Preschool Reads – Page 33

The Day Time Stopped: What were we doing?

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Day Time Stopped: 1 Minute, 26 Countries, by Flavia Ruotolo, (Oct. 2021, Prestel), $14.95, ISBN: 9783791374895

Ages 5-9

A little girl living in Genoa, Italy, takes a bite of her popsicle when time stops, all over the world. What was everyone doing? In Germany, two girls screech to a halt on their scooters; in the U.K., a child takes a picture, while in Cape Verde, Africa, a boy’s soccer ball gets stuck in a tree. A grandma in La Paz, Bolivia, was knitting a sweater, and a scientist at Concordia Station in Antarctica gets a call from his mother, who lives in Paris, France. Dolphins cuddle their babies, and snails get to enjoy their strawberries. One moment links the world in this sweet, moving story about the things that unite us. Bright illustrations show a variety of humans and animals. The story opens with an explanation of the world and how it’s split into different time and weather areas that helps kids understand how it can be morning in one area of the world and night time in another; summer in one country, and winter in another.

Blog Tour: You Are Revolutionary

Posted on October 12, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Every child has the power to change the world! You Are Revolutionary is all about encouraging kids to use that power.

You Are Revolutionary, by Cindy Wang Brandt/Illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao,
(Oct. 2021, Beaming Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781506478302
Ages 4-7

Podcaster and author Cindy Wang Brandt wants every child to know they are revolutionary: their very existence has changed the world in some way! This rhyming story lays out all the ways children can have a voice in the world, and it’s stuff kids are already really good at: speaking up, being a good listener, being a dreamer, and making art are just some of the ways kids can take a stand. Vibrant, colorful artwork with a diverse cast of children and adults assures that kids will see themselves in this empowering book.

In a Q&A with author Cindy Wang Brandt, she talks about causes important to her: “I served on the board of One Day’s Wages, a grassroots organization that fights global poverty. Economic inequity across the world is the root of many social problems so ODW is a good fit to address a wide range of issues by niching down on global poverty. But I care about inequality of any kind, when people of power wield that power unjustly over marginalized people, it fuels my anger and stirs me to action.”

When asked about who should read You Are Revolutionary, Ms. Brandt writes, “I work with parents and I want parents to know that their responsibility isn’t just to raise happy and healthy children, but that we have an awesome responsibility to raise conscious citizens that together create a better world for all. The best way to love our kids is to create a world that is kind to all kids. Parenting is a revolution in itself, an act of changing the world. I hope parents who feel this responsibility deeply will pick up my book and read it for their inner child as well as their own kids.”

Learn more about You Are Revolutionary at Beaming Books’ website and visit Cindy Wang Brandt’s author page here, where you can also tune into her Parenting Forward podcast. Download free activity sheets here: Speech Bubble; You Are Revolutionary Maze; and Make Your Revolutionary Sign.

Visit all the stops on the You Are Revolutionary Virtual Book Tour!

Find You Are Revolutionary on GOODREADS!

Follow on Instagram:

Author: @cindybrandt

Illustrator: @lbontigao

Publisher: @beamingbooksmn

Literary Publicity Team: @prbythebook

Follow on Facebook:

Author: https://www.facebook.com/cindywangbrandt

Illustrator: https://www.facebook.com/lynnorbontigaoillustrator

Publisher: https://www.facebook.com/BeamingBooksPublishing

picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Spoooooky Books for your Halloween Displays!

Posted on October 5, 2021October 5, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday. It’s a celebration of fun, all things spooky and weird, and candy.

If you’re going to have a seasonal, Halloween, or spooky book display up, consider some of these fun new books!

