Welcome to metomi.com, your online source of great reads and activities for young readers! We are reading fabulous books about smart, creative, funny and courageous girls who remind us of the beautiful girls in our lives! Although we like Dora the Explorer too we thought to highlight a few other awesome young ladies who don't get as much coverage. From princesses to everyday heroines, we hope you enjoy our preschooler book selections. Enjoy the books and if you're interested in other great reads, please check out our Library!
Title: The Balloon Tree
Author/Illustrator: Phoebe Gilman
My daughter and I went to watch a theatrical interpretation of this book at the wonderful Solar Stage Children's Theatre in Toronto. She was picked to be the child with the only remaining balloon in the kingdom, which was a pretty exciting moment for her! I borrowed the book from the library soon after and it was an instant favourite. The story centres around a young princess who loves balloons. Her loving father the king leaves for a tournament and somewhat naively leaves the kingdom in the control of his jealous, grumpy and power-hungry brother. The king tells his daughter to release balloons into the air should she need him, but doesn't realize that the brother plans to rid the kingdom of all balloons. We see the princess use her courage, brains and a little magic to outsmart the uncle, signal her father and help restore peace, happiness (and balloons of course!) to the kingdom.
Title: Jillian Jiggs
Author/Illustrator: Phoebe Gilman
Another wonderful book by the late Phoebe Gilman. We only recently discovered her books after our adventures with The Balloon Tree. The Solar Stage Children's Theatre had also done a theatrical interpretation of Jillian Jiggs about a year ago, but unfortunately we hadn't yet been introduced to the creative, bold and spirited Miss Jiggs and so passed up the opportunity to see it. It was only while browsing at the bookstore for a gift for our niece that we discovered this wonderful series and character. Jillian's our everyday heroine who is able to turn ordinary household items, toys and everyday activities into fantastic and fun moments for herself, her little sister and her friends. We've since read many other Phoebe Gilman books but these two reads remain our favourites.
Title: The Paper Bag Princess
Author: Robert Munsch
Illustrator: Michael Martchenko
My girlfriend bought me a mini version of The Paper Bag Princess when I was a teenager many years ago and I recall being captivated by the brave young princess who rescues her fiance prince, finds out his true nature, and decides she can do much better. I can almost hear the collective cheer of moms everywhere by the time this well-written story reaches its satisfying finish. I bought a larger version to read to my daughter and she enjoys it very much. Not too mention my younger son who is amused by the antics of the dragon (as well as the accompanying goofy antics and sound effects from his mom!) We have read several Munsch books to date but this one remains our favourite.
Title: One Grain of Rice
Author/Illustrator: Demi
This is a great "go girl!" book with short and concise text, lovely illustrations, and an educational aspect that should appeal to many parents (us included) and WOW your preschooler! The story takes place in India, during the reign of the rajas. A smart young girl does a good deed for the raja and in return is granted a gift. There is famine about and yet the raja's rice stores are full, and in that setting our heroine makes a clever yet seemingly small request which the raja agrees to fulfill. We watch in wonder as beautiful creatures deliver on her request as it becomes exponentially bigger! Our daughter was captivated by the illustrations especially in the final few pages and amazed at the math, all good things.
Title: Ruler of the Courtyard
Author: Rukhsana Khan; Illustrator: Gregory Christie
This book takes a fresh spin on the heroine role. We are introduced to a young girl, an unassuming character living in a rural area. Shortly after the story begins, she finds herself facing a threat to herself and potentially her loved one. The reader watches as the girl ultimately finds her inner strength and takes action. Not only does she succeed in conquering the "enemy", she discovers a wellspring of courage that she uses to conquer another of her childhood fears. The story builds up the suspense well and the illustrations are a perfect complement. My daughter laughs out loud at the brilliant ending and requests an encore each time. This book demonstrates that heroes don't always come dressed in capes and leotards, with an inspiring message that everyone is capable of courage and greatness.
We have enjoyed several Klutz books in our home and have purchased many more as gifts. Klutz has that neat way of including pretty much everything a child will need to do a fun activity, all within a nice package (usually a book with accessories). Some of these books do not require adult supervision but we believe they are always more fun with adult encouragement and interaction! Not really reading books per se but a nice complement to round out a topic you or your child's daycare is introducing. We've included some of our favourites below.
We have had extended play with this book. It comes with some paper dolls and a ton of outfits. There is a blue page of 2-sided stickers to adhere the outfit of choice onto the doll (younger children will need help), and a couple of play scenes once the dolls are ready for their outing! The outfits can be peeled off and reused. There is a smart "closet" at the back of the book with a velcro enclosure to store loose outfits, but for sanity sake you may want to store loose items in a resealable bag or container.
More reviews or to purchase this book: Canada
We also had lots of fun with this book, which folds out into a complete bug house with several bugs and furniture. Although it takes up a bit of room at home, we taped the house onto a sheet of cardboard so it was strong enough for extended play.
More reviews or to purchase this book: Canada
This mermaid book is similar to the bug book, a fold out ocean playground for a couple of paper mermaids. The book comes with a packet of sequins and tiny beads (better suited for the 4-5 year old) and glue to decorate the mermaids, their decor and palace.
