Tag: interactive

Posted in picture books, Toddler Reads

Three Board Books for Spring and Easter

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

It is no secret that I love board books. Having a new grandbaby to share all these great new board books with? GOLD. Here are a few I’ll be tucking into her Easter basket – and reading at Spring storytimes!

Egg Hunt with Max and Moo, by Susie Lee Jin, (Jan. 2025, Schiffer Kids), $9.99, ISBN: 9780764368851

Ages Birth-3

Max and Moo are having an Easter egg hunt, and you’re invited! Fun lift the flaps and a playful story show the two joining their friends preparing and enjoying the egg hunt. Doubling as a concept book, Egg Hunt helps reinforce colors as readers discover the eggs and the friends they’ll discover on the way. Characters from Max and Moo’s previous adventure, Peek-a-Moo!, show up here and will delight readers who are familiar with them. Bold, colorful illustration with bold, black fonts make for easy reading. Durable flaps will hold up to multiple reads. A fun read for holiday and board book collections!

Visit Susie Lee Jin’s website for fun and free downloadables and more about her books.

 

Oh So Sleepy Head to Toe, Illustrated by Maria Gabriela Gama, (April 2025, Scholastic), $8.99, ISBN: 9781546139409

Ages Birth-3

This is more of a bedtime story, but there are adorable animals, including a bunny, so Spring it is! Animal friends are all getting ready for bed, and it’s up to readers to soothe them to sleep. Rub Little Sheep’s fuzzy tummy; smooth Little Pup’s blanket, pet Little Bunny’s ears: touch-and-feel pages and the repetitive “Goodnight” on each spread will soothe and relax readers and provide a gentle bedtime routine. If you’re holding a pajama storytime, encourage your attendees to repeat the behaviors on their own stuffed friends. Gama’s illustrations are adorable, with bright colors and cartoony animals, all curled up under their covers. A final directive to readers to “Wiggle your toes. Stretch your arms. Close your eyes” provides more interactivity and leads them into their own slumber (or the close of your storytime). Don’t miss this one.

 

Spring ABC, by Jannie Ho, (Jan. 2025, Candlewick Press), $7.99, ISBN: 9781536237689

Ages Birth-3

It’s a Spring alphabet! Filled with Spring images, this ABCedary is sure to be a hit. Cheerful, colorful illustrations will capture any reader’s attention, with playful alphabet choices like Apple Blossoms and Daisies; Ho thinks up creative ways to highlight other letters, like G, choosing the word “grow” and showing a worm next to a series of growing saplings; X for Extra Eggs, and Z for Zipper, showing the zipper of what could be a spring jacket. The book is well-constructed, with hardy pages that will hold up to multiple readings. A concept books essential, make sure to put this in your collections.

Spring ABC is the fifth book in Jannie Ho’s ABC series – visit her website to find out more!

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Shine a Light on Backyard Bugs!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Backyard Bugs (A Shine-a-Light Book), by Carron Brown & Wesley Robins, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $12.99, ISBN: 9781684645695

Ages 4-8

I have so much fun with these Shine-a-Light books. If you have a bright storytime area, you have to try one. It may feel a little awkward at first, getting the book in the best position to show off the hidden picture using light shining through the page, but it’s worth it and you’ll find a rhythm between storytelling and giving time to show off the picture, honest. Backyard Bugs is all about meeting the bugs in our backyards and green spaces. Pages alternate between bright, colorful pages with a featured insect, a fact, and an interactive question, answered on the next page – a black and white answer and insect; if you hold the colorful page up to the light, the bright white insect’s outline shows through, delighting readers. It’s a great STEM storytime book and adds a fun, interactive element to read-alouds. Letting readers explore the books for solo or paired reading gives them a chance to discover the hidden pictures for themselves. A good suggestion for elementary nonfiction collections.

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

Halloween Reads for Littles!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Halloween is my favorite holiday! I get to be spooky and goofy and dress up, encouraging everyone around me to do the same. Halloween storytimes are also my favorite, for the same reasons. I’ve got a few Halloween books to book-shout, but let’s start with the wee ones first, shall we?

