Posy  by Linda Newbery & Catherine Rayner (2009)

Expressive water colors draw the eye, and the language of this provides many early literacy avenues.  The text is mostly rhyming couplets of two words each that describe Posy the cat:  “whiskers wiper, crayon swiper.  Playful wrangler, knitting tangler.”  These are great both for vocabulary and phonological awareness.  Because the text is sparse, talking about the pictures (“why is she a ‘Tomcat fearer,” then a ‘disappearer’?”) comes naturally (narrative skills).  Good for preschool or toddler groups. 

-steven