bedtime

Interrupting Chicken – Blog Tour!

| Tasha

I’m very happy to be the concluding blog on the Interrupting Chicken blog tour!

9780763641689

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

Stein’s new picture book will earn him even more fans in the picture book world.  It is time for little red chicken to go to bed.  Her father agrees to read her a story, but tells her not to interrupt.  She promises not to.  So he begins Hansel and Gretel but just as they are about to enter the witch’s house, little red chicken interrupts and changes the story.  Her father tries again with Little Red Riding Hood with exactly the same result.  Finally, after little red chicken pleads for another chance, he tries Chicken Little.  She interrupts again and is still wide awake.  So her sleepy father climbs into bed himself and has her read him a story.  I wonder if interrupting runs in the family?

This book is a charmer and will have children laughing gleefully along as little red chicken continues to interrupt at just the right (or wrong) time.  Stein’s short introductions to the familiar fairy tales nicely set up each story and lead to a climactic point.  Then little red chicken’s interruptions add a great tone and speed to the text, filled with enthusiasm about the stories themselves.  My favorite part is that she is so drawn into the stories that she feels she must help the characters.  This book really is about the power of reading with a child. 

Stein’s illustrations are done in a great palette of colors with reds, teals, blues and greens that are vibrant and exciting.  The depth of color on the page is fantastic with few of the pages offering white space at all.  This gives it a very warm, cozy feel. 

A perfect read aloud, this book will be loved by anyone who hears it.  The comedic timing is built into the story and it is a pleasure to share it aloud.  Add this one to your pile of funny chicken books and your bedtime stories.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Candlewick.

 

Visit the other blogs that are part of the tour:

Aug. 9 – Picture Book Review, http://picturebookreview.com/

Aug. 10 – Katie’s Literature Lounge, http://katiesliteraturelounge.blogspot.com/

Aug. 11 – Readaholic, http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/

Aug. 12 – Two Writing Teachers, http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com

Aug. 13 – Not Just for Kids, http://notjustforkids.blogspot.com/

Aug. 14 – Milk and Cookies, Comfort Reading . . ., http://janasbooklist.blogspot.com/

Aug. 15 – Bookworm’s Dinner, http://bookwormsdinner.blogspot.com/

Aug. 16 – Where the Best Books Are, http://wherethebestbooksare.blogspot.com/

One Drowsy Dragon

| Tasha

One Drowsy Dragon by Ethan Long

One sleepy dragon wants to get some sleep, but his little dragons are making too much noise.  In this rhyming counting book, readers will find one dragon after another making all sorts of noises.  There is marching, dancing, screaming, jamming in a band, and much more.  Throughout, the adult dragon becomes more and more frazzled and exhausted until the end of the book when the ten little dragons are tired too and ready for bed.  But then the adult dragon is making so much noise snoring that they can’t get to sleep!

Filled with great sounds to make when reading aloud, this book is ideal for a pajama party.  It has a jaunty rhyme with plenty of shouting from the frustrated dragon adding to the frenzy.  The illustrations add even more appeal to the book with their bright colors and humor.  Just the look on the adult dragon’s face will having readers giggling as well as how oblivious the young dragons are to the situation. 

Bright and funny, this is a great counting book combined with dragon appeal and a bedtime theme.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy

| Tasha

Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy by Denise Fleming

One sleepy animal after another is shown with the refrain of “sleep, oh so sleepy.”  The words form a lulling rocking feel, perfect for bedtime.  Every three animals, a line is added: “Where’s my sleepy baby?”  It completes the story, drawing the child into the book.  The animals are far from barnyard livestock, instead they are anteaters, elephants, koalas, orangutans and many exotic beasts.  Fleming’s illustrations are equally soothing with their soft lines and velvety textures.  A beautiful bedtime book for every family.

As you can see from the cover, it is Fleming’s art that is the real star here.  The book is done in double-spreads with large images.  Fleming creates her images with pulp painting, a papermaking technique that lends it a very interesting style and feel.  It creates a depth of color that brings additional dimension to the illustrations. Far from flat, each color contains specks of other colors and a direct relationship to the colors near them.  It is a soft, but never muted, form of illustration that is very successful here.

Highly recommended, this drowsy book will appeal to parents and babies alike.  Appropriate for 0-2.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.

Sweet Dreams Lullaby

| Tasha

Sweet Dreams Lullaby by Betsy Snyder

In rhyming couplets, a young bunny prepares for bed in this peaceful book.  Young listeners will cuddle down just like the bunny as they move through a landscape of jewel tones and sensory imagery.  The illustrations move from late afternoon through the moon rising and stars twinkling in the sky.  Different animals make their way to bed following some of the same steps as children.  Hummingbirds get drinks of water.  Ducks wash themselves in puddles.  A daddy frog sings to his children.  Beautifully written and illustrated, this book is a small gem of a book.