Poultrygeist, by Eric Geron/Illustrated by Pete Oswald, (Aug. 2021, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536210507

Ages 4-8

This cautionary tale is worth a giggle or three at storytime. When a chicken crosses the road without looking both ways, he reaches THE OTHER SIDE. No, not *that* other side, The Other Side: he’s a ghost chicken now… a POULTRYGEIST. The fun play on words brings us into a story where other ghostly animals try to pressure our poor chicken into scaring others, but Poultry doesn’t want to do that! The peer pressure continues until Poultry asserts himself, proving that even the friendliest ghost can show a little “pluck”. Smart wordplay, a fun story, and a strong messages about peer pressure and standing up for oneself let readers know that it’s okay to say “no” to bullies. The digital artwork is a Halloween delight, with sprawling midnight blue and black landscapes and shimmery, colorful ghostly animals. Spooky eyes dot the landscape, giving a tummy tickle to the littles. A free teacher tip card offers tips on introducing wordplay, homophones, and puns to students.

Poultrygeist has starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal.

This Book is NOT a Bedtime Story, by Eoin McLaughlin/Illustrated by Robert Starling, (Sept. 2021, Pavilion Children’s), $16.95, ISBN: 9781843655060

Ages 3-6

This rhyming tale turns into a hilarious dialogue between a monster who sees himself and his friends as terribly terrifying monsters, and the woodland animals who have questions. Lots of questions. A red, stripey, fairly adorable monster tells us straight from the start that he’s got teeth, claws, and big roars, but everything else points to the contrary. He claims that his middle name is “Terror”, but his Scary Monster Society card reveals that his full name is “Fluffy Terry McFluff”. He calls in his “horrible bunch” of monster friends, but their monster stew is a tasty recipe they’re too happy to share, and their spooky hauntings are really quite sweet. As the story progresses, we see that the monsters have their own concerns and fears, and they’re getting just a little bit sleepy. Illustrations are colorful, kid-friendly, with kindly, cute monsters that readers will want to snuggle with, not run from. A monster story for kids who aren’t really crazy about monsters, this fits nicely with Rebecca and Ed Emberley’s Go Away, Big Green Monster and If You’re a Monster and You Know It. The rhyme scheme and fun spreads that break the fourth wall make this a great readaloud candidate. There’s no need to worry about these monsters – if they’re under your bed, they’re fast asleep!

Tiny T. Rex and the Tricks of Treating, by Jonathan Stutzman/Illustrated by Jay Fleck, (Sept. 2021, Chronicle Kids), $7.99, ISBN: 9781452184906

Ages 2-4

Tiny T. Rex is all about Halloween, and he’s ready to share with us what it takes to be a Treat-master! This delightful board book lays out the Six Tricks of Treating, according to Tiny T. Rex and his best friend, Pointy. Kids will love the step-by-step process, from costumes (try them all on!) to staying warm, to trick or treating with friends. Tiny makes sure to remind little Treaters to be kind and gracious, and that candy shared is much better than candy eaten alone. Tiny is cheerful and upbeat; the sentences are simple and to the point, injected with humor and kindness. Illustrations make this book a win – I can’t read Tiny books without squealing as I turn to each spread – with Tiny and friends dressed in adorable costumes. Cute details throughout, like Pointy’s and Tiny’s experimentation with bubble gum, and the costume montage, will have readers heading for this book again and again. A wonderful introduction to Halloween for little ones.

Owl Has a Halloween Party, Illustrated by Jannie Ho, (July 2021, Nosy Crow), $8.99, ISBN: 9781536217346

Ages 0-4

This cute little story about an Owl throwing a Halloween party for his friends is loaded with durable pull-tabs that babies and toddlers will play with for hours! Owl is having a Halloween party, and readers can help him look for his friends. Each page features a pull tab that reveals owl’s friends, hiding in costume. An astronaut monkey and princess frog peek out from behind pumpkins; a pirate lion and flowery bear hide behind treees. Tabs stick out from the book, showing a variety of friendly animals peeking out in all directions. Simple sentences are good for emerging readers and for a little lapsit storytime. Let your little ones play hide and seek with the animal friends, and identify who each could be; point out colors; count bats and pumpkins: there are so many great ways to extend the fun here.