Peekaboo: Pumpkin, by Camilla Reid/Illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius, (July 2023, Candlewick Press), $9.99, ISBN: 9781536229813

Ages 0-3

Any time I get to enjoy Ingela P Arrhenius’s artwork is a good day. Peekaboo: Pumpkin is the latest in the Peekaboo series from Reid and Arrhenius, taking little readers through a series of rhyming words and accompanied by sliding panels, surprises, and adorable illustration. Sliders let little fingers explore a pumpkin’s shifting eyes, light candles, enjoy a game of peekaboo between a ghost and a cat, a frog and a spider, and other delightful pairings. A mirror reveals itself at the end, inviting a game of lapsit peekaboo. Arrhenius’s illustrations have expressive, cheerful characters, colors pop off the page. The pages are sturdy and the sliding panels will hold up to a great deal of exploring. This one’s a keeper for collections.

 

 

 

Holiday Magic: Happy Halloween!, by Harriet Stone/Illustrated by Giovana Medeiros, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 9781684646401

Ages 0-3

Blend a fun Halloween rhyme with Venetian window panels and playful illustration, and you have a great interactive board book. Happy Halloween features shifting panels and clever cut-outs to create a rhyme about how vampires, mummies, werewolves, and black cats all get ready for Halloween, letting each friendly character change before a reader’s eyes: “This mummy’s tangled bandages are startingto undo! / Underneath, a skeleton jumps up and shouts out, BOO!” Perfect for a Halloween storytime, kids will delight in seeing a vampire morph into a bat, a mummy into a skeleton, a little boy into a werewolf, and a black cat into a witch in front of their eyes. The characters are friendly, never scary, and use of purples and dark blues, plus gratuitous smiling spiders, pumpkins, and other Halloween touchstones set a playful stage for Halloween. Buy a copy for your storytime reference, as the shifting panels may get worn out by curious learners who will open and close the book repeatedly to see how the change takes place. Holiday Magic: Happy Halloween! is a holiday companion to the Animal Magic series from Kane Miller, which includes In the Jungle, In the Ocean, In the Night, and In the Snow, all of which employ Venetian paper design. (And there will be a Merry Christmas book, too!)

 

 

See the Ghost: Three Stories About Things You Cannot See, by David LaRochelle/Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka, (July 2023, Candlewick Press), $9.99, ISBN: 9781536219821

This is one of the best Easy Reader series in recent years. If you loved See the Dog and See the Cat, you’re going to go bananas for See the Ghost, which brings Dog and Cat together with a Ghost and a Fairy for three hilarious stories. Each story can be read as a standalone, but they also build upon one another to create a laugh-out-loud trilogy. The first story, “See the Ghost”, has Ghost scaring Dog and Cat… and eventually, themselves! In “See the Wind”, the Wind gets a bit carried away, blowing everything off the page: including the words to the story! “See the Fairy” introduces Trixie, a fairy “so small that you cannot even see me”. Trixie is a playful fairy with a mischevious streak, and Dog, Cat, and Ghost have to teach Fairy how to play so that everyone has fun. Easy-to-read sentences make this a great book to give emerging readers, and large fonts and colorful, playful illustration makes for an easy readaloud. Spreads use an omniscient narrator and word bubbles; sentences get tossed to an fro with the wind, playing with format.

See the Ghost has starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist. Download fun activity sheets and a teacher’s guide at publisher Candlewick’s website.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Back to School Picture Books

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The end of Summer Break is nigh, but don’t fret. Here are some fun picture books to get readers into thoughtful school mode.

Marker, by Anna Kang/Illustrated by Christopher Weyant, (June 2023, Two Lions), $17.99, ISBN: 9781542039611

Ages 3-7

The companion to Anna Kang and Christopher Weyant’s Eraser (2018) is every bit as playful, wonderful, and perfect for back-to-school reading. The teacher’s school supplies are having their meeting and getting ready for the first day of school. Marker has always been one of the teacher’s go-to supplies, but there’s a new supply in town: Pinking Shears! The decorative scissors make beautiful, decorative cuts and she quickly earns admiration from the other supplies, even taking Marker’s spot in the vaunted “Teaching is my Superpower” mug. Her self-confidence diminished, Marker makes a mistake, which upsets her so much, she makes another mistake! Her friends rally around her, and Marker’s fear comes out: she’s permanent. Her mistakes can’t be erased. Luckily, these supportive supplies are there to save the day, and help Marker understand that it is okay to make mistakes. Kids will love being reunited with their school supply friends, including Eraser, Pencil, and Sharpener. Kang uses character dialogue to tell the story, and creates a delightful character study using the familiar aspects of each of the supplies: Stapler, for instance, can’t wait to “sink [their] teeth into those math packets”, and Post-Its helps construct a play city out of their notes. Class Rules include familiar guidelines like, “Be respectful and kind”, “Include others, don’t exclude”, “Raise your hand to speak”, and “Listen”. Filled with school supply puns and wonderful messages about making mistakes, Marker should be on the top of your back-to-school purchases and read-alouds.

