picture book – Page 5

Early Reader, Non-Fiction, Preschool Reads

Ocean Animals from Head to Tail is SO MUCH FUN!

Posted on July 2, 2016May 16, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ocean Animals from Head to Tail, by Stacey Roderick/Illustrated by Kwanchai Moriya, (Sept. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771383455

Recommended for ages 3-7

Does anyone love Steve Jenkins’ Actual Size and Prehistoric Actual Size as much as I do? They are the perfect non-fiction read-aloud for elementary school class visits; the kids go berserk when they see a life-sized Goliath beetle, or watch me put a dinosaur’s claw to the back of my head to illustrate how it could pick me up like a grape. Less terrifying, but just as amazing for the younger set – especially those Octonauts fans out there! – is Ocean Animals from Head to Tail, by Stacey Roderick and illustrated by Kwanchai Moriya.

Ocean Animals introduces readers to eight different ocean animals, focusing on a unique body part. First, we see a close-up of the animals in question – the scalloped head of a hammerhead shark, a colossal squid’s eye, a blue whale’s mouth with a focus on its baleen – and a question: What ocean animal has a head like this? What ocean animal has eyes like this? What ocean animal has a mouth like this? The body part in question is highlighted with a gray font to call attention to it, and the following spread answers the question, zooms out to illustrate the animal in its natural environment, and provides interesting and quick facts about the animal. We learn that the squid’s soccer ball-sized eyes are the largest of any animal, and help the squid see in areas where there’s very little light. The blue whale’s baleen act as a huge sieve to catch the tasty krill it loves to eat. A spread at the end introduces kids to eight more ocean animals.

Not featured in actual size, but still in huge detail, the kids will LOVE this book. Kwanchai Moriya’s paper collage art is bright and interesting, popping off the page and adding depth to the spreads. My three year-old loves this book (as well as the Actual Size books) and has me read this to him constantly. (It came in handy at the doctor’s office today!) With shows like Octonauts and Wild Kratts generating interest in animals, nature, and conservation, this is a great book to have on home, school, and library shelves. It’s a great storytime book, too: pair it with a Rainbow Fish story, Shark in the Dark, Mr. Seahorse – any underwater theme will do! Show an episode of Octonauts that stars one of the featured animals, and let the kids color some pictures of underwater animals that appear in the book.

This is the second in the Head to Tail series: Dinosaurs from Head to Tail was published in 2015, and Bugs From Head to Tail will be coming in 2017.

Great book for easy nonfiction collections.

Early Reader, Fiction, Fiction, Preschool Reads

A little boy learns to tell A Squiggly Story

Posted on July 1, 2016June 29, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Squiggly Story, by Andrew Larsen/Illustrated by Mike Lowery (Sept. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771380164

Recommended for ages 3-6

A little boy wants to write a story, just like his big sister, but he’s got one problem: he doesn’t know that many words! Big sister knows just what to tell him: start with what you know. Every word starts with a single letter, after all! When he writes the letter “I”, he’s on his way; with his sister to help guide his thought process, he’s on his way to creating an exciting adventure!

What a great way to encourage new learners to create their own stories! The little boy is unsure about himself at first, but his sister quickly allays his fears by empowering him to just go with what he knows, guiding him through the stages of writing a story: the beginning, the middle, and the end. When he proudly brings his finished story to school, his teacher encourages him to think even more deeply, and turns the story into a class project. It’s a great storytime concept and a great way to introduce creative writing and art to new learners.

Mike Lowery’s cartoony art is filled with interesting styles to capture a young readers’ attention. There are word bubbles, emphasis on words like BIG and small, comic-style panels, and callout sketches that invite readers into the characters’ imaginations. The children are multiethnic, making the story accessible for all.

This is a good addition to creative picture book collections. Pair A Squiggly Story with Written and Drawn by Henrietta for a creative storytime and crafternoon.

Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Nibbles is the cutest little book monster – but keep him away from your fairy tales!