Snyder excels at both writing and illustrating.  Some of the images in her poem are so lovely, gentle and perfect that they will stop you for a moment in delight.  The clever use of parallels between the animal bedtimes and children’s routines are done with a subtle hand.  Snyder’s illustrations are filled with deep colors that change throughout the book as the evening deepens.  There is a sense of continuity throughout the illustrations and the book that is soothing and gentle.

A great bedtime book for toddlers, one can’t read this book without feeling calm, warm and snuggly.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

Visit Betsy Snyder’s blog for information on her work.  You can also read an interview with her at Picture Book Junkies Blog.

Back to Bed, Ed!

| Tasha

Back to Bed, Ed! by Sebastien Braun

Ed enjoys all that leads up to going to bed: playing with Dad, taking a bath, story with Mom, and getting tucked in.  But once he was alone in the dark, he didn’t like it any more.  So he would tiptoe out to his parents’ bedroom and climb in their bed to sleep.  The problem was that his parents weren’t getting much sleep at all with him in there.  Finally after sleeping through the alarm and getting up much too late, his parents decided that he could not sleep with them any more.  Dad tucked him back into bed and made sure his nightlight was on.  But still Ed could not stay in bed – that is, he couldn’t stay in bed until all of his stuffed animals joined him.

Braun’s book design is a joy to read.  His round headed mice are charming as are the humorous touches he puts in the illustrations.  From the baby dumping out its food unnoticed in the background to the favorite stuffed rabbit with the alarmed look on its face at all times, Braun has created a complete world here.  His writing is a great length for young listeners who may also be dealing with being scared at bedtime.  The writing too has a sense of humor and place.

Recommended for any family transitioning out of a family bed (planned or unplanned), all children will enjoy entering this world of friendly mice.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Peachtree Publishers.

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.

Boom Boom Go Away!

| Tasha

Boom Boom Go Away! by Laura Geringer, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

Vintage toys combine with noise and mayhem to create a fabulous bedtime read!

When a small boy is asked to go to bed, he responds by starting up his toys one by one in response.  The little gnome is at the heart of it all as he bangs the drum with a “Go away, boom boom.  Go away!”  An elf dings on a gong, a prince screeches on his bassoon, a knight plays his bells, more and more toys join in, creating a great rhythm and song as they do.  But in the end, the noise is not enough to keep the little boy awake and they all wind down with a “Go away! Hush, hush… boom boom. Go away.”

Reading this book is great fun.  Geringer has created just the right mix of noises and sounds to make reading this book aloud a treat.  The rhythm makes it easier, the sounds are different enough to be interesting, and her framing of the story is done with a gentle touch.  Ibatoulline’s illustrations are beautifully done in a soft yet bright palette that really reinforces the vintage feel of the toys.  The writing, the fonts and the illustrations all work together to create a charmer of a book.

Highly recommended for pajama story times or a bedtime read, this book may become one of those books that is asked for again and again.  If you are going to use this with a group, consider handing out instruments or assigning noises to kids.  They are sure to love adding to the rhythm.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from book received from Atheneum Publishers (Simon & Schuster)

Also reviewed by The Excelsior File and Young Books.

The Quiet Book

| Tasha

The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Renata Liwska

There are many kind of quiet.  Quiet can cozy.  Quiet can be tense.  Quiet can be worth savoring.  Quiet can be gone in a flash.  This book celebrates the many kinds of quiet, offering examples of the many moments of quiet in a day.  Starting with the quiet of being the first one awake, the book ends with the quiet of being sound asleep.  In between, readers will find examples of quiet that are funny, surprising and poignant.  This is a simple premise executed with great finesse.

Underwood’s one-per-page examples of quiet each end with the word “quiet.”  As you read through the book aloud, you will discover which of the examples make you hush your words even more and which examples are exuberant despite the silence.  Deftly done, the examples are varied and interesting.  Liwska’s illustrations add to the gentle humor, offering visual examples of quiet.  Her pencil and digital images are soft and witty at the same time.

Recommended for bedtime reading, this book is perfect for snuggling under the covers and reading to a little one.  Happy cuddles!  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Check out the websites of Deborah Underwood and Renata Liwska

Race You to Bed

| Tasha

Race You to Bed by Bob Shea

Shea returns with another silly, zany picture book.  Readers race to bed with a white, fluffy bunny as he runs uphill, drops downhill, makes lots of noise, and escapes a wide variety of traps and troubles.  Young readers will be laughing aloud at the manic rhymes, fast pace, and pure silliness of this book.  Perfect for children who don’t want to go to bed and would much rather be running around.  The ending is charming and provides the perfect button to the book. 

Shea excels here at writing verse that is strong, fast and funny.  It is also beautifully short which adds to the fast pace and will keep young listeners very happy.  Make sure that you keep control of the pace as you read, because the illustrations offer a lot of the humor and are worth slowing down for.  The illustrations are done in Shea’s trademark simplicity that has a great graphic quality to it.

Perfection for bedtime or pajama story times, this book is pure fun.  Race you to see who can read it next!  Appropriate for ages 2-5.

Reviewed from library copy.