animals

Mama’s Bayou

| Tasha

Mama’s Bayou by Dianne de Las Casas, illustrated by Holly Stone-Barker

Take a sound-filled tour through the bayou as the animals that live there prepare to sleep.  Using the repeated phrase of “Mama’s by you on the bayou” the book moves from animal to animal offering the sounds they make.  Crickets chirp, frogs slurp, snakes hiss, mosquitoes (skeeters) buzz, and more.  Every few pages, there is a double-spread given over just to the accumulated noises of the animals.  These small breaks in the pattern of the book keep it from being too rhythmic and also give readers a place to pause and consider the noises of the night.

De Las Casas has written a book that is a lullaby directly from the bayou to you.  Her use of repetition is nicely done.  Also the cumulative nature of the animal noises makes for a fun read.  Stone-Barker’s illustrations are done in cut paper collages.  The papers have dimension and texture, offering a depth that is exciting.  She also uses deep colors of night very successfully.

A lovely way to celebrate the sounds of the night whether listening to the mosquitoes in the bayou or all the way north in Wisconsin.  We do have fewer crocodiles though.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Pelican Publishers.

I Can Help

| Tasha

I Can Help by David Hyde Costello

Little Duck is lost in the tall grass and is helped by Monkey.  This starts a chain of helpful actions where one animal helps the next.  Monkey is caught by a giraffe when he falls from a tree, Giraffe is helped when Gorilla bends a branch low enough, Gorilla’s splinter is pulled out by a bird.  And it continues, one after the other until the chain loops back when Little Duck helps Elephant find a cool pool of water.  Unfortunately, moments later Little Duck is once again lost in the grass, but now there are lots of animals willing to help!

Very simply written in short sentences, this book clearly demonstrates how one good deed gets repaid again and again.  Costello’s art is as clear and simple as his text with illustrations filled with deep colors that are very inviting.  As the chain continues, each animal is united with a parent after they are helped.  This small touch adds to the warmth of the book.  It is also pleasant to see that each animal gives thanks for the help they receive. 

Perfection for toddler or even baby storytimes, this book exudes a bright friendliness that all children will find inviting.  Appropriate for ages 1-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Ferocious Wild Beasts!

| Tasha

Ferocious Wild Beasts by Chris Wormell

Jack’s mother told him never to go into the forest because there are ferocious wild beasts in there!  But Jack didn’t listen and now found himself lost in the woods.  When a bear walked up to Jack and asked what was wrong, Jack told him about the ferocious wild beasts of the forest and how they gobble up both people and bears.  The bear was worried and the two of them walked on together.  They met an elephant who was told about the wild beasts and was also terrified, so the three walked on together.  They next met a lion who when hearing about the beasts also traveled with them.  With the sinking of the sun, they had even more animals grouped with them and on the outlook for the wild beasts.  They heard a stomping.  They saw a huge glowing eye.  They heard a loud roar.  What could it be?

This is a great picture book.  It has wonderful pacing that draws readers in and captivates them.  The humor is broad and children will immediately understand that the very animals accompanying Jack on his travels are the ones his mother warned him about.  Wormell’s use of realistic animals makes the book even more successful as it heightens the tension and adds to the humor too.  The watercolor illustrations here will work well with a group as will the text which has a rhythm and flow that reads aloud nicely.

Highly recommended, this is a book where children will get the joke and enjoy playing along with it.  A perfect addition to story times on elephants, bears or lions.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed at BooksForKidsBlog, Kiss the Book, and A Patchwork of Books.

My Heart Is Like a Zoo

| Tasha

My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall

Enter the zoo where each animal has a different emotion.  The beaver is eager, the rabbit is frightened, the clam is cozy.  There are animals here that children will recognize immediately and others that may be new to them.  Nicely, the same is true of the emotions.  Children will immediately understand angry, happy, and silly.  However, they may need help with bothered, rugged and chatty.  This is a book where emotions, art and vocabulary create a real chance to learn.  At the same time, it is friendly, bright and simple.

Hall’s art is large, colorful and great fun.  In this book, his animals are all built from hearts as you can see from the cover image.  Some like the frog are a simple heart with legs while others are quite complex constructs like the walrus.  The simplicity and graphical nature of Hall’s work really function well here.  The book can be read as simply animals.  Plus, it can be used to discuss emotions, and it would be a great platform for acting out emotions.  It can also be used to talk about similes.

Ideal for Valentines Day, this book is simple enough for toddlers to enjoy but complex enough to share with older children too.  The large images are perfect for classroom or group use.  Appropriate for ages 2-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Also reviewed by:

She Is Too Fond of Books

Books for Kids

Creative Literacy

Shelf-Employed

A Friend Like You

| Tasha

A Friend Like You by Tanja Askani

Through photographs taken at her animal shelter and rehab center in Germany, Askani explores friendships.  The photographs are unusual pairings of animals from pigs and dogs to owls and squirrels.   The book has one line of text per photo making it very child-friendly though the textual content never matches the quality of the photos.  It is the photos and the afterward that is filled with details about the relationships of the animals that really make this book special.  Children will page through it again and again, and even adults will want to share the image of the bunny sticking his tongue out at a hedgehog.  OK, I want one for my office wall.

