Category: Preschool Reads

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Inside Outside plays with perspective and scale

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Inside Outside, by Anne-Margot Ramstein & Matthias Arégui, (Apr. 2019, Candlewick Studio), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536205978

Ages 4-8

Playing with perspective and scale, Inside Outside is a wordless book that uses 18 spreads to encourage readers to look at things differently. A spelunker descends into a cave filled with crystals on one page; on the other, his fellow explorers wait outside the hole, helping to lower him down. It’s an unassuming scene until you take both views into consideration. On another spread, a canopy bed sits alone in the dark; a pillow lies on the floor, and the canopy is torn; the torn fabric tied to a post and leading out a window. On the facing spread, we see a a castle among a wide vista, knight standing guard at a turret… and a slit of a window, with a knotted fabric rope traveling down the wall. Look closer, and you’ll see a figure wading to shore, her long blonde hair down her back. Some of the illustrations are tongue-in-cheek, like the page that has a darkened museum gallery with a broken velvet rope and a missing picture; its facing page has a burglar, dressed in black, carrying a flashlight and a white frame across city rooftops; others invite more thought, like a rapidly beating heart that reveals itself to belong to a bungee jumper on the facing spread.

Inside Outside‘s digital artwork is bold with deep and bright colors throughout. It’s a great way to introduce discussions about how we see things: size, color, shapes, all factor into the illustrations and provoke consideration and evaluation. A good addition to art classes for older kids, and storytelling for younger kids. The authors previous book, Before After, plays with perspective and nature.

Inside Outside has a starred review from Kirkus.

 

Posted in Non-Fiction, picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads, Toddler Storytime

Birds, Birds, Birds: Hello, I’m Here! A new bird greets the world, and Carme Lemniscrates’s Birds

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hello, I’m Here!, by Helen Frost/Photographs by Rick Lieder, (March 2019, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9780763698584

Ages 2-5

With rhyming text accompanying beautiful wildlife photos, Hello, I’m Here! is the story of an adorable sandhill crane chick hatching and exploring its new world. The hatchling and its sibling splash around in the water and enjoy some bugs and snails under the watchful guidance of their Mama and Papa, always nearby. The photographs are beautiful, allowing readers to enjoy the fuzzy, long-legged chicks and the stunning adult birds’ coloring. The photos have incredible texture; the birds’ feathers look like they’d ruffle under one’s hand, and the chicks look so fuzzy, you’ll want to run your finger across their heads. The photos of the birds in flight are stunning. The text is sweet and has a comforting cadence; the sentences are short and put readers in the chick’s place as it discovers the world around it. An author note about sandhill cranes has some great additional information for readers: did you know that parents and chicks communicate while the chicks are still in their eggs? That went over really well when I told the parents! I love being able to add little facts like that in a storytime. The endpapers have beautiful photos of a baby sandhill crane and its parent, and of four cranes flying across the sky at sunset. Absolutely breathtaking.

I tried Hello, I’m Here! out in a recent storytime, and the kids and parents alike loved it. The parents gestured to the pages quite often, impressed with the photos, and the little ones loved hearing about the little bird taking its first steps, flapping around with its sibling, and watching other cranes fly overhead. This is a great choice for a nature/discovery/science storytime, a spring storytime, and just a plain, good storytime for the little ones. I would also read Alex Latimer’s Am I Yours? as a companion to this one: it’s got dinosaurs, but the whole story of a baby dino in its egg talking to prospective parents is just too cute to pass up.

Hello, I’m Here! has a starred review from Kirkus. This is the fifth book that Helen Frost and Rick Lieder have collaborated on; all of which have received starred reviews from Kirkus.

