preschooler – Mom Read It

Early Reader, Non-Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Adorable animal books for toddlers and preschoolers!

Posted on March 5, 2017March 4, 2017 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Anita Bijsterbosch has two adorable animal books out this month and next, perfect for toddlers who love to explore their books.

Do You See My Tail? (March 2017, Clavis Books, $12.95, ISBN: 978-1605373201) introduces readers to seven animals – well, seven animal tails; the rest of the animals are hidden behind local flora. The text drops a hint, and a gatefold reveals the full answer: an animal family! The repetitive question/answer format, and greeting to the animals and their babies, creates a fun discovery experience for little hands. An extra challenge: find the little ladybug hiding on every spread.

Preschoolers will like being able to control finding out more about the animals and learning about animal habitats: beavers play in a nest of tree trunks and branches, rabbits in a hole under the ground. Toddlers will love the excitement of discovery and the very cute artwork.

When I Grow Up (April 2017, Clavis Books, $14.95, ISBN: 978-1605373348) features six young animals who dream about what they’ll be able to do once they grow up: a little lion who can only growl softly now will be a big lion whose roar will be heard by all the animals; a little giraffe whose nose barely touches the leaves in a tree will one day be able to reach everything with his long neck. Die cut pages let readers flip the page to reveal the adult animal in the young animal’s place within the same setting.

As with Do You See My Tail?, When I Grow Up offers toddlers the excitement of discovery, with something new on every page. The pages are sturdy and will hold up to multiple page flips (always a concern in my library). Preschoolers can focus on habitats, food, and other animals sharing the living spaces.

Originally published in 2016 in Belgium and Holland, these are fun new choices to bookshelves and collections.

Preschool Reads

AJ Smith shows readers that Even Monsters… are just like us!

Posted on March 30, 2014March 30, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Even Monsters… by AJ Smith. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (2014), $16.99. ISBN: 9781402286520

Recommended for ages 3-6

Sure, monsters roar, growl, and stomp around, but did you know that they have to put clean underwear on in the morning, eat their breakfast, brush their teeth, and go to school, just like any other kid? That’s the message AJ Smith communicates to his young audience with his book, Even Monsters… Perfect for preschoolers and Kindergarteners, Even Monsters talks about all the day-to-day, very un-monstery things that kid monsters have to do, illustrating that everyone has to do things like brush their teeth, take a bath, and learn their ABCs. On the bright side, monsters also get to do cool things like play video games, soccer, and hide in tree forts, just like other kids! The book is a great way to show children that no matter how different people may be – heck, they may not even be people – we’re all the same – we even need a kiss goodnight. It’s very reassuring for a young audience who may be experiencing a new routine by entering preschool or kindergarten.

Mr. Smith uses digital art to illustrate his story. His monsters, Glubb and Skeebu, are brightly colored and have friendly expressions, even when they’re being very monster-y, growling, and snarling. The text is bold, black and has an almost paintbrush-stroke feel to it, creating some interest for the reader.

AJ Smith teaches art and has created cartoons for Sesame Street and animated children’s shows like Courage the Cowardly Dog. His website is a treasure trove for kids and grownups alike, with information about author visits and a parent/teacher guide to Even Monsters. The kids’ section has links to a Monster store, art galleries, Monster trading cards, games, a section on how to draw Glubb and Skeebu, and a link to a Glubb and Skeebu webcomic.

Toddler Reads

Retro Review: Nick Jr’s Oswald’s A Nice Quiet Picnic/The Big Parade

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Oswald (A Nice Quiet Picnic/The Big Parade). Directed by Ken Kessel. NickJr, 24 minutes. HIT Entertainment PLC, Nicktoons Productions. 2001

Toddlers and Preschoolers will love the early 2000’s cartoon, Oswald, based on the series of books by Dan Yaccarino. The show ran on Nicktoons from 2001-2003; parents can still find the show on the NickJr channel. Yaccarino served as producer on the show, assuring that the look and feel of the books carried over. Each episode runs approximately 24 minutes and contains two episodes that run about 12 minutes each.

The show follows the adventures of Oswald, an octopus, and his friends in the city of Big. Each episode contains the same characters: Oswald (voiced by Fred Savage), his dachshund, Weenie, who looks like an actual hot dog (voiced by Debi Derryberry), and his friend, Henry, a penguin (voiced by David L. Lander) appear in every episode. Other friends show up from time to time. In the episode A Nice Quiet Picnic, Oswald, Henry and Weenie go on a picnic; as more friends show up, the group tries to figure out how to feed everyone when there are only three sandwiches. The episode highlights the value of sharing, as Oswald continues to invite friends to the picnic as he encounters them in the park, despite Henry’s protests that there is not enough food to feed everyone; it also focuses on teamwork, as the group of friends comes together to feed everyone at the picnic. There are repetitive phrases and counting exercises throughout for toddler and preschool audiences, and simple songs round out the episode.

In The Big Parade, Oswald hears parade music from his window and is excited, believing that a parade is coming to town. He and Weenie fetch Henry and their friend, Daisy (voiced by Crystal Scales) – an actual Daisy flower – and find a spot to wait for the parade to pass, talking excitedly about their favorite parade performers; in particular, the acrobats, the jugglers, and the Grand Marshall. When they learn that there is no parade, and that the music was coming from a friend’s radio, they decide to make their own parade, each character assuming their favorite role. As with A Nice Quiet Picnic, there is a great deal of repetition, this time, reinforcing the roles of the parade performers. The episode teaches children to deal with disappointment, as the group does when they realize that there is no parade – they turn a letdown into a positive situation.

The artwork is the same as the artwork from the Oswald book series, with bright, vibrant color against a calm backdrop of City. The skies are blue, the grass is a calming green, and even Oswald’s apartment building is an inviting backdrop of light color, all assuring that the main characters will stand out. The characters speak calmly, in quiet, soothing voices.

The series is not very interactive, but it does provide good storytelling with characters that may be known to young audiences; it also serves, for those audiences that are unfamiliar with Oswald, as a bridge to reading the books. It may be a fun idea to have an Oswald day where audiences can view a two-story episode and talk about the themes of teamwork and what to do when you feel sad. Have Oswald books available and on display for parents and children to read and take out after the read-aloud. There are Oswald board books available for younger audiences. The Oswald mini-site on the NickJr. webpage offers printables that attendees could color.

NickToons and the now-defunct Noggin network also ran episodes of Maurice Sendak’s series, Little Bear and Bil Cosby’s Little Bill; these shows were based on series of books and could also be of interest to younger viewers and readers.

The Oswald series of books by Dan Yaccarino includes early readers, board books, and 8×8 books. Titles include Oswald’s Camping Trip; Counting with Oswald; Colors with Oswald and Henry’s First Haircut.