Hellobee

by: Mrs. Oatmeal

“Mama, kissy? Huggy, Mama, huggy.” You think I would say no to those questions? Of course you can have a huggy and a kissy. And to be perfectly honest, we have Leslie Patricelli to thank for bringing these lovely words into Little Oats’ vocabulary. Her book, Huggy Kissy, was a Valentine’s Day gift for Little Oats last year, and it’s become a constant favourite.

We’d never heard of Leslie Patricelli before this, though it seems like a big mistake on my part. Her books are clever, adorable, and often teach lessons without being overly preachy. Her illustrations are perfect; I love the paint, the bold lines and colours, and the bald little baby is adorable. The language is very simple, with usually only 2-5 words per page. This makes them great for babies AND young readers; the repetition helps, and the words are straightforward. As of this moment, there are 24 books in her collection. There’s an Easter book that just came out and a Halloween book in the works.

Huggy Kissy: Board book, 26 pages, published December 11, 2012, Ages 0-3.

The first Patricelli book in our collection, and by far Little Oats’ favourite. Mommy kisses baby’s toes, puppy kisses with his nose. She highlights a typical day of family interactions; Auntie and Uncle have kisses, Grandma and Grandpa have special hugs. We love this book, and certainly love the huggies and kissies we’ve gotten out of it!

Yummy Yucky: Board book, 24 pages, published September 15, 2003, Ages 0-3.

I was a little worried about this book; what if green vegetables were yucky and that sparked something for my already picky toddler? But I certainly didn’t have to worry; spaghetti is yummy, but blue crayons, sand, dirt and worms are all yucky things to eat. Thank goodness someone could convince Little Oats that eating crayons isn’t a good thing.

Tubby: Board book, 28 pages, published September 14, 2010, Ages 0-3.

Bathtime is our favourite time of the day, and Tubby illustrates the bathtime ritual perfectly. Baby plays in the bubbles, makes bubble disguises, and splashes around. He gets his hair (singular) washed, then even escapes naked down the hall.

Baby Happy, Baby Sad: Board book, 26 pages, published February 26, 2008, Ages 0-3.

In the toddler world of mood swings, Baby Happy, Baby Sad is the perfect way to chat about emotions with your little one and explore the world of opposites. When Baby has ice cream, he’s happy, but when he drops it, that’s sad. When Baby is running around naked, he’s happy, but when he’s trapped in a puffy snowsuit, he’s sad.

Toot: Board book, 24 pages, published March 11, 2014, Ages 0-3.

Avoid the toilet humour if you must, but Little Oats thinks tooting is hilarious. We don’t own this book (yet), but like the other Patricelli books, it treats a daily subject with humour and fantastic, colourful pictures. Baby toots all the time; even in music class (instead of an instrument). While this might not be the best book if you’re looking to squash the toot jokes in your house, I’d recommend it just the same.

Leslie Patricelli’s books cover a wide variety of topics, and all are treated with the same simple, funny language and bold, bright illustrations. As a speech therapist, I love the repetition and easy word flow. On her website, she has not only a list of her books, but also activities, games and music to go along with her books. Other popular titles that I haven’t highlighted here include Potty, Quiet Loud and No No Yes Yes.

On her website, she also activities and music to go along with her books. There are colouring pages from several of her more popular books, instructions and cut-outs for making a Birthday Box (from the book, The Birthday Box). She also has music that goes along with some of her books, available on iTunes. These would be excellent to incorporate into speech therapy sessions, daycare circle times, or a fun afternoon playdate.

If you love her illustrations, you can also check out her online sketchbook; she posts all sorts of cute, funny, and just plain bizarre paintings. Her shop has prints available as well, and her Zazzle site sells cards, mugs, and other items with illustrations from her more popular books. I love this Huggy Kissy mug!

She also writes books for a slightly older age group. Titles in this collection include The Patterson Puppies and the Rainy Day (ages 2-5), The Patterson Puppies and the Midnight Monster Party, Be Quiet Mike (3-7), and the Mini-Myths books that she illustrated: Be Patient, Pandora and Play Nice, Hercules (1-3). If you’re looking to add any of her titles to your collection, she supports small indie bookshops, and has several links to her favourite bookstores on her website.

The Patterson Puppies and the Midnight Monster Party

Overall, if you’re looking for a new author to add to your shelves, Leslie Patricelli would be the perfect fit. Her stories and illustrations are bright and cheery, she speaks into the daily lives of toddlers, and her books aren’t so repetitive that you’ll dread reading them a thousand times (because you WILL read them a thousand times).