picture books – Page 19

A time capsule for generations: The Red Tin Box

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Red Tin Box, by Matthew Burgess/Illustrated by Evan Turk, (Apr. 2023, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781452179735

Ages 3-5

A young girl named Maude secures her treasures in a red tin box and buries it by a dogwood tree. Years pass, and Maude, now a grandmother, takes her granddaughter, Eve, to the same spot. This moving intergenerational story delights in the sharing and preservation of memories. Maude and Eva’s relationship celebrates the love between grandparent and grandchild and the excitement of uncovering a treasure, while celebrating the bittersweet memories that our childhood treasures can bring. It is a moving moment when Eva witnesses her grandmother’s emotional recollection; when Maude passes the red tin box on to Eva, there’s a wonderful sense of continuity and responsibility. Gouache illustration in pinks, reds, and violets exude warmth and feeling. An outstanding storytime choice and a perfect way to start discussions with grandparents and elders. Maude and Eva are brown-skinned. Maude raises her family with her brown-skinned, female partner.

The Red Tin Box has a starred review from Kirkus.

It begins with a word, it creates a community: This is a Story, by John Schu & Lauren Castillo

Posted on June 27, 2023June 26, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

This is a Story, by John Schu/Illustrated by Lauren Castillo, (March 2023, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536204520

Ages 4-8

Children’s librarian, literacy advocate, and author John Schu follows up last year’s This is a School with a moving tale of how stories connect communities. Beginning with a word on a page, Schu takes readers to the library, where a child and librarian connect over a book, creating a reader. Readers read together, dream together, and grow together: all because of a story, which helps us make sense of the world around us. Castillo uses ink, watercolor, and pastels to create warm images of a diverse group of readers and creates a welcoming, comfortable space a place where people can come together: the library. The choices for favorite children’s books throughout the book can be found in the acknowledgements, and would make for a great reader’s advisory list or display. Choosing to put the library at the heart of a community is a powerful statement. An excellent choice for collections and a first choice for class visit readalouds.

This is a Story has a starred review from School Library Journal. Candlewick offers a downloadable teacher’s guide on the book detail page on the publisher’s website.

picture books, Preschool Reads

BOOP! is irresistible!

Posted on June 27, 2023June 26, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

BOOP!, by Bea Birdsong/Illustrated by Linzie Hunter, (June 2023, HarperCollins), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063214804

Ages 4-7

If BOOP! is not the most-read book of the summer, I will take it personally. This adorable book invites readers to boop – lightly tap – dog snouts (snoots) of all shapes and sizes. The story is an interactive delight, with cheerful and vibrant illustrations of a plethora of dogs, noses held high, awaiting an engaging BOOP! from readers. Birdsong’s playful narrative extends rhyming invitations and praise no one will be able to resist: “Booper[s] extraordinaire! The boopiest booper[s] with booping flair!” A perfect readaloud that will enchant readers of all ages, BOOP! begs to be read out loud and shared. (Just remind your kiddos to ask their adults for permission before they boop a snoot.)

Have some doggie coloring pages on hand for post-storytime enjoyment, and if you have stuffies available for booping, put them out! Add songs like “B-I-N-G-O” and the chorus from “How Much is That Doggie in the Window?” for a Doggie storytime.

picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Ready, Set, Sleep! The World Sleep Championship of Animals is on!

Posted on June 26, 2023June 25, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The World Sleep Championship of Animals, by Daniel Napp, (March 2023, Kane Miller), $15.99, ISBN: 9781684644964

Ages 4-8

Set in a game show sleeping competition, this bedtime story may have readers laughing too hard to go to bed… but it’s an excellent Pajama Storytime choice! Viktor Frog is your host and Heinz Boar is your judge as they put five animals to the test: can they fall asleep in the wackiest conditions? Who will sleep through the loud construction, steamy sauna, or raucous roller coaster challenges? Read like a sportscaster narrative, this amusing story will keep readers giggling as they see the animals doze off or stay awake in a frazzled panic. A scoreboard pops up throughout the story, providing a good opportunity for a feltboard storytime and some counting and predicting skills. Colorful cartoony artwork is kid-friendly and the animals are expressive, allowing readers to connect with them. Who hasn’t tried to sleep in complete silence and found themselves wanting? We’ve all been either too hot or too cold to fall asleep, so you’ll find readers who can relate. A good purchase for a fun readaloud.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Our Classroom Rules! is a great way to send ’em off… and welcome them back