My First Pop-Up Mythological Monsters, by Owen Davey, (Oct. 2021, Candlewick Studio), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536217643

Ages 3-7

Owen Davey introduces young readers to the world of mythological monsters in his follow-up to My First Pop-Up Dinosaurs (2019). Taking readers all around the world, My First Pop-Up Monsters encounters 15 faces familiar and new, as each spread reveals bold and colorful creatures rising off the pages, with a brief descriptive note and country of origin. Kids will likely recognize Greece’s Cyclops and the Minotaur, but have they met the Ushi-Oni from Japan, or Sarimanok from the Philippines? Absolute fun, with beautiful illustration and detail; this is a great book for kids and grownups alike.

My fun tip: display this with some picture books from Hazy Dell Press, starring some favorite monsters! Hazy Dell also has activity sheets for free on their website.

picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Animals, Animals, Animals for all!

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ultimate Spotlight: Polar Animals, by Sandra Laboucarie/Illustrated by da-fanny, (Aug. 2021, Twirl Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9791027608782

Ages 5-8

As kids area getting ready to put on sweatshirts and jackets, the Ultimate Spotlight: Polar Animals are here to show readers how they handle the extreme weather in the Southern Hemisphere. Five spreads, loaded with flaps, pull-tabs, pulls, and fold-out spreads illustrate how penguins, orcas, whales, musk oxen, polar bears, and more animals eat, travel, and live on land and in the ocean. A brief, factual paragraph introduces readers to the subject matter on each spread: Born in the Cold, Eating Underwater, Traveling Underwater, Winter and Summer in the Tundra, and On the Ice Sheet. Interesting facts run through each spread: penguins use their wings to swim, not fly; humpback whales have baleen plates, not teeth; a seal’s clawed front flippers help it cut breathing holes in thick ice. Sturdy flaps and pulls will stand up to multiple reads; the illustrations and facts will make this an interesting book that will keep toddlers happy during a read-aloud, and preschoolers and emerging readers fascinated as they discover and learn about life in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Cool Antarctica has beautiful photos and facts about Arctic and Antarctic animals, as well as recipes, PowerPoints, and other school resources.

The Ultimate Book of Animals, by Anne-Sophie Baumann/Illustrated by Éléonore Della Malva, (Aug. 2021, Twirl Books), $22.99, ISBN: 9791027610006

Ages 5-8

This oversized beauty is chock full of activities for curious little minds and hands. With more than 50 flaps, pop-up, pull-tabs, mini-books, and more, kids won’t know where to look first! A great starter animal encyclopedia, The Ultimate Animal Book has spreads on Animal Bodies, Birth and Growing, Body Coverings, movement, the five senses, movement, and more. Each spread is loaded with manipulatives for kids to explore: lift the wings of a seagull or a macaw or pull a tab to learn how horses, cats, bees, and bald eagles see; pull a tab to see a snake’s slithery tongue, and lift flaps to discover the inner workings of all sorts of animals, from a pigeon to a dolphin. Loaded with facts that let kids learn hands-on, this is going to be a popular book in your collections. Preschool shelves should absolutely keep one of these on-hand for their science/STEM stations.

Put out the animal coloring sheets and display with other interesting animal books – maybe take a spread to draw attention to related books in your collection! If you were doing a spread on Animal Hearing, you could feature books like What If You Had Animal Ears?, by Sandra Markle; the immortal Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr., and Caroline Arnold’s Did You Hear That? Animals with Super Hearing.

