Category: Preschool Reads

Posted in Preschool Reads

Aliens Get the Sniffles, Too! Get the lunar decongestants!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Aliens Get the Sniffles, Too!, by Katy S. Duffield//Illustrated by KG Campbell, (Nov. 2017, Candlewick), $16.99, ISBN: 978-0-7636-6502-9

Recommended for readers 3-7

A couple of weeks ago, I posted the trailer for the adorable picture book, Aliens Get the Sniffles, Too! Now that the book’s available, I can finally talk about it! Poor little Alien feels just awful! his two throats are scratchy, his five ears hurt, and he’s got three runny noses! Mama and Daddy Alien try all the different remedies, from Milky Way milkshakes to the dreaded lunar decongestants, but nothing works. Poor Mars Rover, Alien’s best buddy and loyal pet, feels awful seeing his friend so sick – and sometimes, a good friend is the cure for what ails you.

Aliens Get the Sniffles, Too! is great sick-day reading for little ones who feel just plain yucky. His sneezes, loaded with space terms (“AHHH-3-2-1-blastoff-CHOO!”), are powerful and shoot his friend across the room, scaring the poor parents. The story captures the pure misery of a cold, and the lengths we parents go to in order to try and make things better (even if they may make our kids feel worse while we’re trying). KG Campbell’s pen, watercolor, and colored pencil artwork presents readers with the cutest aliens, with giant, expressive eyes and calming pastel colors. Loyal Mars Rover is a three-eyed golden mutt whose attention is focused on his companion.

Aliens Get the Sniffles, Too! is a good add to picture book collections – we can never have enough sick day books! Recommend this one, along with favorites like Jane Yolen’s How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? And Philip Stead’s A Sick Day for Amos McGee, to caregivers who have a snuffly one at home.

Posted in Early Reader, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Handmade Holidays: Books for the littles

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Don’t shoot me, I know we haven’t even hit Thanksgiving yet! But you and I both know that the holidays have a way of sneaking up on you, and I have some books that are perfect to let the kiddos make their own special gifts to celebrate the season. (Plus, you know me, I love a program in a book.)

Gift Boxes to Decorate and Make: Christmas, illustrated by Sarah Walsh,
(Sept. 2017, Nosy Crow), $15.99, ISBN: 9780763696375

Every single page in this book can be colored in and made into a box! Pages are perforated, to easily tear out, and scored for easy folding. This is such a great idea for storing little goodies for teacher gifts; you can take care not to rip the boxes when you open them and hang them up so you have a nice piece of artwork; or, you can keep little things like paper clips or rubber bands in them. It’s the gift you’ll enjoy receiving because it’s handmade, and the kids will love creating their own gift for you.

 

Make and Play: Christmas, illustrated by Joey Chou,
(Sept. 2017, Nosy Crow), $11.99, ISBN: 9780763696160

From the time my older kids were little, we’ve had a tradition of buying ornaments to decorate and hang on our tree. I’d buy kits from Oriental Trading, plain ornaments at Michael’s, anything my boys could make their own; I date them and hang them on the tree, and it’s created a sweet legacy to look back on. This year, I’m going to give my 5 year-old a new project: Make & Play Christmas! There are 10 absolutely adorable die-cut pieces to press out and create, all with die-cut slots to easily fit pieces together, and holes to tie string or ribbon through, to hang on the tree. From angels and colorful ornaments, to Santa and his reindeer, there is something for every kid to enjoy. A fun activity section at the end has more ideas to get ready for the holidays: craft instructions for paper chains, reindeer prints, and DIY wrapping paper; the words to “Jingle Bells”, “Deck the Halls”, and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”; and recipes for gingerbread cookies and snowball truffles. Way too much fun!

