animals

Zoo Day Ole!

| Tasha

Zoo Day Ole!: a counting book by Phillis Gershator, illustrated by Santiago Cohen.

Abuelita takes her two grandchildren to the zoo where they count the animals from uno to diez.  They see bears, seals, monkeys, parrots and many more animals.  Gershator’s text is simple with Spanish counting words woven in.  Cohen’s art is thick-lined. His use of large blocks of color make it very child-like and friendly.

The mix of English and Spanish is nicely done, though I would have liked to have seen the names for the various animals done in both Spanish and English as well.  As a counting book, this one works well because readers have the option of counting or not counting since it isn’t built into the text. 

An ideal book for toddlers who love Dora the Explorer or Sesame Street with their mix of Spanish and English.  It would also work well for children learning Spanish in Kindergarten.  Appropriate for ages 2-5.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

The Mitten

| Tasha

The Mitten retold by Jim Aylesworth, illustrated by Barbara McClintock

This is a retelling of Ukrainian folktale made popular by Jan Brett whose beloved version is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.   A little boy heads out to play in his new hat, scarf and mittens that his grandmother has knitted for him.  While playing, he loses one of his mittens.  The mitten is found by a squirrel, a rabbit, a fox, and a bear who manage to squeeze into the mitten and be nice and warm.  But when a mouse comes by and begs to join them too, it is too much for even grandmother’s strong knitting.  The mitten explodes with a satisfying burst. The boy and his grandmother find the scraps in the snow and the grandmother knits him another mitten.

Aylesworth changes the tone and style here with great skill, creating an American folktale feel that is filled with charm.  McClintock’s art is perfectly matched here with her vintage feel.  The bright red mitten is changed from the original white, adding a punch of color on each page.  Her art and Aylesworth’s writing both evoke folktales, cold snow, warm firesides and the smell of damp wool mittens. 

This is a retelling that is equal to the original, which is astounding.  Because the text and art is reworked, it was able to take on the same story with a very different style and do it successfully.  Appropriate for ages 2-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

The Big Storm

| Tasha

The Big Storm: A Very Soggy Counting Book by Nancy Tafuri

As the storm starts to blow, animals take shelter in the hill hollow.  Young readers will get to count one-by-one as the animals squeeze in together and out of the rain.  The thunder rumbles over their heads, but they soon realize that they are hearing another rumble that is coming from the back of the cave.  Readers then get to quickly count backwards from 10 to 1 as the animals run out into the newly sunny fall day.

Tafuri excels at creating concept books for the youngest of readers that are filled with great art and a basic story with a fun twist.  Her art is done in concentrated watercolor inks, pigma micron pens, and watercolor pencils.  There is a great depth to the colors paired with a delicacy of line.  The animals are all bright-eyed and friendly with the drama of the story coming from the storm and the discovery in the back of the cave!  Tafuri’s pacing is perfect for the twist with steady counting leading up to 10 animals, a reveling of the storm, and then the reveal. 

A perfect choice for stormy toddler story times, autumn reading, and a nice addition to so many specific animals story times thanks to the rabbit, squirrel, skunk and more.  Appropriate for ages 1-4.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Creature ABC

| Tasha

Creature ABC by Andrew Zuckerman

See the cracks in the toenails of an elephant.  Marvel at the scarlet of a rooster’s head.  Sink into the fur of a wolf.  From A to Z, Andew Zuckerman has created photographs that are so detailed, so close and so astounding that you will find yourself bumping your head on the page as you lean in to get a better look.  The photographs are so well done that you can see the texture of skin, count individual hairs, and realize the difference between different types of fur. 

This is an ABC book, but for me that is little more than an order to put the photographs in.  Readers much older than the ABC crowd will be fascinated by the images.  Children who love animals will adore this book.  Expect to see many smudges as fingers big and small try to feel the fur or pet the animals through the page. 

One of the problems for libraries will be where to shelve this.  Yes, it is an alphabet book, but it just might be better loved in the animal nonfiction section.  Either way, this is a great purchase for libraries and one that children will read again and again.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by Pink Me, A Year of Reading, and Fuse #8.

Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes

| Tasha

Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes by Margie Palatini, illustrated by Barry Moser

The pair who collaborated on The Three Silly Billies is back with a twist on Aesop’s fable this time.  When fox can’t reach the grapes on his own, he asks bear to help.  Fox stands on bear’s head, but that doesn’t work either.  Beaver is added to the quest for the grapes, but his tail flip doesn’t help.  Porcupine arrives and joins the stack of animals to no avail.  All of the animals try to offer advice, but fox will have none of it.  Possum is finally added to the tip of fox’s nose, but that doesn’t work either.  In the end, the other animals are full of ideas of they alone could have gotten the grapes.  But fox is such a snit by that point that he marches off, leaving the others to enjoy the “lousy, rotten, stinkin’ grapes” without him.

