Review (Book) - Just Right for Christmas by Birdie Black

"When the king comes upon a bolt of beautiful red cloth, he knows that it's just right to make a beautiful cloak for the princess. After the sewing maids finish their work, the scraps are set out and quickly picked up by the kitchen maid, who will put them to good use. So begins a chain of trickle-down crafting and gift giving until even the tiniest mouse has something warm and cozy - something just right for Christmas." (inside jacket cover)

I had high hopes for this book judging by the cute illustration on the cover, but alas, Bertie Badger and his story only appear on six of the book's 26 pages. I became wary as soon as I opened the cover of the book and noticed the background of the endpapers/pages/leaves (whatever you want to call them) were  horribly pixelated.

While the story is nice, when I look for a Christmas book, I look for a book about Christmas. There definitely wasn't anything as offensive as the story of Jesus's birth in this book, but even the jolly old elf himself (aka Santa) didn't make an appearance. The only thing "Christmassy" about this book is the giving of gifts and the word "Christmassy" in regards to a piece of soft red cloth. This story could have just as easily applied to Hanukkah, birthdays, or really any day of the year that you just feel like being nice and giving a homemade gift to a friend. While it has good morals, this will not be a book I buy for my future children (and would not be inclined to suggest for a library collection either, as I simply didn't find anything special about it). There are plenty of other books that teach the same good values while actually being "Christmassy".

Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up. This is a fine age range, as approximately half of most pages contain the repeating phrase ""Oooh!" he/she said. "That cloth is so red and soft and Christmassy! It would be just right to...""

My rating:

Review (Book) - Clorinda Plays Baseball by Robert Kinerk

"Clorinda is a cow with big dreams and loving friends. With her friends Hop and Len, she practices from dawn till dusk in the hope that her day in the big leagues may come. Then Clorinda meets Deke, who also loves the game, and Clorinda finds that her calling is to make Deke a star. It isn't long before Deke signs with Bosstown, with Clorinda as his number-one fan. Hip-hip-hooray!
But when Deke gets to Bosstown, he can't find his spark without Coach Clorinda at his side. By the fastest way possible, the team sends for Clorinda. But the question remains, will Clorinda ever get to play?" (inside jacket cover)

Well, with an introduction like that, not much is left to be said about the book! Steven Kellogg's illustrations are a bit...softer (??? after taking two youth literature classes, you'd think I'd know by now how to better describe illustrations) than most of my preferred children's books, but they are still beautiful to look at. Robert Kinerk has written the accompanying story that that rhymes beautifully, though he does use a couple rather advanced words such as "deftly". I'm sad that Clorinda's dream of playing professional baseball was so short lived, but alas, such is life.

This book is meant for slightly older children, or just expect younger children to ask questions about the story and vocabulary. There are some great underlying themes throughout the book, including building up others and not being prejudiced towards anyone because of their "species...gender, or race" (p.28). Overall, this is a book I would enjoy trying to read with my own [hypothetical] children, even though I personally find baseball one of the most boring sports in existence. 

Amazon recommends this book for ages 4 and up.

My rating:

Review (Book) - Little Dog Lost by Monica Carnesi

"On a cold winter day, a curious dog wanders onto a frozen river. Suddenly, the ice starts breaking up, and soon the dog is adrift and traveling - the unwilling passenger on a fast-moving sheet of ice.
The dramatic rescue of this little lost dog, who traveled seventy-five miles in two days, is a true story that will warm readers' hearts." (inside jacket cover)

This book will be appealing to young children even without knowing the history of Baltic, the Polish pooch found in 2010 on an ice floe in the Baltic Sea; though, if you're interested, the note from the author in the back of the book is a one page history of Baltic's travels and rescue.

According to the copyright page, "the art was done in watercolor, pen and ink on Fabriano hot-pressed paper". The text in the book is minimal - really no more than 2 lines per page, with predominantly simple words (other than the proper nouns like the name of the river Baltic got lost on - the Vistula) that can also be used for reader response.

Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up, but I think this could be a cute addition to any puppy storytime starting at 2 years old, so long as you don't have children who would get over emotional about a dog being lost and alone.