Don’t let it’s cutesy cover and text fool you, this is a charming book with lots to offer.  The book features wild animals as well as domesticated, making for some of the most intriguing photographs.  Readers will ignore the text provided, and instead have conversations about the animals and friendships of their own.  No one will miss the message that no matter how different we seem, we can be friends. 

Recommended for libraries where the photographs will easily get this into the hands of animal-loving children.  This won’t work well for a story time, because the pleasure is in the end pages and the personal discussions, but children will love having a chance to pore over the pages and share their favorite images.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by 4IQREAD.

Under the Snow

| Tasha

Under the Snow by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Constance R. Bergum

After our blizzard on Wednesday, this book seems like a very appropriate choice as we dig ourselves out of 14 inches of snow.

Find out what animals and insects are hidden under the snow as they try to survive the winter.  Ladybugs packed into a gap in a stone wall and  butterflies that are active in the winter may surprise readers.  The cozy burrow of a chipmunk and the sleeping woodchuck deep underground will charm.  Then readers get to look below the ice on the pond to turtles, fish, frogs and newts to see the different ways they act in winter. 

Stewart keeps her explanations of the animals simple and straightforward enough to use with preschoolers.  I would have liked to have seen an appendix with more information on the animals themselves.  Bergum’s watercolor illustrations capture the animals and their natural surroundings with great skill.  They offer close-ups when they are needed and still manage to evoke the larger environment of field, forest and pond. 

A very nice scientific look at animals in winter, this will be welcome in preschool classrooms or for winter story times looking for nonfiction that is very readable.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by 100 Scope Notes.

Never Smile at a Monkey

| Tasha

Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins

Jenkins of the amazing paper art illustrations returns with a book dedicated to animals that may not seem dangerous.  The problem is, you do have to know the tricks of how to avoid danger with them.  Some of the animals in the book are surprisingly dangerous.  The cone shell will make you never look at sea shells the same way again.  Then you have the obviously dangerous animals like the spitting cobra and you get tips to deal with an encounter with them.  Turning each page is a delight as you get a surprise each time and then the treat of wondering what in the world the danger could be.  Great fun.

Jenkins is best known for his art.  Here it is as gorgeous as one has come to expect.  He manages to create tangible fur from paper, eyes that really seem to see, and somehow loses that flat paper feel of most collage.  One forgets it is art and starts to think of it as photography.  Jenkins also excels at writing informational paragraphs about the animals.  They are short, fascinating and here they are filled with adventure too. 

Highly recommended, this book belongs on all public and school library shelves.  A great science picture book with a great hook, this book is appropriate for ages 6-10.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by A Year of Reading, TheBookNosher, A Patchwork of Books, and Fuse #8.

Who Would Like a Christmas Tree?

| Tasha

Who Would Like a Christmas Tree? by Ellen Bryan Obed, illustrated by Anne Hunter

Take a look at a Christmas tree standing in the forest.  One wonders who needs a Christmas tree in months other than December, and the answer is surprising!  Chickadees, deer, robins, butterflies, turkeys and more need the tree for all sorts of different reasons.  Some need it for food, others for shelter, and others for a place to raise their young.  This gentle picture book is about far more than the Christmas holiday.  It leads children through an understanding of the role of all trees in the natural world. 

Obed’s prose has a sweetness to it that suits the natural themes.  She writes with a quietness and simple frankness that works well with the more scientific content.  Each animal is given several paragraphs, allowing readers to really understand why they need these trees.  Hunter’s illustrations are large, simple and friendly as well. 

This book will work well for holiday story times, but should also be considered for Arbor Day or tree-themed units.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by A Year of Reading.

Oh Crumps!

| Tasha

Oh, Crumps! by Lee Bock, illustrated by Morgan Midgett

Farmer Felandro is so very tired.  He has a lot to do tomorrow: milk the cows, fix the fence, mow the hay and climb the silo.  And morning comes so early.  As he is falling asleep, he hears the goats Maahing outside.  Oh crumps!  So he puts on his boots and heads out to put them in their pen.  Back in bed, he goes through his list of chores for tomorrow mixing his words up, and then hears the dogs barking.  On go the boots, out to the barn, gets the dogs settled, back in bed, list of chores, and another animals makes noise outside.  This happens again and again, until finally it is dawn and the day has begun.

This book has a very nice mix of humor and traditional feel.  Bock has created a story with a natural rhythm that will have young listeners feeling immediately at home.  Yet he also has created a very nice running gag as the farmer mixes up the words on his list of chores, leading to him thinking about fixing the cow and milking the fence!  Midgett’s illustrations merrily follow these words, so that we can see the farmer sitting with a bucket milking the spotted fence.  Her art will project well to a group of students with its thick lines and deep colors.

Highly recommended as an addition to farming story times or as a great bedtime choice, this book comes in both English and bilingual (English/Spanish) version.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from ARC received from publisher.