Simple Stories by Kevin Henkes

Megan and I have a mutual fan society for Kevin Henkes. She sent me his Caldecott Kitten's First Full Moon for one of my kids' births (can't remember which!). To date, my children and I have checked out all of his simple stories that we know of. Many of them are quite recent (even published this year or last) and are absolutely perfect for very young children. The mouse books Henkes is well known for (with characters such as Lily and Owen) are perfect for older preschoolers and kindergarten (and up!). The simpler stories have beautiful illustrations with big, bold lines and wonderful use of color, simple texts that are right on a young child's level, and can be read over and over and over....

A Good Day is a delightful tale of a some animals and a little girl who end up having the perfect day despite losing things precious to themselves.

Old Bear follows an old bear through some dreams he has while hibernating and ends with his awakening in the spring (and wondering if he's still dreaming).

Kitten's First Full Moon is a charming tale of a kitten who thinks the moon is a bowl of milk and goes off to find it. He arrives home, dripping wet and scared, only to find... a bowl of milk waiting. Black and white illustrations are second to none.

My Garden is exactly what my daughter would say if she were writing a book about her garden: a jellybean bush, invisible carrots because she doesn't like them, no weeds, chocolate bunnies,.... If you garden at all, you must check this out for your children who often accompany you during gardening chores!

Little White Rabbit is the only one we haven't read yet, but it's on our list!