My rating:

Review (Book) - The Pirates Next Door by Jonny Duddle

"When a pirate family, the Jolley-Rogers, move to Dull-on-Sea, rumors of their shocking behavior starts spreading through the neighborhood. But, with few other children to play with, Matilda is thrilled to meet the fascinating new family next door!" (inside jacket cover)

I LOVE THIS BOOK! While I enjoyed The Pirate Cruncher (Duddle's first picture book) more, I would still be quick to try to use this book in a pirate storytime for older kids. 

The illustrations are gorgeous; even my artist husband was captivated by the pictures in these books, and enough so that he has actually read both of Duddle's books to me (I love getting storytimes for myself)! The story is a cute one about overcoming stereotypes and treating others the way you want to be treated (even if they don't treat you that way), accompanied by gorgeous digital media illustrations and set in the fun font styles of Aunt Mildred and Tree Persimmon. Some of the words used are a bit more nonsensical (as in the style of Dr. Seuss), but most of the words are understandable, though might need a bit of defining for younger audiences. I successfully used The Pirate Cruncher a couple of summers ago with a camp group of children 5-11 years old, and this book is on about the same level. 

I'm hoping that the "Starring : The Jolly Rogers" means that Duddle plans on writing and illustrating many more of these books!

Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up, but I think the book might be a bit long for a 3-year-old, with some of the words being too complex.

My rating:

Review (Book) - The Very Fairy Princess: Here Comes the Flower Girl by Julie Andrews

"Aunt Sue is getting married, and Gerry could not be more thrilled - especially since she's been chosen to be the flower girl! Gerry is determined to add her special touch to all the preparations. She paints glittery signs, decorates the cake with lots of pink, and helps her brother make fancy favors. When the wedding doesn't go exactly as she's planned, Gerry comes to realize that what matters most on such a special day is the sparkle that comes from inside - happiness and love." (inside jacket cover)

One word : GLITTERRRRRRR!!!11omgzzzsotuhedcywtcifw

*Ahem*...Anywho...yeah...the glitter alone on the front of this book is quite likely to attract any girl's attention.

The pictures are very Fancy Nancy-esque (done in ink and color pencil on Kaecolor paper), though they are not quite as bright. Really the whole book is reminiscent of Fancy Nancy (and what girl isn't a fan of those books?), although Geraldine doesn't seem to care about being quite as fancy as Nancy, so long as she has her fairy wings and wand.

The things I dislike about this book are the illustrations - I don't think they are as clean and crisp or as well done as Fancy Nancy - and some of the text. It's hard to verbalize, but some of the words on the page are emphasized by being written in ALL CAPS (I have no problem with that in picture books), but also look...shakily written? A _LITTLE LI^KE TH_IS. I don't see myself using this book in a storytime, but despite its flaws it is written by the fabulous Julie Andrews...I would still be quick to recommend this series to all fans of books like Fancy Nancy and/or Pinkalicious.

My rating:

 

(only 2.5 if your copy doesn't have glitter on the cover)

Review (Book) - Sign Language ABC by Lora Heller

"Learn how to say your ABCs with your hands!
Use the sign language alphabet to...
~ Share messages with friends
~ Spell something top secret
~ Talk - without speaking - in a quiet place" (inside jacket cover)

I recently learned that alphabet books are supposedly valuable in any children's storytime, as it promotes early literacy. So, I guess it's a good thing that I already enjoyed using them in my storytimes! This book is great for any storytime then, because it's a very general one that will likely be able to fit in with any theme.

While the author seems to have intended the book for a slightly older audience (in her notes she says things like "use sign language to help practice spelling any word you want, sending messages across the playground, etc."), but I would not hesitate to use this book with even the youngest children. It is your typical alphabet book (i.e. "A is for Astronaut, B is for Bird"), including a variety of words that should already be familiar to young children, as well as fun, albeit slightly exaggerated illustrations. On each page, there is also an illustration of what your hand should look like if you are signing each letter. At the end of the book is a page with the entire sign language alphabet.

