toddlers

Book Review: In the Meadow by Yukiko Kato

| Tasha

inthemeadow

In the Meadow by Yukiko Kato

A little girl and her family head to the river to play.  On the shore, she spots a butterfly but when she tries to touch it, the butterfly flies away.  The little girl follows into the meadow, filled with tall grasses.  The grass tickles, trips, and sways.  It is almost like a green sea around her, growing so tall that only her hat and face can be seen.  The butterfly disappears, but a grasshopper lands on her arm and jumps away again.  The little girl is alone in the tall grass, so she closes her eyes and listens to the noises of the meadow.  And then she hears one more noise, her mother’s voice calling to her.

This picture book explores nature in a very personal way.  All of the senses are involved in the description of the meadow, from the scent of the crushed grass under her feet, the way the grass feels on her skin, the way the grass looks as it sways, to the sounds of the meadow and its creatures.  This immerses the reader in the experience of the meadow, both its beauty and the way you can lose yourself in it.

Kato’s words are simple, perfect for small children.  They reveal the meadow slowly, building it into a full experience.  Her illustrations are done in acrylic paints and oil pencils.  They are done in delicate lines, yet have a freedom, a naturalness.  The vast green of the field, dances on the page, at times detailed and at other times simply an expanse.

This lovely book is ideal to use with toddlers and preschoolers who will see themselves in the meadow.  It would be a great piece to use with an art project where children draw their own meadows, or even build collages from found grasses.  But primarily, it is a fresh, wonderful look at nature from a small child’s point of view.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Enchanted Lion Books.

Also reviewed by Biblioreads and featured in 7 Imp.

Board Book Reviews–Hello Friends Series by Emma Quay

| Tasha

sleep-tight-a-book-about-bedtime letsplayhouse 

puddlejumping yummy-ice-cream-a-book-about-sharing

Good Night, Sleep Tight by Emma Quay and Anna Walker

Let’s Play House by Emma Quay and Anna Walker

Puddle Jumping by Emma Quay and Anna Walker

Yummy Ice Cream by Emma Quay and Anna Walker

Four new board books welcome the youngest readers into a group of three friends.  There is Panda, Sheep and Owl, who are all different, enjoy different things, but manage to be the best of friends despite that.  The series has warm illustrations that are done with a mix of paint and fabric.  This lends a real richness and friendliness to them.  The text of the books is brief, humorous and engaging.  These are stories that are simple and great fun.

Good Night, Sleep Tight is a bedtime story.  The three friends decide to go camping in their sleeping bags.  They all settle in, but both Owl and Sheep are uncomfortable.  Only Panda is cozy, so the other two decide to join Panda in the one sleeping bag.

Let’s Play House has the friends building a play house together out of a blanket and some chairs.  But the house doesn’t work out so well, especially after Panda stands up to leave, taking the roof with him.  But all is not lost, as a new game is invented.

Puddle Jumping is about bravery.  Owl and Panda have great fun jumping over a big puddle the three friends discover.  But Sheep is scared to try, scared she will fall on her bottom and get hurt.  Eventually Sheep does try to jump the puddle, and she ends up having a lot of fun in an unexpected way.

Yummy Ice Cream is about sharing.  Sheep and Panda both have ice cream cones that are very yummy.  But Owl doesn’t have any.  The three friends find a very inventive way of making two ice cream cones into more.

As you can see, children will recognize their own play and activities in these books.  These are modern, stylish board books for the youngest of children.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copies received from Penguin Books.

Book Reviews–Bunches of Board Books–The Second Bunch

| Tasha

busyelephants

Busy Elephants by John Schindel and Martin Harvey

The latest in the Busy Book series from Tricycle Press, this book features wonderfully crisp and clear photos of elephants.  Nicely, the photographs are also dynamic with elephants of different sizes interacting, running, splashing and blowing.  Get this into the hands of the smallest animal lovers.

grandmagigglepie

Grandma Calls Me Gigglepie by J. D. Lester, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata

A third board book from the pair who gave us Mommy Calls Me Monkeypants and Daddy Calls Me Doodlebug.  The book moves through human and animal grandparents interacting with their grandchild and calling them a variety of suitable endearments.  This is an adorable concept that continues to work well due to the sweet illustrations and sentiments inside.

littlecomposter

The Little Composter by Jan Gerardi

This lift-the-flap board book not only promotes composting but has an intriguing premise where the flaps conceal the remains of the eaten food.  A jaunty rhyme moves the book forward to the end where the worms start to do their work and the garden work begins.