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Nibbles the Book Monster, by Emma Yarlett (Apr. 2016, Kane Miller), $16.99, ISBN: 978-1-61067-467-6

Recommended for ages 2-6

Nibbles is an adorable little monster. He likes to nibble on everything from clocks to toes, but his favorite thing to nibble on is BOOKS. When Nibbles munches his way out of his box and gets loose, he wreaks havoc on some fairy tales! Can you catch him?

I LOVE this book, and so does my 3 year-old. This book has entered daily storytime rotation, and I’m happy to read it again and again, because it’s so much fun. The rhyming text just begs you to giggle along with it, especially when paired with the adorable, cartoony illustrations (Nibbles hanging on, teeth first, to a swinging clock pendulum never fails to make me crack up). Holes and die-cut flaps throughout the book send you and your readers on an adventure – books within books! – as you pursue Nibbles through Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk. It’s an exciting romp for little ones, and just when you think Nibbles has been caught… well, let’s hope that there are more Nibbles adventures to come. There are a lot of fairy tales out there, after all!

Highly recommended for children’s collections, and you can pair this with any fairy tale or fun monster book for a great, laugh-out-loud storytime.

Emma Yarlett is a Kate Greenaway award-nominated author and a winner of the English Association Picture Book Prize. Her author webpage showcases her artwork, links to her blog and a shop where you can purchase her books and art prints. You can buy your own plush Nibbles to love and display (maybe not too close to your books) at the Usborne website.

Check out the adorable book trailer!

Nibbles: The Book Monster from Bee Grandinetti on Vimeo.

Early Reader, Fantasy, Fiction, Preschool Reads

The Seven Princesses: A fairy tale about sisters and your own space

Posted on May 21, 2016May 18, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Seven Princesses, by Smiljana Coh (May 2017, Running Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9780762458318

Recommended for ages 4-8

Once upon a time, there were seven princesses, all with diverse interests, who did everything together. But one day, they had the biggest fight in the entire history of princess fighting, and they all decided to build their own towers and be on their own. But that wasn’t the answer, either; the princesses really missed one another. What’s a princess to do?

Smiljana Coh’s book about sibling rivalry is a great story for preschoolers to early school-age kids, because it gets to the heart of sibling arguments: sibings are largely together day and all night, and space eventually gets tight, no matter what the living situation. Arguments are bound to happen; kids are all too quick to say things like, “I never want to see you AGAIN!”, but eventually, love wins out, and things get smoothed over. She also captures the feeling everyone around kids feel when there’s sibling unrest: the palette goes from soothing, happy pastels to washed out, sad, sepia-toned art, and she addresses how painful the sound of silence can be. When the princesses reunite, there’s joy in the kingdom again!

I also love that the princesses are such great girl-power figures for younger readers: the multi-ethnic princesses are interested in math, building, music, fashion design, gardening, animals, swimming, and the arts; one princess creates the blueprint for a grand castle layout. The royal parents show up in the beginning and end of the book; other than looking lovingly at one another and their kids, there’s not much of a role here, except to show a beautifully diverse family.

I can’t wait to put this into storytime rotation, especially since princess books are aces with my crowd. I’d spotlight this with both Kate Beaton’s Princess and the Pony and Andrea Beaty’s Rosie Revere, Engineer; let girls see how amazing they are with these fun and fabulous role models.

Smiljana Coh is a Croatian author and illustrator. You can follow her on Facebook or check out her author website for more information.

Follow the Seven Princesses blog tour!

5/18 Anastasia Suen

5/20 Kid Lit Frenzy

5/21 Mom Read It

5/23 Reading Through Life

5/24 Unpacking the POWER of Picture Books

Early Reader, Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate

Imelda and the Goblin King: This ain’t Labyrinth.

Posted on May 10, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Imelda and the Goblin King, by Briony May Smith (Oct. 2015, Nobrow), $17.95, ISBN: 9781909263659

Recommended for ages 5-8

Imelda is a young girl living in an enchanted forest, surrounded by the local fairies she calls friends. But the awful Goblin King appears to kidnap the Fairy Queen, and the fairies ask Imelda for her help. Now, it’s up to Imelda to get rid of the Goblin King for good!