The only criticism I have to make about this book is that some of the lines on the hands (i.e. around each finger) are not particularly distinctive, which may make the hand illustration confusing to younger children who are trying to correctly imitate what is in the picture.

Amazon recommends this book for ages 4 and up, but I think I've made myself pretty clear where I stand on this issue.

My rating:

Review (Book) - Kite Day by Will Hillenbrand

"What a day! 
Bear can't believe it. 
It's the perfect day to make and fly a kite with Mole! 
But a surprise is waiting for the two friends on their windy-day adventure." (inside jacket cover)

I'm not sure what to say about this picture book...it is one that I could definitely live without, but at the same time, would be willing to try using in a storytime with a wide range of themes from bears to birds or friendship to rain.

The story is super short - there are typically only two lines of (larger) text per page. I think these sentences would be easily understood even by toddlers, but worry that some children will not be able to follow what is happening in the pictures at the same time without a little prompting (then again, I tend to enjoy asking the children if they notice what is happening in the pictures anyway). In the meantime, the accompanying pictures are well done, using bright colors in a soft hue. (Does that even make sense? I'm so NOT an artist...) I would be interested enough to pick up another Bear and Mole story.

Do you have any experience reading or using this book? Please share your experience with me if you have!

My rating:

.5

Review (Book) - Everything I Need to Know Before I'm Five by Valerie Fisher

Author: Fisher, Valerie

Title: Everything I Need to Know Before I’m Five

Publication Information: New York, New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, July 26, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-375-86865-8

40 Pages. $17.99. Ages 3-5.

Do you want your child to be “ahead of the game” when they start school? This amazing book touches on virtually every concept a child would need to learn before entering preschool or kindergarten. In this book, children will have access to information in the following categories: the alphabet, numbers, opposites, shapes, colors, seasons and weather.

In photographic illustrations reminiscent of Can You See What I See? or I Spy books (retro-looking plastic toys accompany all lessons taught throughout the book) children will learn to count - not just to ten, but all the way to twenty. Both the number and the word ("1" and "one") are displayed, and numbers 11 through 20 are represented by marbles arranged in rows so children can see the progression as they count. The shapes section not only teaches basic shapes, but several 3-D shapes as well (cone, cube, cylinder and sphere). In the colors section, children will learn the colors of the rainbow, and with the help of some rubber ducky friends, will also learn how to mix those colors to make others (blue rubber ducky + yellow rubber ducky = green rubber ducky). The alphabet section displays both uppercase and lowercase block-like letters as well as an assortment of toys that begin with each letter (dinosaurs, dice, dragonflies, dancers, and dominoes are all found around the letter “Dd”).

Seeing items they recognize and even enjoy playing with should hold the attention of children as they learn. While not all children may still need to learn all of the concepts covered, this book would make a great addition to many collections, especially in the homes of preschool-aged children and libraries serving a large youth community. Why buy a different book for each subject? Look no further for a book that meets all of your child’s conceptual needs!

Amazon recommends this book for ages 1 and up.

My Rating:

Review (Book) - The Edumacation of Jay Baker by Jay Clark

"A few random bullet points about Jay:

• He is stupidly in love with his best friend, cheerleading dynamo Cameo "Appearance" Parnell.
• He is also trying to score (points) with earthbound tennis-playing goddess Caroline Richardson.
• He is fighting a losing battle with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
• He rocks a touché array of pop-culture references, jokes, and puns.
• His family cookie life is about to crumble.

Root for Jay as he exchanges ego-blows with his mortal enemy, gets awkward around his dream girl(s), loses his marbles in a Bermudian love triangle, watches his parents' relationship implode, and, finally, learns to keep it real and be himself(ish)." (inside jacket cover)

At first I was really excited about reading this book for my YA Lit class...The picture on the cover was appealing, not to mention it comes stamped with a promise of "You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll feel awkward by association.", and the "random bullet points" sounded like  the story had the potential to be great (though I don't think Jay ever found himself in the midst of a love triangle - at least not the kind typical to today's YA series). Not to mention, I loved Gilmore Girls for their quick wit and often subtle pop-culture references, and am quite the sarcastic person myself. I'll admit, I definitely started out laughing, and the narrative did make for a very quick read (I think I finished it in about 2 days). I also enjoyed the short and creatively titled chapters. But...here comes the but...

