Toddler Reads – Page 24

Downward Dog With Diego is more yoga fun for kids!

Posted on February 11, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Downward Dog with Diego, by Pamela Prichett (Apr. 2-16, Blue Apple Books), $14.99, ISBN: 9781609055288

Recommended for ages 3-6

Diego’s a little boy who’s learning yoga, and he’s inviting you to learn with him by following the animals! Stretch like a cat; crouch like a frog; bow down like a dog; balance like a bear; lie down like a crocodile; curl up like a rabbit; stand like a cow; rise like a cobra; roar like a lion, and flutter like a butterfly – the pictures show you how.

This is a great introduction to yoga for toddlers and preschoolers. The bold, bright colors are eye-catching, and the images of animals used in yoga, paired with Diego, posing inside the animal’s outline, illustrates how the pose relates to the animal and makes it easier for kids to recreate the pose on their own. Rhyming text and alternating spreads introducing the action and animal, then revealing the pose with its description on the next page, give readers a sense of excitement as they wait for each pose to be revealed. Bold text that travels across the page adds to the fluid movement of the book and makes for a fun read aloud or read-alone. A spread at the end of the book depicts poses with names, outlines of a person doing the pose, and the benefits of each pose.

This is a visually interesting book that will keep audiences interested. Go through a read-aloud twice: read through the book once, and then move through the series a second time! I’ve been adding more yoga books to my picture book collection after having a great yoga storytime this past weekend; I can’t wait to read this one with my toddlers and see how they enjoy it (my review copy was digital). Kids love recreating animal poses, and books like You Are a Lion! And Other Fun Yoga Poses, plus videos like Yoga Kids, speak to this by concentrating on animal poses and facial expressions. Learning animals sounds is one of the first things we teach our kids, so it’s a great way to continue learning about animals, while giving them the benefit of exercise and the calming practice of yoga. A fun addition to your fitness and storytime collections.

Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads, Uncategorized

Clap, Clap! Fun with sounds!

Posted on January 11, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Clap, Clap!, by Madalena Matoso (March 2016, Nobrow), $14.95, ISBN: 9781909263826

Recommended for ages 2-5

This is a perfect read-aloud book. It’s a book about sounds, where YOU make the sound. Clang along with a pair of symbols, flap your butterfly wings, or give a huge hand clap! Bright and bold colors and characters invite kids to sizzle, bong, and woof along with them throughout the book.

Clap, Clap! is an interactive book that works great for toddlers or young, school-age kids. Get them up, get them moving, and talk about all the great sounds they can make! Just like it says on the back of the book: “Help tell a story of noise and sound—no batteries required, just your hands on each side of the cover.”

I love the books coming out of Nobrow – the designs are so bright, eye-catching, and just make you feel good. Younger kids will love these books; I can’t wait to get them all over my library. Add this to your storytime shelf!

Madalena Matoso is part of the Planeta Tangerina illustration and graphic design collective. You can see more about Clap there, and watch a little video!

Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Hervé Tullet says, “Let’s Play!”

Posted on December 30, 2015August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

If there’s a new Hervé Tullet book, I need it. After bringing Press Here to my preschoolers and having laugh-out loud fun with my toddlers, I knew I was onto something good. Then, I brought Mix It Up! into a storytime, and the crowd went wild. These books are the height of interactive storytelling for a mid-size storytime group, especially for little ones that may have trouble sitting still. Now, we have the next book in this brilliant and fun series: Let’s Play!

Let’s Play, by Hervé Tullet, (March 2016, Chronicle Books), $15.99, ISBN: 9781452154770

The yellow dot is back, and he’s a little bored. He wants you to play with him, and all you need to do it press the top corner of the book to get started. From there, the reader and the dot are partners, wandering all around the book’s available space – up, down, in loops and twists, playing hide and seek and exploring new, possibly spooky, spaces!

I’m always thrilled and amazed by what Tullet comes up with for his books. Whether it’s using your fingers to travel the world in The Finger Travel Game or using dots to keep readers engaged and, even more, enchanted, he always manages to break the fourth wall and grab your attention. His books are funny, interesting, and perfect for any age – they tap into a creativity that adults may not expect and that kids will embrace. I love his books, and your kids will, too. Feeling extra creative? Have a craft after storytime where kids can make their own dot(s) and ask them to make up their own adventure!

Animal Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Help Babysaurus find Mamasaurus!

Posted on December 30, 2015August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Mamasaurus, by Stephan Lomp (March 2016, Chronicle Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9781452144245

Recommended for ages 3-6

Babysaurus is out and about with Mamasaurus one day, snacking on leaves and hanging out on Mamasaurus’ back, when WHOOPS! He slides off, and can’t find her! Reminiscent of P.D. Eastman’s Are You My Mother, Babysaurus asks everyone he can find if they’ve seen his Mamasaurus, and they compare her to their own moms: does she fly the highest, like Ptero’s mom? Is she the loudest, like Rexy’s mom? No, but she’s Mamasaurus, and she’s the best Mamasaurus in the jungle.

Mamasaurus has been there all along, by the way – you know, like when your little one “loses” you in the department store, when you’re two steps away. And that’s what makes this story such a great read-aloud. It’s relatable to both parents and little ones. They’ll know what it’s like to lose Mom in public, and they’ll know that each Mom is the best Mom there is, because she’s their Mom. I loved this story so much, and so did my 3 year old, who snuggled up in my lap while I read it with him. The artwork is adorable; the dinos have huge eyes and friendly faces, cartoony and lovable, appealing to little ones. The white font jumps off the page, making it an easy storytime read.

Author and illustrator Stephan Lomp is a German illustrator and comic book artist. Check out some more of his artwork on his website.

Early Reader, Fiction, Toddler Reads

Vocabulary the Dickens Way – Cozy Classics’ Great Expectations

Posted on December 22, 2015December 21, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Cozy Classics: Great Expectations, by Holman Wang and Jack Wang (March 2016, Chronicle Books), $9.95, ISBN: 9781452152431

Recommended for infant-3 years

The brothers behind one of my favorite board book series, Star Wars Yarns, is back with their Cozy Classics series, this time, tackling Charles Dickens. But seriously, don’t sweat it – they’re teaching our wee ones vocabulary, using their adorable felted yarn figures and words related to the Dickens’ tale. Words like “boy”, “help”, “manners”, and “old”, set against the backdrop of the Victorian epic, give extra feel to the words. I particularly love Pip – the “boy” – standing on the first page of the story. Parents will love it, kids will think it’s something cool (because it is). “

Miss Havisham illustrates the word “old”. With her tattered dress and her worn expression, young readers will see that old takes on many meanings – the dress is old, Miss Havisham is old, and are those cobwebs surrounding her in that picture? Explain that cobwebs form when something hasn’t been moved or dusted in a while.

Naturally, Estella is “pretty”. See Pip staring at her from behind the wall? That speaks volumes – she’s pretty, and Pip has a crush on her.

There are about 12 illustrations and words in Cozy Classics: Great Expectations, with great words that aren’t sight words – it’s a real chance to expand kids’ vocabulary. The Wang brothers’ art is amazing – my Star Wars Yarns books are never on the shelf here at the library – and I think it’s time to bring some Cozy Classics to my home and work libraries.

I love this classics to teach concepts trend. BabyLit does it, Cozy Classics does it, and Mini Myths teaches kids Greek myths on a level that makes complete sense in today’s world. The books make for great storytimes, and you can get moms, dads, and caregivers to pick up a grown-up book, too – pair up your board books with their companion grown-up titles for a heck of a list!

Early Reader, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Mexican Folk Art and Concepts meet with Animal Talk!

Posted on December 22, 2015August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Animal Talk: Mexican Folk Art Animal Sounds in English and Spanish, by Cynthia Weill/Art by Rubi Fuentes and Efrain Broa (March 2016, Cinco Puntos Press), $14.95, ISBN: 9781941026328

Recommended for Infants-5

Animals talk in all sorts of languages! Animal Talk translates animal sounds in Spanish and English, using beautiful folk art to illustrate the concepts. It makes sense that different languages would interpret animal sounds differently, after all – when an English speaker hears a cat meow, a Spanish speaker hears a cat miau. A rooster greets the dawn in the U.S. by hollering, “cock-a-doodle-doo!”, and in Spanish countries, he calls out, “ki-kiri-ki!” It’s a wonderful way to see how sounds are the same, yet different, between two cultures.

I love this series. Doctor Cynthia Weill has written several concept books featuring Mexican folk art, including Opuestos, Colores de la Vida, and ABeCedarios. Animal Talk is her fifth book in this series, and it’s a fantastic addition for a library like mine, in a neighborhood densely populated with Central and South American families, and it’s a great library addition to any library where you have little ones ready for a storytime. The artwork is breathtaking. Mexican folk art is vibrant, lively, and bright – eye-catching to little eyes and minds! Animal sounds make for great storytimes; teaching animal sounds in different languages makes for even more fun. It lends itself to a great interactive experience!

The books themselves are works of art; not even an exaggeration. Craftsman Rubí Fuentes and Efraín Broa from the Mexican state of Oaxaca create these beautiful images, and you’ll want to buy an additional book just to frame the artwork in here.

One thing I desperately need is for these books to come out in board book. They’re beautiful hardcovers, but I’ve got lots of little hands that would get even better use out of them if moms, dads, and librarians didn’t have to worry about torn pages so much.

Put this in your animal storytime, and throw in a round of Old MacDonald Had a Farm while you’re at it – and make the animal sounds in both languages!

Cynthia Weill’s author webpage features a video about the artists who made the wood carvings for her book, Opuestos. Show this video to your older patrons and students to show them the work that goes into these beautiful books. Take a look at more of the gorgeous art from Animal Talk right here!

Animal Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Roar! A Tale of Friendship and Sleepless Adventure

Posted on October 11, 2015August 31, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Roar! by Julie Bayless (Oct. 2015, Running Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9780762457502

Recommended for ages 2-5

A little lion cub can’t get to sleep. When he tries to wake up his family to play, their snores send him roaming the savannah in search of fun. He meets a group of hippos and a group of giraffes, but his friendly “ROAR” scares them off, but he and a bunny hit it off perfectly, and spend the rest of the night yelling “ROAR!” and “MORE!” together!

Roar! is a fun tale of friendship and adventuring. Kids (and sleepy parents) will recognize themselves in the little lion cub, trying to no avail to wake up the sleepy grownups to have some fun. The little guy’s no predator, but his friendly exclamation scares off much bigger animals; when he meets a similarly spunky bunny, the fun begins.

The book mixes graphic novel-style panels with full-page spreads and shifts in perspective, making this a fun read that will keep little ones engaged. It’s interactive – I’ve read this to toddlers and preschoolers, and we’ve hollered “ROAR!” and “MORE!” to our hearts’ content as we read through the book. I had one group of toddlers demand a second reading, and the roars were wonderful!

The digital art has a beautiful sharpness to it. The backgrounds are largely dark violet-blue, with the animals crisply defined against them. There are few words to the story: mostly “Roar” and “More”, with a few snores, burps and sniffs thrown in for good measure, so there is a lot of room for interaction – kids can describe the land, name the animals the cub encounters, and veer off into their own narration.

Roar is a great storytime book, bedtime book, anytime book. It’s been kid-tested, mother and librarian approved – don’t miss it!

Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

The Bus Ride by Marianne Dubuc is a fun read

Posted on July 12, 2015July 11, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Bus Ride, by Marianne Dubuc (Mar. 2015, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771382090

Recommended for ages 3-7

A little girl rides the bus to grandma’s. It’s her first time by herself, and she’s all packed for the ride: she’s got a snack and a sweater, in case she gets cold. The Bus Ride is a sweet story about a little girl’s bus ride with a group of animal passengers, including a goat who offers her a flower, a little wolf with whom she shares cookies, and a pickpocket fox. There are little visual winks to sharp-eyed readers, including changing newspaper headlines and quirky passenger behavior, which always make for a fun, participatory read-aloud. Kids will love catching these little elements, and the largely wordless text will encourage you and your readers to tell big stories about each passenger on the bus.

The bus interior features on each two-page spread of the book, really letting the art breathe. Let the kids in your life discuss or illustrate their own bus ride to grandma’s – what would they see? Who’s on the bus with them?

The Bus Ride is a fun addition to storytime collections. Read it along with the fairytale classic Red Riding Hood and see if kids can spot the similarities!

Toddler Reads

Learn to Count with Dracula!

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Little Master Stoker: Dracula, A Counting Primer, by Jennifer Adams/illus. by Alison Oliver (Gibbs Smith, 2012), $9.99, ISBN: 978-1423624806

Recommended for ages 0-3

I was in a great little indie bookstore this weekend, when I came across this lovely. Seeing as how I like a little of the unusual in my board books, I fell instantly in love. BabyLit, in case you aren’t familiar with them, produces gorgeous board books, based on the classics, for babies. They drill down basic concepts in each classic, perfect for little ones.

Dracula is a counting book. Going from 1 to 10, we count different objects present in the famous classic: 1 castle, two friends (Mina and Lucy), 3 wolves, 4 ships, 5 heroes (Harker, Seward, Turnbull, Morris, and Van Helsing), and more. The pictures are rendered in the sweetest detail with just a touch of baby goth. The art is mainly black, gray, and white, with accents of red as necessary. There are little winks to the grownups who will read this book over and over again – Dracula’s face on the Demeter flag, well-known character names and locations, a rat wearing a bat shirt – that will make you smile and chuckle. There’s a wonderful sense of humor in the book, which is as perfect for grownups as it is for children.

This is now in my toddler’s short stack of favorites. He carries it around with him and asks to read it several times a day. I can’t wait to fill out his classics bookshelf with more BabyLit, and I know for sure that I’m buying some of these for my storytime toddlers. How often do you get to read babies Frankenstein and Dracula, where they learn about basic concepts?

Check out BabyLit’s webpage for more titles, but don’t blame me if you end up buying a Pride & Prejudice playset. They’ve also got one of the best Pinterest layouts going, and you can check out some of their videos on Google+.

Early Reader, Toddler Reads, Uncategorized

Time Together: Me and Grandpa evokes sweet memories for kids and grandparents

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Time Together: Me and Grandpa, by Maria Catherine/illus. by Pascal Campion (Mar. 2015, Capstone) $8.95, ISBN: 9781479557967

Recommended for ages 3-7

Morning reading time. Whispery fish time. Ultimate nap time. Close your eyes and see the images these words evoke, and you have the essence of Me and Grandpa, a sweet litany of different “times” children spend with their grandfathers. The images are bright, yet subdued, feature boys and girls from multiethnic backgrounds, and there is one spread dedicated to each setting. There are active and passive activities, from playing a sport or gardening to relaxing, reading the morning paper or cuddling for an afternoon nap.

The digital images are vivid, with splashes of realistic touches that look like paint or sponge art, creating a multilayered appearance. Text is black or white, depending on the background, distinguishing itself but never taking over the spread, allowing for a gentle read and contemplation of each image and moment with a grandparent.

They’re great books for a grandpa/child storytime, and a perfect gift to either a grandparent from a child, or vice versa. Libraries, plan your Grandparent’s Day/Mother’s Day/Father’s Day events around this one.

A companion book, Time Together: Me and Grandma, also by Maria Catherine/Pascal Campion, will be released on March 1st.