Tag: high contrast

Posted in Toddler Reads

High-contrast board books for babies

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

During baby’s early months, babies aren’t able to focus on objects further than about 8-10 inches away. High contrast black and white images also help babies strengthen their focus; adding high contrast board books and images to your storytime collection will be a great resource for new parents and caregivers!

Animals at Home, by Xavier Deneux, (Feb. 2025, Twirl Books), $14.99, ISBN: 9791027613274

Ages Birth-3

High contrast meets pop-up die cuts in this adorable board book! Six animals show off their comfy homes: a bear in its den, ants in their anthill, and rabbits in their burrow are just a few of the animals babies will discover. High-contrast black and white images have a splash of color for interest as baby’s sight becomes stronger, and pop-up, die-cut images add an interesting third dimension that little fingers will love exploring. Simple prose on each spread gives readers an introduction to animals and their habitats. Simple and playful images pair with fun book design to make Animals at Home another fun addition to board book collections at the library, in the classroom, or at home.

InfantZoo has free high-contrast printables for you to share with your families or have available for post-storytime activities. Young Wonderer has a good piece on why black-and-white images are good for babies, with a breakdown of baby’s first year in development.

 

 

Uh-Oh! Rabbit, by Jo Ham, (Sept. 2023, Candlewick Studio), $10, ISBN: 9781536233179

Ages Birth-3

Learning about opposites was never so much fun. A rabbit learns that what goes up must come down, whether on a ski slope or a see saw. The story follows an amusing, repetitive pattern: Rabbit attempts an action, there’s an “Oh-oh!” moment, Rabbit learns: one “Rabbit up” spread shows Rabbit sporting bright yellow goggles and preparing to dive into a pool where another Rabbit relaxes on a float; “Uh-oh!” shows Rabbit in mid-air, heading right for the relaxing Rabbit; “Rabbit down” shows the goggled Rabbit clinging to the float in the middle of a big splash as the other Rabbit swims away. High contrast black and white images add pops of bright yellow for visual interest, and the two-word spreads tell readers all they need to know. Easy to read and with a stylish layout, this is a fun addition to concepts and high-contrast collections.

Uh-Oh! Rabbit was a Children’s Book Council pick for Building a Home Library.

 

Yippee! Rabbit, by Jo Ham, (Sept. 2023, Candlewick Studio), $10, ISBN: 9781536233186

Ages Birth-3

A companion to Uh Oh! Rabbit! (and Oops! Rabbit, also published in 2023), Yippee! Rabbit illustrates “Go” and “Stop”, with a brief pause for a triumphant “Yippee!” in between cause and effect: Rabbit runs with a kite (“Rabbit go”), the kite sails through the air (“Yippee!”), the kite wraps itself around a tree (“Rabbit stop”). Rabbit also attempts to swing, use his scooter in the rain, and leap off a chair, all with entertaining results. Endpapers show high contrast blue and black renderings of Rabbit’s activities across all three books. Jo Ham creates a fun way of illustrating concepts using spare text and humor while breaking each action down into three steps and teaching readers cause and effect. The high contrast art will appeal to babies, and the fun stories will sustain readers as they grow.

 

Posted in Toddler Reads

Check out this high-contrast board book series that grows with your baby!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Kane Miller has the inside line on a board book series that grows with your baby: author Lily Murray and illustrator Jane Foster have new, high-contrast board books made for cuddle time. Originally released in the UK, the publisher has brought them to the U.S. Let’s take a look.

Jane Foster’s Baby’s First Stories (0-3 Months), by Lily Murray and Jane Foster, (May 2024, Kane Miller), $10.99, ISBN: 9781684649105

Ages 0-12 months

Four rhyming animal stories make up this first board book: an elephant uses her trunk to sing a special song; a panda snoozes and spends a day at play; a playful whale spends the day with under-the-sea friends, and a bunny spends the day exploring before retiring to her burrow for bedtime. Developed for babies 3 months old and younger, the high-contrast black-and-white illustration work is perfect for baby’s developing brains. The animal illustrations include contrasting shapes and patterns to help babies develop visual focus, and the simple rhyme is easy and soothing to read: “Little whale dives through the seas, / Where turtles swoop and glide. / She meets a friendly starfish / Who asks to hitch a ride”.