About halfway through the book, trying to keep up with Jay's pop-culture references started becoming wearisome - it felt like there was at least one in every paragraph. Remember those "creatively titled chapters" I mentioned earlier? They are creative in the sense that each one is a "Track" in Jay's "Playah-List" of life, and each one is a real song title that has been slightly changed or added to to hint at what is to come in the chapter. It's really quite amazing the author was able to find so many songs to do this with - 42 to be exact. Confused? I don't blame you. Take for instance, chapter ("track") two. Instead of Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do with It", the chapter is entitled "What's Vicky's Secret Got to Do with It?" when Cameo is convinced Jay's mom is hiding a dark secret in her underwear drawer. (For those of us curious enough to want to know what the actual songs were, that list is included at the end of the book.) These songs range from Beatles songs to Fleetwood Mac, to Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, leading to the question...seriously, Mr. Clark? You think teenagers are going to understand half of the things Jay is saying? I feel like the author is trying to start by writing a classic - spanning generations. Also, at some point in the book Jay develops such a gargantuan vocabulary that I had to get out a dictionary. I'm sorry, but does ANY teen on the face of the planet (other than maybe spelling bee fanatics) know what the words epiglottis or somnambulant mean? (Look at that, even Google Chrome doesn't recognize the latter as a word!)

On some levels, I do feel that teens will be able to relate to the story. No doubt they will understand at least some of the pop culture references, and will likely connect with Jay's manner of speaking (like using variations of and/or making up entirely new words to use in lieu of cursing). They will also probably relate to at least some of the problems Jay faces throughout his story. 

Unfortunately, any character outside of Jay's family (except maybe Cameo) isn't really developed, apart from his strange teacher Ms. Lambert, who likes to spend her time with Jay trying to "outdo each other with witticisms." (p. 159) She really started to annoy me, and I felt that her voice was often just as immature as Jay's. Frankly, if this is a realistic depiction of teachers, my children will be homeschooled until college.

While this book is supposed to be a coming-of-age/self-discovery novel of-sorts, I felt that (out of it's 272 pages) Jay actually spent the equivalent of 28 pages (or less) "learning" anything, the other 244(ish) pages were spent on sarcastic pop-culture overkill.

Amazon recommends this book for ages 14 and up, a rating I find fair.

My Rating:

.5

Review (Book) - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

"A mysterious island. 
An abandoned orphanage. 
A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive." (inside jacket cover)

This book is one of the few I've read that I feel successfully combines multiple genres (horror, mystery/suspense, romance, and science fiction), but goes even farther by incorporating creepy vintage/old-timey photographs that also serve as nice breaks in the story. It was one of those books that I stayed up WAY past my "bedtime" to finish because I couldn't wait to see where it was going or how it would end. Despite the fact that I went to visit family over the weekend I started reading this (you know, where one is supposed to socialize?), I still finished this book in 2-3 days.

I have seen reviews popping up on GoodReads that appear to be from adults that negatively critique Jacob's character and the so-distant-it's-practically-nonexistent relationship he has with his parents, and I hate to break it to them, but today's teenagers WILL be able to relate - most teens in the current generation (at least the ones that I know) are spoiled brats who spend so much time in front of a computer/cell phone/etc. that they barely have a relationship with their parents. If you're still one of the few disillusioned people who think that that teenagers count their blessings and know how good they have it (or perhaps one who is blessed with a teenager who is the exception to the rule), this book *may* not be for you.

On the other hand, if you're an X-Men fan, you'll probably like this book. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children really is an old-fashioned version of Xavier's School for Gifted Children, except Miss Peregrine doesn't teach her children to battle the bad guys (which is apparently a mistake).

According to multiple sources, 20th Century Fox has acquired the rights and is trying to nail down Tim Burton as the director of the movie adaptation. If you wish to see a book trailer/movie teaser (I can't really tell which it is), click here to be redirected to the YouTube video.

Amazon recommends this book for ages 13 and up, which I feel is a fair rating because of the disturbing images and the fact that there is a smattering of bad language throughout the book.