Posted on June 21, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Our Classroom Rules!, by Kallie George/Illustrated by Jay Fleck, (June 2023, Rodale Kids), $12.99, ISBN: 9780593378786

Ages 3-6

I know there are a lot of classrooms getting ready to press pause as we’re moving into summer, but I’ve got a book for you! It’s one of those adorable reads that can send your classes off for the summer and welcome a new class come the fall. Kallie George (loved her Magical Animal Adoption Agency chapter books) and Jay Fleck (Tiny T Rex is a fave) bring a sweet classroom of animal friends together for Our Classroom Rules, a cheerful, upbeat story about all the ways these students learn and play together. The title is a cute play on words as the narrative offers classroom guidelines (the “rules”) and reasons why their classroom is great (“RULES!”): “…we try to be on time… and ready to learn”; “We listen to our teacher… and our teacher listens to us”; “We clean up. We line up. And if we mess up, that’s okay. Mistakes are part of learning”. It’s an affirming book, assuring readers that you don’t have to be THE best, but YOUR best; kindness and curiosity are the ways to succeed. Colorful, kid-friendly digital and pencil illustrations show friendly animal students coming together. It’s a lovely addition to your school stories collections and it’s perfect for Pre-K and Kindergarten classes.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Great and Small celebrates participation for all!

Posted on June 14, 2023June 13, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Great and Small, by Alison McLennan/Illustrated by Connah Brecon, (March 2023, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 9781684645558

Ages 4-8

Tiny Eunice the Unicorn wants to enter the Great Unicorn Games and win a ribbon. She’s got all the heart and dedication in the world, but her skills fall a wee bit short. But that’s okay: her friends are there to help out and support her. When things don’t go the way she was hoping, that’s okay, too: the other unicorns and her friends work with Eunice to create the Great and Small Games, where everyone was welcome to compete “no matter how big or small, fast or slow”. Cheerful illustrations celebrate the inclusivity of the story by including a diverse group of animals, including and elephant wearing dark glasses and using a walking stick, and a teddy bear in a wheelchair; the banner promoting the Great and Small Games is translated into Braille. Front endpapers show Eunice and friends walking out from a dark, overcast forest; back endpapers show a bright sky and a group of competitors, all sporting ribbons. A cheerful story of equity and inclusivity and a good readaloud choice. Great and Small was originally published in Australia in 2022.

The Kitchen Table Classroom has fun printable unicorn headbands that would be a perfect craft accompaniment to this storytime!

picture books, Preschool Reads

Dancing Hands: Friendship and Filipino Sign Language

Posted on June 14, 2023June 13, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dancing Hands: A Story of Friendship in Filipino Sign Language, by Joanne Que & Charina Marquez/Illustrated by Fran Alvarez, Translated by Karen Llagas, (July 2023, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797213323

Ages 3-5

Sam is a young girl who is captivated by her neighbors, whose hands “move as if to music”, using sign language to speak to each other. Mai, one of the new neighbors, befriends Sam and teaches her “hands to dance” as they become best friends. Learning Filipino Sign Language helps the two friends communicate, and the story grows into a tale of friendship, shared interests and dreams. Que and Marquez’s spare narrative, told from Sam’s point of view, is perfect for younger, newly confident readers; Alvarez’s pencil and graphite complement the story with color and simple line work; shifting perspectives show the progression of the girls’ friendship as we move from a distance to close up, looking down to see the girls grow closer; readers feel like they’re a third person in this friendship huddle. Endpapers illustrate Sam and Mai demonstrating different words in Filipino Sign Language. Back matter includes more information on Filipino Sign Language, and sign languages used all over the world.