 

Press Out & Color Christmas Ornaments, illustrated by Kate McLelland,
(Sept. 2017, Nosy Crow), $15.99, ISBN: 9780763696184

For slightly older kids who want in on the fun (or little ones who want more to color), there’s Press Out & Color Christmas Ornaments. There are 20 die-cut ornaments in here for coloring; outlined in shiny gold foil and featuring beautiful designs including rocking horses, Russian nesting dolls, nutcrackers, and snowflakes. There are standalone pieces and pieces that fit together to make 3-D ornaments, and small holes punched in at the top to thread ribbon or thread through to hang up. Absolutely stunning.

 

Make & Play Nativity, illustrated by Joey Chou,
(Sept. 2017, Nosy Crow), $11.99, ISBN: 9780763696177

Last one for now! This Nativity, also illustrated by Joey Chou, makes a great gift to place under someone’s tree. There are 20 press out and put together figures to create the Nativity scene. Pages are thick and sturdy, and the pieces fit easily together; ideal for little fingers; instructions are included for more complex pieces, like the manger. Christmas activities feature at the end of the book: the Nativity story; crafts, like Make a Christmas Star, Make an Advent Calendar, and Make a Christmas Angel; and Christmas carols “Away in a Manger”, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, and “We Three Kings”.

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Board and Picture Book Rundown!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I started this post in Hershey, PA while I attended KidLitCon17 – which was amazing, but kicked my butt! – so I’m finishing up now that I’m back home and getting ready to great a new week. More to come on the conference, but for now, let’s talk board books! I’ve been on a board book kick at work, having weeded a bit of the collection, so let’s take a look at a few that have just hit shelves. I’m on the lookout for fun, new, and different board books to get in front of the littles, and to keep up the momentum for my Mother Goose lapsit storytime. The Rodgers & Hammerstein board books are a must, and these look like big fun, too.

