For December, Raising Readers recommends  Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats and Cleversticks by Bernard Ashley:

Subtitled A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business, this absurd and very simple story has become a classic, selling hundreds of thousands of copies since its first publication in 1940. A peddler walks around selling caps from a tall, tottering pile on his head. Unable to sell a single cap one morning, he walks out into the countryside, sits down under a tree, checks that all the caps are in place, and falls asleep. When he wakes up, the caps are gone -- and the tree is full of cap-wearing monkeys. His attempts to get the caps back generate the kind of repetitive rhythm that 3- and 4-year-olds will adore.

A 1963 Caldecott Medal winner, The Snowy Day is the simple tale of a boy waking up to discover that snow has fallen during the night. Keats illustrations, using cutouts, watercolors and collage, are strikingly beautiful in their understated color and composition. The tranquil story mirrors the calm presence of the paintings, and both exude the silence of a freshly snow-covered landscape. The little boy celebrates the snow-draped city with a day of humble adventures -- experimenting with footprints, knocking snow from a tree, creating snow angels and trying to save a snowball for the next day. Awakening to a winter wonderland is an ageless, ever-magical experience, and one made nearly visceral by Keats gentle tribute.

A Chinese American boy realizes his know-how with chopsticks is a special skill; lessons on eating with chopsticks are included. Ages 3-6.

For more children's book recommendations, visit the Raising Readers Blog .

 
MaineHealth believes that literacy is a family affair. If you are a healthcare provider, read more about this important topic in our Raising Readers Issue Brief  "Beyond Raising Readers: Literacy as a Family Affair."