My Rating:

Review (Book) - Lots of Dots by Craig Frazier

The concept of this book is similar to The Loud Book (reviewed here), only children learn about various forms of dots, as opposed to loud noises.


While I feel like this is a book I could have illustrated using Windows' good old "Paint" program, it's very colorful (so it should be eye-catching to the kids), yet simple, and I think the premise is great. 


This book would be excellent for kids learning their shapes. I personally can't wait to use it in a storytime, as I see an excellent opportunity to not only ask the children what shape they're looking at (circles, obviously), but also what the circle is a part of (i.e. peas in a peapod, petals on a flower, etc.).


Sorry for the short review, I seem to be very scatterbrained today. If you have read this book, now would be an excellent time to share your own opinions to fill in my blank spaces.


I cannot find an age recommendation on Amazon, but I would not personally hesitate using this book for anyone age 2-5. In fact, I just had a co-worker use this book in her shapes program for ages 2-5 last week.


My rating:

Review (Book) - Best Buds by Maxwell Eaton III

I read this book as an eBook on my iPhone (first off, I do not recommend this - it made everything very small, even for me) while my fiance drove his best man and I to Orlando last weekend, so there was no summary on a non-existent jacket. So, I will do my best to sum it up - 


This book in the "Adventures of Max and Pinky" series concentrates on how Max and Pinky are best buds. Max is a boy who looks very much like Charlie Brown; Pinky is a pig who is obsessed with marshmallows. They do everything together, until one day when Pinky does not show up for "Adventure Day"...


This book was really cute. The pictures are very simple and resemble a comic strip. The story is simple as well and can either be read to younger kids by reading only the main text on the page, and to older children by incorporating the thought and/or speech bubbles found on most pages. Adults as well will enjoy the side notes in the dialogue balloons (at least I did). The author is hilariously random - a polar bear in the middle of the lake? Whose butt resembles a giant marshmallow? LOVE IT! I can't wait to read the rest of the series.


Amazon recommends this book for ages 5 and up, but I can easily see myself using this book for our 3-5 year-old storytime.


My rating:

Review (Book) - Who Has These Feet? by Laura Hulbert

"Find out why these feet, and those of eight other animals are perfectly adapted to their habitat.
With brightly detailed paintings and a simple, informative text, this fun guessing game will have children looking at feet in a whole new way!" (inside jacket cover)


While the inside jacket flap pretty much describes the entire book, I will go on a mini-rant about how much I love this book! I can't wait to read it to a group of kids - I love playing guessing games with them.


The illustrations are beautiful. Each page has the text "Who has these feet?" (obviously accompanied by an illustration of an animal's feet) in a large, fun, kid-friendly font, followed by a two page spread of the entire animal and a short, one-sentence explanation of why the animal has feet like that. This more educational sentence can be omitted for the very young so that this book can be read to a wide span of ages.


Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up, but as I just mentioned, I think this book can be easily adapted to appeal even to 2-year-olds.


My rating:

Review (Book) - The Little Little Girl with the Big Big Voice by Kristen Balouch

"In this vibrantly illustrated book, one loud little girl searches high and low for a friend to play with, but her BIG voice scares all of the animals! One by one, an elephant, a snake, and a crocodile run away from her. She finally finds the perfect playmate-one who doesn't mind her "roaring" voice." (inside jacket cover)


One thing's for sure - this definitely is a vibrantly illustrated book. Yet, I still don't really care for the pictures, because they are drawn in such a way that I'm not sure the kids would even know what they were supposed to be. For instance, on the first page with the picture of the elephant, I think the elephant more resembles a dachshund with a trunk for a nose who is missing his front legs.


Still (especially for our "Noise" week coming up), I would like to try reading this book to the kids. It will be interesting to see if they can determine from the pictures that the little, little girl is scaring away all of the animals with her voice, as there are no noise sounds written on the page (i.e. ARRRRRGH!, EEEEEK!, etc.). This also makes me wonder if I should go ahead and make these strange/loud noises to make the kids laugh, or if I should wait and see if they catch on themselves.


