Category: Preschool Reads

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

One Mean Ant has a lot to complain about!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

One Mean Ant, by Arthur Yorinks/Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier, (Feb. 2020, Candlewick Press), $22.99, ISBN: 9780763683948

Ages 4-7

See that guy on the cover? He is mean. I mean, MEAN. Leaves fall off trees, grapes shrivel into raisins, and dung beetles… well, you can guess what they do when he walks by. One day, this crabby ant is so focused on complaining and yelling at everyone around him that he wanders into the desert and discovers he’s totally lost. Luckily for him, a fly happens by. Unluckily for the fly, the ant starts yelling at him! The fly takes the ant’s lousy attitude in stride, and the two engage in a progressively funnier exchange that ends with a twist you won’t see coming, but will laugh out loud when you get there.

Arthur Yorinks has captured what it means to be in a lousy mood. Everyone will recognize and appreciate this Mean Ant, because we’ve ALL been there. Kids will laugh out loud, especially if you give it some spirit during a readaloud. The fly’s passive, sweet demeanor is a great foil for the ant, and their exchanges are laugh-out-loud hilarious as the story continues. My kiddo and I take turns being the ant and the fly when we read this together, and it’s pretty darned funny each time.

Sergio Ruzzier’s pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations have a great retro vibe, reminding me of picture books I grew up with: very ’70s Sesame Street watercolor schemes, and the facial expressions on the ant and fly are the perfect accompaniment to the story. Everyone will love One Mean Ant.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Abracadabra, katakurico! What’s in the Hat?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hat Tricks, by Satoshi Kitamura, (March 2020, Peachtree Publishing), $16.99, ISBN: 9781682631508

Ages 2-6

Meet Hattie, the magician! She’s going to perform a wonderful magic show, and you get the front seat! With every spread, readers guess what’s in Hattie’s magic hat! Mattie pops out first, and with each spread and the magic words, abracadara, katakurico… a surprise awaits! But we get hints peeking out from the hat, so readers can take a guess at who’s next to pop out of the hat. The shenanigans get progressively sillier, heading toward a grand finale that everyone will love.

I LOVE this book. It’s meant to be read out loud, and to a group! Satoshi Kitamura’s comic book-type artwork is colorful, with bold outlines and expressive faces. This book would work very well with some flannels, or small stuffed animals, too: just pull ’em out of a hat and watch the kids cheer. The movement in the book takes up the whole spread, with hilarious energy and action that will make kids squeal and giggle.

Originally published in the UK in 2019, I’m very happy to welcome Hat Tricks to our shores and hope Satoshi Kitamura gives us some more interactive books to read with toddlers and preschoolers.

Hat Tricks has a starred review from Kirkus. There is a free, downloadable activity sheet available at the publisher’s website.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Izzy Gizmo returns with the Invention Convention!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Izzy Gizmo and the Invention Convention, by Pip Jones/Illustrated by Sara Ogilvie, (March 2020, Peachtree Publishing), $17.99, ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5

Ages 4-7

Readers met Izzy Gizmo, a little girl who loves to invent and create, two years ago. She’s finally back in Izzy Gizmo and the Invention Convention, where Izzy, Grandpa, and her best buddy, Fixer, are invited to Technoff Isle’s annual Invention Convention, where she’s up against other kids. They have to make a machine that will impress The Professor, and the winner becomes a member of the Genius Guild! Izzy’s ready to get down to business, but the obnoxious mean girl Abi von Lavish seems to be taking everything Izzy needs to create her invention – until Abi’s drill breaks and she discards it without a second glance. Fixer has an idea, but will Izzy see past her own frustration to understand?