Magnetology: Animals, by Maud Poulain/Illustrated by Camille Tisserand, (Sept. 2021, Twirl Books), $22.99, ISBN: 9791027609987

Ages 3-5

If you have play areas, this is the book for you! Perfect for science stations and play areas (and a pretty darn nice gift), Magnetology: Animals includes 45 magnetic pieces and a strong cardboard envelope, built into the book, for storage. Five magnetic spreads let readers create their own animal habitats across the Arctic, a forest, the Savanna, the rain forest, and a coral reef. A few lines on each biome gives readers an overview of each area; short fun facts across each spread give readers more to read and learn. Let kids create their own habitats, mix and match animals, and create their own stories! Consider putting a rubber band around the top of the page to keep pages open and offer some toy animals, too, if you have them available. Illustrations are colorful and eye-catching. Toddlers can easily get in on the fun. Make animal board books available around the play area, if you’ve set one up. Some recent favorites of mine include Giuliano Ferri’s Go Fish and Lo Cole’s Ten in a Hurry; Turn Seek and Find Habitats, and Brita Teckentrup’s Little Animal series.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Rafflecopter Giveaway: Between the Lines by Lindsay Ward

Posted on September 29, 2021September 29, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

You read the post, now enter the giveaway! One winner will receive a copy of Between the Lines, courtesy of Two Lions – will it be you?

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway today!

The fine print: U.S. addresses only, and no P.O. Boxes, please. If you’ve won a giveaway in the last six months, please don’t enter this one: give someone else a chance! Good luck and thanks for reading!

picture books, Preschool Reads

Between the Lines Blog Tour: New Lindsay Ward!

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

If you’ve read this blog for a minute, you’ll know that I love Lindsay Ward’s books. From Brobarians to Dexter T. Rexter, and all the books in between, I love her storytelling and her artwork, and I’ve been able to get kids to laugh out loud along with the world’s most neurotic dinosaur, marvel at a tractor who pitched in during World War II, and extend a hand to friends who may be feeling… well, a little gray. So a chance to read her latest book? Count me in, please!

Between the Lines, by Lindsay Ward, (Oct. 2021, Two Lions),
$17.99, ISBN: 9781542026901
Ages 4-8

A young boy remembers when all the colors “were swept from our street”. His community loses their connection to one another and as they do, the vibrancy fades. A storm sweeps away the last “hints of bluebird skies and lemon-Popsicle days”, leaving a divide that feels almost impossible to breach. The adults seem content to move around in this faded haze, but the boy wants color back in his world, and sets out to make changes.

Lindsay Ward has beautifully captured how to explain what is going on in our world, on a larger scale, to children. In a world without color, compartmentalized and without diversity, a dull landscape fills the void. Where we had laughter, we have silence. In three words – “Lines were drawn” – we get a mental image of our world today, divided along lines of color, beliefs, opinions. Her artwork communicates the story, with soft color heralding the fade; the storm rains down on the neighborhood, taking with it what little vibrancy remained, and leaving only black and white lines. Bringing color back, we have a rainbow of people and landscapes, happy once more. Can we get there? We have to hope. Lindsay Ward empowers children with her latest story: they have the power to bring color back into their world.

Essential to read, essential to discuss.

“A vibrant neighborhood loses its color, literally, as the community becomes fractured.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The illustrations…bring the atmosphere and ideas of the story to life. The depictions of both isolation and community in a dense urban neighborhood are poignant, especially after a year when COVID-19 forced people worldwide to forgo, and then to reinvent, community togetherness.” —Booklist

Lindsay Ward is the creator of the Dexter T. Rexter series as well as Rosie: Stronger than Steel; This Book Is Gray; Brobarians; Helping Hospital; the Wheels on the Go series; Rosco vs. the Baby; and The Importance of Being 3. Her book Please Bring Balloons was also made into a play. Lindsay lives with her family in Peninsula, Ohio with her family. Learn more about her online at www.lindsaymward.com.

Twitter: @lindsaymward

Instagram: lindsaymward

Check out a storytime for Between the Lines and other books here on Lindsay Ward’s website!

picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Books about things that go

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

It’s time for a vehicle book roundup! I’ve got the new Sherri Duskey Rinker, a Pop-Up Guide, and a Do You Know? for the wee ones. Let’s roll out!