 

 

Birds, by Carme Lemniscates, (March 2019, Candlewick Press), $14.99, ISBN: 9781536201789

Ages 2-5

Next up, I read Birds, by Carme Lemniscates. It’s a nonfiction book of a different sort, with bright, bold mixed media illustrations of various birds and two children enjoying their company. The text reads like a poetic ode to birds, starting first with descriptive sentences: “Some birds are really big/Others are tiny/Some like to show off, while others would rather watch”, moving into more illustrative musings: “A bird’s song is like the loving words of a friend/A happy song that greets us every morning/And our hearts sing, too, because birds are like good news coming”. Eagles, owls, peacocks, and hummingbirds all find a home here, as do parrots, toucans, and Canadian geese. It’s a celebration of birds, of spring, and of nature. The endpapers feature bright and bold feathers, some that you’ll recognize right away, like the peacock’s; some, you may have to guess at (is that black and white spotted one a woodpecker or a guinea fowl?). Let the kids color some feathers of their own as an after-storytime craft.

Birds went over nicely in storytime. The kids loved the bright colors and enjoyed calling out birds they recognized. We made some bird sounds (honking for the Canadian geese went over well, as did the parrot caws) and spread our arms to soar and flap like the birds do. It’s a nice addition to picture books where nature and birds are popular.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Pack your bags! Dexter Dino’s going on vacation! Plus, a giveaway!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Vacation for Dexter!, by Lindsay Ward, (Apr. 2019, Two Lions), $17.99, ISBN: 9781542043205

Ages 3-7

My favorite dino is back! My favorite dino is back! Dexter T. Rexter and his best friend Jack are back and they’re going on vacation in Lindsay Ward’s newest Dex-venture (see what I did there?), Vacation for Dexter! They’re going to exotic FLOR-I-DA, and Dexter is just thrilled! He’s totally vacation ready, rocking his supercool sunglasses, nifty hat, and his guidebook with all the local hot spots, but there’s one tiny problem: Dexter really, really, really, REALLY doesn’t want to get on a plane. Dinosaurs don’t fly, and he’s got a bunch of reasons why! Dexter and Jack are both going to need readers to encourage them and cheer them on through this flight, because they’re both pretty nervous!

Dexter is just great. He’s such a perfect fit for preschoolers experiencing new things, whether it’s misplacing a grown-up (Don’t Forget Dexter!), worrying about show and tell or speaking in front of a group (It’s Show and Tell, Dexter!) or facing fears head-on (Vacation for Dexter!) He’s nervous, but he admits it, and lets kids know that it’s okay, even normal, to be scared of new things, but it’s also okay to be brave and face those fears. He uses humor, empathy, and the right amount of hugs to get his message across, and there’s always a new song (we’ve got two new ones in this book!) to sing at the end. Lindsay Ward is just so good at storytelling; she gets preschoolers. The printmaking ink, pencil, and cut paper artwork is the same upbeat, bright art we’ve come to know and love: Dexter is bright orange, with red and pink splotches on his spines and body; his body and claws are lined like a piece of notebook paper, and he’s friendly, with a big, toothy smile and big, expressive eyes. Jack, Dexter’s buddy, is a child of color, with dark skin and curly, black hair. Parts of each spread look like a coloring book, colored in, adding to the kid-friendly feel.

Pack Vacation for Dexter, some cookies, and your own kiddo’s best friend for your next trip. And make sure to print a few copies of this picture of Dexter to color in!

 

Win your own FULL SET of Dexter books, including Vacation for Dexter! Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway! (U.S. addresses only, please!)

 

 

Lindsay Ward is the creator of the Dexter T. Rexter series. Although she isn’t afraid of flying, she always looks forward to cookies during her flights. She is also the author and illustrator of Brobarians, Henry Finds His Word, and When Blue Met Egg. Her book Please Bring Balloons was also made into a play.

Most days you can find Lindsay with her family, writing and sketching at her home in Peninsula, Ohio. Learn more about her online at www.LindsayMWard.com or on Twitter: @lindsaymward.

Praise for Vacation for Dexter!