I couldn't find an age recommendation for this book on Amazon, but the publishing company (judging by the inside jacket cover) seems to think this book would be best for ages 2-5.


My rating:

.5

Random note: I love that she "comes upon a snake swinging in the tree" - can you say Sally the Swinging Snake? 

Review (Book) - The Hole in the Middle by Paul Budnitz

"This is a story about music, picnics, cake, loneliness and togetherness.
It's about a boy who felt empty, and how he became a good friend and made himself whole again." (inside jacket cover)


This book had very colorful pictures with an Oriental vibe, and there are lots of little things to see on each page (my favorite being the badminton game taking place through the main character's hole).


While children would probably see this book simply enough to fit in nicely to a friendship-themed storytime, I personally am confused about what exactly this book was about (as if the summary given on the jacket flap wasn't random enough). Is this book about a boy who fills the emptiness inside him with a good friend or by being a good friend? Is this book a children's book about adult themes such as finding a soul mate to fill the emptiness inside you? And if any of these are true, how many religious fanatics will this book upset over the fact that a "higher power" is not what fills the emptiness inside a person? Or, is this book supposed to be a legend about where belly buttons came from? (Read the book, you'll see what I mean.) 


I guess overall this book would be cute for kids, (a good story on how to be a good friend) but I'm your stereotypical female who overthinks things, and I think I'm just in an overthinking mood tonight.


Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up.


My rating:

.5

(Still in need of a picture of a half-crown)

Review (Book) - I Must Have Bobo! by Eileen Rosenthal

"When Willy woke up, there was TROUBLE. Where was Bobo? Willy loves Bobo. Willy NEEDS Bobo. But Earl loves Bobo too." (inside jacket cover)


BEWARE, this review will have spoilers -


So, Willy is a young boy who has a monkey stuffed animal named Bobo for a "security blanket". Since Bobo is such a multi-functional animal, helping Willy with everything from being brave to identifying bugs...well, you can see why Willy NEEDS Bobo. The problem is that Willy's cat Earl also loves to cuddle with Bobo.


I originally picked this book up to read because of the title. My soon-to-be (in just two days!) sister-in-law calls outrageously stupid situations "bobo", so I just had to see who MUST HAVE something so stupid. But alas, the book was not stupid at all. I thought it was delightfully cute. (I may even have to buy this book for her for Christmas).


The illustrations are very simple. They remind me of a cross between Harold and the Purple Crayon (but with more colors) and Mo Willems's "Pigeon" books. The story is adorable - I love how Willy speaks to and through Bobo, and I love how Earl is always stealing Bobo away to cuddle with him. I even love how in the end, in true stuck-up cat fashion, Earl wins.


I would love to read this book to a school group of 4-5-year-olds and see if they can find Bobo, and if they answer the questions that Willy asks Bobo and Earl. Do you have any experiences reading this book to kids?


I couldn't find an age range on Amazon, but the publishing company (according to the inside jacket cover) appears to recommend the book for ages 3-6.


My rating:

Review (Book) - A Mango in the Hand by Antonio Sacre

"Today is a special day for Francisco. It is his saint day, which means it's time to celebrate with a feast! Francisco is most excited about dessert - delicious mangos, right from the tree. And he is finally old enough to go pick the mangos all by himself. 
But getting the mangos back home is not easy. There are lots of bees, and family members with whom to share. When it's finally time for the feast, Francisco has no mangos to offer! But as his papá assures him, "Mijo, no hay mal que por bien no venga. Nothing bad happens that good doesn't come of it."
This humorous, warm story filled with inspirational and universal proverbs will remind readers that "Es mejor dar que recibir. Sometimes, it's better to give than to recieve." (inside jacket cover)


Just in case you couldn't tell from the description above, this is a very lengthy book - definitely not for storytime (unless your attendees are Stepford children). However, if you have an older and/or patient child, this book may be worth looking into.


The story was lovely and taught good character, focusing especially on sharing and bravery. Though, while it is supposed to be "a story told through proverbs", some of the proverbs themselves were difficult for me to understand, let alone younger children. The story also makes me want to learn more about Cuban culture - for instance, I had always thought young children drinking café con leche was a stereotypical myth.


