Posted in Preschool Reads

Book Review: Fiesta Babies, by Amy Cordova (Tricycle Press, 2010)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

fiesta babiesRecommended for ages 2-5

A multicultural group of babies and their families take part in a cultural celebration, complete with colorful hats, dresses, foods, and dancing. The story, told in rhyme, uses English and Spanish words to bring babies of all ethnicities together in a celebration of Mexican heritage. Amy Cordova received 2011 Pura Belpre Illustration Honors for her bold acrylic colors and brushstroke paintings that bring Ms. Tafolla’s text to life. There are sombreros, serapes, salsa, and happy babies and grownups from diverse backgrounds together to celebrate a grand fiesta. The faces of the participants are joyfully expressive, spreading good feelings. A short glossary at the end of the book defines the Spanish words in simple-to-understand language for young audiences.

The book is a great read-aloud choice. The rhyming text will draw in young listeners, as will the bright colors and exciting new words, for those non-Spanish speakers. There can be a glossary handout for parents and guardians to practice the new words with children after the story time. Fiesta Babies, like Dora the Explorer, can teach children simple Spanish words; some preschoolers may recognize some of the words from Dora episodes. This would be a great multicultural language read-aloud with books like Linda Sue Park and Julia Durango’s Yum! Yuck! A Foldout Book of People Sounds, where children learn common words and phrases in a multitude of languages. There are several websites that offer Spanish language fingerplays and songs and can easily be slotted in to a bilingual story time.

Posted in Uncategorized

Book Review: My People, by Langston Hughes/illus. by Charles R. Smith Jr. (Ginee Seo books/Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2009)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

my peopleRecommended for ages 3-8

Langston Hughes’ 1923 poem is brought to life with images by illustrator Charles R. Smith in this 2010 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award-winning book. The book brings together the 33 words of Hughes’ beautiful ode to beauty and sepia-toned photographs of African-Americans of all ages. The photos are close-up, happy, expressive faces against a black background, with additional photos of faces running down the margins of the pages; these are lighter sepia so as not to distract from the main photos and words on the page. The faces appear to emerge from the shadows, and Smith often juxtaposes young and old together, creating a perfect harmony on each spread. The font is large and bold, alternating white and sepia. The endpapers offer a collage of faces in the overexposed, faded sepia we see on the page margins inside.

This is an excellent story time choice for young audiences. The faces will appeal to babies, toddlers and preschoolers alike, and at 33 words, the reader can take his or her time, allowing listeners to enjoy the faces and allow the words to sink in. This would make an excellent Black History Month reading, but can be a reading done at any time. It would be a good addition to a multicultural story time in diverse neighborhoods, which could include fingerplays and songs from other cultures. Participants can be invited to contribute their own nursery rhymes, songs and fingerplays.

Posted in Uncategorized

Book/Toy Review: Ben Kachoo – Sink or Swim, by Angela Larson/illus. by Laura K. Brown (Fierce Fun Toys, 2010)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

ben kachooRecommended for ages 2-8

Ben Kachoo is a hippo with allergies. Unfortunately for him, he lives in a swamp at the zoo that does nothing but aggravate those allergies. He uses his sneezes as a positive, though; they are so forceful that they propel him through the water – until the day they send him crashing into a crocodile named Arrow. You see, the crocodiles and the hippos don’t mix, despite sharing the same swamp; so his collision with Arrow leaves Ben  worried, at first, and he apologizes profusely. Arrow couldn’t be friendlier, and not only accepts his apology but strikes up a friendship with the sneezing hippo.

The story of how unlikely friendships occur (with an emphasis on manners) is a great story for young readers and for read-alouds. The cartoon-type artwork is bright and lively, with exaggerated facial expressions taking up much of the pages and making it accessible for young, pre-readers to enjoy and follow along. The story font is black, bold, and in an expressive, angular font that will keep the interest of slightly older readers.

The accompanying plush Ben is a friendly, soft companion for a read-aloud. A squeeze of his tail activates one of his six sneezes, a “Whoa!” and an “Excuse me!”. which can enhance the storytelling. The story is also a good candidate for felt board storytelling; there are many sites that offer animal printouts.

