Tag: Prestel Publishing

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Board Book Bonanza!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

I haven’t done a board book bonanza in a while, so let’s get right to it! There are OODLES of great board books out and hitting shelves soon, so make sure you have your collections ready for your littlest learners!

Surprise! Slide and Play Shapes, by Elsa Fouquier, (Feb. 2021, Twirl Books), $14.99, ISBN: 9782408024697

Ages 0-3

Way too much fun! A cat goes on an adventure in this adorable book with chunky sliding panels and colorful spreads. Readers can twist, push, wiggle, and slide colorful shaped blocks to reveal hidden panels that pop up to delight and surprise: Make birds fly, shoot stars into the sky, grow a tree, and reveal a happy rainbow. Sturdy pages will hold up to multiple readings; if your budget allows, buy two: the kids will thank you.

 

Sleep, Cat, Sleep!, by Antje Damm, (March 2021, Prestel), $9.95, ISBN: 9783791374482

Ages 0-3

This board book about a cat who wants to go to sleep is perfect for naptime and bedtime. Cat want to have a nap, but the reader’s woken him up by opening the book! With every turn of the page, sleepy cat just gets grumpier… but, wait! Cat notices YOU look a bit sleepy, too… would you like to take a nap together? Sleep, Cat, Sleep! is a silly, funny way to nudge readers toward a nap: toddlers will see themselves in a grumpy cat who doesn’t want to be woke up once he falls asleep, and they’ll also appreciate cat’s expressive facial expressions. Ask your little ones if they want to peek in and see Cat, but that they mustn’t wake him… and watch the giggles begin. If you’ve ever read Grover and the Monster at the End of the Book, you know what to do here. Colorful spreads and playful fonts will make this a book your littles will come back to often.

 

Sharing, by Alice Le Hénand/Illustrated by Thierry Bedouet, (Feb. 2021, Twirl Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9782408019716

Ages 0-3

Twirl’s Pull and Play books teach toddlers and preschoolers valuable social and emotional skills. In Sharing, Little Bear, Little Cat, and their friends are learning how to share. It’s not always easy, but thank goodness their grownups are there to help support them! Little Crocodile isn’t so sure about sharing his car with Little Kangaroo, but when Mom suggests letting Little Kangaroo play with another toy while he’s got the car, the two friends even figure out a game to play together. Little Kangaroo doesn’t really want to give up space on Mama’s lap, even for her baby brother, but Mama encourages her to scoot over, showing her that there’s room for both. Each spread has a pull tab that shows readers the before and after effects of sharing, and straightforward, simple text helps guide parents through the not-so-easy work of negotiation. The books are durable, the illustrations are colorful, and the characters are expressive. Great additions to your social-emotional learning collections.

 

Pacifier, by Alice Le Hénand/Illustrated by Thierry Bedouet, (Feb. 2021, Twirl Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9782408024611

Ages 0-3

Another addition in the Pull and Play series from Twirl, Pacifier is all about the big moment: moving away from the pacifier. Little Bear, Little Crocodile, and their friends still use their pacifiers, but their parents encourage them to leave them behind, little by little: a slow, gradual separation; say, to take a walk or go play outside. Parents encourage their little ones to think about whether or not they want to use the pacifier any more, or mention that sometimes, the pacifier is a hindrance, making it harder to be understood when speaking. When the children all leave their pacifiers behind, even for a little while, the parents cheer their children on! They’ve taken big kid steps today! Pull tabs show each character with the pacifier and in the process of putting it away. Straightforward text helps give adult caregivers easy ways to talk to children about the process of separating from the pacifier. Pull and Play Books are all about support, encouragement, and empowering our children, making them a good addition to your collections. There are nine other books in the Pull and Play collection, covering a wide range of topics for toddlers, including potty training, feelings, siblings, and saying please and thank you.

 

Drive the Race Car, Illustrated by Dave Mottram, (March 2021, Chronicle Books), $9.99, ISBN: 9781452178868

Drive the Fire Truck, Illustrated by Dave Mottram, (March 2021, Chronicle Books), $9.99, ISBN: 9781452178851

Ages 0-3

We’ve got a twofer here, with Dave Mottram’s super-cute Drive the Car books! The wheel-shaped books open up to let little hold onto the book like a steering wheel and play as their grownup reads the rhyming stories of a day in the life of a race car and a fire truck. Each spread lets the reader imagine themselves behind the wheel of a vehicle, watching the action take place from the dashboard.  The race car puts the reader on a race track, where they can see other cars they’re racing against. They can pretend to press the buttons on the dashboard and make all the fun sound effects of a race car on the move!

