Category: Preschool Reads

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Spotlight: Fancy Nancy Tea Parties, Put Me in the Story, and a Giveaway!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Okay, we’ve had Pete the Cat, now we’ve got Fancy Nancy. Put Me in the Story is giving the kids what they want, and putting them in the middle of the story! Read on, and make sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance at the Fancy Nancy Tea Party Kit!

FancyNancyTeaParties_CMYK_SampleFancy Nancy Tea Parties, $29.99 Hardcover Personalized Book

Fancy Nancy, hostess extraordinaire, can’t wait to share her party-planning expertise with your little one! From recipes and crafts to etiquette tips and French lessons, this precious personalized book contains everything your child needs to throw the perfect tea party. A personalized letter from Nancy herself to your fancy kiddo? Oui! Plus, your child’s name is worked into the text and adorable illustrations throughout the book. Wrap up with a set of recipe cards from the Kitchen of Fancy Nancy, and best of all, cut out and frame the certificate declaring your child a graduate of Fancy Nancy’s Tea Party Course! Que magnifique!

Giveaway Info:

Tour-Wide Rafflecopter Giveaway to win a Fancy Nancy Tea Party Kit!

Fancy Nancy Tea Party Kit Includes:

  • Personalized copy of Fancy Nancy Tea Parties
  • Personlized TuTu Basket
  • Feather Boa
  • Children’s Tea Set

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance at a Fancy Nancy Tea Party Kit! Good Luck!

 

 

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Preschool Reads

Start ’em off right: BLIP! from TOON Books

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

blipBLIP!, by Barnaby Richards, (Sept. 2016, TOON Books), $12.95, ISBN: 978-1-935179-98-6

Recommended for ages 2-5

A robot’s ship is separated from his friends and lands on a strange, new world. Now, his challenge is to find another being that speaks his language! He explores his surroundings and encounters things that roar and snap, but will anyone or anything speak “Blip” and “Bleep”?

This is one of TOON’s Level 1 graphic novels, so there are minimal words, one-two syllables; lots of sound effects, expressive faces and lush scenery, and clearly delineated panels to teach kids how things happen in a sequence. It’s a wonderful and fun way to introduce kids to graphic novels!

I recommend TOON Books all the time. I’ve talked them up when I’ve staffed booth at comic conventions, and I bring parents right to my graphic novels shelves here at my library. Level 1 books, like BLIP!, are a brilliant way to introduce sequential art to kids. They introduce fun, new words that they can associate with sounds their toys make, like blips and bleeps, bangs and snaps; they teach kids that events happen in a sequence, and you can introduce prediction by asking them what they see, and what they think will happen next.

I love the retro futuristic art in BLIP! – his ship looks like Flash Gordon’s spaceship! – and there’s an 8-bit inspired panel that makes my ’80s soul sing. My little guy gets a huge kick out of this one, and I can’t wait to share it with my storytime crew when I have my next Robot storytime. Ask kids what sounds their robots would make, and have a robot craft ready.

I’d add this to any burgeoning graphic novel collection, especially where you’ve got developing readers and English Language Learners. BLIP!‘s not due out until September, so keep your eye on their detail page on TOON’s website; there will be an educator’s guide closer to pub date.

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Posted in Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Good night, Moon! Max at Night

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

max at nightMax at Night, by Ed Vere (Sept. 2016, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $16.99, ISBN: 9781492632962

Recommended for ages 2-5

I love, love, LOVE Ed Vere’s Max the Brave, so I was insanely excited to see Max at Night show up on NetGalley. I immediately curled up with my 4 year-old and caught up with Max.

Max was very brave when we last met him, but now it’s night time and he has to go to bed. He goes through his night time routine, that all kids will recognize: drinking his milk, brushing his teeth, cleaning behind his ears, saying good night to the moon… but wait! Where is the moon? He can’t see the moon, so Max goes on a quest to find the moon, climbing higher and higher and wishing everything he encounters a good night. Will he find the moon? Come on, I can’t spoil this book, you have to find out on your own!