 

Twenty Questions, by Mac Barnett/Illustrated by Christian Robinson, (March 2023, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536215137

Ages 4-8

Award-winning creators Mac Barnett and Christian Robinson join forces to present this thought-provoking and fun book, filled with questions – and the answers can go anywhere! Barnett and Robinson begin with a fairly straightforward exercise: a bright green tree with a bevy of animals in and around it, accompanied with a question: “How many animals can you see in this picture?” From there, the questions become more fun, more interesting: a tiger threads itself through a spread of leaves, and the question asks, “How many animals can you not see in this one, because they’re hiding from the tiger?” A police car meanders by a group of women, and Barnett asks, “Which of these ladies just robbed a bank?” Interesting, colorful mixed media illustrations punch up a series of questions that ask readers to stretch their imaginations. The final spread is a great conversation opener for students. A sense of fun runs through the book – share that feeling with the kids! An excellent choice for picture book collections. Download a Teacher Tip card at Candlewick’s website.

Twenty Questions has a starred review from Booklist and was an Indie Next pick.

 

Never Let a Diplodocus Draw, by Rashmi Sirdeshpande & Diane Ewen, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $13.99, ISBN: 9781684645800

Ages 3-7

The third book in “Never Let a Dinosaur…” series from Sirdeshpande and Ewen is here! The imaginative young girl is back with a new dinosaur and a new adventure, this time, teaching her diplodocus to draw. In cumulative fashion, the diplodocus lets her imagination run wild, becoming a global art sensation; her artwork selling for “gazillions” of dollars and her scupltures in demand from mayors all over the world’s cities. What happens when the paint factory can’t hold any more paint? You’ll have to read to find out. The story touches on the many ways we create and enjoy art, and Ewen’s colorful illustations place humans and dinosaurs side by side. A fun readaloud with a playful conclusion, Never Let a Diplodocus Draw is a cheery art storytime readaloud and pairs wonderfully with its predecessors, Never Show a T-Rex a Book and Never Let a Stegosaurus Do Sums.

 

All the Wonderful Ways to Read, by Laura Baker/Illustrated by Sandra de la Prada, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $15.99, ISBN: 9781684645473

Ages 3-7

Inviting readers to join the “most welcoming club in the world”, Baker weaves a rhyming tale about all the ways there are to enjoy a story: “Will you pore over / e…ve…ry / word in a hush? / Or speed to the end in / an almighty rush?”Animals and humans enjoy books in a variety of locales, from a tent under the stars to a hot air balloon in this paen to the joy of reading and imagination. Baker touches on favorite genres and formats, like graphic novels and poetry; the process of finding that just-right book; and the experience of reading: “Will you laugh out loud? Gasp out loud? Call out together?” Reading is an activity that unites readers, thus creating what Baker calls – with great reason – “the most welcoming club in the world”. de la Prada’s cheery illustrations show groups of readers together; parents and children, and solitary readers alike, all enjoying a story and showing everyone that there’s no one way to enjoy a book. Navy blue endpapers display a variety of outlined characters reading; books are a bright yellow, offering a beacon to adventure. An excellent readaloud choice for those first weeks of school, for library class visits, and storytimes alike. All the Wonderful Ways to Read was originally published in Great Britain.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Two books for Back to School

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I know, I know, don’t throw things at me! It’s only July and our kids have practically just started summer vacation (as my own Kiddo has told me when he sees school supplies on sale), but you want to have your books ready to greet the kiddos when they get back to school, right? Here are three good additions to your back to school collections.