Drive the Fire Truck! puts the reader in the driver’s seat of a fire truck as a call comes in: there’s a fire and they have to go to the rescue! The dashboard shows readers button including the siren, horn, and the radio, all of which come into play throughout the story. The action on the streets unfolds in front of the reader as they see the black smoke, and drive toward the fire. Perfect for lapsits, and if you’re able to secure copies for a few families to read their own copies during the storytime, even better. If you’re doing a virtual storytime, this comes in handy: hold the book up and let the readers imagine they’re at the wheel as you read.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Tween Reads

Planes brings readers a history of flight

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Planes: From the Wright Brothers to the Supersonic Jet, by Jan Van Der Veken, (March 2021, Prestel), $19.95, ISBN: 9783791374413

Ages 8-12

Transportation readers are going to devour this comprehensive guide to planes. Originally published in Dutch in 2019, Planes: From the Wright Brothers to the Supersonic Jet is a detailed history, with illustrations and timelines, of planes from the Wright Brothers 1903 flyer to 2005’s Airbus A 380-800. Sections on design, atmosphere and weather, communication and navigation, and the future of flight make this much more than a book with pictures of planes; this is a detailed introduction to aerodynamics and the mechanics of airplane design. Profiles of notable planes in history include the Northrop-Grumman B-2, more commonly known as the “stealth bomber” and Lockheed’s P-38 Lightning, a popular World War II plane. Back matter includes sources. A solid desk reference for reports.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction, picture books, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Great Rivers of the World teaches geography, history, and culture

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Great Rivers of the World, by Volker Mehnert/Illustrated by Martin Haake, (March 2023, Prestel Junior), $19.95, ISBN: 9783791374703

Ages 8-12

A companion to Prestel Publishing’s Great Ports of the World (2018) and Great Streets of the World (2019), Great Rivers of the World is a picture book tour of 18 of the world’s greatest rivers, from the Danube in Germany, to China’s Yangtze River, to the Egyptian Nile. Beautiful full-color spreads combined with informative facts about the rivers, with special attention to conservation efforts: the rain forests of the Congo, for  instance, are threatened due to environmental encroachment, mining of natural resources, and hunters. A foldout section on the Nile River discusses the environmental impact the citizens of Egypt face by polluting their river. There are great historical facts that would flesh out geographical and historical reports. A great additional nonfiction resource!

Posted in picture books

Pie for Breakfast brings everyone together!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Pie for Breakfast: Simple Baking Recipes for Kids, by Cynthia Cliff, (Apr. 2021, Prestel Junior), $16.95, ISBN: 9783791374604

Ages 6-9

Hazel and her dad love baking together, and the house smells delicious when they do! When Hazel has the idea to organize a bake sale for the school fair, with the proceeds benefiting the library, she recruits her friends and their families to help, with delicious results! Each family’s recipe makes it into Pie for Breakfast, and they sound delicious: pumpkin empanadas, vegan chocolate cake, easy jam tarts, nankhatai cookies, and strawberry mochi are only a few of the fourteen recipes you’ll find in here. Each spread features an illustration of one of Hazel’s friends and, in some cases, family members, baking in their home; the opposite page has the recipe laid out, step by step, with all the ingredients listed. Pie for Breakfast is recipe book within a story, and it’s inclusive in every way: families are multicultural and diverse in every way. Families from different cultures enrich the bake sale with their own recipes, making for a rich bake sale menu. Important tips for baking are in the back matter, including making sure an adult is there to oversee and help out. The artwork is cheerful and colorful, and the endpapers lay out the feast that awaits within the book. What a fun book!

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction, picture books, Tween Reads

Olaf Hajek gives veggies their due: Veggie Power!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Veggie Power, by Annette Roeder/Illustrated by Olaf Hajek, (Apr. 2021, Prestel Junior), $19.95, ISBN: 9783791374789

Ages 8-12

After profiling nature’s healing flowers in last year’s Flower Power, artist Olaf Hajek turns his illustrative magic to elevating vegetables to high art in Veggie Power. Seventeen vegetables receive the portrait treatment here, with Annette Roeder’s informative discussions on each spread giving readers a background of featured vegetables, with fun and interesting facts (fennel bulbs were stuffed into keyholes during Midsummer, to ward off bad spirits for the year), edible parts of each plant, and varieties of each. Annette Roeder makes reading about vegetables fun – honest! – and Olaj Hajek’s gallery art treatment may actually make kids tempted to try some of these beauties. (Maybe. This is not a guarantee.) A woman sports a majestic fennel bulb crown as a bird flies overhead and a man and woman make a stew or soup in front of her. Animals approach a giant sweet potato plant growing across the ground as a hand rises from the bottom of the book, bowl full of sweet potatoes in hand. A group of individuals sit around a long table, ready to dine on a giant carrot and parsnip. It’s fun, it’s surreal, it’s colorful, it’s a coffee table art book on vegetables. Enjoy.

