Philip Bunting – Mom Read It

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.

(It’s a joke, based on one of the book’s titles. Keep reading.)

Who loves bears? We love bears! Teddy bears, polar bears, brown bears brown bears, bears are children’s book gold. I’ve got three books about bears to crow about today, so let’s start with the inspiration for this post’s title.

Another book about bears., by Laura & Philip Bunting, (Jan. 2020, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 978-1-68464-084-3

Ages 3-7

I love a story that breaks the fourth wall! Have you ever thought about how many books there are about bears? Did you ever consider that every time a bear stars in a story, that bear may have been in the middle of something “really good – like sleeping, or snoozing, or napping”? Well, the bears have had it and are going on strike! This hilarious book is all about one bear’s fight for justice. The omniscient narrator tries their best to nudge the bear into compliance in a silly series of moments like dressing it up in a tutu or suggesting the bear kiss a frog, but Bear stands firm, even calling up other animals to serve as a proper stand in. Kids will laugh out loud at the deadpan humor, and the ultimate solution that works for everyone is priceless. Originally published in Australia in 2018, Another book about bears is storytime hilarity just waiting to be revealed.

Visit Philip Bunting’s webpage for free, fun downloadables for kids, too!

A Polar Bear in the Snow, by Mac Barnett/Illustrated by Shawn Harris, (Oct. 2020, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536203967

Ages 3-6

Gorgeous cut paper and ink artwork presents a polar bear’s meandering through a brilliant white world and a deep blue sea. A polar bear wakes up in the snow and begins walking… but where is he going? What does he want? Award-winning author and illustrator Mac Barnett builds curiosity and excitement as readers follow the bear past seals, through a storm, and as he rebuffs a human in a very polar bearlike fashion, to end up at his destination. Shawn Harris’s illustrations give such texture and motion, layering shades of white upon white and blue upon blue, giving us a feeling of purpose and joy. Simple sentences and facts about polar bears (he clearly eats seals, but he’s not hungry right now; his coat protects him from the snowstorm; he likes to swim) are a wonderful introduction to young readers about the natural science of bears and the Arctic. A final question leaves much open to discussion. There’s so much presented in this book, so beautifully, and respects its youngest readers in its presentation. Teacher Tips are downloadable from Candlewick’s website.

A Polar Bear in the Snow has starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, Booklist, and Publishers Weekly.

Can Bears Ski?, by Raymond Antrobus/Illustrated by Polly Dunbar, (Nov. 2020, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536212662

Ages 3-7

Little Bear can feel the world around him – all its rumbles and shakes, trembles and wobbles – but hearing his world is a little more difficult. He doesn’t hear things clearly, and thinks he hears everyone asking him, “Do bears ski?” Dad takes him to an audiologist one day, and is fitted for hearing aids that make his world way too LOUD. He resists them at first, hiding them around the house, but with his dad’s love and support, he understands that it’s just something new to get used to – and he also learns that everyone has been asking him not whether or not bears can ski, but “Can you hear me?” A touching story about self-discovery, Can Bears Ski? is essential for bookshelves and can start many conversations with children. Author Raymond Antrobus is a Ted Hughes award-winning deaf poet and teacher who wrote Can Bears Ski because “It’s the book I could see myself reaching for as a child, and I can’t wait to have it exist in the world.” Colorful ink and paint artwork made this a gentle, comforting story about a big topic. The CDC’s Kids Quest webpage has helpful facts for kids on hearing loss.

Tag: Philip Bunting

Two books for Back to School