The Pop-Up Guide: Vehicles, by Maud Poulain/Illustrated by Charline Picard, (Sept. 2021, Twirl Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9791027609994

Ages 2-5

These Pop-Up Guides from Twirl Books are too much fun. The newest one is all about vehicles: what vehicles roll around in different locations and what they do. Visit a bustling city with street cleaners, buses, trains and more going about their workday, then visit a more rural area, where farm vehicles like tractors and harvesters get to work. Emergency vehicles help save people, and roads and rails get you where you need to go. You can travel through the sea and sky with vehicles, you can race them, and you can use them to transport all sorts of things! Ten spreads fold out to 3-D landscapes with colorful, labeled vehicles and local color, and a few descriptive sentences place the reader in each of the settings. There are elastic bands to hold pages and allow for hands-free reading and play; get some minifigs and small action figures and let the littles really explore! Keep a reference copy on hand for storytimes; the pages are sturdy but will heavily circulate.

Do You Know? Vehicles and Transportation, by Camille Babeau, Illustrated by Benjamin Bécue, Julie Mercier, & Cristian Turdera, (Oct. 2021, Twirl Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9782408029159

Ages 5-8

Another fun entry in Twirl’s Do You Know series hits shelves in just a couple of weeks! Vehicles and Transportation is full of facts and detailed illustrations of vehicles, from people (transportation had to start somewhere!) and animals, cruise ships, military vehicles, hot air balloons, and more. Chapters are organized into land, water, and air vehicles, with a final “More to Know” chapter that lays out the big points of all the content, including a travel timeline, a review of different machines, and future vehicles. Cross-section illustrations provide detailed information, and helpful Q&A sections run on each page. Learn answers how to recognize an emergency vehicle; how a steam engine works, and when you can try hang gliding! There is a wealth of information, laid out in a way that is easy and engaging to read. The book is fully indexed for easy reference, too. Make a display of Do You Know? books, or match this up with Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go, Mike Lowery’s The Way Downtown and Nadja Spiegelman and Sergio Garcia Sánchez’s Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure. Have coloring sheets on hand!

Construction Site: Road Crew, Coming Through!, by Sherri Duskey Rinker/Illustrated by AG Ford, (Oct. 2021, Chronicle Kids), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797204727

Ages 2-5

Sherri Duskey Rinker, ruling headmistress of the transportation story, is back with a new Construction Site story! In this latest rhyming tale, the construction team heads off to their biggest job yet as they build a superhighway. Kids meet a group of new machines with exciting, big jobs: Water Truck squirts water on the ground to keep dirt and grit from flying around; Paver lays down asphalt and Roller smashes the asphalt down to make the surface even and flat; Striper Truck rolls down the road, spray painting yellow and white lines to keep the traffic moving. With teamwork like this, happy cars will be driving down the new mega-road in no time! Kids love these books, and it’s so easy to see why: Sherri Duskey Rinker’s text is cheerful, with happy rhymes about friendship, teamwork, and enjoying one’s work. AG Ford’s wax and oil crayon illustrations depict happy vehicles working and driving together, helping one another out, and getting the job done. An author’s note at the end calls the reader’s attention to a coyote at the beginning of the book, who shows up later, and mentions that road builders are increasingly taking local wildlife “travelers” into account and making special allowances to accommodate them. Visit Sherri Rinker’s website for more of her Construction Crew books (including some upcoming books!), and visit artist AG Ford’s website to see more of his gorgeous artwork, including his Children’s Book Gallery. Download activity kits, teachers’ guides, and watch videos at the Good Night Construction Site.

picture books, Preschool Reads

Two animal adventures for you: The Walloos’ Big Adventure and Obi’s Mud Bath

Posted on September 27, 2021September 27, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’ve got two adorable animal adventures with ecological messages for you today. Have a look!