Another winner from Nobrow! This debut by Briony May Smith is a fun fairy tale with a strong female main character and eye-catching, bright art that fills each spread with movement and interest. The Goblin King is suitably dour and fierce looking, and his little minions look just as distasteful. Imelda is a great fairy tale heroine, rosy-cheeked and pink-dressed, but she’s no passive princess locked in a tower, waiting for a prince – she’s got a plan to turn the Goblin King into a worm, and she enlists the fairies to do it.

I also love the great fairy tale font. It’s very bold, with emphasis on the “stomps” and exclamations of “Goblin King!” It’s a different font that makes the story as interesting for a reader as it does for the audience in a read-aloud.

A fun fairy tale for school-age kids, this one will be a fun addition to collections where fairy tales do well. I’d pair this one with Kate Beaton’s Princess and the Pony for a read-aloud on princesses who can save themselves, thank you very much. Put this on a shelf with Luke Pearson’s Hilda series, too – the kids will love it.

Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Imagination steers one boy past The Storm

Posted on April 21, 2016April 21, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Storm, by Akiko Miyakoshi (Apr. 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771385596

Recommended for ages 3-7

A young boy is planning on a weekend trip to the beach with his parents, but a storm threatens otherwise. When the storm arrives, the boy tries not to be scared, imagining himself on a ship that’s strong enough to drive the storm away. When he wakes up the next day, will his dream of smooth sailing come true?

This is a perfect rainy day read. The gray charcoal illustrations with bright spots of blue (the boy’s shirt, the rain puddles) communicate the overall mood of the coming storm and the hope that it will pass in time to enjoy a trip to the beach. When the storm arrives in all its fury, the boy finds a safe place for himself: curled up in his bed, covers over his head, so he can’t hear the rain. He waits out the storm by imagining himself on a ship with propellers powerful enough to blow the storm away. He faces his fears by finding a safe place and through visualization.

The book provides a great opportunity to talk to young readers about overcoming fear and using positive imagery to steer them past any storms – negative thoughts or fears – in their own lives.

Read this one with Mercer Mayer’s There’s a Nightmare in My Closet or Lemony Snicket’s The Dark to talk about overcoming fear. Or just curl up on a rainy day with The Storm and a copy of Taro Yashima’s Caldecott Honor book, Umbrella, for a rainy day read.

The Storm has received a starred review from Kirkus. The Storm is writer and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi’s first picture book, and won the Nissan Children’s Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix. Her book, The Tea Party in the Woods, was published by Kids Can Press in 2015.

Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Willow’s Smile is great for Picture Day jitters!

Posted on March 25, 2016March 24, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Willow’s Smile, by Lana Button/Illustrated by Tania Howells, (April 2016, Kids Can Press), $16.95, ISBN: 9781771385497

Recommended for ages 4-8

Willow can smile without even trying, but sometimes, when she’s supposed to smile, the smile just slips right off her face. She’s so worried that she’ll lose her smile during Picture Day at school, but the photographer knows exactly what to do – he enlists her help in getting the other kids to smile! When it’s Willow’s turn in front of the camera, all of her friends pitch and to make sure her smile stays just right.

This is an adorable little book that’s a great choice to read before a class picture day, or a big picture taking event, like a birthday party or holiday. Kids will identify with Willow, who has trouble smiling on demand – who doesn’t? The simple art will draw kids’ attention, too – it’s a child’s story, and could have been hand drawn by Willow herself. The plain black font lends itself to an easy read-aloud where the images will hold an audience’s attention.

When the photographer asks Willow to help him cheer her classmates up to get them to smile, we see community at work – maybe that could be a job for a helper or two on Picture Day, to connect to the story and assuage nerves about smiling for the camera.

A sweet addition to collections, especially for school and classroom libraries.

