Tag: color

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

STEM Books to Explore

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’m back with some new books to explore fun STEM concepts. I really miss having a Discovery Club at my library… maybe I’ll use these as a way to gauge some interest again.

Tree Spirits (2nd Ed., Revised), by Louise Wannier/Illustrated by April Tatiana Jackson, (Sept. 2023, True Roses Books), $24.95, ISBN: 9780990997658

Ages 3-8

This book was published in September of last year, but I’ve just seen a copy and wanted to include it here. Incorporating nature and art, Wannier creates fun rhymes that encourage readers to think and wonder at different photos of trees. The repeated questions invite readers to look at each photo, considering the swirls and bumps, shapes and bends of the featured trees. The author offers her point of view, and Jackson, with a turn of the page, offers an overlaid illustration of an animal in the tree. Color photos are crisp, with texture and detail. The rhyming text incorporates different emotions, making this a helpful inclusion in social-emotional collections as well as nature science and STEM/STEAM collections. A nice additional purchase.

 

Tree Spirits is an interactive picture book that encourages creativity, social-emotional intelligence, and seeing the world with fresh eyes. With 25 color photographs of trees, the rhyming text asks, “What do you see when you look up at this tree?” inviting a child to use their imagination. Turning the page reveals an illustrated overlay of a charming animal inspired by the lines and shapes of the tree bark. Each animal introduces a different emotion, helping children understand their inner spirit and feelings.

All About Color, by Elizabeth Rusch/Illustrated by Elizabeth Goss, (March 2024, Charlesbridge Publishing), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623543532

Ages -8

Rusch gets into deep stuff in this exploration of color, telling readers right off the bat that “Color doesn’t exist. The sky is not blue”, giving a few additional examples before explaining that we perceive color when light sends messages to our brains. Rusch discusses how color helps us in our day-to-day lives: they can describe emotions, like “seeing red” and “feeling blue”; they can warn us, as illustrated by the bright red triangle on a black widow spider; they can let us know when to stop and go, as with a traffic light. Goss’s boldly outlined illustration offers bright color washes to communicate Rusch’s succint explanations. Rusch uses simple sentences to allow emerging readers to enjoy this book on their own or as part of a readaloud. A good introduction to the science of color. All About Color is the companion title to All About Nothing (2023), an introduction to negative space.

 

 

Hands on Science: Motion, by Lola M. Schaefer/Illustrated by Druscilla Santiago, (Feb. 2024, Charlesbridge Publishing), $16.99, ISBN: 9781623542450

Ages 4-8

This introduction to the science of motion is too much fun! Enter the Physics Lab and let the narrator take you on an interactive journey where you can poke, tilt, and push the book to learn about gravity and friction: poke a dollop of whipped cream to discover how your finger’s force can change its shape, and guide a marble through a series of inclines to see how it changes its path. Scientific terms are bolded for easy reference, and colorful illustrations keep readers engaged. Caregivers and educators will love these easy experiments: no muss, no fuss! If you have a Science Club, you may even want to set up similar experiments to guide scientists through during a readaloud. Schaefer includes examples of journaling observations and predictions; back matter includes additional ways we use forces every day, and an experiment for readers (and their grownups!) to conduct at home. This is the third entry in the Hands-On Science series by Schaefer and Santiago. A very good addition to STEM collections for emerging readers. Download the free Hands-On Science activity kit at the Charlesbridge Publishing website.

 

 

 

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Board Books to celebrate Spring, Dinosaurs, and Art!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

How much do I love board books? SO MUCH. And they just keep coming and coming! I’ve got a stack of adorable board books that celebrate Spring, and a few that were originally published as picture books but that have made a great transition to board books.

Hello Garden!, by Katherine Pryor/Illustrated by Rose Soini, (May 2021, Schiffer Kids), $9.99, ISBN: 9780764361098

Ages 0-3

Two kids wake up and enjoy a day in their garden! They crunch on green beans and snap peas, help tend to the garden, and enjoy the local wildlife. Rhyming verse tells a story that celebrates each of the senses, and accompanied by colorful artwork. Kids will want to get their hands and toes in the dirt and revel in being in nature after reading this cheery, upbeat story. A great addition to a Spring or Garden storytime – pair with the National Geographic board book, In My Garden, from the Look & Learn series, and Kadir Nelson’s gorgeous book, If You Plant a Seed. If you’re looking for a Spring activity with your Kiddos, Nat Geo Kids has you covered with an article on planting a garden; Kids Gardening has Garden Lesson Plans for kids and a free newsletter. Short on space? Try a garden sensory bin! There are great ideas at Mess for Less and Fireflies and Mud Pies.