 

Jane Foster’s Baby’s First Stories (3-6 Months), by Lily Murray and Jane Foster, (May 2024, Kane Miller), $10.99, ISBN: 9781684649112

Ages 0-12 months

As baby gets a little bigger, Foster adds a splash of color to her illustrations and Murray includes fun activities in the storytelling to engage baby and caregiver: “Now here comes an octopus / Tickling your tummy. / Tickle, tickle everywhere / Tickling’s so funny!”; “There’s Panda! Smiley Panda, / Waving back at me. / I see Panda! Hello, Panda! / And Panda sees me”; “Little Elephant, stomp your feet. / Little Elephant, waggle your nose. / Little Elephant, flap your ears. / Little Elephant, touch your toes!” Caregivers will enjoy tickling and identifying noses, feet, and ears during lap time and cuddle time. The animals from the Baby’s First Stories 0-3 months return, providing comfortable continuity, and the rhymes incorporate movement, questions, and answers while adding blue backgrounds and details to the black and white images and patterns help developing eyes grow stronger and continue creating neural networks.

 

 

Jane Foster’s Baby’s First Stories (6-9 Months), by Lily Murray and Jane Foster, (May 2024, Kane Miller), $10.99, ISBN: 9781684649129

Ages 0-12 months

The animal friends celebrate baby’s new milestones with stories about daily routines: Panda goes through a morning routine of waking, washing up, and getting dressed; Bunny enjoys a tasty lunchtime; Elephant has a bath after playing in the mud all day, and Whale gets ready for bed. As baby reaches 6-9 months, these rhymes parallel a baby’s busy day and include questions like, “Have you finished, Little Bunny? / Let’s clean you up, don’t wait!” and playful phrases like, “Gently, gently, with a towel, / Rub-a-dub-a-dub! / All clean, Little Elephant…  / …till the next time you find mud!” A cheery splash of orange joins the blue, black, and white illustrations and makes the animals’ patterns stand out, easily recognizable. An adorable way to go through the day’s activities and teach babies about routine.

 

Jane Foster’s Baby’s First Stories (9-12 Months), by Lily Murray and Jane Foster, (May 2024, Kane Miller), $10.99, ISBN: 9781684649129

Ages 0-12 months

New friends, additional color, and more complex stories await developing babies and toddlers. Murray and Foster introduce new animal friends, including a tortoise and a duck, all sporting vibrant, high-contrast patterns. Playful text and question and answer formats make reading interactive, inviting readers to search for Bunny, help cheer Panda up and scratch his nose, find Elephant’s missing clothes, and guess where Whale’s friends are hiding. Active phrasing and rhyming text keeps babies engaged, and fun wordplay allows for playful storytimes: “Who’s this coming now, / Creeping oh so slow? / Plod-plod-plod! It’s Tortoise! / Where did Bunny go?”

Each book is easily read and enjoyed by a variety of ages while offering a grow-as-you-go approach to the special milestones of baby’s first year. Bold, high-contrast artwork and fun, rhyming text that becomes more complex keeps baby’s attention while assisting development. The series is an excellent addition to early childhood collections and makes a great gift for a new baby.

Posted in Toddler Reads

It’s another Board Book Blitz!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Time for more board books!

Tummy Time! A high-contrast fold-out book with mirror for babies, by Mama Makes Books, (March 2022, Red Comet Press), $8.99, ISBN: 9781636550138

Ages 0-1

A two-sided, fold-out board book that’s perfect for infants whether they’re laying on their tummies or during a lapsit. On one side, there is rhyming verse and photos of baby faces; a mirror lets baby see themselves. On the other, high-contrast black and white images with pops of bright primary colors attract baby’s attention. Stiff cardboard allows the book to stand up without tipping over, and the foldout pages allow for caregivers to lay out multiple images for baby to look at. Great for lapsit storytime and baby social time. These are sturdy enough to put into circulation, too!

 

The Trainbow, by Nina Laden, (Aug. 2022, Chronicle Kids), $8.99, ISBN: 9781452176413

Ages 0-3

Another foldout board book! This time, a colorful “trainbow” is rolling down the track, with rhyming text reminiscent of Donald Crews’s classic Freight Train. One side folds out into a color study of the cars on the freight train, all inhabited by colorful cartoon art animals and people. The other side features a cheerful rhyme as the train chugs past a group of well-wishers. Die cut pages fold into a rainbow readers will see from either side of the book. The pages are sturdy and will hold up to circulation and storytimes and will easily stand up for display or tummy time. A very cute collection choice from the author of the Peek-a…. series of die-cut board books, another board book collection staple.

 

Baby Hippo Finger Puppet Book, Illustrated by Yu-Hsuan Huang, (Sept. 2022, Chronicle Kids), $7.99, ISBN: 9781797212876

Ages 0-3

I can’t get enough of these adorable finger puppet books! I love putting them up and around my early reading area so my littlest learners can see and easily reach them. Baby Hippo has an exciting day, splashing in the water and playing with her fellow calves, having some grass to eat, and running back to Mama in time to go to sleep. There’s one sentence on each spread except for the last page; gentle blues and greens make up most of the scenery, making this a good naptime/bedtime lapsit choice. Let your kiddos take turns wiggling their fingers inside of the Baby Hippo puppet as you read, letting them act out the story. I won’t lie – the pages are blocky and study, but that puppet is going to go in little mouths, so give them a wipe down with some soap and water if you can. They are durable enough to hold up in circulation.

 

Baby Lion Finger Puppet Book, Illustrated by Yu-Hsuan Huang, (Sept. 2022, Chronicle Kids), $7.99, ISBN: 9781797212869

Ages 0-3

Set up your own jungle adventure storytime by pairing Baby Lion with Baby Hippo. Baby Lion spends his day playing with friends, nuzzling and getting a bath from Mama, taking a nap, exploring, rejoining his family as the sun starts setting. Oranges and yellows are the main colors here, with greens, blues, and browns joining the natural colors that dominate this story of life on the African Savanna. The Baby Lion finger puppet will easily accommodate a couple of tiny fingers to wiggle around and act out the story. These books are very sturdy and will hold up to multiple readings and in circulation; with all the finger puppet books, my suggestion is to wipe them down; I’ve seen my in-house copies are going in little mouths as toddlers and babies use all of their senses to explore.

 

Mr. Bear’s World of Food, by Virginie Aracil, (Sept. 2022, Twirl Books), $19.99, ISBN: 9791036345173

Ages 2-5

This oversize book has so much to discover! Mr. Bear just loves food, and takes readers on a trip through their taste buds to learn about different types of flavors, including sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. Each spread introduces a new flavor, showcases foods with those flavors, and a little commentary from Mr. Bear on how each one makes him feel. Salty makes Mr. Bear thirsty; he thinks bitter, like coffee, tastes funny; fried makes him feel warm and toasty. Foods are labeled, expanding vocabularies, and introducing children to all sorts of different food, from endive and radicchio to miso and mushrooms; seasonings like vanilla bean and star anise to rich foods like salmon and whipped cream. A section of Favorite Foods features popular comfort foods – ask readers what they love most! – and Foods to Share encourages readers to share the love. There are lift-the-flaps and pop-ups to further delight readers, and a baguette bookmark assures readers can return to their favorite spreads again and again. Great for a yummy storytime! Originally published in France in 2021, this Mr. Bear book accompanies the three previous titles: Mr. Bear’s ABC, Mr. Bear’s Birthday, and Mr. Bear’s Colors.

 

So Many Kisses!, by Alexandra Garibal/Illustrated by Claudia Bielinksy, (Sept. 2022, Twirl Books), $8.99, ISBN: 9791036348822

Ages 0-3

An adorable board book that’s just perfect for a cuddly lapsit storytime. Adorable animals have a lovefest and show off all the fun ways of showing affection! Do you prefer a nose-to-nose kiss? Maybe a foot-to-foot kiss is more your style. An octopus loves to give tickly kisses, and a porcupine is there to give prickly kisses! Colorful animals and colorful backgrounds engage kids’ attention and different “kissy sounds” give readers a chance to really make this a fun readaloud. Originally published in France in 2021, So Many Kisses! gives readers the opportunity to show their caregivers how they like to be kissed and hugged.

