Small-Fry Saturdays #1: Pouch! by David Ezra Stein

These days, in between the many novels I read for fun, I read a heck of a lot of children's books!  My 15-month-old has an enormous stash of books that nearly puts my own collection to shame.  At this age, he tends to cycle through them (one week he loves Goodnight Moon; the next, he won't look at it), but when he has a favorite, it must be read ALL THE TIME.  So I get pretty familiar with some of his selections.  I may or may not have Chicka Chicka Boom Boom committed to memory (stop getting out of bed, A.  Just stop.).

So, I decided to put this to good use.  Every Saturday is now Small Fry Saturday here at The Well-Read Redhead.  Each week, I'll feature a current favorite of my very own small fry (which, by the way, I think is a fun new nickname for him here on the blog), and look for suggestions from all of you for any future favorites I might be able to introduce.  Sound good?

I'm not going full-on meme with a linky and all that just yet, but if you do want to jump in on your blog, feel free (and let me know in the comments!).  This first one is posting a little late, but I will be earlier next time around, promise.

My very first selection is going to be Small Fry's current favorite:

Pouch! by David Ezra Stein

We received this book in the mail through the Imagination Library.  It is ADORABLE.  It's about Joey, a little kangaroo who is just starting to explore the world outside his mama's pouch.  Every time he comes out to explore, he meets something new (bees, birds, etc), and gets nervous, yelling, "POUCH!" and jumping back to his mama.  (I told you, cute, right?)  But he keeps getting back out there to explore again, going a little further each time...until he gets an unexpected surprise.

This is a cool kids' book for so many reasons.  Obviously, it has positive messages (don't be afraid to explore your world, your parents are supportive, etc).  Small Fry loves it every time we get to yell "POUCH!" as Joey goes back to his mom.  It's also fun to do different voices for the various animals that Joey meets.  Plus, the illustrations are great.  Small Fry loves to flip through this one on his own and just stare at the pictures.

I had never heard of this book before we got it in the mail, but it's definitely been a hit so far!

Have you read Pouch!?  Do you have any new suggestions that are similar to this book?