 

Little Bug on the Move, Stéphanie Babin/Illustrated by Olivia Cosneau, (March 2021, Twirl Books), $14.99, ISBN: 9782408024642

Ages 0-3

A little bug goes exploring in this interactive book that kids can slide, spin, and play with. The bug crawls uphill, inches along the trees, spins on a flower, and hides on a mushroom, all heading toward a pop-up surprise at the end. The question-and-answer format format of the text encourages kids to think as they manipulate the activities on the pages, and provides an opportunity for an older sibling, parent, or caregiver to read along. Bright and colorful artwork and sturdy activities and pages make this another book kids will reach many, many times. Invite readers to identify different bugs, shapes, and colors as you go! Pair with the board book of The Very Hungry Caterpillar for an adorably buggy storytime.

 

Mamasaurus, by Stephan Lomp, (April 2021, Chronicle Books), $7.99, ISBN: 9781797205328

Ages 3-5

I’ve written about my love for Mamasaurus before. It’s the sweetest little story of a baby dinosaur who finds himself separated from his Mama and has to ask other dinosaurs if they’ve seen her; all of whom describe their own Mamas when trying to get an idea of what Mamasaurus looks like. The book makes a great transition from picture book to board book, making it even easier to read during a lapsit and cuddle storytime.

 

Papasaurus, by Stephan Lomp, (May 2021, Chronicle Kids), $7.99, ISBN: 9781797205335

Ages 3-5

The companion book to Mamasaurus, Papasaurus makes the seamless transition from picture book to board book in time for Father’s Day, with a May release date. Here, Babysaurus and his dad are playing a game of hide and seek. As he searches for his Papa, he encounters other Kid-osaurs and asks for their help. As with Mamasaurus, the little dinos all frame their questions using their own parents as reference. Papasaurus and Babysaurus are sweetly reunited, reassuring readers that “misplaced” parents will always be found. The artwork is charming, with bright colors and sweetly expressive dinosaurs with large eyes and smiley faces. Perfect for cuddle time and Dino storytime.

 

Mix It Up!, by Hervé Tullet, (May 2021, Chronicle Books), $8.99, ISBN: 9781797207605

Ages 2-5

Another great transition from picture book to board book, Hervé Tullet’s Mix It Up! brings creativity and interactivity to this wonderful board book that keeps kids pressing, touching, and shaking their books as they work with color. The narration walks readers through the book, directing readers through cause-and-effect spreads that will invoke delight as readers discover that the page they’ve touched leads to a riot of color on the next spread, or mixing colors by tilting the book leads to an entirely new color emerging! Hervé Tullet writes like he’s in a one-on-one with each reader, gently leading them with sentences like, “take a little bit of the read… and rub it on the blue”; “Do you want to go on? OK!” I’ve read all of Tullet’s books in my storytimes, and they never fail to elicit joyful participation as I weave through the seated kids, everyone waiting their turn to take part. Art storytime, Color storytime, everything works with an Hervé Tullet story. Having this in board book format invites little learners to sit and play on their own or with another reader. They’re just wonderful books. The original release of Mix It Up! was a Junior Library Guild Selection, a Buzzfeed Best Book of the Year, a PBS Parents Best Picture Book, an ACL Distinguished Book, and selected as a Best Book of the Year by Chicago Public Library. Get out the fingerpaints and let your Littles create their own masterpieces!