While the pictures were also cartoon-y cute, my favorite part of the book was how the author used Spanish words and phrases used to make the book somewhat bilingual. In case you can't figure it out (most of the sentences are repeated in English immediately after the Spanish), there is a "Glossary of Spanish words and phrases" at the end of the book.


Amazon recommends this book for 4 and up, but as I mentioned earlier, it would have to be a very patient 4-year-old.


My rating:

Review (Book) - ABC Kids by Simon Basher

I have enjoyed using ABC books in my storytimes (ABCDisney and ABCDrive have been two of my favorites) because it gives me a chance to interact with the kids by having them "help" me figure out what the next letter will be. Maybe I've been looking through the wrong ABC books, but I've never seen one quite as thorough as this.


This book can almost be read two separate ways for two entirely different age groups. Children at the "learning my ABCs" stage may find all of the pages on the right useful - there is one word beginning with the appropriate letter of the alphabet, accompanied by a picture and a letter line to show where in the alphabet the letter is located. Children who already know their ABCs but are beginning to learn how to read (or who just need to practice letter sounds) may find all of the pages on the left useful - there is a capital and lowercase version of the letter, as well as a sentence - each word beginning with the appropriate letter. 


I found the choice of illustrations interesting - they all remind me of Japanese (?) manga. I wasn't aware that was popular among readers this young.


What are your favorite ABC books?


Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up.


My rating:

Review (Book) - The LOUD Book! by Deborah Underwood

"BANG!

CRACKLE!

BOO!

Just as there are different kinds of quiet, there are also different kinds of loud:

Good louds (HOORAY!).

And bad louds (CRASH!)

And accidental louds that make you the center of attention (BURP!).

The Loud Book presents all of these kid-friendly noises in a way that is sure to make readers CHEER!" (inside jacket cover)

The only qualm I have with this book is the ending - there really isn't one. While the book opens with "there are lots of louds", then begins to describe (in list format) different kinds of loud noises, there is no conclusion. It just ends in the middle of the list. For all the reader knows, the last half of the book could have just been ripped out.

We are doing a week-long storytime theme of "Noise" come spring, and I can't wait to try this book. This book would be excellent for outgoing storytellers who can do good impressions of...well...loud noises. The pictures are cute, (slightly Suzy Spafford-ish, I think) the sentences are simple, and I think kids will get a kick out of listening to the imitations of LOUD sounds from slurping to burping (sure to get a combination of "eww gross!" and laughs) in the quiet library. I also plan on asking the children to make some of the noises with me.

Do you have your own experiences of telling this story? Please share!

Amazon recommends this book for ages 4 and up. Because of the interactive potential, I think this age could be slightly younger.

My rating:

Review (Book) - Wow! Ocean! by Robert Neubecker

I will start out admitting that this may be a biased review - before I started reading the book, I noticed it was published by Disney·Hyperion.


I was wary at first with the cover art - the whale led me to believe that the illustrations in this book would be a little too...artsy (sorry, I've just seen too many kids neglect those kinds of books). But boy was I wrong. I thought this book was amazing. Other than the first page, which does an excellent job at providing the introduction to the story (her mountain-based family takes a trip to the ocean) in rhyme, it is very simple. There are always two words to a page, one of them always being "WOW!" (great for word-recognition).

What I liked best about this book is that it can be used for a very wide age-range. For instance, with a toddler group, the pictures are very colorful to hold attention and the words very short ("Wow! Fish!"). For an older group, almost every page has details of what the pictures are (instead of just "Wow! Fish!", they have labeled the tuna, the sailfish, the swordfish, etc.) so you can interact with them and see how much they know about sea creatures. Also, Izzy and Jo (the sisters/main characters of the book) are hidden on each 2-page spread (a couple open further, poster-style), so it may also be fun to turn the situation into one similar to "Where's Waldo?" and let them find the kids on each page.


I am very excited to use this and (now that I know what the WOW! books are like) other Neubecker books in my storytimes! Do you have any stories to share about these books?


Amazon recommends this book for ages 3 and up.


My rating: