Sugar Plums: Books for wee imaginations

An Auntie of one and god-mommy of two I have earned the title Book Auntie, showering the little ones in my life with gifts to spark their imaginations over the years.  Now that I am a  mommy myself I am able to share those stories with my child as he grows.  Here are a few of our favorites....

Alligator Pie, Dennis Lee
If you are Canadian then I can guarantee that you have just quoted the entire first stanza to the Alligator Pie poem.  If you are not, well what a great opportunity to find out what little Canadian children are being read. The poems are wonderfully insane as only Dennis Lee can write and the illustration by Frank Newfeld are disturbing enough to trigger little minds to look at them over and over again.

Click Clack Moo:  Cows That Type,

 Doreen Cronin

Serious.  This book was purchased on the sheer hilarity of the title and shipped off to my niece that day.  Opening it up is one ridiculous page after another documenting a farmer's woes when his cows go on strike.  Luckily the duck was a neutral party....

When Lois Armstrong Taught Me to Scat, Lovely wonderful illustrations to accompany great sentence like "Chew-itee Chew-itee chew-itee Chop, Crackity Crackity Snappity Poppity Pop!" makes for a great read to cuddle up to at night.  Son approved since age one, this book is a favourite at our house.

The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh, A. A. Milne

Trying not to get too sentimental this collection happens to be the first book purchased by me for my little son. At just a week old, and having realized that my entire life for the next 6 months would be spent sitting nursing him, I wanted to do something beyond staring at the wall.  Pooh got us through many a long night.

All Aboard the DinoTrain, Deb Lund
Alright, alright I confess I got a Dino loving little boy at home.  The pages are filled with weird 4 stanza lined, rhyming drama about a  group of dinosaurs taking a train to parts unknown. At this age it is more about the transportation then the destination.

Best Mother Goose Ever, Richard Scarry
I really am unsure of the appeal to this book but it was well-loved by me as a child and now my son.  Filled with very British inspired illustrations to accompany classic mother goose poems, this is a must for every little person.  Bonus points to your family if your husband reads every single poem out loud in a different accent.