 
ABC for Me: ABC Baby Signs: Learn baby sign language while you practice your ABCs!, by Christiane Engel,
(Oct. 2017, Quarto Group), $16.95, ISBN: 9781633223660
Recommended for parents for kiddos 0-2
Sign language with babies has increased in popularity over the years. I used a couple of signs with my now high-schooler, and it blew my mind to see him communicating before he was fully forming words. It made things easier, too; he was able to express himself when he was hungry, for instance, and I was able to put together when he was fussy because he was hungry rather than running through a flow chart of options that always ended in tantrum. I use ASL in my toddler storytime to teach the kids a hello and goodbye song, so ABC for Me: Baby Signs is going in my distributor cart for my November order. This one goes in my Parenting collection, and I’ll use it in a storytime, too. With adorable illustrations and small call-outs with arrows and movement to show how to fully communicate signs, this book is a great new parent gift, too.
ABC Baby Signs is part of the ABC for Me series of board books, which includes ABC Yoga and ABC Mindful Me.
Little Concepts: ABC Color: Apricot, Burgundy & Chartreuse, 26 cool new colors are out on the loose!, 
Illustrated by Ingela Peterson Arrhenius, (Nov. 2017, Walter Foster Jr), $12.95, ISBN: 9781633223363
Recommended for readers 1-4
Primary colors are exciting, but why limit yourself? ABC Color introduces kids to the 64-crayon box, with colors like chartreuse, persimmon, and razzmatazz (it is too a real color). Each spread features two colors: they’re named on the left hand page, and the background design and accompanying illustration on the right page combine to create strongmen in striped singlets (scarlet and turquoise) or umber and violet (a reindeer by the light of a snowy moon). It’s just good fun, and a nice way to introduce even more complex words into a toddler’s or preschooler’s vocabulary. Get out the crayons and explore once you’re done! Kick your color by number worksheets up a notch!
The newest picture books I looked at are perfect for my littles, too. I can easily put these into my toddler storytime rotation and see the kids enjoying them.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: Classic Nursery Rhymes Retold, by Joe Rhatigan/Illustrated by Carolina Farias,
(Sept. 2017, Quarto Group), $12.95, ISBN: 9781633222373
Recommended for ages 0-5
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is big in my storytimes (or anyone’s, really!), so a fun takeoff on the classic always brings some new life with it. Joe Rhatigan and illustrator Carolina Farias’ vision introduces readers to a group of cats that wants to hang out with their friend, the twinkling little star, but she’s so far away! Some ingenuity and teamwork, all in verse and to the tune of the original classic song, bring the friends together in the sweetest way that explains a lot. The song gets progressively sillier as the cats attempt their visit to the stars, offering readers the opportunity to work with facial expressions, gestures, and voice to make kids laugh along with you and the story. Perfect for a sing-a-long storytime. Make toilet paper roll rockets – DLTK Kids has an easy one that comes with a template.
GOA Kids – Goats of Anarchy: Polly and Her Duck Costume: + The true story of a little blind rescue goat,
by Leanne Lauricella/Illustrated by Jill Howarth, (Sept. 2017, Quarto Group), $17.95, ISBN: 9781633224186
Recommended for readers 3-8
Any book that includes the phrase, “Goats of Anarchy”, gets my attention. Polly and Her Duck Costume is the story of one of the Goats of Anarchy – a rescue for disabled and special needs goats in New Jersey – named Polly, a blind goat rescued when Leanne Lauricella adopted her and brought her to GOA. Polly loved being snuggled; it made her feel safe, so Lauricella came up with the idea of putting her in an adorable duck costume. It worked! When rescue goat Pippa joins the fold, she gets a duck costume, too. Eventually, the goats feel secure enough to go without their costumes, a testament to the safety and love they get at their home. A great book for kids because it’s adorable – there are baby goats wearing duck onesies! – and it leads into a discussion about special needs. Special needs readers will see themselves in Polly and Pippa, with their need for compression clothing to help them feel swaddled and secure; explaining to all kids that some children have sensory issues, and special clothes help them process their world at their own pace. The cartoony artwork is soft and sweet, almost reminding me of classic Golden Books artwork. There is a photo album starring Polly, Pippa, and Leanne Lauricella at the end of the book. Visit the Goats of Anarchy website to learn more about the organization, and link to their Instagram for more adorable pictures. There are more GOA books to come, including The Goat with Many Coats and Piney the Goat Nanny, about a rescue pig who comes to live at the sanctuary.  There’s a 2018 calendar due out, too!
Feather, by Cao Wenxuan/Illustrated by Roger Mello, Translated by Chloe Garcia-Roberts (Translated by)
(Oct. 201, Steerforth Press), $18.00, ISBN: 9780914671855
Recommended for readers 4-8

This beautiful book by celebrated Chinese children’s author and 2016 Hans Christian Andersen Award-winner Cao Wenxuan tells the tale of a feather trying to find its origin. The feather blows along with the wind, encountering different birds and asking, “Am I yours?”; the feather is usually ignored or brushed off. Just when Feather is about to give up hope, she spies a bird missing a feather… could it be? This beautifully illustrated and narrated story of searching for one’s origin, one’s place in the world, works on different levels for different age groups. For little readers, I’d pair this with Are You My Mother? and talk about families, who we are. For school-age children, this pairs with Jon Muth’s books, Zen Shorts and Zen Ties, offering a deeper look into daily life. The storytelling is meditative and the artwork is dynamic and beautiful. Both Wenxuan and illustrator Roger Mello are Hans Christian Anderson Award winners, and this pairing is wonderful. I’m hoping to see this one on my Mock Caldecott shortlist this year. Feather has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus.

