toddlers

Review: Trains Go by Steve Light

| Tasha

trains go

Trains Go by Steve Light

This board book celebrates the various sounds that trains make as they travel the rails.  There is the
“Squeak Clang Ting Bing Bing Bing!” of the freight train.  The streamliner makes a long “wooo wooo” sound in contrast.  Mountain train noises are full of “trip trap” and “fuff puff.”  The noises include toots, whistles, dings and of course a few choo choos too!  This is a great pick for the smallest train enthusiasts.

Light’s illustrations are done in deep colors with plenty of strong black lines to offer a mechanical foundation to the illustrations.  Against the white backgrounds, the bright colored trains pop as they whiz past.  Light uses the full page, filling it with the sounds of the trains, the tracks, and the smoke and steam they create.  They have a strong sense of motion as they sound their whistles and zoom by.

A fun read aloud, this is one that will be popular with little train fans.  If you are doing baby or toddler story times, this just might get everyone along for a train ride together!  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

Review: Dot by Patricia Intriago

| Tasha

dot

Dot by Patricia Intriago

This concept book uses dots to demonstrate opposites and follows the course of a day into night.  It opens with a big yellow dot that is very sun-like.  Then the simple but very strong graphic design creates a zippy, fun feel as the opposites are demonstrated.  Lines are added to show motion and direction.  Then chunks are taken out to show additional opposite pairs.  The simplicity lends the entire book a vibrancy and sense of humor.  Most of the book is done using black and white.  When color is used it is done specifically to show a concept, like red for stop and green for go. 

The text is just as simple as the illustrations, offering the concepts being shown.  It also has a nice rhythm that moves the book forward easily. 

Ideal for toddlers and for teaching opposites, this book is simply perfection.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.  Pair this with Lots of Dots by Craig Frazier for a story time filled with great illustrations and plenty of dotty fun.

Reviewed from copy received from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

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Review: Baby Unplugged Board Books

| Tasha

BlanketCoverweb HuttonPetsCover Web YardCoverBoxes

I rarely review books by self-published authors, but when I saw the covers for these books, I made an exception.  These are board books that have a particularly sunny and cheery point of view.  Each of these three books takes a subject and then spends time exploring many facets of it.  Blanket will surprise readers with a touch of humor and then ends with bedtime.  Pets talks about a wide variety of pets and ends with an emphasis on connection and love.  Yard, which is my favorite of the three, explores what children will find in their own yard as well as some of the wonder of wider nature. 

The illustrations of the books are done in a flat, friendly style where everyone is happy.  Filled with bright colors and done very simply, the illustrations are just right for the toddler or infant.  The books are written in rhyming pairs that work well, making reading aloud easy.

A particularly successful series of self-published board books, these books speak to the quality of some of the self-published work on the market.  They have a nice blend of modern illustration and timeless subjects.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copies received from Baby Unplugged.

Review: Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray

| Tasha

apple pie abc

Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray

A small black-and-white dog desperately wants a piece of apple pie in this alphabetical story.  It all starts with a girl making A for apple pie and a happily sleeping dog.  But as soon as the pie is in the oven with B for bake it, the dog is very interested in the pie.  Then the pie must C for cool it and D for dish it out.  Though the girl gets to eat some pie, the dog must make due with just a crumb.  But after that one delicious crumb, he just can’t stop thinking about eating pie!   This cheery picture book mixes the alphabet with an alphabetical storyline more robust than in other books that try this technique.  Readers will love the many ways the dog tries to get pie and then the very satisfying and delicious conclusion.

Murray has created a book that really works the alphabet into the story.  Even without the alphabet as part of the book, this story and the writing would stand on its own.  That’s something that can rarely be said about an alphabet picture book.  The writing is kept very simple and solid.

Murray’s illustrations are a treat in this book.  They have a natural, old-fashioned quality to them that makes the book warm and inviting.  Add the apple pie element, and you have a book that feels like a classic picture book yet still has a modern perspective too.

A delight of a picture book that will satisfy yet leave young readers eager for seconds.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Review: Brownie & Pearl Take a Dip by Cynthia Rylant

| Tasha

browniepearl

Brownie & Pearl Take a Dip by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Brian Biggs

It’s a very hot day.  After sitting in front of the fan with lemonade, Brownie and Pearl decide to head for the pool.  Time for swimsuits, a beach ball and sunglasses.  They head to their small pool that is just the right size for both of them.  It feels so nice, but then Pearl leans in a little too close and gets a lot wetter than she wanted to.  In the end, it still feels nice to have a dip, but also nice to spend time drying out in the sun.

Rylant has created a very cheery series for toddlers.  Brownie and her pet cat Pearl have small adventures that very young children will relate to and understand.  Rylant has an ear for simplicity in her writing, creating a book that is simple but tells a full story.

Biggs’ illustrations are equally warm and friendly.  They are large, bright and warm.  The colors are rich and vibrant, creating a book that would work well for a group of toddlers as well as one-on-one.