“The illustrations are just as laugh-out-loud funny as ever, with the toy’s expressions stealing every scene…Jack and Dexter have become a beloved duo, and the dino’s behavior-modeling sure goes down easily.” —Kirkus Reviews

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Customize your own outer space trip with You Choose in Space

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

You Choose in Space, by Pippa Goodhart/Illustrated by Nick Sharratt, (Feb. 2019, Kane Miller), $12.99, ISBN: 9781610678018

Ages 3-8

Originally published in the UK in 2017, the latest You Choose book from Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt takes kids on a trip into space where they have an array of choices to customize their journey: they can pick a job, an outfit, try some new alien food, even explore a cool new city on another planet! Led by a girl of color, a caucasian boy in a wheelchair, and a robot dog that looks similar to K-9 from Doctor Who (shout-out my Whovians out there!), the universe is there for every reader’s delight. The rhyming text invites readers to jump in and join the fun, and loads of details on every spread for kids to wander through: the giant cruiser has a gym, movie theatre, laundromat on board; a full-service wardrobe lets kids choose some wild new outfits and wigs; and an intergalactic zoo full of mixed-up animals give you the chance to create some wild new species of your own!

The bright, bold art is playful and kids will love having a new experience every time they pick up the book.  This series is a fun add to your collections and a good gift idea for kids who see reading as an adventure.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Angry Cookie is working through a bad mood

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Angry Cookie, by Laura Dockrill/Illustrated Maria Karipidou, (March 2019, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536205442

Ages 3-7

Angry Cookie is NOT having a good day. From the first page, he’s mad and he wants readers to know it, calling the reader a nosy noodle and complaining about his annoying roommate, running out of his favorite toothpaste, getting a bad haircut, and having the ice cream parlor run out of his favorite sundae. He’s really, really mad, and there’s nothing you can do about it, you hear? But… once he realizes that the readers are sticking around, paying attention to him, he warms up a little, and lets us in on what’s really bugging him: no one listens to him. Nobody sticks around. Once Cookie realizes that he’s being heard, he softens up and even cracks a smile.

Angry Cookie zooms in on what we all really want: to be heard. And preschoolers, in particular, can relate to Cookie: they don’t want that burning, minty toothpaste, they want the fruity-flavored kind (this has been a HUGE issue in my own home), and they don’t want a stupid haircut, and heaven help us if a sibling is on his or her nerves or if a favorite snack isn’t available. Angry Cookie shows readers that it’s okay to be frustrated by things, and that someone is always there to listen. It’s a fun look at managing emotions, with laughs and snorts to be had along the way. The digital artwork is bright and bold, with all text communicated through word balloons and spoken by Cookie. Cookie is round and has a mop of wild red hair, blue overalls, and big, round eyes.

This is a good one for feelings and emotions collections, and a cute storytime pick. I’d pair with Claire Messer’s Grumpy Pants, The Bad Seed by Jory John, and – naturally – any of Mo Willems’ Pigeon books for a display or storytime on emotions and feelings.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

B is for… Beautiful Baby Book!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

B is for Baby, by Atinuke/Illustrated by Angela Brooksbank, (March 2019, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536201666

Ages 0-5

An adorable baby gives her grandfather and older brother a surprise visit in this adorable book of words, all featuring the letter B. Baby climbs into a basket full of bananas for a little nibble, but big brother puts the basket on his bicycle and goes on a bumpy trip to their Baba’s. Brother rides across the African landscape, where readers can see baobab trees, birds and butterflies, bougainvillea flowers, and buses and bridges, until they reach Baba’s home. When Baby pops out of the basket, it’s a happy surprise! Baba brings his grandchildren inside for some biscuits and cuddling, and Brother rides home and returns Baby to Mama’s arms.

I love Atinuke’s Anna Hisbicus books and her wonderful stories about African daily life. B is for Baby is another glimpse at family life, this time, aimed at younger children and early readers. Angela Brooksbank, who worked with Atinuke on Baby Goes To Market, introducing readers to a West African market. The mixed media artwork is sweet, loaded with hugs and cuddles, and lovely nature landscapes. What a fun way to introduce new readers to the letter B!

B is for Baby has a starred review from Kirkus.

