Picture Books

Review–Spring Is Here by Will Hillenbrand

| Tasha

springisherehillenbrand

Spring Is Here by Will Hillenbrand

Mole wakes up and tries to figure out if spring has arrived.  He sniffs the air, tiptoes past Bear’s room and then squishes mud under his feet.  He knows that spring is here.  But when he tries to wake up Bear to let him know, Bear just keeps on snoring.  So Mole comes up with a way to get Bear to wake up.  It involves gathering eggs, milking a cow, churning the milk, pouring, mixing, and baking.  When he presents Bear with his surprise though, Mole is the one so tired from his efforts that he is snoring.

Hillenbrand has created a charming picture book from a very simple concept, making a book that is ideal to share with toddlers.  Sounds have been sprinkled nicely throughout the book, energizing the story.  With only a few lines per page, the pacing of the book will work well read aloud to small children.   Towards the end, the pacing picks up even more as Mole works on his idea to wake up Bear.

The artwork in the book adds to the story’s cozy feel.  The mixed media illustrations have a warmth thanks to their soft lines and homey subject.  Filled with small touches, a complete world is created where friendship between a mole and bear makes perfect sense.

Add this to your spring story time pile, especially if you read to the smallest of children.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Book Review–Press Here: A Fresh, Simple, Marvelous Idea

| Tasha

PressHere

Press Here by Herve Tullet

Press the dot on the cover and launch yourself into a journey where a book responds to your touch without any flaps, popups or electronics.  Follow the directions on each page, turn the page and see what happens next!  This is a book that is so simple in concept and beautifully executed in design.  Readers will enjoy making the dots big by clapping their hands, moving the dots around the page by shaking the book, and turning off the lights by pushing the yellow dots hard.  This is a simple, beautiful book that shows us that the pleasure of reading is universal.

Hand this to any child and they will grin as the pages turn.  While this won’t work for a group of children, it is an ideal book for a handful to share or for a parent to share with a child.  Toddlers especially will enjoy this book and the effect they have on it.  This book is pure delight.

Get your hands on this one to see for yourself, or take a look at the video below to see more of the pages in the hands of children.  Appropriate for ages 2-5.

 

Also reviewed by:

Birdsong: Get Ready to Make Some Noise

| Tasha

birdsong

Birdsong by Ellie Sandall

This book is a simple, bright invitation to make some noise during story time!  One bird lands on a tree branch and begins to sing “Kitcha kitcha Kee kee kee.”  Another bird flies to the same branch and begins its own song “Urrah!  Urrah! Rah rah ree.”  More birds come, including an owl and a parrot, until finally a very large bird with an enormous voice manages to clear the others from the branch with very humorous results.

Sandall keeps the concept clear and simple.  The narrative portion of the book is kept to an absolute minimum of just introducing the entering birds.  Her bird calls when read one after another form a rhythm and music.  The repetition makes this a great choice for toddlers as well as preschoolers.  The illustrations are a pleasing mix of the roughness of pencil in the branches and trees to the silkiness of watercolor for the birds.  The colors are bright and vibrant, filling the illustrations with color.  The illustrations are large enough to work well with a group.

Upon first reading the book, I thought it would work very well as a play for preschoolers to put on.  Each child as a unique bird with an interesting call that is the only line they have to learn.  And then a comic ending, to wrap the whole thing up.

A great addition to any story time about birds, children will enjoy helping make the musical noise in the book and could even be assigned instruments to match each bird and their call.  Think of the lovely cacophony!  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Egmont.

Also reviewed by:

Argus: A Celebration of Being Different

| Tasha

argus

Argus by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Andrea Wesson

When her class at school does a science project with eggs, Sally’s egg looks very different from the regular white chicken eggs.  Hers is much larger and polka-dotted.  When the others eggs hatch, the fluffy yellow chicks emerge.  When Sally’s egg hatches, out comes something scaly and green.  Argus is completely different from the other chicks.  He doesn’t eat seeds, instead he’s rather eat the other chicks.  Perhaps even the students!  Sally finds herself longing for a yellow, fluffy, normal chick of her own.  But when Argus disappears, she realizes that he has become very special to her and that his own unique qualities are what make him himself.

Knudsen has created a picture book that is very funny.  She plays up the humor of a dragon emerging from an egg in a classroom.  I also enjoyed the role of the teacher, Mrs. Henshaw, who takes all of the differences and surprises in stride, managing all of the situations without getting flustered.  It is as matter-of-fact a book about a dragon as you are likely to find, which is a large part of its charm.

Wesson’s illustrations have a light touch and lots of details.  The yellow chicks are roly poly and jolly.  Argus is not.  Yet children will never be afraid of Argus because he wears a smile and has friendly yellow eyes.  Another touch from Wesson are the graphs and measurements that the class makes of their “chicks.”  Argus definitely does not conform.

A funny, wry book about differences and acceptance, this book will be welcome in libraries and classrooms as a way to discuss difficult subjects with humor.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic

| Tasha

nightflight

Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Wendell Minor

This gorgeous and beautifully written picture book follows Amelia Earhart as she tries to be the first woman to pilot a plane across the Atlantic Ocean alone.  Beginning with Earhart rolling down the runway in Newfoundland on May 20, 1932, the book is not only about the trip but also about the beauty of flight, the moments of wonder, the fears, the dedication it takes, and the incredible feat that Amelia Earhart accomplished. 