Max is still adorable, and Max at Night is essential bedtime reading for parents and kids alike. It’s a sweet story that will gently rock you to sleep as you read along. The colors are stunning: deep reds and blues, bright yellows, and Max’s black form pops off the page. My kiddo loved this book, and insisted we re-read Max the Brave and Max at Night, one after the other, to recreate a whole day with Max. What a great idea, right?

Pair this book with Kevin Henkes’ Kitten’s First Full Moon and you’re set for bedtime. Add Eric Carle’s Papa Get the Moon for Me, and you’ve got a Moon storytime that the kids will love.

Want a peek at Max at Night? You know you do! Go to Ed Vere’s website and see for yourself.

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads, Realistic Fiction

The Branch gets a new lease on life after a storm

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

thebranchThe Branch, by Mireille Messier/Illustrated by Pierre Pratt (Sept. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771385640

Recommended for ages 3-7

A little girl’s favorite tree branch comes clattering down during an ice storm. A neighbor teaches her how to repurpose the branch, to create new memories.

What a great book to communicate so many ideas! First, we have the imagination of the tree branch. As the little girl says, the branch,”was my castle, my spy base, my ship…”, and she experiences the grief of losing the branch when she spies it on the sidewalk. She doesn’t want to part with it right away, so her mother allows her to hold onto it for a little while – long enough for the girl to encounter her neighbor, who tells her that the branch is “full of potential! …it means it’s worth keeping”, and we learn that he builds things from salvaged wood, and encourages the little girl to think about what the branch could become. When she uses her imagination and reaches into herself to reimagine the branch, she and the neighbor work together to give the branch new life.

In addition to imagination, we’ve got reusing/recycling, which is great for the environment; showing a child unwilling to discard a tree branch as a casualty of the storm, and finding ways to recreate it will get kids thinking about what they could create with objects in the world around them: cereal boxes could become robots or cities for superheroes to protect; old cans can become pencil holders; soda bottles can become terrariums. There are thousands of ideas on the Internet, so there’s no need to wait for Earth Day to come around again to make kids aware of the fun things they can make when they reduce/reuse/recycle.

Finally, we’ve got making: the whole creative process is here: sketching out plans, sawing, planing, drying the wood, waiting, waiting, waiting. It’s a great book to feature with The Most Magnificent Thing, HowToons, and fun nonfiction books, like those in the Make series. Encourage kids and parents to work together on anything from paper airplanes (great use of catalog paper) to repurposing a tree branch – large or small – of your own.

Mireille Messier is a Toronto-based author who’s had over a dozen books published in French. She’s also one of the French reviewers for the National Reading Campaign. Her website is available in English or French and offers information about her books, school visits, and her blog. Pierre Pratt is an award-winning illustrator of over 50 books for children. He lives and works in Montreal, Quebec, and in Lisbon, Portugal.

 

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Put Me in the Story goes Disney Princesses: Cover Reveal!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Put Me in the Story has a new book coming out, starring the Disney Princesses! I’ve got a cover reveal for you right here:

 

DreamBigPrincess_CoverReveal_July8_12pmESTHere’s what you need to know:

The book’s title is Disney’s Dream Big Princess! You can personalize the book by putting in your own princess’ name. It will be available in August 2016 via putmeinthestory.com. Want to know when the book will be available? Sign up for Put Me in the Story’s email to make sure you don’t miss out, plus get exclusive deals on personalized books and gifts.

Follow Put Me in the Story on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and use the hashtag #DreamBigPrincess to follow the discussion!

 

Posted in Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fantasy, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Storybook Knight: Great messages on many levels!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

storybookThe Storybook Knight, by Helen Docherty/Illustrated by Thomas Docherty (Oct. 2016, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $16.99, ISBN: 978-1-4926-3814-8

Recommended for ages 4-8

Bookish Leo would love to sit and read all day, but his parents insist that he must fight – he’s a knight, after all. Saddling up his horse, Ned, with books and sandwiches, Leo heads out into the world to find a dragon in need of taming, and encounters a host of other storybook beasts, all of whom learn that sometimes, a good story is the best diversion of all!