Posted in Family Storytimes, picture books, Preschool Reads, Storytime, Toddler Reads

Saturday Storytime: Mindfulness and Wonder

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I had a Saturday storytime a couple of weeks ago, and used it as a testing ground for some new books. A nice theme of mindfulness emerged, with a smidgen of wonder underneath; the kids and parents alike seemed to really enjoy this one. I created a short YouTube playlist to show videos for the singalong parts of the storytime; you can use this one, too, or build on it. Now, onto the books!

You Are Light, by Aaron Becker, (March 2019, Candlewick), $15.99, ISBN: 9781536201154

Ages 2-8

I started off with this gorgeous board book by Aaron Becker. The cover has a beautiful die-cut sun and circles; when you hold it up to the light, the effect is really stunning. The book is a rhyming meditation on the relationships between everything in our world: “This is the light that brings the dawn/to warm the sky and hug the land/It sips the sea to make the rain,/which waters wheat to grow the grain”. Each page highlights a facet of the world: sun, fire, water, wheat, leaves, a flower, the moon, and finally, a multicolored mandala with a human form inside of it. The die-cut circles shift in color as each spread progresses, always keeping the readers’ attention and reminding us that all things are connected, including us. The watercolor art is elegant, simple, and lovely; the pacing and text is thought-provoking and soothing. I saw parents cuddle their little ones while the bigger kids reveled in the shifting colors on each page. Aaron Becker does it again, bringing a board book with incredible depth for readers to love. This is going into my regular storytime rotation: it’s beautiful to look at, soothing to read and hear, and inspires thought and affection.

Aaron Becker is a Caldecott Honor-winning author of the Journey picture book trilogy and A Stone for Sascha. His author website has a wealth of free downloadables for parents, caregivers, and educators. You Are Light has starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal.

The Whole Wide World and Me, by Toni Yuly, (Feb. 2019, Candlewick), $15.99, ISBN: 9780763692636

Ages 2-6

A young girl considers the world and her place in it in this beautifully illustrated book. This is another story about how we, and nature, are all connected; the story reads like a gentle meditation: “Like a flower/in a field…/like a fish…/in a pond…/like a cloud…/in the sky…/so am I”. It’s a story of being present, being mindful, and reads almost like a mantra. This would easily be as at home in a yoga or meditation storytime as it is in a traditional storytime. The ink, charcoal, torn tissue, cut paper, and digital collage artwork comes together and provides texture, with bright, bold colors adding a sweet, childhood feel that will bring the grownups in the room back to days when they would climb a tree, lay on the grass, or stick their toes in the water in a pond or at the beach. The artwork is perfect for a post-storytime craft where kids can make their own torn paper collage art.

The Whole Wide World and Me was another hit; I encouraged the kids to stretch to touch the clouds and pretend they were trees; bloom like a flower, spreading their hands wide and raising them up over their heads; and waving like a leaf floating from a tree. I’d pair this with Tiny, Perfect Things and Gina Perry’s Small for another storytime, too.

The Whole Wide World and Me has a starred review from Kirkus.

Stardust, by Jeanne Willis/Illustrated by Briony May Smith, (Feb. 2019, Nosy Crow), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536202656

Ages 3-8

A little girl dreams of being a star, but she always ends up in her sister’s shadow. Whether it’s finding her mother’s ring, knitting a scarf for her grandfather, or entering a costume contest, the girl’s sister outshines her in everything she does, but Grandpa is in her corner, cheering her on. He tells her that of course she’s a star: he explains the Big Bang Theory to her and how we are all made of stardust, and that she just “shines in [a] different way” from her sister. It’s a message that stays with the girl, as we later discover.

Stardust is one of those stories we can all relate to: there’s always someone better, smarter, funnier… sibling or no, Stardust speaks to us all and reminds us that we all have gifts, we all have something that makes us special – we’re just special at different things. The mixed media artwork gives a multilayered feel to the story, and Briony May Smith’s use of shadows give depth to her spreads. The spreads devoted to the birth of the universe are breathtaking, and placing the girl and her grandfather within those spreads is genius; it gives a real sense of the universe and our place in it, and a source of inspiration for kids everywhere.

The kids enjoyed this one, especially the outer-space spreads. I’d pair this with The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer and Jordan Crane’s We Are All Me for future storytimes and displays.

 

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Arrrrrrrgh! There be Pirate Chickens in them thar books!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Pirate Chicken: All Hens on Deck, by Brian Yanish/Illustrated by Jess Pauwels, (March 2019, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $17.99, ISBN: 9781492665205

Ages 4-8

Avast, me hearties! If you love pirates (who doesn’t?), and you enjoy chickens (c’mon, they’re cute), Pirate Chicken: All Hens on Deck will speak to you and your storytime. Lily is a chicken with greater aspirations than pecking around at the farm, so when pirates invade her farm, she’s all in for a life on the high seas! The chickens even overthrow the pirates one night, and Lily finds herself in charge of an all-chicken pirate crew. Changing her name to Redfoot, she starts enjoying bossing everyone around a little too much – will she shape up before her crew sends her for walk on the plank?

Pirate Chicken is fun, upbeat, and just plain silly, feel-good storytelling. The colors are bright and bold, with boldly outlined figures. Lily sports a Jolly Roger-embellished pirate hat, and a bright red vest, for extra giggles. And what better craft to add to a pirate storytime, but pirate hats? Teach them the old sea shanty “Blow the Man Down” and you’re set for a Pirate Readaloud!

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Prepare for a fiesta with The Piñata That the Farm Maiden Hung!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Piñata That the Farm Maiden Hung, by Samantha Vamos/Illustrated by Sebastià Serra, (Jan. 2019, Charlesbridge), $17.99, ISBN: 9781580897969

Ages 4-8

This adorable companion to 2011’s The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred is another bilingual, cumulative story. A girl heads to the market while the farm maiden and her friends pull together a piñata for a surprise celebration! Like Cazuela, The Piñata That the Farm Maiden Hung features Spanish words in bold font, with words identifiable using context clues, and the illustrations are colorful and bright, with friendly, soft character faces and festive touches like papel picado pennants and a bright piñata. Back matter includes the lyrics to “The Piñata Song/La Canción de la Piñata”, instructions on making your own piñata, a glossary, and list of Spanish translations. Charlesbridge offers the piñata instructions available for free download on their website.

This is a cute companion to The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred, and a fun addition to storytime. It begs for a felt board storytelling, so make a trip to the craft store!

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

The Chickens Are Coming! What do we do?

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Chickens Are Coming!, by Barbara Samuels, (March 2019, Farrar Straus Giroux), $17.99, ISBN: 9780374300975

Ages 4-8

Siblings Winston and Sophie are shopping with their mom one day when they discover an interesting sign: someone called The Chicken Lady is moving and needs to rehome her chickens. Winston, Sophie, and their parents decide to take on the task of becoming urban farmers and adopting them! They get their backyard ready, setting up the coop and telling their friends; they promise fresh eggs to everyone, and Winston even creates a Chicken Dance. Once the chickens arrive, though, the family learns that chickens take work! They don’t want to be pets and they don’t want to lay eggs: not even for bedtime stories; not for relaxing music that the kids play for them; not at all. As Winston and Sophie try desperately to get the chickens to acclimate to their new home and family, they discover that each chicken has its own personality – and that each one is special is in its own way.

The Chickens are Coming! is a cute story about patience and learning. Winston and Sophie learn about raising farm animals in a city environment, which comes with unique challenges, and they learn that chickens aren’t just egg-laying machines for their convenience. Colorful artwork makes this appealing to readers, and each chicken is beautifully illustrated. An author’s note provides information about urban chicken-rearing, and a copy of Sophie’s Chicken Chart shows lets readers compare the different breeds, countries of origin, and egg sizes and colors. Endpapers feature the chickens in their colorful glory.

Pair this one with Caroline Arnold’s Hatching Chicks in Room 6 for more information about raising chicks in a nontraditional environment. This is a good read before a farm or domestic animal zoo visit.