Tall

 by Jez Alborough (2005)

This just has a few words, which makes it great for print awareness and narrative skills . Bobo the chimp compares himself to a series of animals and feels alternately "small" or "tall" in comparison.  Those two words stand out prominently, and pointing them out on the page shows the kids how print works.  One on one, an adult could talk a bit about how "sm" and "t" change the sound and meaning.  Kids can also tell this story from the pictures, first describing what Bobo is doing, then even predicting what will happen next.  I used this when it first came out and liked it as a storytime book, but now that I've thought about its early literacy skill potential, I rate it even higher.  The other Bobos are good too (Hug and Yes) but this one's my favorite. 

- Steven Engelfried