Hi All,
We have a good friend whose daughter is my son's age--21 mos--and i was looking for books for Christmas presents.
My son LOVES the "bedtime friends" series, and I almost got it for her, but then I realized that in every book, the DAD tucks the child in at night.
My friend is a single mom--are there any book series for toddler that are sensitive to the "no dad in the house" situation?
I am not looking for anything that is explicitly for single moms, I just don't want to buy a present that is going to make my friend feel bad that the dad is not in the picture, and make her daughter ask awkward questions, like "why don't i have a daddy"--the father has never even met the little girl, so he is simply not in the picture and the less said the better.
Thanks!
Vera Williams: Chair for Mom, Something Special, Music Music, Three Days River
William Steig: Brave Irene
My Mother's Voice by Joanne Ryder and Peter Catalanotto
Miss Nelson Is Missing! by Harry G. Allard
These are great books for girls, and there is no mention of a Dad. My toddler boy likes these stories that are a bit over his head, and my 4-year old girl just loves them.
How about the Kissing Hand! My kids love it and remember it to this day. Good luck, Its about mommies and kids....
We have several books that my kids love that don't mention families but are about adventures and situations using their favorite cartoon characters such as Sesame Street monsters, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George, Backyardigans and Dragon Tales. If you can't find a suitable series maybe you could pick one of her favorite characters and build a set of appropriate books.
Have you considered a magazine subscription? Highlights has a new publication for 2-6 yo called High Five. It offers stories, activities and educational components. There are also animal and nature magazines for this age group as well.
Here are some of the more popular books...so he may already have some of them. Goodnight Moon (author unsure), Moo Baa LaLaLa, Barnyard Dance, Belly Button Book and many other Sandra Boynton (sp?) books are great. Also, Wocket in My Pocket, Go Dog Go and other Dr. Suess books. Both of my kids love for me to read them. They hold their intrest for years too as my daughter is almost 3.
There is a web site Identitydirect.com where you can personalize books. I am not sure if you can get it by Chrismas or not. But it is pretty neet. You put in the childs name, friends names and a few other details. I did not look so much at the books geared toward boys but there might be something you find there.
I just wanted to say how nice of you to think of your friend's feelings about being a single parent.I know what it was like(before i got remarried)being a single parent at Christmas..it sucked(kind of).When it came to opening a gift from your child that you already knew what it was and still acting surprised...it was hard.But i was lucky to have my parents involved and they took David shopping to buy something for me...
But i just wanted to say how great of you.She's lucky to have a friend like you
R.,
As a single mom, I really appreciate your sensitivity. My single mother's group pulled together a list of books. My favorites are "I love you as much" (mother and baby animals), "Mommy Hugs" and "Where is Baby's Mommy?" by Karen Katz.
Hope this helps.
Kali
R.,
How about "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch. I love that book and the first time I read it, it brought tears to my eyes. Good luck!
Bev
Hopewell Twp., PA
We just got my son (22 months) Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham and he carries it around everywhere reading it to himself AND wants us to read it constantly! Another good favorite is a "look and find" book where there are only pictures and you ask them to find certain animals or characters. He loves that one too, ours is an Elmo one. Hope that helps!