Izzy Gizmo and the Invention Convention has all the fun and charm of the first book, with the added positive emphasis on making, repurposing, and recycling. In a time where Fix-It Clinics are popping up all over the nation – including libraries! – Izzy hits on a few important topics. Reusing and repurposing materials is the primary objective, but readers will also notice that while Izzy’s fellow competitors are using machines that eat up a lot of energy or cause pollution, Izzy’s using wind, manual (or bird), and solar power to make her Fix-It machine a success. And Izzy also speaks to readers about frustration, and how sometimes, our feelings can get away from us. She takes her irritation out on Fixer, only to be gently guided back in the right direction by Grandpa. The pencil, ink, oil pastel, monoprint, and digital illustrations are bright and give a real feel for the hustle and bustle of a science fair, with lots of movement and activity packed into each page. Perfect for Science Fair season and beyond, Izzy Gizmo and the Invention Convention is fun reading with smart lessons for all. Publisher Peachtree has free, downloadable activity sheets and a teacher’s guide available.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Excellent life advice: Eat the Cake!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Eat the Cake, by MH Clark/Illustrated by Jana Glatt, (Feb. 2020, Compendium), $16.95, ISBN: 978-1946873842

Ages 4-7

It’s time to celebrate? Celebrate what, you ask? Who needs a reason? Eat the Cake is all about picking a special day – it can be a birthday, a graduation, a special occasion, or just waking up and deciding this is YOUR day – and celebrating! Great things are coming your way, so relax, enjoy, and eat the cake!

This rhyming, upbeat story is all about embracing positivity; a new mindset; creativity, and being bold and brave. Brightly colored figures parade up, down, and all around the pages, throwing confetti, playing instruments, and celebrating the reader. The bright, happy colors pop off the bright white of the pages, really grabbing the reader’s attention and creative a fun, festive atmosphere. The story is a celebration of the reader/audience, encouraging them to “be so bright that the stars, watching all that you do, / look right down from the sky and start wishing on you”. How fantastic is that to read?

Play some upbeat music, give kids egg shakers, and let them celebrate themselves after reading Eat the Cake at storytime. Don’t limit the fun to the little ones, either: this works nicely with Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go! for a graduation reading at any age. Give this to a retiring colleague or family member to remind them to enjoy life and all they have ahead of them, or someone achieving a major milestone, or someone who just needs a pick-me-up. Eat the Cake is just too much fun.

MH Clark is also the author of Tiger Days, a great book about emotions, and Tiny Perfect Things, a lovely book about those small and perfect moments in our day.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Blog Tour: World So Wide

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Have you ever connected with a child and just wanted to celebrate every moment, every experience, every second of them? That’s the story at the heart of this gorgeous rhyming ode to life, Alison McGhee’s World So Wide.

World So Wide, by Alison McGhee/Illustrated by Kate Alizadeh,
(March 2020, Two Lions), $17.99, ISBN: 781542006330
Ages 2-6

A couple imagine their newborn’s first moments: first sights; first sounds; first smells; first touches. It’s an exploration of the senses, of nature, and the captivating, all-consuming love that parents and babies have for one another. Phrased with questions and answers: “What will be the first sights they see? / Sun and moon and sky… / the love in someone’s eye?”, the story moves in verse throughout the family’s life together; through toddlerhood, adulthood, and, to show the cyclical nature of life, parenthood again, with a new father, holding his baby as he was once held, overjoyed and completely in love.

 

Kate Alizadeh’s digital illustrations paint pastel landscapes of flowery fields and family rooms; parents gently holding a baby and staring lovingly at one another. Paired with Alison McGhee’s ode to parental adoration, World So Wide comes together as a beautiful exploration of parenthood through the senses, through nature, and the future. The family appears multicultural, with a brown-skinned mom and a white, fair-haired dad. I adored Alison McGhee’s Someday; she has a gift for speaking to what’s in my heart as a mom, and she does it again with World So Wide. She takes those small moments that we wish could last forever, and gives them a voice, so we know we’re not alone. World So Wide is a lovely storytime choice, and I’d consider this a good baby shower gift, too.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Red Red Red helps during meltdown time

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Red Red Red, by Polly Dunbar, (March 2020, Kane Miller), @14.99, ISBN: 9781684640263