 

Bookscape Board Books: We Love Books!, Illustrated by Ingela P. Arrhenius, (Oct. 2022, Chronicle Books), $8.99, ISBN: 9781797215587

Ages 0-3

Bookscape Board Books pack a little world into each book! We Love Books is all about developing a love of books, showing readers that they can enjoy a book just about anywhere, and maybe even consider writing a book one day. Arrhenius’s bold artwork is eye-catching, and the die cuts work together to create a layered world that reveals more with each turn of a page. Sturdy and absolute fun for exploring hands and minds, the Bookscape series is great for young learners. We Love Books is the fifth in the series and is great for board book collections. See more of Ingela P. Arrhenius’s illustration work on her Instagram.

 

Little Wild Animal Hugs, by Hans Wilhelm/Illustrated by Wednesday Kirwan, (Oct. 2022, Chronicle Kids), $9.99, ISBN: 9781797207186

Ages 1-3

Pair this one up with So Many Kisses! for your cuddly lapsit! Little wild animals love hugging, and this die-cut board book allows readers to mix and match the hugs. When a monkey and a seal hug, they make a Chitter-Chatter, Splish-Splash Hug! A porcupine and a lion make a Prickly-Prickly, Roar-Roar Hug! You can read this in a different way each time, just mix and match your animals any way you please. Die cuts make the animals look like they really do hug, and colorful cartoon art shows affectionate, lovable animal friends sharing affectionate embraces. Perfect for readalouds.

 

TouchWords: Color Cards : Touch and Feel, Illustrated by Rilla Alexander, (Sept. 2022, Chronicle Kids), $14.99, ISBN: 9781797214993

This oversized deck of ten cards is perfect for learning color. The die-cut cards let little hands feel and trace color names and a primary image on each card. Card backs show different shades of the featured color and other items of the same color. Purple is the color of a violet, with accompanying vocabulary words to help kids visualize and identify the world around them: flower / blossom / petals / leaf / stem / wild / delicate. On the back, shades of lilac, violet, and indigo give children additional shades of color, with examples including an iris, an eggplant, and grape jelly. The cards are study and will hold up to exploration; you may lose some in circulation, but keep a set or two handy for your storytime/playgroup collection.

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

Black Cat & White Cat: Friends Forever!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Black Cat & White Cat coverBlack Cat & White Cat, by Claire Garralon (June 2016, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $7.99, ISBN: 978-1-4926-3781-3

Recommended for 0-4

I just spotlighted Black Cat & White Cat yesterday, but today’s where I get to talk about actually reading and testing the book out at storytime. The story is simple and very sweet: Black Cats live in white houses. White Cats live in black houses. Black Cat and White Cat want to meet up and play, but Black Cat disappears when he goes to White Cat’s house, and vice versa. What can the two friends do to find a place that lets them have a great playdate? Strike out in search of a place that’s not too black or too white, naturally!

I LOVE this book. It’s perfect for a mixed storytime like my baby storytime, which ends up having a healthy combination of baby and toddler siblings all together. I explained to my parents that high contrast, black and white books are great for infants; they can best see these images. Older siblings get to enjoy a fun story about two friends in search of the perfect playdate while the littlest lapsitters enjoy the cutest images of cats and houses. The use of negative space is wonderful, especially when the friends try to visit one another – parts disappear! We see hind quarters and tails and cat feet; window cut-outs and stark trees add to the lonely atmosphere the cats feel as they try to make the most of a hide and seek playdate. When they finally arrive at a place just for them, it’s a surprise, a revelation, like stepping into Oz from Kansas. Beautiful, bright colors await the reader and the cats, and make for a very happy ending. My babies and my toddlers love this book, my 4 year-old loves this book, and I love this book.

For collections that see a lot of storytime action, particularly for babies and toddlers, this is a must-add. Put together a baby read-aloud with high contrast titles like Hello Animals, Hello Ocean Friends, and Hello Baby Animals for a fun, animal-friendly storytime with tons of fingerplay and song potential.