The Storybook Knight is written and illustrated by the same duo that gave us The Snatchabook, now an award-winnign storytime standard. Kids will love the rhyming text and fantastic story of a gentle knight who finds a less violent way to bring peace to a nearby village. There’s a sense of excitement as Leo embarks on his quest, where he proves, time and again, that a good book can remedy most ills. It’s a gentle story that makes for a great bedtime, storytime, or anytime story.

Thomas Docherty’s acrylic inks and watercolors, on hot pressed watercolor paper, provide a real fairy tale look and feel to the artwork, with pastoral scenes and fantastic creatures. I love his griffin (even if he is a bit vain), and the dragon is big, orange-red giant with a heck of a temper. When Leo finally arrives at his destination, he discovers a huge mess, with dragon poop-lined streets that will get the kids giggling even as they cringe at the stinky destruction wrought by the fiery brute. Mr. Docherty has a gift for wonderful facial expressions – we see the grouchy dragon soften immediately, once Leo threatens to toss a book with lots of dragons into the trash unless he cleans up his act. The griffin and troll each start out fierce, but turn into smiling, even preening, gentlemen once presented with a book starring someone like them.

And that’s the final gift that Storybook Knight gives us: it shows readers how wonderful it is to find yourself represented in a book. In its own way, The Storybook Knight is a fantasy championing of the need for diversity in children’s lit. Read this book with your fantasy books – maybe Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great or If I Had a Gryphon – and display books for your community nearby, so kids can find pictures of families that look just like theirs.

Great addition to storytime collections!

Helen Docherty’s author website includes free, downloadable resources that work with many of her books. You can also learn more about school visits and author talks, and find more information about her books.

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

The Day I Became a Bird takes a sweet look at first love

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

became a birdThe Day I Became a Bird, by Ingrid Chabbert/Illustrated by Raúl Nieto Guridi (Sept. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771386210

Recommended for ages 4-8

A little boy experiences love at first sight when he starts school. Sylvia sits right in front of him, but she doesn’t see him. She’s only got eyes for birds: they’re on her pants and dresses, the barrettes in her hair, the doodles on her notebooks and folders. To get her attention, the boy decides to dress up as a bird. His classmates giggle and stare, and he’s not terribly coordinated, but he feels handsome and warm, and it’s all worth it when Sylvia hugs him.

This is a sweet and slightly surreal story about first love and what we’ll do for love. The little boy embraces discomfort and endures the laughter of his classmates for love, and when it pays off, he – and the reader – feel like flying. The black and white pencil and Photoshop art are spare, allowing the words – beautifully translated from the original Spanish – to sink into the reader’s mind and feelings. The book encourages self discovery and the discovery of new ways to reach out and connect with others. This would make a sweet read-aloud, followed with a bird craft (there are so many!) or a discussion about feelings.

Sensitive and sweetly funny, this is a great addition to collections. I hope to see some educator resources from Kids Can Press as the book gets closer to pub date.

Posted in Early Reader, Non-Fiction, Preschool Reads

Ocean Animals from Head to Tail is SO MUCH FUN!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

ocean animalsOcean Animals from Head to Tail, by Stacey Roderick/Illustrated by Kwanchai Moriya, (Sept. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771383455

Recommended for ages 3-7

Does anyone love Steve Jenkins’ Actual Size and Prehistoric Actual Size as much as I do? They are the perfect non-fiction read-aloud for elementary school class visits; the kids go berserk when they see a life-sized Goliath beetle, or watch me put a dinosaur’s claw to the back of my head to illustrate how it could pick me up like a grape. Less terrifying, but just as amazing for the younger set – especially those Octonauts fans out there! – is Ocean Animals from Head to Tail, by Stacey Roderick and illustrated by Kwanchai Moriya.

