Day-Care Books

Poor Goldie! Mr. Webb, the patient teacher with the wavy feathers and yellow tennis shoes announces that its naptime--but Goldie doesn't want to sleep. All the other toddler animals are down on their naps: The bunny rabbit, the little lamb, and the cute pig with ribbons around her ears, but little bird Goldie would rather sail a boat, drag a train, or swing beneath the big tree. Besides, she announces repeatedly, "Naps are for babies."

When she does lie on her nap she immediately kicks the pig, then, in an inspired moment of rebellion, she whistles the class song. "Naps are for babies." Finally, when naptime is long over, the beleaguered Mr. Webb (there's a wonderful picture of him looking like he's about to nod off) gives everyone some milk and cookies, and Goldie finally and naturally drifts off to sleep.

Nicole Rubel's entertaining story frames the central issue of freedom versus control. How do you balance the child's individuality with societal demands, especially in competitive settings? Clearly, Mr. Webb favors the looser, child-centered approach. But does that lead to antisocial behavior (e.g., the kicking of the pig), and an egocentric non-adaptability?

Return to review: Nicole Rubel's entertaining story is great fun to read aloud (e.g., the repeated "Naps are for babies") and has the rebellious humor captured in her famous "Rotten Ralph" series. It also shows the toddler what to expect in preschool, both the play and the routines of pre-school type settings. Rubel, as usual, illustrates with a certain motif; I pick up a Southwestern flavor here, (although I've been wrong about this in the past; personal communication with author). The illustrations are somewhat too cluttered for its audience; I had trouble picking out Goldie on several of the pages. In addition, the yellow colors seem a bit off; this may be the age of the book I was reading, Rubel's palette, or the production by publishers HarperCollins.

Nicole Rubel's other books (the "Rotten Ralph" series, "Cyrano the Bear," "A Cowboy Named Ernestine," for example) show her enormous illustrative talents better than does "Goldie." Rubel is a personal favorite; like other masters of kids' books, she has a great sense of humor and a very personal drawing style. These are books that please both adults and children.

Thank you for having this book available. I find it to be a necessary resource for building lesson plans for my four year old students.

Thanks.
Batage

Thank you for having this book available. I find it to be a necessary resource for building lesson plans for my four year old students.

Thanks.
Batage

This was one of my first books, and still one of my favorite from my childhood. This book shows the idea of day care from the eyes of a child. The feelings that Marsha Lou has are very similar to that of many day care children. If you know of any child who has working parents, or any child for that matter, make sure you read this book to them. I know that you and your child will love it as much as I did!!

I am an RN who was doing a church camp and this was taken with me to be used as a handy resource. I love that it is organized and concise with its directions without a lot of pictures and colors...it tells you exactly what to do and in clear numbered steps.

My 21 month old daughter is in daycare most weekdays, and she immediately identified with all of the pictures in this book. She wants to read it over and over, repeated the lines after me. (When I read, "building with blocks" she says "MY building with blocks!" and so on for every phrase describing a picture in this book!) The pictures are friendly and colors are vivid yet cozy.

I would give this book 5 stars if it came in a board book edition!!! My daughter wants to read it herself and turning pages gently is not her forte. Oh well.

Simple wording and excellent pictures make this book an excellent choice to read to preschoolers. My Dentist by Harlow Rockwell shows exactly what a young child can expect on their first trip to a dentist. It shows all the tools that dentists use and how to care for teeth at home. I would recommend reading this book to children prior to their first dentist visit.

I haven't met a child yet that doesn't like to go to parties so why not throw one at your house this summer. This book contains a lot of creative party themes, complete with recipes and ideas. If you are tired of your kids saying mom what can I do? Go out and purchase this book for it is loaded with ideas to keep your children's attention and jump start their imagination!

This book was very enjoyable with many good tips. Many of the ideas and suggestions are helpful for all parents, not just those who are working. The book is easy to read and broken into short quick-to-read sections.

A good buy for parents struggling with how to become better parents.

Used as a college textbook. Has all the necessary information to learn about early childhood education. It was particularly interesting with the help it gives to start an early childhood center or preschool.