Ages 2-4

Originally published in the UK in 2019, Red Red Red is a rhyming story about a toddler on the verge of a meltdown when a mission to reach a highly-placed biscuit (we call ’em cookies on this side of the pond) and falls down, getting hurt. If you know toddlers like I know toddlers, you know that the meltdown is mighty. In this case, the little one is hurt and still has no biscuit to show for the pain. This is cause for an apocalyptic-level meltdown, and we see it unfolding, spread by spread. Mom asks if the little one’s okay, leading to blame (“Yes! I had a bump. / It made my cry. / The biscuit jar / war up too high!”); dismay (“My socks are down. / My pants are twisted. / I want… / I want… / I WANT / A BISCUIT!”); and ultimately, the tantrum. The toddler rails against the cursed cookie jar, roars, and thumps their head on the floor. This kid is SEEING RED. Luckily, Mom is there to save the day, and provides some calming wisdom; she acknowledges her child to stop engaging in self-destructive behavior and encourages them to count to 10. The panels illustrate each number with an angry red scribble as the little one counts their way to solace; the fonts become less black and bold, more gray, almost ethereal, and the angry red scribbles lessen, becoming little sprinkles as the little one learns to self-comfort and goes from rage to relaxed. Mom and little one do some deep breathing, the little one gets that cookie, and all is well once again.

Red Red Red wonderfully depicts a meltdown from beginning to end, with a positive workaround that parents and caregivers can put into action. The toddler depicted is genderless, making them accessible to any reader, and the illustrations are boldly outlined with light, pastel colors, really letting that angry red blast off the page and make a statement. Even the endpapers get into the story, with angry red scribbles greeting readers as they open the book; as the book concludes, tantrum over, the back endpapers show childlike drawings of red hearts strung across the pages.

A very helpful book to have on hand (we adults need to remember this stuff, too) for parents, educators, and caregivers. We get frustrated, too, and seeing this mom keep her cool as she comforts and guides her little one through a tantrum is a helpful reminder that two people getting mad leads nowhere. Display this one with book like Zachariah Ohora’s No Fits, Nilson!; two of my favorites are still Mo Willems’ Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! andHow Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Dandelion’s Dream is a wonderful daydream

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dandelion’s Dream, by Yoko Tanaka, (Feb. 2020, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536204537

Ages 3-7

In a field of drowsy dandelions, one flower becomes a real lion! Dandelion’s Dream is a dreamlike, wordless picture book that takes readers on a little flower’s dream adventure. Overjoyed at its new circumstances, the dandy-lion rides a train and a sheep; sails on a ship, experiences a sometimes scary day in a big city, and enjoys a movie at the theatre. At day’s end, the city lights fade into tiny dandelion wishes floating in the air; the dandelion joins its mates and flies into the sky, in the shape of a lion.

The black and yellow charcoal/digital illustration gives the story a soft, dreamlike feeling and the movement throughout is gentle, almost drowsy, taking readers on a wonderful ride into a magical dream world; as the dandelion’s adventure comes to a close, the story gently returns readers to the present, with dimming city lights becoming flying dandelion wishes. Let your readers blow a pretend wish into the air at the story’s conclusion and add a little dream magic to your storytime.

Dandelion’s Dream has starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Stop that monster! Nibbles: The Monster Hunt

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Nibbles: The Monster Hunt, by Emma Yarlett, (2020, Kane Miller), $16.99, ISBN: 978-1-61067-957-2

Ages 3-7

Nibbles, my Kiddo’s favorite book-nibbling monster, is back! In this third Nibbles adventure, Nibbles is loose again, and heads off into a brand new set of books, including loads of facts and an adventure with a dragon. Lift the flaps, inventive die cuts, and little peep holes throughout keep the energy and fun high in this read. Nibbles is AMAZING fun for read-alouds – I’ve used all three in read-alouds in various storytimes, and Nibbles always gets the kids squealing and giggling. The art is bright, fun, and Nibbles is a big, yellow ball of chaos – perfect for kids, right?

Gabe, my Kiddo, has been a Nibbles fan from the beginning, and Kane Miller Books gets all the love in the world for introducing me to him (Nibbles, not Gabe), so I can share him with the kids in my library and my life. Want a super-fun, super easy storytime craft? Get some pom poms and googly eyes, and make Nibbles and some other, different-colored monster friends! I’m going to give it a shot at an upcoming family storytime, so I’ll post pictures when I do.