Fiction, Preschool Reads

The Ugly Dumpling puts a new spin on a beloved fable

Posted on March 17, 2016January 21, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Ugly Dumpling, by Stephanie Campisi/Illustrated by Shahar Kober (Apr. 2016, Mighty Media), $15.95, ISBN: 978-1-938063-67-1

Recommended for ages 3-7

There once was an ugly dumpling who didn’t look like the other dumplings. This made him feel really badly, until along came a cockroach, whose heart reached out to the dumpling’s, and showed him the beauty of the world.

Sounds familiar, right? Well… kinda. The latest update of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fable The Ugly Duckling, The Ugly Dumpling looks beyond the surface to tell a sweet story about friendship, being different, and being proud of it. The dumpling, living in a restaurant, was uneaten and ignored because he didn’t look like the dumplings around him, but when he takes up with the cockroach, he realizes that the world around him is beautiful and so is his place in it – and he learns that he’s not a dumpling like those boring other guys after all! But the sweetest part of the story comes when the cockroach is discovered by the other food and the customers – and Dumpling realizes that it’s his turn to reach out to a friend in need.

Told in short, sentences with key words emphasized by beautiful artwork, like the “hiss” of a wok and a “thwack” of a cleaver, The Ugly Dumpling teaches kids not only that it’s okay not to fit in, but encourages them to accept one another’s differences – celebrate them! – and reach out to anyone who may feel ostracized and alone. I can’t think of a kinder, more valuable message to teach our kids these days.

Shahar Kober’s art is a perfect complement to Stephanie Campisi’s sweet story. I’m not a bug fan by any stretch of the imagination, but he manages to create a bug companion that is adorable and as touching as the cockroach in Wall-E (and that’s a HUGE thing for me to say). And think about it – what creature is as reviled as a roach? Ratatooie made mice in the kitchen a cute thing, we all love Desperaux, so by taking a cockroach – no doubt someone who’s all too aware of being an outsider and disliked – and having him reach out to a poor dumpling to say, “It’s okay – there’s so much beauty in the world around you,” is a beautiful gesture borne out of a true understanding of The Golden Rule. Kober manages to make a dumpling sympathetic and emphathetic, with kind words wrapped around him to give him life.

I love this story and can’t wait to read it with my preschoolers. It’s a great add to libraries and collections that promote tolerance and kindness among children, and maybe some adults could stand to learn a thing or three from its message, too.

Early Reader, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Am I Big Enough? Empowers kids!

Posted on March 9, 2016August 24, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Am I Big Enough?: A Fun Little Book on Manners, by Julia Pinckney/Illustrated by Timothy Young (Jan. 2016, Schiffer Publishing), $16.99, ISBN: 9780764350535

Recommended for ages 3-6

A little boy named Finn watches his family as they go about their daily activities and wonders if he is big enough to do the same things. Finn knows his hands are smaller than his daddy’s, but they are big enough to do lots of things on their own – and he invites other kids to see how big they are, too!

Each spread poses one of Finn’s questions: Am I big enough to say please? Am I big enough to be quiet in the library? On the right hand side of the page is a handprint where children can place their hands to see if, like Finn, they are big enough to handle the task at hand. Bold fonts and colors exclaim, “I AM BIG ENOUGH!” With every spread, both Finn and the readers gain confidence because they’re big enough to do a lot more than they may think.

For toddlers and preschoolers that may be hearing about all the things they aren’t allowed to do because they’re too little, a book like Am I Big Enough? shows them all the things they are big enough to do; they’re big enough to share, big enough to shake hands, and big enough to show everyone around them how fantastic they are. It’s an empowering book for little ones that could work in a smaller story time, where each child gets a chance to find out if he or she is big enough. I read this with my 3 year-old and he LOVED it. It’s gone into our daily storytime rotation, and now he’s got no problem letting our family know that he’s big enough to do “LOTS OF THINGS”.

A good addition to collections for a toddler and preschool population, and a good recommendation for anyone who needs empowering books for their little ones.

Have a look at more pages from Am I Big Enough?

Early Reader, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Calling All Cars – Fun for Storytime, Fun for Anytime!