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Books about art for kids to love and be inspired by

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I love letting kids go hog wild on artwork. I’ve had art stortyimes where kids have made their own Frida self-portraits and contributed to a Diego Rivera mural; I’ve let little ones create collage by tearing up paper and gluing them to paper in any way, shape or form that strikes their fancy, and I make coloring sheets and crayons available at my reference desk every day. It’s fun to watch how kids take a simple piece of blank paper and create something wonderful, and if I get a contribution to my art gallery – the shelves running the length of the children’s room – even better. Here are some picture books that will get your storytimes jumping; two are interactive – think Herve Tullet readalikes – and one is a multicultural, bilingual rhyming book that explores Latinx culture and imagination. Go forth and create!

Crocodali, by Lucy Volpin, (Aug. 2017, little bee books), $16.99, ISBN: 978-1-4998-0633-5

Recommended for readers 4-8

Crocodali is the most talented painter in the whole wide world, and he’s allowing readers into his studio to help him create a new masterpiece! By tilting, turning, shaking, and rubbing pages, kids will get a kick out of seeing how they “affect” the painting with each turn of the page! Watercolor endpapers and artwork may inspire kids to create art with simple swipes of the brush, and Crocodali’s reactions – especially great for read-alouds – bring on the giggles. This has entered regular storytime rotation here at home and is great for preschooler storytimes with some time set aside afterward to let kids create their own artwork. I’d pair this one with Art & Max, by David Wiesner.

 

 

Rosa Draws, by Jordan Wray, (May 2018, words & pictures), $17.95, ISBN: 9781910277508

Recommended for readers 3-7

Rosa is a little girl who loves to draw, and has a big, vivid imagination! This adorable rhyming story introduces readers to a cat wearing a ridonkulous hat, a hungry bear, a posh goose, a peacock wearing socks, and more. Where will Rosa’s imagination take her – and readers who come along for the trip? There are bright, bold colors and wacky characters aplenty for kids to discover here; perfect for encouraging readers to create their own wacky characters after a stortyime. Positive messages about creativity and family make this a nice storytime read-aloud or cuddle time reading at home. For some extra fun, put rhyming words into a box or bag, have the kids choose a couple, and illustrate what they get. I think Lois Ehlert’s The Scraps Book would go nicely with the creative process introduced in Rosa Draws.

 

 

The Color Factory, by Eric Telchin/Illustrated by Diego Funck, (June 2018, little bee books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781499805567

Recommended for readers 4-8

The Color Factory has already entered regular storytime reading for me at home, with my Kindergartener demanding it on an almost daily/nightly basis. The follow-up to 2016’s The Black and White Factory (wait until my kid finds out about this one), the three animal friends are back and taking readers on a tour of their new color factory. They invite readers to help mix up new, factory-approved colors, until things go horribly wrong! Readers have to pitch in to help as the characters refer to the instruction manual, which isn’t really encouraging. Luckily, the trio – with our readers’ help – learn to accept and enjoy the exciting new colors they create. With bright, vibrant colors and loads of opportunities to “push” buttons, “mix” colors, and help save the day, kids are going to love this wacky, fun adventure. Pair this one with Herve Tullet’s Mix It Up for added interactive fun, and if you have the space, put some newspaper down, hand out old t-shirts, and let kids learn how to mix their own colors with some fingerpainting time.

 

A Paintbrush for Paco, by Tracey Kyle/Illustrated by Joshua Heinsz, (July 2018, little bee books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781499805444

Recommended for readers 4-8

Paco is a young boy sitting in class, doodling as he awaits recess. His drawings catch his teacher’s eye, and the excited profesor rushes Paco to the art room, where a world of color awaits him! The bilingual text flows like the beautiful, colorful artwork; I love the lyrical rhyming text that curls and wanders around each page as the world of color and imagination opens itself to Paco: “Pink, rosado. Purple, morado. A fiery orange, anaranjado. Verde, the green in a vine of ripe grapes. Rojo, the red in the matadors’ capes.” The artwork is influenced by Paco’s Latino heritage, enchanting readers with visions of mountains, family, and vibrant Mexican-inspired artwork. I love that Paco’s teacher is a positive role model that encourages his student’s talent, and I love the way the Spanish and English languages come together to tell a gorgeous story. This one is an absolute must-add for art collections and for storytime reading. Pair with Roseanne Thong’s Green is a Chile Pepper or Cynthia Weill’s concept books, published through Cinco Puntos Press, that teach concepts in Spanish and English, and feature Mexican folk art.