When Lulu Went to the Zoo

When Lulu went to the zoo ... she was sad for the giraffes and the penguins too.

The tigers were crying really big tears and the life had gone out of the llamas' ears.

Though Lulu was only two times two, she knew that animals should not be in a zoo.

And though Lulu was the size that Lulu should be, she found that she might fit through the bars of the cages and chat to the animals as she swung through the trees ...

Amaris went to Toronto Zoo in Canada last summer when she was five. She was hiding behind us most of the time, scaring the tiger might roar at her or the lion would give her a kiss. 

Kid's imagination - it's difficult to use rational mind to explain.

Just like Lulu in this book When Lulu Went to the Zoo, she saw the tigers crying, penguins wishing to dance on icebergs, flamingo flying in the sky ... they wanted to be set free!

So, Lulu decided to set the animals free and let them live in her home sweet home. 
But as you can imagine the size of an elephant, the energy level of a monkey and the size of Lulu's fridge to fit the penguins; it turned out it was not quite a good plan ... 

This is a wonderful book with colorful and beautiful illustrations for children as early as three. The plot is simple with large room for imagination. 

My girl doesn't quite like the idea of Lulu releasing the animals and bringing them all home, yet we had a fun time reading it together. 

When Lulu Went to the Zoo is available online at The Book Depository

Princess Pig

One windy day - 

during the Picawash County Farm Show Parade - 

a peculiar thing happened ...

Pig woke from her afternoon nap.

She saw the sash.

"Am I a princess?" she squealed.

Goat shook his head. "You can't be a princess. A princess wears a crown."

So Pig made herself a crown ... 

Like many fairy tales, an ordinary girl suddenly becomes a princess. That's many girls' dreams, including this little PIG. 

It is a very windy day ... 

A parade princess's sash get caught up in a gust of wind and lands on a sleeping little PIG. Suddenly, it makes her dream come true.

Now She is a Princess! A Princess Pig!!

Although wearing the sash, not every creature in the farm agrees Pig is now a princess. Goat thinks a princess should wear a crown. Cow thinks a princess should have a gold necklace.

Pig tries very hard to make herself look like a princess and smell like a princess, yet she's not too happy.

She finds herself gradually losing the mud she enjoys, the sleep she desires and the ordinary party she loves ... 

This is another great book I enjoy reading with children to help themselves appreciate how special they are.

Every ordinary little girl should know they are SPECIAL and what makes them extraordinary!

Princess Pig is available online at The Book Depository

Lost Little Elephant

Little Elephant lives on the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.

Even though he is called 'Little', he is really very big with huge, flappy ears, just like all African elephants.

One day, Little Elephant received a letter from his Indian cousin, Aziz ...

That very day, Little Elephant set out on his long, long journey to India ...

I picked up this book from the library last week and thought it would be good to help my five years old learning about geography in an entertaining and colorful way.

The illustrations on every page is fantastic! My girl described this book as the It's a Small World ride at Disneyland where you can adventure through famous cities, amazing monuments and natural wonders around the world.

We have decided to add this book to our collections, so that we can adventure through  
Table Mountain in South Africa 
The Great Pyramids in Egypt 
Vatican City in Rome 
The Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona 
The Eiffel Tower in Paris
Big Ben in London
Alluitsup Paa in Greenland
CN Tower in Toronto
Statue of Liberty in New York
Angel Falls in Venezuela
Machu Piccu in Peru
City of Angels in Thailand 
and our last stop,  
Delhi where Little Elephant finally met his cousin.

Highly recommend this book to all little adventurers!

Lost Little Elephant is available online at:

I Feel Happy and Sad and Angry and Glad

Look who is visiting!

Hi Ellie! 

Hello, Milo!

I feel HAPPY.

We play explorers.

We feel BRAVE.

Where is Ellie hiding? 

Ellie?

I feel PUZZLED ...

Milo and Ellie are two little dogs whom are good friends. They have a play date at Milo's house and like many play dates, the two puppies have happy times, angry times and sad times. 

I Feel Happy and Sad and Angry and Glad is a toddler story book for young children identifying emotions and a tool for parents explaining the feelings of happy, brave, puzzled, scared, glad, kind, excited, proud, angry, hurt, jealous, lonely, ashamed, sad and shy.

Introducing emotions to young children is an important part of a child's development. Preschoolers experience a wide range of emotions like us, but are not always able to identify or control them. Teaching young children about emotions will help them expressing their own in a more positive and productive way. It will also help them to understand others' feelings and show empathy when someone is sad.

While reading story book like this, it is always useful to ask your children, "If you were Milo, how would you feel?" Let the children talk and express their feelings. From this exercise, your children will also learn to understand others' feelings in return.

I Feel Happy and Sad and Angry and Glad is available online at:

The Little Giraffe

Once, there was a little giraffe.

He was the first giraffe in the world.

He lived in East Africa ... with his best friend, Rhino.

The Little Giraffe is a folktale from East Africa about the first giraffe in the word, how it became tall after meeting the wise man.

It is in the Usborne First Reading series Level Two, written especially for children who are learning to read and ready to tackle more complicated storyline and sentence structures.

My girl first read this story at four and keep reading it again and again. The storyline is outrageously magical in her eyes.

The Little Giraffe is available online at:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Little-Giraffe-Lesley-Sims/9780746085356