A great pick for a hot summer day, this book will be enjoyed by children ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Beach Lane Books.

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Book Review: Catch That Baby by Nancy Coffelt

| Tasha

catch that baby

Catch That Baby! by Nancy Coffelt, illustrated by Scott Nash

Starting from the title pages, Rudy’s mom has to catch him to get him into the bath.  But once the bath is over, the real chase begins as “Nudie Rudy” runs through the house.  Mom tries to catch him, but he runs into the living room.  His Mom and brother run after him, but he’s into the kitchen.  Now the dog, his father, and his sister join the chase.  But Rudy is off into the back of the house, filled with plants.  Now grandma and grandpa help look, because Rudy has disappeared.  What in the world could he be up to now?

Coffelt’s text ties this wild naked baby chase closely with The Gingerbread Man as more and more characters join in trying to catch Rudy.  The story telling is split between narrative and dialogue, shown in speech bubbles.  This keeps the pace of the story racing along with Rudy from page to page.

Nash’s art has bright colors and a comic book feel to its lines.  He uses objects and the dog to cleverly block any frontal nudity from view, instead showing chubby legs, flying feet, and a bare bottom. 

There is a real humor to the book, so much so that you can almost hear the giggle of this naked little racing boy.  The twist at the end is endearing and a natural part of the story.  A great pick for toddlers, this book is appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Aladdin.

Book Review: Where’s Walrus? by Stephen Savage

| Tasha

wheres walrus

Where’s Walrus? by Stephen Savage

This wordless picture book has a great appeal for the youngest children and adults alike.  Walrus escapes from his small pool in the zoo, pursued closely by the zookeeper.  He hides in the most unlikely spots, posing as a mermaid in a fountain, seated at a diner counter, glamming up a window display, and much more.  Finally, he is cornered up on a diving board sporting a red swim cap.  What happens next is a satisfying close to this cheery picture book.

Savage has a tremendous sense of pacing in this book.  It moves ahead from one hiding place to the next, and then turns into a full story as the final pages turn past.  The story works well without words, helped by the skilled pacing and the ease of the storyline.

What really sets this book apart are the illustrations, done in bold shapes and bright colors.  They have a graphic quality to them and a modern edge.  While the book sounds like a Where’s Waldo type of book, it really isn’t thanks to the simplicity and style of the illustrations. 

This wordless dazzler of a picture book will impress old and young alike with its style and sense of fun.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

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Book Review: Worms for Lunch? by Leonid Gore

| Tasha

worms for lunch

Worms for Lunch? by Leonid Gore

Through bright colors and die cut illustrations, young readers explore what different animals eat.  The book begins with the question of “Who eats worms for lunch?”  A mouse declares that he doesn’t eat worms, instead he likes cheese.  A relieved worm disappears from the page.  Then a cat spots the mouse, and says that that’s what she would like for lunch.  She ends up with a bowl of milk.  The cow then declares that milk may be good, but grass is better.  On the book goes, moving from one animal to the next until finally the question of who eats worms for lunch can be answered! 

This entire book has a great sense of play and humor about it.  Every other page has a die cut, making the book more enticing for young children to experience.  The simple text and the bright colors combine into a book that is just right for toddlers to enjoy.  They will enjoy turning the page and having the story change too. 

With its large illustrations, this would work well with a group of children.  A good pick for a toddler story time about food.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic Press.

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Book Review: Mine by Shutta Crum

| Tasha

mine

Mine! by Shutta Crum, illustrated by Patrice Barton

One of only two words used in this picture book about sharing is “mine” and it is said again and again.   A toddler is visited by a baby, and carefully gathers up his toys before the littler one can get her hands on them.  With each grab, he announces “mine.”  His arms fill up with toys, so the baby grabs the last toy on the floor, forcing the toddler to drop all of the others.  Now the puppy gets in on the game, grabbing and chewing on a ball that bounces his way.  While the toddler tries to get the ball away from the dog, the baby tosses her toy into the dog’s water dish.  Just when the story seems poised for a tantrum, the joy of playing in water together saves the day.

This adorable little book has a great sense of playfulness.  Even when the little boy is gathering his toys up, there is no sense of malice in his actions.  I appreciated that the story does have parents hovering at the edge of the story, but they are uninvolved in the action and the sharing in the end.  Instead, this is a resolution entirely reached by the children themselves.

Baron’s art has a soft color palette that adds warmth and ease to the story.  She captures facial expressions particularly well, on both the children and the puppy.  There is a sense of absolute joy at times, often juxtaposed with amazement on the face of another character.  She also renders toddlers and babies well, with their rounded features and limbs looking particularly plump and adorable.  The action is readily followed with the dotted lines that show the motion of toys from one person or place to the next.

A charming book about sharing that doesn’t have any lecture built in at all, this one is a winner for toddlers.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from library copy.

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