Palatini’s tone is spot on.  The lumbering bear is written in a way that makes him a delight to read aloud, the voice bumbling along slowly.  Fox is frenzied, the other animals befuddled.  The juxtaposition of all of the voices is great fun to read aloud.  The writing is perfectly paced as well with each idea building on the next and the anticipation of success a great tension builder.  Moser’s illustrations are large and funny.  Fox being launched into the air again and again is a real hoot, as are the doubtful looks on the other animals’ faces. He uses white space with great effect to emphasize the distance between fox and grapes.

A read aloud with action, humor and animals!  What more could anyone want?  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Nonfiction Monday – Life in the Boreal Forest

| Tasha

Life in the Boreal Forest by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illustrations by Gennady Spirin.

Released on September 29, 2009.

This book so clearly captures the beauty and life in the boreal forest that one can almost hear the birds and smell the freshness of the air.  The great northern forest stretches from Alaska and Canada to Scandinavia and Russia Showing the brevity of the northern summer, the activity of the stark winter months, and the glory of the spring and the return of warmth will bring readers face-to-face with nature and its drama.  Spirin’s illustrations show delicate detail, dazzling vistas, and many many animals.  This is a book to sink into, explore and learn.

Guiberson’s text is filled with sounds, from bird calls to wolves howling to smaller noises like hares hopping on snow.  Each sound and its explanation brings this unique ecosystem to life.  Her words create an understanding through the small details of the importance of this forest for all of us.  Spirin excels as capturing animals with their small details and yet showing the forest itself as more than a background, as a living thing.  Her art is large and breathtaking even while the details are shown.

Highly recommended, this book is a great nature book for children.  For children in the north, this book is like coming home.  For everyone it is important to see forests celebrated in this way.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.

That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals

| Tasha

That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals: A Book about Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things by Ruby Roth.

A friendly introduction to veganism and vegetarianism for elementary-age children, this book focuses more on the evils of factory farming than eating animals.  This slant makes it more appropriate for the young audience.  The animals are portrayed as whimsical characters.  The pigs have huge nostrils, the chickens stay round as an egg, and the cows are lanky with long-lashed eyes.  Animals are shown in family groups, demonstrating what their natural lives would be like.  This is contrasted with the misery they find on factory farms combined with the environmental toll as well.  The book makes a sound, green argument for reducing animal consumption as well as eliminating factory farms.

This book deserves a place in most public libraries alongside all of those farm animal books.  It offers another perspective that is missing from children’s sections in libraries.  As adults learn that vegetarian and vegan diets are healthier for people as well as animals, parents will turn to libraries to help explain this to their children.  It is a pleasure to find such a well-done book on the subject that provides information without the shocking images that would be too much for children.

Roth has done an admirable job of creating a book on a subject that could easily confuse and upset young readers.  This book instead talks about nature, the importance of kindness, and gives children a way to make a difference right now.  Her illustrations help to keep the subject from being too bleak with their cartoony feel.

Highly recommended for all public library collections, this book will be appreciated by vegetarians, vegans and others who are exploring their eating options.  Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Not All Animals Are Blue

| Tasha

Not All Animals Are Blue: A Big Book of Little Differences by Beatrice Boutignon

This French picture book is a treat in its innocence and freshness.  Each double-page spread features one page with a line of small, detailed animals which faces a page with five descriptive phrases – one for each animal.  Some of the matches are easy while others can be difficult until you match other animals first.  Children will enjoy this book because of the cuteness of the animal figures and the challenge of the game. 

Boutignon’s illustrations are small, clever and make you want to look at them longer.  Some animals have pieces of clothing on them, while others are more realistically portrayed.  The mix of the two is a winning one.  There are several figures that will steal your heart.  One of my favorites is a very cuddly penguin wearing footie jammies. 

A book to read with one or two children so that everyone gets to pick the matching animals and enjoy the details of the illustrations.  Perfect reading for 2-4 year olds.

Hello Baby!

| Tasha

Hello, Baby! by Mem Fox, illustrated by Steve Jenkins.

Take two amazing children’s book creators and put them together and you get a treat like this book.  The book starts with a simple question, “Hello, baby!  Who are you?”  It moves from one animal guess to the next with each animal doing an action that children will love to imitate.  Fox has created a joyous bouncing verse that romps from one animal to the next with great merriment.  Paired with the amazing paperwork art of Jenkins, the book is taken to another level. 

As I read this book, my mind immediately heard the chorus of preschoolers pretending to be yawning hippos.  I also saw groups of children rolling their eyes like geckos.  Jenkin’s art is realistic and vivid.  The colors shout from the page and children will enjoy looking closely at the art even though it will project perfectly to a group.  Fox’s words are brief and lovely, perfect for sharing with toddlers.  At the same time there is a sophistication about the art and the verse that will make it of interest to older preschoolers as well.  This is most definitely not solely a toddler title.

Highly recommended as a great pick for toddlers and preschoolers.  But expect lots of animal actions and silliness along the way.  Appropriate for 2-5 year olds.