Nibbles is guaranteed fun for your toddler and emerging reader explorers, with sturdy pages and flaps, fun visuals, and loads to explore.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Blog Tour Stop: Bird Hugs by Ged Adamson

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Bernard isn’t like other birds, but he doesn’t let that stop him from trying to fly! It takes a sad orangutan to help Bernard realize his true purpose, though…

Bird Hugs, by Ged Adamson, (Feb. 2020, Two Lions),
$17.99, ISBN: 978-1542092715
Ages 3-7

Bird Hugs is such a sweet story! Bernard is a little purple bird with very big wings. They just can’t keep him in the air, no matter what he does. He sadly watches his friends soar into the skies as (adorably silly) attempts fall flat. When he’s at his most dejected, though, he sees a crying orangutan… and gives him a BIG HUG. Who doesn’t love a hug, right? Well, it turns out that this is Bernard’s purpose in life: those big wings let him wrap everyone up in a warm, loving hug, and boy, do the animals need it! Day after day, Bernard hugs his way through a line of animals who need a hug, a sympathetic ear, and a kind soul to be present. What a wonderful message.

Bernard is adorable, and kids are going to love spending time with him. He’s sympathetic and empathetic all at once; he’ll give readers a giggle as his attempts to fly bring him all to close to the ground, and readers will feel for the little guy as he struggles with seeing other friends do things he can’t do, and he feels left behind. The book changes perspectives, moving from horizontal to vertical spreads, adding interest to a readaloud. Ged Adamson’s pencil and watercolor artwork creates sweetly pastel animals and landscapes for readers to wander in, and the endpapers – representations of Bernard’s very, very long wings – are just fun.

Bird Hugs is a sweet story about sharing friendship, empathy, and the importance of just being available.

 

Ged Adamson is a children’s book author and illustrator. His picture books include A Fox Found a Box; Douglas, You Need Glasses!; Shark Dog!; and Ava and the Rainbow (Who Stayed). He has also worked as a cartoonist, storyboard artist, and composer for film and TV. He lives in London with his partner, Helen, and son, Rex. To learn more, visit his website: https://gedadamson.myportfolio.com/home-page 

Twitter: @ged_adamson 

Instagram: @gedadamson 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Dream Big, Little Scientists encourages and inspires

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dream Big, Little Scientists, by Michelle Schaub/Illustrated by Alice Potter, (Feb. 2020), Charlesbridge, $16.99, ISBN: 9781580899345

Ages 3-7

Twelve kids who dream of being scientists get ready for bed in this adorable, rhyming bedtime STEM story. Each spread features a different child who favors a different area of science, and the spreads are a feast for the eyes. The verse maps to each child’s preferred area, bringing art and verse together to give kids a mini-science lesson on each spread: each child has favored scientists in each field; bedding and room decor cleverly gives readers a guessing game of scientific proportions. A little girl looks out her window at the moon, shining through her planetary curtains; on her bedside table is a book on stars and planets, and she has posters of Carl Sagan and a Space Shuttle hanging up. The verse reads, “The sun has tucked itself in bed; the moon is on the rise”; on the next spread, a boy lays across his map of the world rug, reading; his bedding depicts a mountain scene, and he has a shade with an erupting volcano drawn. A poster of geologist Jess Phoenix hangs on the wall, and the verse reads, “Under rumpled mountain quilts, the earth is snuggled tight”.

It’s a wonderful way of teaching through exposure: younger readers will love the rhyme, bright colors, and bold digital artwork; school-age readers can guess each kid’s favorite science and name disciplines as they navigate their way through each spread. Back matter offers brief profiles of each discipline spotlighted, and a link to visit for more information. The book detail page on publisher Charlesbridge’s website includes a link to information about the featured scientists in the story, plus a downloadable educator’s guide and storytime kit.

I’m definitely incorporating this into a Science Storytime. Pick a few branches of science and go for it! I really like Toronto Public Library’s suggestions here, and there are tons of great Toddler/Preschooler STEAM craft ideas on Pinterest and all over the web (homeschoolers, I love you).

Dream Big, Little Scientists is great for bedtime, science time, or anytime!