The Wild Guide to Starting School, by Laura & Philip Bunting, (Aug. 2023, Kane Miller), $15.99, ISBN: 9781684646081

Ages 3-6

This Australian import (2022) is about to hit U.S. shelves and it is a hilarious guide to the first day of school, starring a cast of Australian animals starting preschool. Taking readers through an entire day from wake-up to bedtime, the book, written in guide format, provides hilarious and heartfelt steps for getting through that first day of school. Readers will laugh out loud at the suggested – and not recommended – suggestions for waking up, getting dressed, school essentials, and ways to go to school. A sweet section on drop-off farewells include such suggestions as the “Bil-Bye”, when parent and child bilbays interlock tails and the “Butt Bump”, where parent and child wombats… well, bump butts.  The section on bathroom use will bring the shrieks and giggles, and parents will recognize the responses to “What did you do at school today?”, provided in bar chart form. Mixing humor with helpful suggestions, The Wild Guide to Starting School is a fun addition to back-to-school storytimes that answers questions while providing some relaxing laughter.

 

 

Yenebi’s Drive to School, by Sendy Santamaria, (June 2023, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797216294

Ages 4-7

Yenebi and her sister, Melanie, wake up at 4 a.m. every morning and get ready to leave for school. Mami waits for them in the car, and they begin they drive across the border. As they sit in traffic for up to three hours, the family orders breakfast from vendors who walk up and down the road, selling everything from food to clothing and jewelry. Yenebi is in good spirits, delighted by all she can buy and see from Mami’s car window, and Melanie sleeps until it’s time to eat; Mami savors her coffee and enjoys the family time with her girls. The story of life in a border town, Yenebi’s Drive to School shows the hardships of families waiting in La Linea – the traffic waiting to cross the border – and the dedication of parents who will do anything in their power to give their children the best they can. Spanish vocabulary and phrases throughout the book thread through the English text. Digital illustrations bring the vibrancy and color of a border town to life. Endpapers show a variety of pigeons sitting on barbed wire; some with pencils, some with coffee, some with backpacks. An author’s note provides deeper context to the story. Yenebi’s Drive to School published simultaneously in Spanish; both are essential purchases for collections.

Yenebi’s Drive to School has starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus.

 

 

Welcome to Preschool, by Maria Carluccio, (July 2023, Chronicle Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9781797210841

Ages 2-4

What a cute way to welcome children to preschool! An introduction to a day at preschool, Welcome to Preschool has an all-animal cast of characters and sturdy pull tabs that let little explorers pull and push a character per spread across the page, allowing student to hang up a coat, play with trains, fingerpaint, push a book cart, reach for the sky, and head home for the day. Mixed media watercolor provides soft colors; rhyming text makes for a soothing read, and the sturdy board book will hold up to multiple uses. Each spread makes Pre-K look like a wonderful place to be, with a friendly teacher who leads her charges through the school day and a friendly group of students who play together. A very cute addition to board book collections.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads, Uncategorized

Big books for little ones: board books and more!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

You know I love a board book bonanza, but I’ve got other interactive books to crow about, too! Let’s go right to it!

Ultimate Spotlight: Caring for Earth, by Sandra Laboucarie & Sarah Reynard/Illustrated by Julie Mercier, (March 2023, Twirl Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9791036353239

Ages 4-6

Twirl’s Ultimate Spotlight series is such fun for pre-readers and emerging readers. Loaded with interactive devices like lift-the-flaps, pull tabs, and spinners, each book is like a little adventure. Caring for Earth, the newest book in the series, is a fun and informative look into conservation and preservation. Spreads on respecting nature, creating gardens, eco-friendly living inform grown-ups and children about the many easy ways we can take action to keep our Earth green: create and support a seed library; compost food waste; switch from liquid soap to bar soap, and take a healthy walk when you can! Spreads on gardening show readers the different layers helpful in creating a layered ecosystem. Translated from the original French, the verbiage runs smoothly and is easy to read to younger learners. Flaps and pulls are sturdy and hold up to use (but I always suggest keeping an extra in your reference collection if you want to hold one for storytime and STEM programming). A good addition to a very fun series.

 

Hello Hummingbirds: Read and play in the tree!, by Hannah Rogge/Illustrated by Emily Dove, (May 2023, Chronicle Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9781797210094

Ages 2-4

This adorable book comes with two hummingbirds, attached to ribbons, that readers can use to swoop and play with the hummingbird narrator. A friendly hummingbird greets readers and takes them through a day in the life: swooping and flying, enjoying flower nectar, sheltering and building a nest. Quick, fun facts thread through the narrative, while the colorful artwork and playful fonts engage readers. The book stands up and pages open to become a tree. The pages are sturdy and the ribbons seem to hold up to extra tugging, making this a good storytime/playtime choice.