This would be a great addition to a read-aloud on either friendship or manners. DLTK’s website offers a friendship craft where children trace their hands and cut them out to form a wreath.

Posted in Uncategorized

Book Review: Kitten’s First Full Moon, by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books, 2004)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

kittens-first-full-moonRecommended for ages 2-5

An adorable kitten sees her first full moon. Believing it is a saucer of milk, she sets out to have a taste. Her curiosity leads her on a series of misadventures where she ends up with bugs on her tongue, hurt from a leap off the porch, and soaking wet from a dive into a pond. The 2005 Caldecott Medal winner places Kitten’s actions in a repetitive series: she sees the moon and wants to drink from it; she takes an action and deals with the consequences; and the moon – referred to as the “little bowl of milk” – waits for her next move. Will Kitten learn from her mistakes? Kevin Henkes uses a charcoal and cream-colored palette, with simple, understated illustrations outlined in thick, black line, to tell his tale, and Kitten’s face is very expressive. The brief text on each page is simple, bold, and black; it causes no distraction for young readers and listeners. Preschoolers will see themselves in the tenacious Kitten, who is single-minded in her goal.

The repetitive actions of the story and its happy resolution make this book a good choice for a story time read aloud. This could be part of a moon stories read aloud with companion books like Bringing Down the Moon by Jonathan Emmett, which tells a similar tale. There are moon rhymes and fingerplays that can flesh out this story time.

The author’s website offers teaching resources for parents and educators.

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Book Review: My Two Hands/My Two Feet, by Rick Walton/illus. by Julia Gorton (Putnam, 2000)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

my two handsRecommended for ages 2-5

My Two Hands/My Two Feet is two stories in one, each story celebrating the many things that hands and feet can do over the course of a day. On one side, we have hands: stretching, washing, making a cup for water, holding onto someone, and folding together at bedtime. Flip the book over and discover what feet can do: wiggle, dance, stomp, twirl, and lie still at bedtime. The stories meet in the middle, with the two narrators asleep side by side. The endpapers clue readers in as to which body parts they will read about first, with overlapping hands decorating one side and overlapping feet, the other. The stories are told in rhyme and illustrated in airbrushed acrylics, with bright colors and full-bleed images on each page. The illustrations are flat, and the characters are semi-realistic looking, with large heads and small, black shiny dots for eyes. The only texture in the images comes by way of the characters’ knitted sweaters, which appear to be collage.

The story, told in rhyme, uses simple language that younger readers will understand and enjoy. The font is a simple yet decorative font, alternating in black and white to stand out on the brightly colored backgrounds.

This is a great opportunity for an interactive read-aloud. Children can be invited to pantomime the movements mentioned in the book, like wiggling their toes and stretching their hands.  This would also allow for a fun, movement-based storytime: get the children up and dancing, play Ring Around the Rosie, maybe even a game of Simon Says. Younger attendees can play “Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes”.

The author’s website links to information about Mr. Walton, including school visits and a biography; he also links to free book resources online for parents, writers, and educators.

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Book Review: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr./illus. by Eric Carle (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1967)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

brown bear Recommended for ages 0-5

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a children’s literature classic. An unseen narrator asks different animals what they see; the animals respond that another animal is looking at them, repeating the process throughout the book. The animals are described in terms of color: a brown bear, a red bird, a yellow duck, a blue horse. The endpapers lead readers into this study in color, with the colors named in the book appearing, striped, across them.

Bill Martin’s repetitive question-and-answer rhyme format, coupled with Eric Carle’s signature hand-painted and layered collage technique, appeals to toddlers and preschoolers alike, giving the animals a textured appearance that makes them stand out on the white background of the page. The font is a simple, black font; the question appears on the left hand page of each spread, and the response on the right. The rhythm of the book is comfortably repetitive, so children know what to expect on each spread. There is a board book version available that is perfect for the tiniest hands.

This is a great book to add to a read-aloud on color and would translate well to a felt board. DLTK’s website offers printable pictures of animals named in the book, complete with instructions on how to use the sheets as felt board characters and can provide an enjoyable, post-story coloring craft. Attendees may enjoy getting a hand stamp with one of the animals named in the book, to have as a memento of the storytime, and a guide to the book on the Macmillan website features a printable matching game where readers can connect the color to the animal mentioned in the book.

Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle collaborated on other children’s classics, Polar Bear, Polar  Bear, What Do You Hear?, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What  Do You See? and Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? that fall into the same cadence and predictive text, providing opportunities for additional read-alouds.

The author’s website offers information on school visits and the Bill Martin model for reading, which is valuable reading for anyone who reads to young children.

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads, Uncategorized

Book Review: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems (Hyperion, 2003)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

pigeon_coverRecommended for ages 0-5

A bus driver appears on the scene and asks his audience to watch his bus while he tends to something off-page; he is very firm in his request for one favor: don’t let the Pigeon drive the bus! As soon as the bus driver leaves, we meet the Pigeon, who spends the rest of the book asking, pleading, cajoling, and throwing a temper tantrum as he attempts to get readers and listeners to allow him to drive the bus. Mo Willems, an Emmy-award winning animator who worked on Sesame Street, uses simple line drawings and a plain palette to bring the Pigeon to life and allows him exaggerated facial expressions and that communicates his increasing agitation. Mr. Willems also makes great use of the page edges to denote action taking place off-page, particularly during Pigeon’s meltdown, which takes up an entire spread and is indicative of the stomping and thrashing that accompanies many a meltdown. Willems uses a bold, simple typewriter font to communicate to audiences, except for Pigeon’s meltdown, where the typewriter font is enlarged, capitalized, bolded, and outlined in yellow to emphasize his tantrum. The simplicity of the art allows audiences to focus on the text and the Pigeon himself; preschoolers will recognize themselves in his behavior and laugh along with him.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! received Caldecott Honors in 2004 and is the first in the Pigeon series, including the  titles Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!, and The Duckling Gets a Cookie?! There are Pigeon board books with original content for younger readers, including The Pigeon Loves Things That Go! and The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is an interactive story, making it perfect for a story time. The Pigeon’s dialogue is meant to be responded to, and listeners can tell him “NO!” as he continues pleading to drive the bus. Like No, David!, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! can be used as part of a story time on following rules; it can also be a read-aloud that talks about feeling. Mo Willems’ website offers printable Pigeon and Duckling finger puppets and a printable picture of the month, both of which will work for a Pigeon craft.

 

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Book Review: No, David! by David Shannon (Blue Sky Press, 1998)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

no davidRecommended for ages 1-5

Preschoolers and toddlers alike will understand where David, the little boy in David Shannon’s No, David! is coming from: he’s a little boy who just wants to have fun, whether it’s running down the street naked, causing a flood as he plays in the bathtub, picking his nose, or chewing his food with his mouth wide open. David’s mother is the only voice heard throughout the story, and what she has to say will also be very familiar to No David’s audience: “Come back here!” “No! No! No!” “Put your toys away!” “Stop that this instant!” When David ends up being punished for breaking a vase, though, Mom is also tells him “Yes, David. I love you!” The book, which received Caldecott Honors in 1999, reinforces to young listeners and readers – and parents – that no matter how much trouble you get into, and whether or not your parents get angry with you, they will always love you. David Shannon’s use of bright acrylics will attract readers and listeners alike, as will David’s exaggerated facial expressions and actions. There are very few words in the book, and the font is a large, handwritten font that makes for a fun and interactive read-aloud. Shannon’s illustrations give a hand-painted feel to the story and he makes David appear almost toylike, with a giant head and a wooden doll’s body, with an open mouth full of pointed teeth. Making a caricature of David adds a dose of fun to the story, moving No, David! away from the story of a naughty little boy and embracing the silly aspects of being a child. Preschoolers will identify with David, and toddlers will enjoy seeing what David will do next.

In addition to winning Caledecott Honors, No, David! is an ALA Notable Children’s book, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and a Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon title. It was also on the New York Times Best Illustrated Book list.

No, David! is part of a David series by Shannon that includes David Goes to School, David Gets in Trouble, and It’s Christmas, David!. The Diaper David series of board books for younger readers also stars David and includes the titles David Smells!, Oh, David!, and Oops!