Burleigh has written the book in paired lines that are filled with poetry and grace.  He uses words to capture the emotions and the events on the journey.  From the beauty of the star-filled sky to the drama of a storm out over the ocean, readers will thrill to this adventure.  As I look over the writing, I am caught up again and again by the words, the pacing, and the incredible Earhart.

Minor’s paintings add to the drama and beauty of the title.  When the book begins, readers can see the smiling face of Earhart peeking through the plane windows directly at them.  Minor manages to capture both the scale and expanse of the adventure and the personal story of Earhart.  He makes it both monumental and personal as does Burleigh in his text.

While there are many titles about Amelia Earhart out there, this is one of the best and would be a thrilling read for any class exploring women’s history.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

To see some of the beauty of the illustrations, take a look at the book trailer below:

Also reviewed by Bibliophile by the Sea.

Time to Eat: Nature and Nibbles

| Tasha

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Time to Eat by Steven Jenkins and Robin Page

Jenkins and Page continue their collaboration with a new series of nature books for young children.  The other two books in the series are Time for a Bath (coming in May) and Time to Sleep (just released).  In this book, readers learn about the many strange and different things that animals eat.  From the rocks that an ostrich has to eat to chew its food to the tapping thin fingers of an aye-aye looking for lunch, the facts are fascinating. 

Those facts are paired with Jenkins’ illustrations done in paper collage.  As always, his collage work captures the texture of fur, the softness of feathers, and the smoothness of skin.  They manage to be simple yet demonstrate the complexity of the animals. 

Make sure to turn to the end of the book for more details about the featured animals.  The facts included in the body of the book read aloud very well, offering just enough detail to be interesting and yet to move along quickly. 

This is a great book to add to any library’s nature section and to keep on hand for any nature or animal story times you will be doing.  The dung beetle alone is sure to get children intrigued!  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

The Secret Box: A Wordless Treasure

| Tasha

secretbox

The Secret Box by Barbara Lehman

Lehman continues her wordless books with this treasure of a title.  Years ago, during the times of steam trains and horse-drawn carriages, a boy hides a box under the floorboards of a house.  Other buildings are built around that house, as the city grows.  Cars and a modern train show that time has passed.  Three children head to the high floor and discover the hidden box.  In the box are directions to the Seahorse Pier.  The children have to find the old landmarks that are almost hidden in the modern city.  They follow the map to the Seahorse Pier and to a surprise waiting for them at the end of their adventure.

Lehman’s books are delightful adventures, allowing readers to take travels along with the characters in the books.  Readers also get to puzzle out what is happening, as the book takes turns and twists like any great adventure should.  Told entirely through illustrations, the story is delicate yet strong.  Lehman uses a deft hand in this book, balancing the book exquisitely.

Although this is a wordless story, it will work best for slightly older preschoolers because the stories are not as straight forward as most wordless books.  Because of that, I see them as ideal picks for children having difficulty with reading.

Highly recommended, this book will be enjoyed by fans of Lehman’s previous work and will find new fans as well.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by

Seven Fathers: A Vivid Retelling

| Tasha

sevenfathers

Seven Fathers retold by Ashley Ramsden, illustrated by Ed Young

Released April 12, 2011.

A lone man walks in a snow-filled night, desperate to find shelter from the cold and weather.  With the last of his strength, he approaches a house that appears out of the darkness.  There he finds an old man chopping wood.  When the traveler asks if he can stay the night, the old man replies that he is not the father of the house.  His father is in the kitchen.  The traveler heads to the kitchen where he meets an even older man and asks him if he can stay.  But the man replies that he too is not the father of the house and sends him to the parlor.  This pattern continues until each man more wizened and elderly than the last has sent him on to the next.  Finally, the traveler reaches a horn hung on the wall with a speck of dust resting on it, and then he gets his answer.

Ramsden’s story telling skill is very apparent with this retelling.  The text glides, moves and soars, allowing the story to truly be told.  He creates moments where readers will feel the cold, the wind and the snow.  He creates other moments where the smell of stew and the warmth of a kitchen enter aching bones.  Unlike some folklore stories with repeating patterns, Ramsden writes each encounter as a special one, yet keeps them tethered to one another.  It is a necklace of unique gems.

Young’s illustrations are done in mixed-media collage.  They hearken to the Nordic origins of the story with their furs, wools, and woods.  The lines Young has created are so simple, creating faces and expressions with a minimal number of details.  All of the art is on dark paper that evokes a traditional, aged feel to the entire book.

A beautiful, moving and vivid retelling of folklore, this book is definitely a jewel among picture books.  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Octopus Soup: A Yummy Wordless Treat

| Tasha

octopussoup

Octopus Soup by Mercer Mayer

When an octopus climbs up an anchor line and into a fisherman’s basket, it causes all sorts of chaos.  The octopus is flung onto the head of someone cleaning the street and from there is chased through a window.  Taking refuge in a pitcher of water, the octopus is discovered by a chef with a taste for octopus soup.  A chase ensues, ending with the octopus hanging from the dock until it drops into the chef’s waiting soup pot.  But don’t fret, there is yet another twist in this tale.

Mayer’s latest features vaudeville physical humor and a timeless story.  The wordless story has more than enough humor to keep children giggling, enough tension to keep them wondering what will happen, and more than enough appeal for young readers. 

Hand this to children too young to be reading yet who want a book they can “read” on their own.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.