Let’s Go to Color Camp!: Beginning Baby, by Nicola Slater, (June 2023, Twirl Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9781797218724

Ages 0-3

The Beginning Baby friends return on a trip to Color Camp – and they need help identifying colors! Tabbed flaps with colors help children turn to a favorite color, or they can page through the story where they’re invited to identify colors in the camp surroundings as the Beginning Baby friends paint, eat lunch, go swimming, and enjoy a day at camp. The retro art and expressive, friendly animals are eye-catching, and the sturdy pages will hold up to multiple readings. Great for a read-aloud and quiet skill-building, this is a fun addition to a fun series.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Great storytime fun: Watch Out for the Lion!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Watch Out for the Lion!, by Brooke Hartman/Illustrated by Anna Süβbauer, (Feb. 2023, Page Street Kids), $18.99, ISBN: 9781645676287

Ages 4-7

Interactive storytime fun and a silly narrator (that’s you) make Watch Out for the Lion! just too much fun. There’s a lion prowling within the book, and the narrator is very nervous! Warning readers to keep an eye out, the narrator provides a helpful picture pointing out how to spot a lion. Following spreads feature a “brushy bristly tail”; “curvy claws”‘, “twitchy ears”, and more, but is it the lion… or a slightly less intimidating animal? Camouflaged illustration invites readers to guess along with the reader, and laugh out loud at the reveals. Final endpapers and the cover underneath the book jacket show the lion and a lion cub, giving more context to the story. Bold, colorful digital illustrations and bright, large fonts make this an easy readaloud; bring your best dramatic skills to the reading and let your Kiddos be part of the story. An excellent choice for collections. Pair with readalouds like Bill Cotter’s Don’t Touch This Book! or Jory John’s I Will Chomp You!

Watch Out for the Lion! has a starred review from School Library Journal. Download an activity guide here!

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Board and Concept Books to keep an eye out for!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I’ve been busily scaling Mount TBR, and wanted to share some up-and-coming books, too! Here are some concept and early childhood books to into your ordering carts now – let’s spend down our book budgets!

One More Try, by Naomi Jones/Illustrated by James Jones, (Aug. 2022, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 9781684644568

Ages 3-7

While playing one day, Circle sees the squares and hexagons building a tower and really wants to build one, too. Triangle and Rhombus want to play, too, but the group can’t seem to balance as easily as the other shapes do. They work out, they study, but they keep falling down, until Circle gets some inspiration from above and changes his perspective. Naomi Jones creates a sweet story about teamwork and perspective; James Jones creates colorful shapes with cheerful expressions and spindly black arms and legs. The shapes cheer each other on and support one another, delivering a positive message about playing together and helping one another. A cute addition to concept collections and a fun storytime choice.

One More Try lends itself to a fun flannel storytime – cut shapes out of flannel and let your circle time add to the story as you read. There are oodles of shape coloring pages available for free for a post-storytime activity: visit GetColoringPages and MomJunction for some fun choices.

 

My Big Book of Nature Sounds, by Lucie Brunelliere, (Feb. 2023, Twirl Books), $21.99, ISBN: 9782408042165

Ages 0-3

An adorable way to introduce interactivity into your storytimes, My Big Book of Nature Sounds includes over 100 sounds organized into areas like backyards, gardens, forests, beaches and oceans, the mountains, the desert, and the rainforest. Each button maps to an area of the book, noted by a colorful icon at the top left hand of each page. At the press of a button, little ones will delight to hear 6 types of birds; backyard activities, like digging holes or watering plants; a grownup inflating a child’s water wings, and a calming rainforest waterfall. Colorful illustrations show animals and humans enjoying and respecting nature, and illustrations are clearly labeled. Perfect for lapsit exploration or to enhance a nature storytime.

 

Who’s the Most…? A Guess Who Book, by Claudia Bielinsky, (Feb. 2023, Twirl Books), $10.99, ISBN: 9791036353093

Ages 0-3

This adorable seek-and-find book challenges readers to pick animals out of a group based on characteristics: who’s the strongest? The cleanest? The most loving? Readers will look for the featured animal based on clues provided in the text: “Which mouse is all ready, with a shirt, pants, and shoes on? It’s Mikey-he’s the most ready!” The guessing game leads up to a delightful reveal, making this a wonderful readaloud for small lapsits and one-on-one reading and cuddle time. Colorful, kid-friendly cartoon animals are attention-grabbers, and naming the animals assures readers will return to this one as they look forwarding to naming their new friends again and again. A good addition to board book collections.

