Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Long Beach, CA

One morning at the co-op, a little boy held me hostage and made me read him the same book  fifteen times. Thus, I discovered (and memorized!) Where's My Teddy? It's written in rhyme, and it tells the story of a comic teddy-bear mix-up in the woods. The bear's facial expressions are hilarious, and kids will relate to the little boy's panic when he loses his lovey. With a simple plot and just a few words per page, this book is a good read for two and three-year-olds.

The Gruffalo has been in heavy rotation at our house for a long time. In this tale, a snake, a fox, and an owl all want to eat a little mouse. The mouse escapes by turning the tables on them, telling them that his friend the Gruffalo will be there any minute. The mouse describes a terrifying monster with "turned out toes" and a "poisonous wart on the end of his nose." When the mouse tells the owl that the Gruffalo's favorite food is "owl ice cream", the owl can't get away fast enough. The mouse, who thinks the Gruffalo is a figment of his imagination, is surprised when the monster turns up for real. Younger kids will dig the rhymes, while older ones will laugh at the mouse's trickery.

For me, one of the most fun things about parenthood has been rediscovering all the books I loved as a child. George and Martha are just as funny to me now as they were when I was six years old. The humor is sly, and the illustrations are silly. (My favorite is when George turns "white as a sheet" after seeing a scary movie.) The stories are simple enough for young preschoolers, but kids of all ages will get the jokes.