Good Dog Carl Alexandra Day's modern classic Good Dog Carl has sold more than 200,000 copies, captivating countless readers with the lovable rottweiler Carl, endearing illustrations, and the tale's surprising silliness. The book begins with the mother saying, "Look after the baby, Carl. I'll be back shortly." Let the adventure begin! Carl looks out the window to make sure Mom is gone. Once the coast is clear, the baby crawls out of the crib and onto Carl's back. First stop? Mom's bed. Second stop? The top of the dresser where powder puffs are sported as hats. The infant--now in Carl's capable paws--slides down the laundry chute, swims in the fish tank, dances, raids the refrigerator, and makes a huge mess. Carl dutifully bathes the baby, cleans up the chaos, puts his charge back in the crib, and plays it cool when Mom comes home. "Good dog, Carl!" she says upon her return. A sweet, subtly absurd picture book that jubilantly illustrates the old adage, "When the cat's away, the mice will play." (Picture book) Buy from Amazon Goodnight Moon Perhaps the perfect children's bedtime book, Goodnight Moon is a short poem of goodnight wishes from a young rabbit preparing for--or attempting to postpone--his own slumber. He says goodnight to every object in sight and within earshot, including the "quiet old lady whispering hush." Clement Hurd's illustrations are simple and effective, alternating between small ink drawings and wide, brightly colored views of the little rabbit's room. Finding all of the items mentioned throughout the book within the pictures is a good bedtime activity--a reappearing little mouse is particularly pesky. By the end of the little rabbit's goodnight poem, the story has quieted to a whisper, and the drawings have darkened with nightfall. As you turn the last page, you can expect a sleepy smile and at least a yawn or two. (Picture book) Buy from Amazon Where the Wild Things Are Where the Wild Things Are is one of those truly rare books that can be enjoyed equally by a child and a grown-up. If you disagree, then it's been too long since you've attended a wild rumpus. Max dons his wolf suit in pursuit of some mischief and gets sent to bed without supper. Fortuitously, a forest grows in his room, allowing his wild rampage to continue unimpaired. Sendak's color illustrations (perhaps his finest) are beautiful, and each turn of the page brings the discovery of a new wonder. The wild things--with their mismatched parts and giant eyes--manage somehow to be scary-looking without ever really being scary; at times they're downright hilarious. Sendak's defiantly run-on sentences--one of his trademarks--lend the perfect touch of stream of consciousness to the tale, which floats between the land of dreams and a child's imagination. Buy from Amazon Green Eggs and Ham This timeless Dr. Seuss classic was first published in 1960, and has been delighting readers ever since. Sam-I-am is as persistent as a telemarketer, changing as many variables as possible in the hopes of convincing the nameless skeptic that green eggs and ham are a delicacy to be savored. He tries every manner of presentation with this "nouveau cuisine"--in a house, with a mouse, in a box, with a fox, with a goat, on a boat--to no avail. Then finally, finally the doubter caves under the tremendous pressure exerted by the tireless Sam-I-am. And guess what? Well, you probably know what happens, but even after reading Green Eggs and Ham the thousandth time, the climactic realization that green eggs and ham are "so good, so good, you see" is still a rush. As usual, kids will love Dr. Seuss's wacky rhymes and whimsical illustrations--and this time, they might even be so moved as to finally take a taste of their broccoli. (Ages 4 to 8) Buy from Amazon I Already Know I Love You Comedian, actor, and director Billy Crystal¹s ode to his first grandchild will strike a chord with every expectant grandparent (and parents, too). Readers will feel the sweet anticipation building as Grandpa Crystal dreams about the baby¹s upcoming birth. While the writing is at times awkward, the sentiment behind the text is genuine and universal, " I want to feel your heart beat as you lie upon my chest, bait your hook, fly your kite, help you study for a test." The narrator envisions peekaboo, horsey, and visits to the beach with a red-haired tot--his love virtually bubbles over. Pastel illustrations (reminiscent of the dreamy, soft-focus drawings in pregnancy books) by Elizabeth Sayles show the rugged, gray-haired gramps beaming as he partakes of the imagined pleasures to come. Crystal concludes with another awkward yet heartfelt verse: Buy from Amazon