 

Little Chicks, by Taro Gomi, (Feb. 2023, Chronicle Books), $7.99, ISBN: 9781797218748

Ages 0-3

Three little chicks head off for an adventure in this sweet story by Taro Gomi. After running through a field, escaping a bigger, grumpier bird, and taking a bus ride, the chicks are ready to head back home; the story speaks directly to a toddler’s growing sense of independence, cloaked in the desire to explore within the bounds of safety. Gomi’s colorful artwork is always a delight for the eyes, and some readers may notice that the bus in the story looks similar to another board book favorite character: Elmer the Elephant! Short sentences make for a great move into independent reading for preschoolers. An essential pick for board book collections.

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Visiting neighbors, Moonlight Prances, and board books for all!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Be My Neighbor?, by Suzy Ultman, (Feb. 2022, Chronicle Kids), $15.99, ISBN: 9781452177120

Ages 2-4

Hello hello hello! A family of cats has moved into the neighborhood, but they’re still settling in, and want to bake a batch of cookies to greet their neighbors. They need a few things in order to get things underway, though: maybe you can help? Seek and find meets lift the flap in this entertaining book with a playful and chic sense of style. The cats head to each house on their block – each spread in our book – to ask for a different ingredient, letting readers play and explore the different flaps to find the ingredients. Ingredients all collected, the family heads home to bake and deliver the yummy cookies! The repetitive, introductory phrase, “Hello, hello, we are new. May we borrow *INGREDIENT* from you?” eases readers into a comfortable routine, and each animal’s home is filled with delightful little details. The cats have hanging balls of yarn as an art piece, while a panda soaks in a tub, a “nap time” tea bag submerged in the water. The horse family has a coffee table book of Horse Tales and a pony puppet theatre, and the koalas are a STEM-loving family with a lab and a Jane Goodall fan club banner (that reveals a Katherine Johnson fan club banner on the flip side). They’re so much fun, so personal with little details, that kids will turn to this one again and again. Flaps are sturdy but small, so the littlest toddlers may need someone to ease those flaps open at first. Absolute fun.

 

Moonlight Prance, by Serena Gingole Allen/Illustrated by Teagan White, (Apr. 2022, Chronicle Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9781452174068

Ages 0-3

An enticing rhyming, interactive board book inspired by the author’s late night with her infant son, Moonlight Prance is a celebration of nocturnal animals that is an adorable bedtime story. Sturdy sliding panels and pull tabs let readers play with foxes and fireflies, hedgehogs and porcupines, and other adorable animals illustrated by artist and naturalist Teagan White. Pair with its companion book, Sunrise Dance, also by Serena Gingole Allen and Teagan White, publishing in April 2022, for an animal storytime that takes readers through a whole day with cheerful, playful animal friends.

Bundle and display with books like Sleepyheads, by Sandra J. Howatt and Joyce Wan; Sandra Boynton’s The Going to Bed Book, and Isabelle Simler’s Sweet Dreamers. Want to stick with the nocturnal animals theme? Mrs. Jones Creation Station has a nice list of books for you.

 

 

Sunrise Dance, by Serena Gingole Allen/Illustrated by Teagan White, (Apr. 2022, Chronicle Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9781452174051

Ages 0-3

When the Moonlight Prance is over, the daytime animals wake up for a Sunrise Dance! The companion book to Moonlight Prance is every bit as interactive and playful, with daytime dwellers like shimmying salmon, dancing dragonflies, and marmots who mambo. Sliding panels, pull tabs, and movable discs let playful little explorers in on the fun as they move a group of dancing ducklings back and forth on the book’s cover, help dragonflies dance across the pond, and more. The rhyme is playful, introducing groups of animals at play, and the illustrations show the sunlight growing in strength across the spreads; starting with a pinkish sky as the sun first awakens through to a warm light that brings out the gentle color in all the animals and their surroundings. A young boy appears at the end, inviting readers to talk about what they plan to do on this bright day. Great to partner with Moonlight Prance or read alone, Sunrise Dance is a fun way to engage little learners and teach them about diurnal animals, versus the nocturnal friends they meet in books like Moonlight Dance.