The book is perfect for a read-aloud, allowing audiences to put themselves in their caregiver’s place and call out “NO!” as David embarks on his next act of mischief. There could be a David-centric story time or a story time centered on following rules, with a quick game of Simon Says or Red Light, Green Light (space permitting).

Posted in Preschool Reads

My Beastly Brother, by Laura Leuck/illus. Scott Nash (HarperCollins, 2003)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

beastly brotherRecommended for ages 3-6

A young monster reflects on life with his older brother, who can be  truly beastly or very kind. Ms. Leuck uses two monster brothers to illustrate the ups and downs of sibling relationships. The younger brother makes a laundry list of his older brother’s “beastly” – a double entendre here – behavior toward him: he will not allow him to play with his stuff, feed his pets, and outdoes his younger brother at everything he does, from burping to spewing spider spit. He throws his toys away, bothers him, and never lets him win.  But when he has scary dreams of humans coming after him, the younger monster learns that sometimes, his beastly brother is not so beastly after all.

Scott Nash’s cartoon illustrations bring humor to the monster family; they are not scary at all.  He turns the idea of the traditional family on its head by creating a monster nuclear family, complete with details like eyeball wallpaper and skull upholstery. The humans are the monsters in this tale; to that end, Mr. Nash illustrates the young monster’s nightmare with scary humans with frozen smiles and outstretched arms. The text is black, bold font on a stark white background, with a single image beneath the text, allowing the illustrations to take center stage. The monsters, other than being hairy, are fairly normal.  Their faces are pleasant and expressive, with large eyes and big smiles fully of pointy teeth. The boys wear jeans and t-shirts; Mom wears a pink dress with a spider print pattern, and Dad mows the lawn in shorts, a t-shirt and a baseball cap.

Laura Leuck and Scott Nash’s monsters show up again in My Creature Teacher.

This would be a fun book to incorporate into a family read-aloud. There are many family printables available for coloring on DLTK, along with family puppets, and poems.

HarperCollins offers an author webpage that allows interested readers to sign up for author updates.

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Book Review: Good Night, Gorilla, by Peggy Rathmann (Putnam, 1994 edition)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

GoodnightGorilla1Recommended for ages 1-5

A zookeeper is followed home by all of the animals he thinks he’s locked up at the zoo for the night. The story begins with the zookeeper locking each of the animals’ cages for the night, wishing each of them a good night. He doesn’t realize that the gorilla has taken his keys and is leading a menagerie back to the zookeeper’s house! When his wife realizes that her house is full of animals, she leads them all back and goes home – but someone may have followed her back. The art appears to be watercolor, with bright colors against sparse white backgrounds. The endpapers lead readers into and out of the story, with the gorilla showing up and holding what we presume to be the zookeeper’s keys as he bounces around the book cover’s frame.

The book is sparsely worded, which makes for great interactive storytime potential as the leader can ask children things like, “What’s happening now?” “What do you think will happen next?” Each animal is identified as the zookeeper says good night, reinforcing different animal names for younger readers. Young audiences may also connect with the animals who resist both their bedtimes and being left in their rooms all night. The animals even have toys in their cages – a fun storytime task could involve asking the children to point out the toys in each animal’s cage. The book is also available as a board book, and would be good to have on hand for the littlest users to be able to see and enjoy.

This book could be part of either a zoo-focused read-aloud or a bedtime stories read-aloud. For a zoo-focused read-aloud, it would be great to bring in some toys – Fisher-Price’s Little People have zoo and animal sets that are easily washable and would be  great fun for little hands to play with and act out the story. There are Fisher-Price Little People school buses that could bring “students” on a school trip to the zoo! Decorating the storytime area with plush zoo animals, even small Beanie Babies, would add to the fun atmosphere. There are many fun fingerplays and songs that can be incorporated into the storytime as well.

Good Night, Gorilla has received numerous awards and accolades, including designation as an ALA Notable Children’s Book (1994); Bulletin Blue Ribbon (1994); Horn Book Fanfare Selection (1995); Parenting Magazine Best Children’s Book of 1994, and New York Public Library’s Children’s Books: 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing (1995).

The author’s webpage provides award and review information about Good Night, Gorilla and her other books.