 

Seagrass Dreams: A Counting Book, by Kathleen M. Hanes/Illustrations by Chloe Bonfield,
(May 2017, Quarto Group), $17.95, ISBN: 9781633221253
Recommended for readers 4-8
This is a solid mix of concepts and nonfiction for readers who love ocean animals. Seagrass is rooted to the sea floor, long blades or narrow, hollow tubes, that provide food and shelter for a variety of animals. In Seagrass Dreams, readers meet and count barracudas, stingrays, dugongs, sea cucumbers, and more. Each spread provides the opportunity to count marine life and learn their numbers. Readers who can sit still a little longer can learn more about each animal through a descriptive paragraph. Back matter includes a recap of the animals, their scientific names, a glossary of new terms, and a map of seagrass meadow locations around the world. There are further references for readers who want to learn more. The illustrations are created with deep colors and movement; you can envision the seagrass waving underwater as the fish zip through the blades.  A nice addition to concept collections, especially where you have readers who love ocean books. Display and booktalk with Alison Formento’s These Seas Count! and Marianne Berkes’ Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef.

 

Posted in Preschool Reads

Ned the Knitting Pirate helped me get my knitting mojo back!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I used to be an obsessive knitter. Day and night, commuting, sitting at home, I’d have something on the needles, until… my mojo ran dry. I just couldn’t finish a project. I could start a project. If you love doing something and suddenly, one day, hit a rough patch, you know how much this stinks. It’s really been getting under my skin, really letting it get to me… and then, I saw a Tweet for a book giveaway.

Ned the Knitting Pirate, by Diana Murray/Illustrated by Leslie Lammle,
(Aug. 2016, Roaring Brook Press), $16.99, ISBN: 978-1596438903
Recommended for readers 4-10

 

You know how sometimes, it’s the craziest thing that gets you back on track? Well, that was seeing this cover. First off, pirates. I love pirates. And Ned is a knitting pirate! I retweeted the cover to my knitting friends (all in various stages of mojo and lack thereof), and the response was just as enthusiastic as mine was! When author Diana Murray contacted me to offer me a review copy, I jumped at the opportunity, and I’m so glad I did.

First of all, look at this art. It’s simply adorable. The endpapers start the fun, introducing us to a sea monster and a mermaid. The rhyming tale kicks right in, as we meet the crew of the Rusty Heap. They’re a scurvy bunch of pirates, “tougher than gristle and barnacle grit”… they brag about their pirate-y roughness time and again, only to have Ned cheerfully chime in that he knits every single time. The captain is not thrilled with this. Pirates don’t knit! Oh, really? He sure changes his tune when a sea monster attacks them, and the only thing that stands between the crew and Davy Jones’ Locker is Ned and his knitting prowess: he fires a blanket at the monster, which curls sweetly around him and sends him off to sleep. Like the best knits do!

I read this to my kiddo in full pirate voice (my throat felt like it died the death of a thousand cheese graters, but it was all worth it), roaring and singing seafaring songs and pointing to my guy to chime in, “KNIT!” when Ned piped up. We had a blast with this book! The only thing I can’t believe is that it’s been out for a year and I wasn’t aware of it until now.

The cartoony art is adorable, and the rhyming pirate tale is complete with seafaring terms that every buccaneer-in-training will take to heart and love. And let’s take a moment to adore the fact that Ned is a GUY WHO KNITS. And he’s proud of it! More power to you, Ned! Bust gender roles – knitting is not just for girls! – and use your smarts to save your crew, thus getting everyone (literally) on board with the sticks! There is nothing like the soft feel of a homemade blanket to immediately put you to sleep, unless you’re one of my kids in infancy; nothing worked then. (But at least they were warm and wrapped in love.)

Bottom line: Ned the Knitting Pirate is SO GOOD. The words are fun and catchy; you want to speak like a pirate when you read this book. It’s perfect for a read-aloud, whether you read about pirates (may I suggest How I Became a Pirate and Pirates Don’t Change Diapers, by Melinda Long) or about knitting (I love Woolbur by Leslie Helakoski and Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett), and it’s perfect for a feel-good read; you cannot be in a bad mood after sitting with this adorable book.

So, my knitting mojo? Well, after reading this book for the third or fourth time, Kiddo turned to me and said, “When are you going to knit me something?” And I felt awful, because I haven’t knit this kid anything. One single thing. And it’s time to remedy that. So I pulled together all my yarn, tracked down as many of my needles as I could, and together, he and I picked a dinosaur hat and a Grumpasaurus stuffy that I’m going to make for him. For the hat, I’m going to use the Antler Toque pattern from Tin Can Knits, because it’s cool and the cable pattern looks kind of like dinosaur plates; from there, I’ll knit up spikes to sew onto the hat, so he can be a Stegosaurus.

If you’re not a knitter, Ned the Knitting Pirate may just make you one. Enjoy. Check out Diana Murray’s author website for more info on her books (including the super-adorable Doris the Bookasaurus), news, and fun facts.

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Broadway Baby board books will have you singing in no time!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

If you’re ready to add some new songs to your storytime and snuggle time routine, may I suggest this new series of board books from Walter Foster Jr? In what I hope is the first of a long line of board books, the Broadway Baby series introduces classic songs from beloved musicals to little ones. And what better way to start than with two songs from The Sound of Music?

Broadway Baby: The Sound of Music, My Favorite Things
Based on the song by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Illustrated by Daniel Roode,
(Sept. 2017, Walter Foster Jr), $16.95, ISBN: 9781633223356
Perfect for all ages!

Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens… everything we love about the song, My Favorite Things, is illustrated here, perfect for sing-a-longs with the little ones. Illustrations are vibrant and move across each spread, enchanting readers as the song flows. Don’t worry about those dog bites or those bee stings – the dog and the boy seem to have made up just fine; ditto for the bees and the picnickers in their territory. Perfect for sing-a-long storytime!

 

Broadway Baby: The Sound of Music, My Favorite Things
Based on the song by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Illustrated by Miriam Bos,
(Sept. 2017, Walter Foster Jr), $16.95, ISBN: 9781633223349
Perfect for all ages!

Kids gather around a singer, just like the Von Trapp family kids gathered around Maria to learn this classic about musical notes. Each note gets its own spread, beautifully illustrated: Doe, a deer, a female deer, Ray, a drop of golden sun… they’re all here, and the characters love learning each note!

Each book ends with a note about the Von Trapp Family, Rodgers and Hammerstein, the legendary musical team, and their timeless creation, The Sound of Music. Yes, I’m raving, and with good reason. These books, these songs, make me smile just thinking about them. It’s going to come out in my storytimes, and hopefully, another generation will love them as much as I do. Side note: I showed my manager these books the other day, and after she finished joining me in a rousing rendition of My Favorite Things, proceeded to order a set for her new grandson.

Display these with some of your sing along board books, like Jane Cabrera’s series (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Wheels on the Bus, Baa Baa Black Sheep, so many more), and get some of your baby classics out there! I love the BabyLit series of board books and think they’d go really well with Broadway Baby. Now, let’s think of some other songs we’d like to see. How about Shall We Dance, featuring babies dancing with members of their families?

Posted in Animal Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Pug and Pig love Halloween!!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Pug & Pig: Trick or Treat, by Sue Lowell Gallion/Illustrated by Joyce Wang, (July 2017, Simon & Schuster), $17.99, ISBN: 9781481449779

Recommended for readers 3-7

They’re back! They’re back! One of my favorite teams in picture books is back! Pug and Pig, the adorable pet duo we met in last year’s Pug Meets Pig, are going trick or treating in their newest story, Pug & Pig: Trick or Treat. That is, if they can agree on a costume: see this cover? Pig is loving life in his costume. It fits nice and snug, the mask is cool, it’s all good. Pug? Just look at Pug. Does that look like a happy Pug? A satisfied with Halloween Pug? Nope. It most certainly does not.

Pug & Pig: Trick or Treat is a story of friendship and compromise. Pug isn’t happy with the Halloween costume, and Pig loves it. But they want to celebrate Halloween together, so what’s a friend to do? Pug takes the situation and spins it to a happy conclusion for everyone, and Pig understands that two friends can have different interests and comfort levels. It’s a great story of negotiation and seeing other points of view for kids, who may not understand why their friends may not love the same things all the time.

Do I need to squeal about Joyce Wan’s art again? Yes, I do. How adorable is this artwork?

Look at the pumpkins: they have Pug’s and Pig’s faces on them! It is physically impossible for me to read a Joyce Wan-illustrated book without squealing the first two or three times. When I read this at my Halloween storytime yesterday, the kids and their caregivers squealed along, too, so I feel completely justified. Parents loved the positive storyline, the fact that it concentrated on the two friends working out their differences together, and the short, simple sentences and repetitive words that make them feel comfortable reading with their kids. One parent asked me if there is a a Pug and Pig book for Christmas too… so, hint, hint, nudge, nudge, Sue Gallion and Joyce Wan.

In the meantime, download this insanely cute activity kit (I’ll be using mine on Monday and Tuesday) and coloring sheets. Tell the Great Pumpkin to leave a copy of Pug & Pig Trick or Treat below your Jack-o-Lantern!

Want to win your own copy of Pug & Pig Trick or Treat? Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway! (U.S. addresses only, please!)

Sue Lowell Gallion is the author of Pug Meets Pig and Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat (Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane Books). She has two grown-up kids, one grandson, and a black lab mix named Tucker, who all provide writing inspiration. As a printer’s daughter, she has a life-long love of type, paper, and the aroma of ink. She lives in Kansas City, KS. Visit Sue at suegallion.com, follow @SueLGallion on Twitter, and check out her kids’ book recommendations at Goodreads.

 

Posted in Preschool Reads

Trailer Debut: Aliens Get the Sniffles Too!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

You think having a cold is bad? What if you had TWO throats, FIVE ears, and THREE noses that hurt, ached, and were just runny and gross? Author Katy S. Duffield and illustrator K.G. Campbell’s story, Aliens Get the Sniffles Too, tells the story of a poor little alien who feels just lousy, and his parents try to cheer him up. Take a first look at the trailer, right here!

Aliens Get the Sniffles, Too is due out in just a couple of weeks!

Posted in Preschool Reads

Windows: A night time walk around your neighborhood

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Windows, by Julia Denos/Illustrated by EB Goodale, (Oct. 2017, Candlewick Press), $15.99, ISBN: 978-0-7636-9035-9

Recommended for readers 3-8

“At the end of each day, before the town goes to sleep, you can look out your window…” A child of color puts on a red hoodie sweatshirt and takes the dog for a walk around the neighborhood. Each set of windows reveals a different story; the neighborhood holds its own sights to behold. As child and dog return home, mom is waiting at the window, ready for a cuddly storytime.

Windows is beautiful storytelling. EB Goodale’s ink, watercolor, letterpress and digital collage illustrations provide texture and warmth to Julia Denos’ gorgeous words: the windows look like “a neighborhood of paper lanterns”; windowpanes provide a bath of “squares of light” for a raccoon; an empty house waits to be filled with new stories. The child can be male or female; the red hooded sweatshirt evokes memories of Peter, the star of Ezra Jack Keats’ classic, The Snowy Day. The warmth of home brings child and dog back to a loving caregiver, a story, and a comfortable rug. I just want to wrap myself in the warmth of this book with my 5 year old and a mug of hot chocolate; I’m sure you will, too. Add this one to your bedtime rotation with Akiko Miyakoshi’s The Way Home in the Night.

Windows has multiple starred reviews: Kirkus, Booklist, School Library Journal, The Horn Book, and The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.

Posted in Preschool Reads

Blog Tour: How to Catch a Monster!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ready to Catch a Monster? Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton sure are – this is the newest in their “How to Catch…” series!

How to Catch a Monster by Adam Wallace & Andy Elkerton
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Publication Date: September 5, 2017

 

A USA Today Bestseller! From the creators of the New York Times bestselling How to Catch a Leprechaun and How to Catch an Elf!

Get ready to laugh as a young ninja heads into the closet to meet the monster that’s been so scary night after night! But what if things aren’t what they seem and our monster isn’t scary at all? What if our ninja hero is about to make a friend of strangest sort?

There’s a great storytime activity kit you can download for FREE. There are plenty of activities for your next Halloween read-aloud: discussion questions, coloring sheets, a maze, even a word search.

Adam Wallace is a children’s writer and cartoonist living in Australia. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling How to Catch series and Only You Can Save Christmas.

Andy Elkerton is a children’s book illustrator based in the United Kingdom.

Buy Links

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2wVzyMw

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/2xJziV5

Book Depository: http://bit.ly/2xw4rv8

Indiebound: http://bit.ly/2hwpQ14

 

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Don’t miss out on your chance to win a copy of How to Catch a Monster! Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway today!

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Picture Book Roundup: Bears, Babies, Bats, and more!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

In my continuing struggle to get on top of my review list, I present another roundup; this time, with picture books!

Priscilla Pack Rat: Making Room for Friendship, by Claudine Crangle,
(March 2017, Magination Press), $15.95, ISBN: 978-1433823350
Recommended for readers 4-8

Priscilla is a very sweet rat who loves to collect things, but when she’s invited to friends’ birthday parties, she finds that she has a hard time even parting with the gifts she chooses for her friends! When Priscilla’s house finally crashes around her, she realizes that her friends are worth much more than being surrounded by stuff. Magination Press is an imprint of the American Psychological Association; this is a book designed to discuss clutter and hoarding tendencies in kids, and it does so in a mild, easy manner. This can easily be a kids’ story on sharing and giving, no red flags necessary. Adorable felted characters and found objects create a visually interesting story that you can also turn into a little game of I Spy with little ones: there are plenty of things to find! A note to parents and caregivers advises parents on what to do if children have trouble parting with possessions, the differences between hoarding and collecting, and ways to help kids organize their belongings. A nice add to developing empathy collections and for caregivers and educators who need books to address behaviors.

Letters to a Prisoner, by Jacques Goldstyn
(Sept. 2017, OwlKids Books), $18.95, ISBN: 9781771472517
Recommended for readers 4+

Letters to a Prisoner is getting rave reviews, with good reason. The wordless picture book, inspired by the letter-writing campaigns of human rights organization Amnesty International, is so impactful, so relevant, and so necessary. A man is arrested during a peaceful protest, injured by a soldier who also pops the man’s daughter’s balloon. The man is thrown in a solitary jail cell, where he befriends a mouse and a bird. When letters arrive, the guard takes joy in burning them in front of the man, but the joke’s on the guard: the smoke from the burning letters serves as a worldwide beacon. Groups of people all over send the man letters; they arrive, en masse, and turn into wings with which the prisoner soars above the helpless, infuriated guard. The watercolor over black ink sketches adds an ethereal feel to this beautiful story of hope and social justice. The book’s wordlessness allows for every reader to come together, transcending language, to take part in this inspirational story. An author’s note tells readers about Amnesty International’s inspiration. Display and booktalk with Luis Amavisca’s No Water, No Bread, and talk with little ones and their parents as you display the book during social justice and empathy themed storytimes. Letters to a Prisoner has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Quill and Quire.

 

I Am Bat, by Morag Hood,
(Oct. 2017, OwlKids Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781492660323
Recommended for readers 3-7

One of my favorite picture books this year. Bat is adorable. And he loves cherries. DO NOT TAKE HIS CHERRIES. He is quite serious about this, so you can imagine his distress when his cherries start disappearing! The reader’s clued in, naturally – we see paws and ants sneaking cherries out of the book’s margins while Bat stares at us, demanding to know what’s going on. The animals leave him a pear, which Bat embraces – and the story is ready to begin again. There’s bold, black fonts to make for expressive storytime reading, and Bat and Friends are just too much fun to read and play along with. Absolutely delightful storytime reading; just make sure you read this one before you get it in front of your group: you will squeal with glee the first couple of times you read it. Print out bat masks for the kids to color in as part of your storytime craft.