Obi’s Mud Bath, by Annette Schottenfeld/Illustrated by Folasade Adeshida, (June 2021, Spork, $17.99, ISBN: 978-1950169535

Ages 4-8

Obi is an adorable little rhino who wants to enjoy mud bath, but his home in Zimbabwe is experiencing a drought. As he searches for an ooey, gooey, mud bath, he meets other an ostrich, a giraffe, and an elephant, all of whom help out when he gets his snout stuck in one situation after the next. Will poor Obi ever find a way to cool off? As the animals join together in their search to cool off and find water, they may just be able to make some magic happen. Inspired by a true story, Obi’s Mud Bath introduces concepts like climate change and its effects on the animal population – the current drought in Zimbabwe is at crisis levels – and examines ideas of determination and teamwork. Adorable animal illustrations will delight animal fans.

Back matter includes the story of Mark, the rhino who inspired Obi’s Mud Bath, and a glossary of words in Shona, one of the most widely spoken of 16 languages in Zimbabwe, and English. A portion of the proceeds from sales of Obi’s Mud Bath will be donated to Water.org, an organization which providing families around the world with access to safe water and sanitation. Illustrator Folasade Adeshida hails from Laos, Nigeria; you can see more of her illustration work at her website. Author Annette Shottenfeld also used the services of a sensitivity reader, Fubright Scholar and lecturer in African Studies, Esau Jabulani Mavindidze, as she wrote Obi’s Mud Bath.

The Walloos’ Big Adventure, by Anuska Allepuz, (July 2021, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536215311

Ages 3-7

The Walloos are kangaroo-like animals that live on a small, rocky island where Little Walloo dreams of having an adventure. The family travels to a tropical island, where they begin using the island’s plants for food and building, but something doesn’t feel right. The island is making funny sounds and… moving! When the Walloos realize that their island is actually a big hippo, they’re delighted, until they realize that they’ve made life rough on the hippo, by stripping away all the plants that used to keep Hippo cool and shaded. If Hippo can’t get relief from the hot sun, he’s going to have to go underwater, and that will be disastrous for the Walloos! The family quickly gets to work on making positive changes to help undo some of the damage they’ve done. A sweet story about adventure, with a great message about being sensitive to the environment, The Walloos’ Big Adventure is adorable storytelling. Mixed media illustrations are colorful; kids will love the cute Walloo family and the lush settings. Hippo has a kind face and is huge in scale to the Walloos, giving kids a nice side lesson in scale.

Adorable, and gives real meaning to the phrase, “Take only photos, leave only footprints”.

picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

The Book of Hugs: Tim Harris tells you everything you need to know about hugging

Posted on September 27, 2021September 26, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Book of Hugs, by Tim Harris/Illustrated by Charlie Astrella, (Sept. 2021, Flowerpot Press), $12.99, ISBN: 9781486721047

Ages 4-7

Hug-master Tim Harris – seriously, he is a world record holder for giving hugs – has written the book that’s just what we need right about now. It’s all about different types of hugs: happy hugs, sad hugs, fast hugs, bear hugs, they’re all in here, and Tim tells you how to give them. He even gives you the important steps to follow to give the best hugs: make sure the recipient wants to receive a hug; open those arms up really wide, and hug them nice and tight, but cozy and comfortable. You can make people feel better with a hug, and you can give someone a quick hug or a nice, 10-second hug. Are you friends with a monkey? There’s monkey hugging tips in here, too! Adorable illustrations of Teddy Bear Tim – our guide to hugging – and his monkey friends are like hugs themselves: warm colors, softly illustrated, and with all the wonderful emotions that a good hug evokes: closed eyes, tucked in heads, and joyful smiles. The word on consent makes this a particularly great read-aloud for preschool through the lower grades. Cheerful endpapers show cascades of yellow bananas – you have to have them for the monkeys, you see!

Tim Harris is a disability advocate, Special Olympics athlete, and restaurateur who had hugs on the menu of his New Mexico restaurant, Tim’s Place. He closed his restaurant, but is now a motivational speaker and heads up Tim’s Big Heart Enterprises. Visit his Instagram page here.