Ocean Animals introduces readers to eight different ocean animals, focusing on a unique body part. First, we see a close-up of the animals in question – the scalloped head of a hammerhead shark, a colossal squid’s eye, a blue whale’s mouth with a focus on its baleen – and a question: What ocean animal has a head like this? What ocean animal has eyes like this? What ocean animal has a mouth like this? The body part in question is highlighted with a gray font to call attention to it, and the following spread answers the question, zooms out to illustrate the animal in its natural environment, and provides interesting and quick facts about the animal. We learn that the squid’s soccer ball-sized eyes are the largest of any animal, and help the squid see in areas where there’s very little light. The blue whale’s baleen act as a huge sieve to catch the tasty krill it loves to eat. A spread at the end introduces kids to eight more ocean animals.

Not featured in actual size, but still in huge detail, the kids will LOVE this book. Kwanchai Moriya’s paper collage art is bright and interesting, popping off the page and adding depth to the spreads. My three year-old loves this book (as well as the Actual Size books) and has me read this to him constantly. (It came in handy at the doctor’s office today!) With shows like Octonauts and Wild Kratts generating interest in animals, nature, and conservation, this is a great book to have on home, school, and library shelves. It’s a great storytime book, too: pair it with a Rainbow Fish story, Shark in the Dark, Mr. Seahorse – any underwater theme will do! Show an episode of Octonauts that stars one of the featured animals, and let the kids color some pictures of underwater animals that appear in the book.

This is the second in the Head to Tail series: Dinosaurs from Head to Tail was published in 2015, and Bugs From Head to Tail will be coming in 2017.

Great book for easy nonfiction collections.

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Fiction, Preschool Reads

A little boy learns to tell A Squiggly Story

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

squigglyA Squiggly Story, by Andrew Larsen/Illustrated by Mike Lowery (Sept. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771380164

Recommended for ages 3-6

A little boy wants to write a story, just like his big sister, but he’s got one problem: he doesn’t know that many words! Big sister knows just what to tell him: start with what you know. Every word starts with a single letter, after all! When he writes the letter “I”, he’s on his way; with his sister to help guide his thought process, he’s on his way to creating an exciting adventure!

What a great way to encourage new learners to create their own stories! The little boy is unsure about himself at first, but his sister quickly allays his fears by empowering him to just go with what he knows, guiding him through the stages of writing a story: the beginning, the middle, and the end. When he proudly brings his finished story to school, his teacher encourages him to think even more deeply, and turns the story into a class project. It’s a great storytime concept and a great way to introduce creative writing and art to new learners.

Mike Lowery’s cartoony art is filled with interesting styles to capture a young readers’ attention. There are word bubbles, emphasis on words like BIG and small, comic-style panels, and callout sketches that invite readers into the characters’ imaginations. The children are multiethnic, making the story accessible for all.

This is a good addition to creative picture book collections. Pair A Squiggly Story with Written and Drawn by Henrietta for a creative storytime and crafternoon.

Posted in Animal Fiction, Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Lucy and Company tells three sweet stories of friendship

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

lucyLucy and Company, by Marianne Dubuc, (Sept. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771386623

Recommended for ages 2-5

A young girl spends time in a forest with her animal friends, where they share food, celebrate a birthday, and help a bunch of baby chicks in three separate stories by author and illustrator Marianne Dubuc.

Marianne Dubuc’s books are loaded with special little elements for readers with a sharp eye. Here, it’s more an attention to detail rather than little winks here and there. The animals’ tiny playing cards are clear; the map in the beginning of the book matches up with a map detail in The Treasure Hunt. The animal companions are adorable and fun to spend time with, as is their human friend, Lucy. The stories are sweet and beginning readers and parents will love cuddling up together at storytime. Display this one with Little Bear and Winnie the Pooh to attract readers who love animal and human adventures. The shorter stories make this easy to split up for shorter storytimes and mix-and-match themes.