All books reviewed from copies received from Random House.

Book Reviews–Bunches of Board Books- The First Bunch

| Tasha

onetwobuckle

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Salina Yoon

Yoon take the traditional rhyme and enlivens it with strong graphical images.  The holes in the pages let readers look through either way, making turning pages a delight as you see different ways to look at the same thing.  The rhyme and interesting illustrations make this an appealing choice.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

rockettown

Rocket Town by Bob Logan

A board book filled with rockets and enough humor to keep adults entertained as well.  The real treat here are the illustrations which have a great 60s vintage vibe that is playful and welcome.  Logan also plays with color as the book pages turn.  If you have a child into trucks and trains, give rockets a try!

Reviewed from copy received from Sourcebooks.

whosintheforest

Who’s in the Forest? by Phillis Gershator, illustrated by Jill McDonald

Peek through the holes in the pages to see who you can see in the forest.  The mixed media collage illustrations are whimsical and charming.  From the various patterns that make up leaves and sky to the smaller details of acorn caps and bird wings, there is so much for the eye to look at here.  The rhyming text combined with the holes in the pages will appeal to little ones.

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:

Monkey Truck: Ingenious Mash Up

| Tasha

monkeytruck

Monkey Truck by Michael Slack

Whenever there is trouble in the jungle, Monkey Truck races to the rescue!  He saves small lizards from crushing elephant feet.  He rescues big hippos from a shrinking and muddy water hole.  He grinds gears to get the job done with his truck bed filled to bursting.  He is Monkey Truck!  Fueled by bananas and always ready to go, he is the hero of the jungle.

This book grew on me once I got into the story.  It has a frenetic pace that toddler will enjoy immensely.  It also obviously has its own screwball humor from the premise alone!  That humor is really what makes this book work so well.  From fart jokes to bouncing stacks of muddy hippos, there is plenty of laughter to be found here.

The book has been printed on thicker pages, making it an ideal transition book for toddlers from board books to picture books.  This is clearly a book that is meant for very young children who just might demand why they can’t have a monkey truck of their very own!

If you do a toddler story time at your library or work with a toddler group, this is a book that will really work when shared out loud.  Be prepared to mash your animal sounds with engine noises and your young listeners will be sure to enjoy it!  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.

You can check out the wordless trailer for the book below:

Also reviewed by:

Shout! Shout It Out!

| Tasha

Shout-Shout-It-Out

Shout! Shout It Out! by Denise Fleming

Released March 29, 2011.

If you are looking for a book that will help with the wiggles and energy of a toddler or preschool class, this is the book for you!

Fleming takes a fast-paced rhythm that chants for children to shout out the answers if they know them.  Then she runs through numbers, the alphabet, colors, animals and vehicles.  A little mouse makes aside comments throughout the book as well.  The illustrations are classic Fleming with  bright colors, large format, and a very active feel.

Fleming does her art in pulp painting, which gives the colors an unusual depth and a great texture.  The entire book is just as inviting and invigorating as the cover.  While the text is primarily calling for children to shout out the answers they know and then the different names of things, it shows a great restraint that really makes the book work well.

This is sure to be a hit in libraries and preschools.  I’d have it on hand for any rowdy toddler story time.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.

Blue Chameleon: Colorful Companionship

| Tasha

bluechameleon

Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett

Gravett’s latest is a charmingly simple picture book that showcases her illustrations.  The featured character in the book is a chameleon who is feeling blue because he is lonely.  So he sets off to find a friend.  As he meets different objects and animals, his color changes to mimic theirs.  He turns yellow like the banana.  He turns pink like the cockatoo.  He even turns spotty like a ball and striped like a sock.  But he just can’t find a friend.  As he mopes gray on a rock and then disappears white against the page, he finally finds a friend who is just as colorful as he is.

Gravett has created a book about colors where the colors are a vital part of the story being told, making it very different than some picture books about colors that don’t read nearly as naturally.  Adding to the appeal is the emotive chameleon himself and his attempts at making friends.  Children will get the humor of the situation, love the moment he begins to show patterns, and also will relate to making friends.

Gravett’s illustrations and text work well together.  The bulk of the text is just the color and the object the chameleon is interacting with.  The chameleon also makes friendly comments to the potential friends, adding a welcome touch of more humor to the title.  The illustrations are bright, large and will work equally well with groups or reading to one child.

Highly recommended for any library’s colorful shelves, this book will be enjoyed by any preschooler or toddler.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

Also reviewed by: