Posted in Preschool Reads

Book Review: Blue Ribbon Dad, by Beth Raisner Glass/Illus. by Margie Moore (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2011)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

blue ribbon dadRecommended for ages 2-6

The book, a love letter to dads, shows a young squirrel counting down the hours until his father gets home from work. As he works on a craft project to have ready for his father’s arrival, he thinks of all the things his dad does with him: he wakes him up in the morning, packs his lunch and brings him to school, and watches his swimming lessons. When Dad comes home, his son presents him with a blue ribbon, for being a Number 1 Dad. The story, told in rhyme, will appeal to young readers and audiences. The illustrations are made with black pen and watercolors on cold press paper and provide soft images with enough definition that the characters stand out against their backgrounds. The faces on the family members are gentle and expressive. The endpapers feature all of the craft supplies used to make the blue ribbon plus the clock, an important part of the story as the squirrel son counts each hour down until his father comes home. The book comes with a detachable blue ribbon that should probably be removed before putting circulating, rather than invite theft and damage to the book.

This would be a good addition to a Father’s Day read-aloud. The blue ribbon is an easily made storytime craft. The Perry Public Library has a Daddy storytime theme that includes songs and rhymes that would enhance any read-aloud.

Posted in Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Book Review: Rain Romp, by Jane Kurtz/Illus. by Diana Wolcott (Greenwillow Books, 2002)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

RainRompRecommended for ages 3-6

Preschoolers often deal with moods that they don’t know how to control; many will associate with this young girl who wakes up in a bad mood on a rainy day. Her parents try to boost her mood, but she wants none of it, until she decides to stomp her bad mood away in the rain. Her parents join her, and the bad mood goes away. The watercolor and gouache art is perfect to convey the both the weather and the girl’s moods, going from angry and gray, like the rain, to happy and content, as the sun peeks through the clouds. The text curves around the art and gets larger for emphasis when the girl vents her anger.  As she and her family hug, mood lifted, the text curves underneath them, allowing the reader to join in the hug.

This would be a good addition to a read-aloud on moods. There could be a discussion on what preschoolers do when they are angry, or sad, or happy. If they feel sad or mad, what makes them feel better? A good storytime craft would allow the children to draw a picture of how they deal with a bad mood, and they could receive a smiley face handstamp at the end of the storytime.

Posted in Preschool Reads

Book Review: Roar! A Noisy Counting Book, by Pamela Edwards Duncan/Illus. by Henry Cole (HarperCollins, 2000)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

roarRecommended for ages 2-5

A little lion cub wants to play, but his roar scares other animals away, from one red monkey to eight brown gazelles – but then, he discovers nine other lion cubs.

This counting book has a story attached to it, and is good for older audiences who are about to enter Kindergarten and could use a brush-up on their counting and colors. A little lion cub wanders away from his pride, looking for some fun, and encounters different animals across the African savanna – from one red monkey to eight brown gazelles – who all run from his roar. He finally comes across a group of nine little yellow lion cubs, just like him, who aren’t afraid of him. The cartoon illustrations, done in acrylics and colored pencil, bring the savannah and the animals to life, from a group of lions lying lazily in the sun to a stampede of animals running from the group of little lions, to the little lion cub, curled up with his mother, asleep as the sun sets on the savanna. The animals’ facial expressions convey fear on the parts of the animals the lion confronts, confusion, frustration and despair, as the little lion searches for a new friend and finds none, and finally, happiness when he meets friends just like him. The book provides a fun lesson in numbers and colors in rhyme.

This would be a great opportunity to use a flannel board to depict the animals that the little yellow lion cub encounters on his trip across the savanna. Getting stuffed animals for each of the groups of animals depicted into the story area would allow for a fun playtime before or after the story. This could be part of a jungle animal read-aloud, with hand stamps of an animal for children to have as a memento of their storytime.

Roar! was a Buckaroo Book Award Nominee (Wyoming, 2003).

Posted in Preschool Reads

Book Review: Food Fight, by Carol Diggory Shields/Illus. by Doreen Gay-Kassel (Handprint Books, 2002)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

food fightRecommended for ages 3-8

Late at night, when we are fast asleep, who knows what goes on in our refrigerators? In Food Fight, it’s the cat who bears witness to this story about what happens when the food in a kitchen decides to throw a late-night party. The story, told in rhyme, escalates when tuna fish tells the garlic, “You stink”, angering the chili pepper, and the rumble is on. The artwork, done in modeling clay, brings life to the food, creating a wide variety of facial expressions and movements. The multicolored text, in different sized, exaggerated font, swirls and flows around the artwork and stands out against the brightly colored backgrounds, adding more fun to the book and for the reader. The endpapers offer a cursory look into the refrigerator, showing assorted groceries on shelves.

This would be part of a fun, food-related read-aloud for preschoolers and kindergarteners. It could fit in with other fun food books, like Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham, and can also lead to a discussion about healthy eating. Putting out plastic food for children to play with will provide a fun playtime, as will singing songs like “On Top of Spaghetti”.

Food Fight has received numerous awards and accolades, including designation as an ALA Notable Children’s Book (2012), Colorado: Children’s Book Award Nominees (2013), Horn Book Fanfare (2011), Indies Choice Book Award for Picture Book (2012), Irma S. & James H. Black Picture Book Honor (2012), NY Times Best Illustrated Books (2011), NY Times Notable Children’s Books (2011), Publisher’s Weekly Best Children’s Books (2011), Texas: 2×2 Reading List (2012), Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor (2012), Virginia: Readers’ Choice Award Nominees (2013).

Posted in Preschool Reads

Book Review: I Want My Hat Back, by Jon Klassen (Candlewick Press, 2011)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

i want my hat backRecommended for ages 4-8

Bear has lost his favorite hat and searches the forest, politely asking different animals he encounters if they have seen it. Just as he begins to despair ever seeing his hat again, Deer comes by and jolts his memory – he HAS seen his hat. The resolution is understated and sly, and adults will pick up on it right away; perhaps even before the children do. The book has won awards and accolades, including the Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor, but caregivers have voiced concerns over the implied ending being potentially disturbing or inappropriate for young children.

The Chinese ink illustrations are understated, as are the sandy hued backgrounds. Red is used to set off the color of Bear’s hat, and a change in emotion both in text and background. The endpapers set the mood for the story, with illustrations of the Bear and the animals featured in the story set on a dark brown background.

The book allows for a fun (and no doubt entertaining) discussion about the book’s ending. There are I Want My Hat Back-related activities on Candlewick’s website, including a printable world-building activity and a shape-identifying activity. There is also a Make Your Own Hat activity sheet that allows attendees to decorate, cut and tape together their own hat. For a bear-related read-aloud, decorate the reading area with toy bears of all sorts and encourage playtime afterwards.

Among the award and honors I Want My Hat Back has received are designation as an ALA Notable Children’s Books (2012), Colorado: Children’s Book Award Nominees (2013), Horn Book Fanfare (2011), Indies Choice Book Award for Picture Book (2012), Irma S. & James H. Black Picture Book Honor (2012), NY Times Best Illustrated Books (2011), NY Times Notable Children’s Books (2011), Publisher’s Weekly Best Children’s Books (2011), Texas: 2×2 Reading List (2012), Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor (2012), and Virginia: Readers’ Choice Award Nominees (2013).

Posted in Preschool Reads

Book Review: The Spooky Hour, by Tony Mitton/illus. by Guy Parker-Rees (Orchard Books, 2004)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

spooky hourRecommended for ages 3-7

Spooky Hour is a counting story – counting down, rather than a counting up – about a dog and a cat who witness spooky creatures on their way to a party at the strike of twelve. The dog and cat follow the creatures: eleven witches, ten ghosts, nine skeletons, and more, all the way to the spooky castle doors, where Mitch and Titch, the witchy twins, are waiting to welcome them to the big, spooky party, where they feast on one gigantic pumpkin pie. The cartoon illustrations are fun, even silly, but never scary, and younger audiences will enjoy the anticipation of counting down to the party. The full-bleed images have a great deal of action going on in the frames: flying ghosts, a  line of skeletons dancing into a forest, observed by owls, trolls tromping through a forest as the cat and dog hide behind a log. The font is black or yellow – whatever needs to pop on the page’s background – and looks similar to a typewriter font.

The book has interactive elements that make it a good candidate for a Halloween read-aloud. The story itself is written in rhyme, and each creature has a sound attached to its action that audiences can mimic and act out: the witches shriek, the ghosts swirl,whirl, and say, “whoooo”, the skeletons dance and go clickety-clack. Attendees can come in costume and receive a trick or treat bag with some candy and a small toy, and there can be a jack-o-lantern craft for children to color. Time permitting, they can cut out shapes for jack-o-lantern faces and glue them on. Perpetual Preschool has Halloween songs that the children can sing after the story, and there are CDs with Halloween music, like Kids Bop Halloween, which can play during the craft time, and children can receive a Halloween hand stamp before they go home.

Posted in Preschool Reads

Book Review: Twelve Bots of Christmas by Nathan Hale (Walker Books for Young Readers, 2010)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Twelve Bots of ChristmasRecommended for ages 3-7

This robot variation of The Twelve Days of Christmas, complete with Robo-Santa, electronics, and droids, has the potential for an interactive read-aloud with audiences familiar with the Christmas classic, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.  In this retelling, Robo-Santa gifts twelve days of cyber gear, from a cartridge in a gear tree, to five BOT-TO-RIES, to twelve Beat Bots thumping. The electronic gifts will be fun for a younger generation for whom computers, tablets and iPhones are common household items, and the computer-generated illustrations manage to avoid looking flat, as tends to be the case with this type of art, thanks to subtle shading that offers depth of image. The left hand page of each spread features the text, Robo-Santa, and the growing group of gifts joining him. The right page features a full-bleed image of the day’s gift. Robo-Santa and his bots have fun and often exaggerated expressions, and the subtle details contained in the pictures reward careful viewers with fun details, including little gears that take the place of stars in a night sky, and a moon that looks similar to the Death Star from the Star Wars movies. The font is a plain black font that resembles old computer print. The endpapers offer a crush of presents, preparing readers for a fun holiday read.

This would be a fun addition to a holiday read-aloud or a robot read-aloud that takes place during the holiday season. The tune of the classic song is repetitive enough that singing along should be encouraged; the repetition of the gifts given will make the song easier to pick up as the story progresses. Incorporating a flannel board with robot images could make the read-aloud even more fun for younger audiences, who can also be encouraged to hold up the number of fingers that denotes each day in the song. Oriental Trading offers robot rubber ducks or robot tattoos in bulk that could be a fun gift from Robo-Santa to attendees at the end of the read-aloud, along with a robot hand stamp.

Posted in Preschool Reads

Book Review: Tough Boris, by Mem Fox/Illus. by Kathryn Brown (Harcourt Brace, 1994)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

tough-borisRecommended for ages 3-6

Boris van der Borsch is a tough, massive, scruffy, greedy, fearless, and scary pirate with a tough, scary- looking crew. When his pet parrot dies, though, preschoolers see that even the toughest pirate can cry. The story is told through the eyes of a young boy who stows away on the ship in the very beginning of the book, and whom Boris and crew leave back on his home shore at the end of the story, prompting the boy to cry as well. It is a subtle but strong subplot readers will enjoy. The watercolor artwork shows Boris and his crew in all their scruffy, tough pirate glory, with angry faces and bristly beards. The text is rendered in a simple, black font that matches the solemn brevity of the story. Tough Boris is an American Library Association (ALA) Notable Children’s Book (1995).

This is a great book for a pirate storytime, as it portrays pirates as capable of sensitive feelings on top of being rough and tough. It shows young audiences that everyone cries when they are sad – even a mean old pirate. It can be used with more fun pirate fare to lighten the mood, or it can be used on its own to get kids talking about feelings. Children would enjoy a Jolly Roger handstamp as a memento of their day, and there are many printable treasure maps available online, for attendees to color in, take home and start their own search for buried treasure. The British Columbia Public Library has very good Pirates Storytime theme that includes songs and fingerplays.

Posted in Preschool Reads

Book Review: How Are You Peeling? Foods with Moods by Saxton Freeman/illus. by Joost Elffers (Arthur A. Levine Books, 1999)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

how are you peelingRecommended for ages 2-8

Do you feel silly? Safe? Shy? Saxton Freeman and Joost Elffers sculpted facial expressions into fruits and vegetables to communicate a wide range of emotions in How Are You Peeling? Fruits with Moods. Using an Exacto knife and natural materials like black-eyed peas and beet-juice coloring, the authors enhanced the natural wrinkles, bends and creases in produce to illustrate emotions. The sculptures, photographed against plain but colorful backgrounds, are large and vivid, allowing the youngest readers to easily identify the emotions depicted. Beginning with the opening question, “How are you feeling?”, the text goes on to asks questions that will provoke thought in listeners: “Feeling blue? Feeling bad? How are you when friends drop by? With someone new… a little shy?” The text is brightly colored and small, letting the produce’s expressions speak for them; this is a book meant to be read aloud and to prompt discussion. The New York Times Book Review voted How Are You Peeling? Best Illustrated Children’s Book in 1999.

The book lends itself to a read-aloud about feelings, where patrons can call out answers to the questions asked in the book and identify the emotions portrayed on the featured produce. Activities can include songs about feelings like “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, and craft ideas include a facial expressions printable to color, or, for older (3-4) participants, the chance to draw different expressions that answer the question, “How are you feeling?”

Posted in Preschool Reads

Book Review: What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas (Harcourt, 2007)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

what will fat cat sit onRecommended for ages 2-5

“What will Fat Cat sit on?” is the inquiry that kicks off this story as the Fat Cat in question looks for a seat, terrifying animals – a cow, a chicken, a pig, and a dog – as they imagine him sitting on them. When the mouse offers an alternative seat – a chair – the next question is, “What will Fat Cat have for lunch?” Toddlers and preschoolers can join in the fun, repeating the opening question throughout the story and identifying the animals who try to avoid being sat on. The cartoon illustrations are bright, set against vivid backgrounds. The animals’ facial expressions are exaggerated and simple, easily conveying the emotions of panic and relief. Characters are boldly outlined, allowing them to pop off of the page, and lettering is big and brightly colored, with simple sight words that beginning readers will easily recognize.

This could be part of a “silly animal books” read-aloud. Mo Willems’ Pigeon books are similar in tone and illustration, as is Katie Davis’ Who Hops?; these books offer similar participation opportunities. There are many silly songs and fingerplays about animals that could work well with a silly storytime, including Six Silly Spiders. Jan Thomas’ author website provides printable mask and finger puppets for the Fat Cat and each of the animals that work well for a coloring craft or, as the website suggests, a Fat Cat play, where readers can wear their masks and call out the sounds for their chosen animal.