Dom and I love to read together.  Rather, I read while he flips the pages so quickly that I can’t keep up.  Same difference.

We check anywhere from 5 – 15 children’s books out of the library each week.  We also have an extensive children’s collection on our own bookshelves.  There are some books that Dom and I love so much that I want to share them with other parents.  So I figure that I’ll do that once a week or so.  Here is this week’s book corner…

Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup

This one is one of my favorite modern children’s books. 

Big Smelly Bear is, well, a big smelly bear.  Nobody will come near him except flies.  One day, he gets a terrible itch on his back that he can’t reach.  Finally, Big Fluffy Bear offers to scratch his back….if he takes a bath first.   With some grumbling, he does, and the itch is scratched.

An excerpt from the first two pages:

Big Smelly Bear never washed.
Big Smelly Bear never brushed.
Big Smelly Bear never took a bath.
Big Smelly Bear was followed
by a big smelly stink wherever he went.

I love this story because it is funny…even adults can relate to the humor.  Dom loves the idea of never taking a bath, so it works on his level, too.  I do confess to using Big Smelly Bear as an example while chasing a naked toddler around the house to force him into the tub…whatever works, right?

The illustrations are large and bright and beautiful, and the friendship that develops between Big Smelly Bear and Big Fluffy Bear is heartwarming.  The story is easy to embellish with exclamations and funny faces, which only adds to the fun of story time.

Another must read!