Posted on March 4, 2016February 26, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Calling All Cars
Written by Sue Fliess, Illustrated by Sarah Beise
March 1, 2016; 10×10 Hardcover, ISBN 9781492618812
Also available in 8×8 Hardcover, ISBN 9781492638353

Book information:
Title: Calling All Cars
Author: Sue Fliess
Illustrator: Sarah Beise
Release date: March 1, 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

This month, I’ve got a spotlight on Sue Fliess and Sarah Beise’s adorable transportation book, Calling All Cars! This brightly colored salute to all kinds of cars is a great addition to libraries who enjoy storytime rhyming books.

Transportation books are huge with toddler and preschool audiences, with good reason: they’re fun! Calling All Cars takes readers on a trip with all sorts of cars: clown cars, trip cars, dogs in back cars, and more! The bold, black text makes for easy storytime reading; the text is as playful as the art, going up hills and through the snow next to their vehicles. The pictures are bold, with fun geometric shapes and cartoony drivers that kids will enjoy.

I read this one with my 3 year-old, who played along with his own toy cars. Could be a great storytime activity: let the little ones drive some cars of their own around after storytime, or let them color in car pictures (I always have a Word document with about 10-15 of Disney’s Cars characters ready to print). There are some great transportation songs and fingerplays on the Web, too – explore!

Enjoy the spotlight on Calling All Cars – thanks to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky!

Praise for Calling All Cars:

“Each double-page spread offers a surplus of amusing sights: three pigs in a convertible, a kitten chauffeuring a royal pair of lions, love-struck snakes hugging and tugging their cars too close together. Beise’s digital illustrations pop with vivid colors…. [Fliess’] rhyming couplets bounce off the page.” —Kirkus Reviews

“This successful collaboration combines brisk and spirited writing with bold, effervescent pictures and will have wide appeal to young readers. Fliess’s punchy rhymes mimic the speed and energy of the cars being described, making for a lively read-aloud… Young car enthusiasts will enjoy the ride through this zippy, robust picture book.” —School Library Journal

About the Book
Big cars, small cars, let’s call ALL cars! This bouncy text explores the wonderful world of cars zipping up, down, fast, and slow. A perfect basic concept books for eager young learners from the author of Tons of Trucks. Then cruise into bedtime!

Rest cars, Hush cars
No more rush, cars.
Cars pull in, turn off the light.
Sweet dreams, sleepy cars…goodnight!

Filled with vibrant art, adorable animal characters, and cars of all kinds from love bugs to the demolition derby, Calling All Cars is for every child who loves to read about things that go! Surprise bonus—follow one long road throughout this vividly imagined world and don’t miss the hidden clues in the artwork!

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27015390-calling-all-cars

Buy the Book
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1WHmpgX
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1QZwx0q
Books a Million: http://bit.ly/1SRWipt
!ndigo: http://bit.ly/1WHmzFf
Indiebound: http://bit.ly/1SRWuVL

About the Author
Sue Fliess is the author of more than a dozen children’s books, including the popular Tons of Trucks and Robots, Robots Everywhere! Her background is in copywriting, PR, and marketing, and her articles have appeared in O, the Oprah Magazine; Huffington Post; Writer’s Digest; and more. Her article from O, the Oprah Magazine was chosen for inclusion in O’s Little Book of Happiness (March 2015). Sue lives with her family and a Lab named Charlie in Northern Virginia. Visit her online at www.suefliess.com.

Connect with Sue Fliess!
Website: http://www.suefliess.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sue.Fliess.Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/suefliess
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/suefliess/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4484623.Sue_Fliess

About the Illustrator
Sarah Beise, a graduate of Minneapolis College of Art and Design, is an innovative illustrator and designer who loves to create fun and unique characters that help tell stories. Originally from Matthews, NC she now makes Kansas City her home along with her two dogs, Maxwell and Mazzie May. For more info visit http://www.SarahBeise.com.

Connect with Sarah Beise!
Website: http://www.colordotstudio.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sarah-Beise-Art-Design-LLC-233477983374912/

Calling All Cars Giveaway: Runs March 1-31 (US and Canada only)! Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!
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