD. Although I've made up my own tunes for Pajama Time and Snuggle Puppy and I'm afraid of the conflict (i hate going to see movies made from my favorite books, too.)

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[Piglet]

I am glad I got the CD first - I also hate when the music doesn't match what you think it will sound like. I, on the other hand, am all curious what kind of tunes everyone came up with on their own - how creative! I have so little creativity, it would probably come out sounding like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or something like that :)

[sntm]

on a slightly related topic, we got a Wee Sing book and tape from a lady at church and at least half of the nursery rhymes on the blasted tape are to Twinkle Twinkle. I used to grit my teeth when we had that in to settle the little man down on the drive back from daycare. Luckily, he now prefers Mama's Sinatra Hour with me belting out the old standards at the top of my lungs.

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[Kimberly H]

OMG, Shannon!

On our cruise in February they featured an amazing a capella group called "Toxic Audio" at an evening show. They peformed "M-nah Mnah" and we've been singing it since.

[August Mom]

I see you've already ordered, but I'll list some of our favorites for your next purchase. :)

We're not big Sandra Boynton fans around here.

We really like Eric Carle. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a favorite.

We also are big fans of Karen Katz. DS loves all of her lift-the-flap books. Where Is Baby's Mommy? and Where Is Baby's Bellybutton? are two of our very favorite books.

The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss is quite popular around this house too.

DK Publishing's My First ABC Board Book is so fun once your baby starts pointing and wanting to know the names of everything.

As for bedtime books, our favorites are I Love You As Much... and Time for Bed. We're not really fans of Goodnight Moon.

I've had trouble finding "children's music" that I don't mind listening to. Our favorite is the Signing Time CD. I don't find those songs annoying. They are fun. We mostly listen to adult music, though.

[marinkitty]

This thread is cracking me up! I know you already ordered but I'll add on anyway.

DD loves the Sandra Boynton books. She will barely sit still for others, except Goodnight Moon and Brown Bear, Brown Bear. We just finished reading Snuggle Puppy (I had no idea there was a CD, I have my own tune) and the Going to Bed Book.

DD's favorites right now are Moo, Baa, La, La, La, Snuggle Puppy and One, Two, Three.

My favorites are Hippos Go Berserk and Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs. DH loves Birthday Monsters and Barnyard Dance.

We never read Pajama Time - but it seems to be a favorite with everyone so I'll have to try it again.

The other book DD loves is call Bear Baby and it has a fuzzy spot. We read it last every night before bed.

Holly
Mom to Mia (3.17.03)

[agomalley]

I'll add our favorites, too! (Althought I think my husband and I like them better that Ryan does...)

Barnyard Dance
One, Two, Three
The Going to Bed Book
Moo, Baa, La La La

Our favorite CD right now is "World Music for Little Ears". It has lulabyes from lots of different cultures and is very soothing. I put it on everynight at bedtime and Ryan is asleep by the third song!

Anabelle and Ryan 4/9/03

[brittone2]

Great thread everyone!! I love having all of these "tried and true" recommendations from other mommies. I suspect our little one is going to end up w/ quite a library because DH and I are total book fanatics. Thanks so much for the suggestions...they are greatly appreciated!!

Beth

[luvbeinmama]

DS's Boynton books were:

Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs (completely thrashed, he LOVED this one. Probably has something to do with the ease of opening it up because of the hole in the front cover>)

Dinosaur's Binkit (can you see a theme here? he liked this one too, and still does)

Moo Baa La La La (great for learning animal sounds.. A cow says Moo. A Sheep says Baa. Three singing pigs say La La La!)

[ssklar]

Hi,

By far, our favorite Boynton books are Barnyard Dance and Opposites. We also have the Bedtime Book, which my daughter likes but I find a little annoying. Some other favorites (non-Boynton)include Goodnight Gorilla, Little Gorilla, Goodnight Moon, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?, Dr. Seuss's ABC, Jamberry, The Hungry Little Caterpillar, Polka Bats and Octopus Slacks (poetry, I think that's the correct title but it's not in front of me at the moment), Ferdinand, and Babar.

[ssklar]

Oh yeah,

And by far our favorite children's CD has been Free To Be, You and Me by Marlo Thomas and friends!

[marchmommy]

I, for one, would love to hear your recommendations/see your music library. I am a bit of a music novice, though I love to dance and would like to dance with my 10-month old, very active, DS!