Shelter, by Céline Claire,
(Oct. 2017, Kids Can Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781771389273
Recommended for readers 3-7

A storm’s approaching, and two strangers – brothers – arrive in the forest. They stop at several animal family homes, offering a trade for shelter; they have tea, can anyone offer them some food? A place to ride out the storm? We see each family, safe and with full larders, turn them away. A young fox feels terrible about this, and runs out to give the brothers a lamp, which they use to find shelter. But as fate would have it, the storm is even more trouble than the families expected, and soon, they’re asking the brothers for shelter: which is cheerfully given. This kind, moving story about kindness and succor is perfect for illustrating the power of empathy. Qin Leng’s watercolor and ink illustrations are soft and gentle, a perfect match for Céline Claire’s quiet narration. Shelter offers the perfect opportunity to talk about putting kind thoughts into practice; whether it’s sharing with others or offering friendship to someone who needs it.

The Little Red Wolf, by Amelie Flechais,
(Oct. 2017, Lion Forge),$19.99, ISBN: 9781941302453
Recommended for readers 6-10

A slightly macabre twist on the traditional Little Red Hiding Hood tale, The Little Red Wolf is a story about a little wolf who, on the way to visit an ailing grandma, encounters an awful human girl. The message here is consistent with the original fable: there’s a strong stranger danger warning, but also a reminder that every side has a story, every villain has an origin. The art is beautiful and dark; an additional add for collections where readers may be ready for darker fantasy.

Middle Bear, by Susanna Isern/Illustrated by Manon Gauthier,
(Oct. 2017, Kids Can Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781771388429
Recommended for readers 3-7

The middle child gets lots of love in this adorable picture book. Middle Bear is the second of three brothers; not small, but not big; not strong, but not weak; not a lot, not a little… “he was the middle one”. He has a hard time feeling special until the day his parents both fall ill and the three cubs have to get willow tree bark from the mountain top, to help them get well. When big brother is too big, and little brother is too little, it’s up to Middle Brother to save the day: he is, to quote that other story starring three bears, “just right”. The emphasis on bear’s “middleness” will drive home the point that he persevered and succeeded as is, through determination. Manon Gauthier cut paper collage, pencil, and mixed media illustrations add texture and a childlike sense of place in the story. There’s a good lesson about empathy to be learned here, too; the bear’s brothers and parents all support him and let him know that what he may see as being a challenge – being the middle one – is what makes him the perfect bear for the job. Perfect storytelling for middle children who may be feeling the frustration of being too big for some things, not big enough for others.

No Room for Baby!, by Émile Jadoul,
(Oct. 2017, Kids Can Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781771388412
Recommended for readers 3-7

Leon’s baby brother, Marcel, has arrived! Leon’s excited, but a little concerned about where the baby’s going to go when he’s not in his crib. He certainly can’t go in Leon’s room. And there’s no room on Mama’s lap for him; there’s only room for Leon. And Daddy’s shoulders are just too high. After Leon thinks on the situation, he discovers the best possible place for his baby brother: in his arms. This is the such a sweet story about becoming an older sibling; it addresses the fears an older sibling may have when a new baby joins the family, and it allows the sibling to work through his fears and come to his own happy decision. At no point do Leon’s parents correct him or force the baby on him; they stand back and let him reason things out for himself. It’s an empowering story with a sweet sense of humor. The simple black pencil, crayon and oils illustration feels childlike and will easily appeal to readers. I’m looking forward to adding this one to my new baby bibliography.