Books for children - June 17

"Baby Bear's Big Dreams" by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, Harcourt, 36 pages

Read aloud: age 18 months to age 3.

Read yourself: age 6 and 7.

Baby Bear has all sorts of plans for when he grows up, and Baby Bear thinks that will be very soon. He plans to have all his friends move in so they can play all day and stay up late. Later, he'll live in a toy shop, then a tree house. Baby Bear also plans to explore the woods, climb trees, and camp outside.

When Baby Bear is all grown up he will come home, because home is where his family is and where they will listen to his stories.

A delightful tale of a young child's desire to be "big," this book hits that chord beautifully.

Library: Wheeler Library, 101 Main St., North Stonington

Library Director: Amy Kennedy

Children's Services: Larae Fowler

Choices this week: "Go Away, Big Green Monster" by Ed Emberley; "Pete's a Pizza" by William Steig; "Gotta Go! Gotta Go!" by Sam Swope

"Little Bear's Little Boat" by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012, 32 pages, $7.99 board book

Read aloud: age 1 to 3.

Read yourself: age 6 and 7.

Little Bear loves his little boat. He spends hours rowing around Huckleberry Lake, fishing, daydreaming and enjoying life. But as the days progress, Little Bear begins to notice that his little boat has become too small for him. When Little Bear seeks consolation from his mother, she explains, "It is a little bear's destiny to grow and grow 'til he is a BIG BEAR. It is a little boat's destiny to stay the same size."

Little Bear thinks this over and comes to a solution - he will find another little bear who can enjoy his boat, and then build a bigger boat for himself!

"Bizzy Bear: Let's Get to Work!" written by Nosy Crow Ltd., illustrated by Benji Davies, Nosy Crow/Candlewick, 2012, 10 pages, $6.99 board book

Read aloud: age 1 to 3.

Read yourself: age 5 and 6.

Bizzy Bear is hard at work at the construction site with other workers. There is ground to dig up, sand to push with the front-end loader, dirt to dump out of the dump truck and bricks to deliver. What are they building? Ah ha! It's a new house!

Sliders and tabs to push and pull help bring this construction story alive. With ample opportunities to embellish on this simple story to create more learning fun, little readers will want to get busy creating things themselves, just like Bizzy Bear!

www.greatestbooksforkids.com