The University of the Philippines has four videos available on YouTube teaching basics in Filipino Sign Language; it could add a fun and educational element to a storytime. The ladies at Jbrary have some American Sign Language (ASL) videos on their YouTube page, including this video on singing Hello and Goodbye using ASL.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Nothing’s Wrong: An adorable story of friendship and pie

Posted on June 13, 2023June 13, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Nothing’s Wrong: A Hare, a Bear, and Some Pie to Share, by Jory John/Illustrated by Erin Kraan, (May 2023, Farrar Straus & Giroux

Ages 4-8

The dynamic duo from Nothing’s Wrong (2021) are back, and this time, Jeff the Bear has to boost his pal Anders when things go terribly wrong. Anders is preparing for a picnic, and he wants to make Jeff a pie: his favorite! But he sets the pie to cool on the window and goes for a walk… and a huge storm breaks out, ruining the pie. What’s Anders going to do? Play it cool, naturally… until he doesn’t. Poor Jeff is confused by Anders’s gruff attitude and refusal to speak, but keeps on being the steady friend he is, with wise words to readers on being a good friend, like “That’s what good friends do… check in with each other”, and “Maybe I should just give him a little space… but I’ll also stay close by, in case he wants to talk”. When Anders can no loner hide the fact that something has gone wrong, Jeff sweetly suggests they make a pie together, and share it with all of their friends. There are laugh-out loud moments as Anders and Jeff each break the fourth wall to share exasperated or confused looks with the reader, and the moment all is revealed is wordless and absolutely hilarious. A kind story about being a good friend, and how it goes both ways, Nothing’s Wrong is essential storytime reading. Download a free Storytime Kit to share.

picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Books that Celebrate Play

Posted on June 11, 2023June 10, 2023 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Let’s Go Puddling!, by Emma Perry/Illustrated by Claire Alexander, (Apr. 2023, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536228496

Ages 2-6

Who says “rain, rain, go away?” Not these three families! A group of toddlers and their families delight in a rainy day playdate in this delightful story written in verse. Three families living in the same apartment complex get their littles dressed for fun and meet in the playground, where the children stimp, stamp, stomp through the puddles while other adults rush by, heads down, missing all the fun. Alexander’s digital illustrations bring the softness and fluidity of a rainy day to life; Perry’s spare verse evokes all the joy of play. Great sound effects – “Shake, shake, shake”; “Squish! Squash! Squelch!” – make this a great choice for a readaloud. As much fun to read as it is to listen to.

Joy Ride, by Sherri Duskey Rinker/Illustrated by Ana Ramírez González, (Apr. 2023, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536207743

Ages 4-8

Joy is a little girl who needs something to keep her busy over summer vacation, so her mom sends her to her grandfather’s, where she finds a bike. Joy and Granddad work together on the bike: he fixes, she “fancies it up”, and when she takes that first ride, she’s enchanted: “Today I’m not just Joy: I’m JOY!!!” Sadly, other kids tease her, causing Joy to push the bike down a hill, but she soon realizes that the other kids all look alike. There’s nothing special about them. She fetches her bike, bringing it back to Granddad so she can ride again. A sweet story of individuality and taking a stand against bullies, Joy Ride is a wonderful multigenerational story, a tinkering story, a story about embracing what makes you happy. Digital illustrations are bright, colorful, bold; Rinker’s narration, told from Joy’s point of view, has moments that all kids can relate to, from the boredom of having nothing to do all summer, to the connection between child and grandparent, to the delight of riding a bike, streamers “whippity-whip-whippity-whip-whip”-ing in the breeze. A great choice for a readaloud.

Color and Me, by Michaela Dias-Hayes, (March 2023, Kane Miller), $13.99, ISBN: 9781684645282

Ages 2-5

A brown-skinned little girl fingerpaints, discovering what she can make by mixing colors together. When she makes brown, she is delighted: “Brown is MY color. This is ME.” Illustrations are playful and bright, with paint-spattered endpapers to add to the sense of play. The girl’s joy extends to her hair, shown in different styles including her natural style, braids, twists, and puffs. The playful rhyming verse makes this a pleasure to read aloud, and the combination of artistic play and positive self-image makes this an excellent choice for storytime collections and readalouds. Color and Me was originally published in Britain in 2022.

Consider a storytime art project where kids make a handprint rainbow, inspired by a spread in the story. If that’s too messy for some, help kids trace and cut out their handprints on construction paper to create wreaths and rainbows. Consider reading with Kathryn Otoshi’s Beautiful Hands.