 

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Flaps, folds, snaps, and pulls: Board Books to Explore!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Over the last couple of days, I’ve gotten a LOT of book mail (thank you!). The Fall is going to be AMAZING for kids’ books, and the board books? *Chef’s kiss* There are so many fun tabs, snaps, and flaps to be found in these new books – just perfect for toddlers and rising preschoolers to engage those little minds and hands. Let’s take a look at some, shall we?

Snap! Chomp Your Jaws!, by Bob Barner, (Aug. 2021, Chronicle Books), $14.99, ISBN: 9781452179421

Ages 0-3

This adorable board book is all about animals who snap their jaws: lions, gorillas, crocodiles, hippos and sharks all chomp with powerful jaws, and this sturdy board book lets kids pull on those jaws and watch them snap back! Each animal includes a fun fact or two (female lions do the hunting; crocodiles carry their babies in those powerful jaws), and the jaw pull reveals sharp teeth to marvel over. Cut paper illustrations add texture and depth to the illustrations, and bold black font makes for easy reading during a lapsit reading. A companion to Bob Barner’s Snap! Stick Out Your Tongue! (2020), this is a book to have on your low shelves so the littles can find it on their own.

Bob Barner is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. Visit his author website for coloring pages, songs and videos!

 

Where is Everyone?, by Tom Schamp, (Sept. 2021, Prestel Junior), $14.95, ISBN: 9783791374505

Ages 2-5

Originally published in Dutch in 2020, this board book is full of fun lift-the-flaps. Guided by two ducks, each page challenges readers to use their imaginations to see beyond the everyday, whether it’s discovering that a raccoon is behind a washer, or that a pelican is behind a sink. Questions prompt the imagination by asking the reader who they think will be revealed: perfect for lapsits and small readalouds! A final flap is the most fun reveal of all, bringing everyone together. The artwork is colorful and the flaps are sturdy, holding up to repeated use. The animals have friendly expressions, and the everyday housewares are easy to recognize. Ask your readers what else they see on each spread, whether it’s a color, shape, or additional details, from a tea bag to a couch pillow. Then ask them what could be behind items in your home, class, or library: maybe there’s a giraffe behind a floor lamp, or an – ouch! – porcupine by that footstool.

 

Hide and Seek Peekabook (Beginning Baby), by Nicola Slater, (Sept. 2021, Twirl Books), $10.99, ISBN: 9781797203690

Ages 0-3

Twirl Books has more Beginning Baby books this Fall! Hide-and-Seek Peekaboo is a fun lift-the-flap version of the game, where you and a group of animal friends play together as you look for them under tables, behind chairs and curtains, and under blankets. If you have other Beginning Baby books, you and your little ones may recognize the familiar faces; animal friends like Riley the Narwhal, Mia the Monkey, and Gabriel the Giraffe are the same group we saw in earlier books. Questions on each spread get readers wondering who’s hiding, and guide them to the flap location: “Who is behind the curtain?” Who is behind the pillow?” Pair with Shasha Lv’s board book, A Little Snail Book: Hide and Seek, for more concept fun.

 

This Book Can Do Anything, by Tristan Mory, (Sept. 2021, Twirl Books), $13.99, ISBN: 9782408028527

Ages 0-3

This book is perfect for readalouds! Shaped like a fun little rectangular being with round, blue glasses, it’s a book that can do anything – and just begs for you and your readers to join the fun. Every spread asks a question: Can the book wink? Can it blink? Put a finger in its nose? The book rises to the occasion, and now it’s up to you to see if your readers can do all the fun things Book can do. The book is expressive, friendly, and just goofy fun, with a fun pull-tab surprise at the end. High contrast black and white expressions join with colorful bright blue glasses and bright red-orange pants and freckles to grab readers’ attention. Add this to your interactive storytimes (anything by Herve Tullet will do) and add a Simon Says game to the fun!

Donuts!, by Lea Redmond/Illustrated by Flora Waycott, (Sept. 2021, Chronicle Books), $9.99, ISBN: 9781797210827

Ages 0-3

Die-cut into the shape of a yummy donut, this sweet book is all about the ingredients! Each spread is a guessing game about a tasty ingredient, revealed on the next spread, just in time for the next mouth-watering question. Flora Waycott’s delicious illustrations will likely have little ones reaching for this book: and I’ve got board books with teeth marks to begin with, so I’ll probably be buying a couple of copies of this one. What goes into every donut, though? A die-cut heart reveals the not-so secret ingredient at the end. Absolutely adorable.