Source: OlafHajek.com

Posted in picture books

No one can resist New York – even the Mona Lisa!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Mona Lisa in New York, by Yevgenia Nayberg, (March 2021, Prestel Junior), $14.95, ISBN: 9783791374451

Ages 5-8

The iconic Mona Lisa painting makes her way to New York for a museum exhibit, but there’s no way she’s staying inside the whole time! One night, she slips out to explore and meets Tag, a graffiti work from Brooklyn, who takes her on a whirlwind tour of New York: they listen to jazz in Harlem, eat pizza in the Bronx, dance salsa on the High Line, and go swimming at Brighton Beach. But all good things must come to an end, and as the two ride back to the museum on the subway, Mona Lisa knows that she’s got to go home… or does she? This love letter to New York City is a lesson in art appreciation – Tag and Mona Lisa are both art forms – and an introduction to New York, a city with so much to see that even the Mona Lisa wants to be a tourist! The mixed media artwork has the flavor of New York, with something always going on in the details, whether it’s the crush of people staring at their phones and taking no notice of the famous painting come to life on the street, pigeons sitting on Mona Lisa as she tries to figure her way around the city, or the train acrobat plying his trade on the subway. A great choice for an art-related or New York-related storytime. And while you’re at it, tell the kids about 5Pointz, the now-shuttered graffitii warehouse in Queens where artists used to be able to come and create public art. Give kids some art supplies like markers and paper, or buy spray bottles and tempera paints and let them create sprayable paint.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Books from Quarantine: Spring Picture Books

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

So we’re inside for a large amount of every day, but it’s still Spring outside. I’ve been looking at some beautiful picture books that celebrate the season, and thought I’d bring a little Spring to you.

The Nest That Wren Built, by Randi Sonenshine/Illustrated by Anne Hunter, (March 2020, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536201536

Ages 3-7

An ode to nature in the form of that most famous of cumulative poems, The House That Jack Built. Two wrens build a nest and a family that comes to life as the story progresses. Flowing with imagery and details about Carolina wrens, author Randi Sonenshine and illustrate Anne Hunter create a lovely story that gives readers new surprises to behold on every spread: This is the snakeskin warding off harm, / a scaly and thin reptilian charm, / draped on the nest that Wren built”; “This is the tuft of rabbity fur, / plucked from a sharp, persnickety burr, / to warm the nest that Wren built”. Gentle ink and pencil illustrations in natural browns and greens are just breathtaking which each spread’s reveal. A glossary and page with facts about wrens add additional learning.

An excellent choice for storytimes and for STEM/Science classes for preschoolers and kindergartners. Great inspiration for bird-related crafts and activities, like these DIY bird binoculars or this fun sensory activity. The Audobon Society has a page dedicated to the Carolina Wren, and you can read Laura Donnelly’s poem dedicated to Carolina Wrens here.

The Nest That Wren Built has a starred review from Kirkus.
Seeds, by Carme Lemniscates, (March 2020, Candlewick Press), $14.99, ISBN: 9781536208443
Ages 3-7
A narrative on the literal and metaphorical power of seeds. “They embark on amazing adventures”, author Carme Lemniscates begins, with illustrations of seed journeys via dandelion puffs and sunflower seeds; underground to sustain ant colonies, and bursting to life as flowers and food. Seeds bring life to the most unlikely places, as we all know; anyone who’s seen leaves sprout from cracks in concrete can attest to that. We are part of the seed’s life cycle as the sowers and caretakers of seeds, reminding readers that we have a big responsibility to our planet. The narrative takes on a solemn note when Lemniscates notes that “we can plant many different kinds of seeds. A smile is a powerful seed… But there are also seeds that bring anger and misunderstanding. When those seeds grow, they pull us apart. Seeds can only bring what they carry.” Pretty powerful words that need repeating. Often.
Carme Lemniscates’ mixed media illustrations bring a crisp life to the illustrations, with browns and greens from nature sharing the space with brightly colored flowers and characters. A wonderful story about friendship and nature, and how we are bound to nature. Great for preschoolers and kindergarteners.

The Seedling That Didn’t Want to Grow, by Brita Tecktentrup, (March 2020, Prestel), $14.95, ISBN: 978-3-7913-7429-1

I never hide my love for Brita Teckentrup, and The Seedling That Didn’t Want to Grow is another hit for me. A seedling takes its time growing in a forest while all the other seeds sprout up around it. Forest friends Ladybird (I love that word) and Ant wait patiently, and when the seedling begins sprouting, Ant and Ladybird follow it along its path, with other forest creatures joining them along their way. The seedling sprouts into a bush full of blossoms, giving home to forest animals who live in her leaves, filling her with “love and life”, but Fall eventually comes, and the animals tearfully say goodbye. But Spring will come again, and with it, a new batch of seedlings, left by their friend.
An aching, unfussy story of friendship set within the nature cycle, The Seedling That Didn’t Want To Grow is filled with catch-your-breath moments: each friend guarding and guiding the seedling as it grows; the change in perspective to showcase the seedling at full growth, housing butterflies, bees, moths, and more; Little Mouse’s farewell… just gorgeous moments, made even more touching by the deep colors of nature and the collage-like feel of the artwork. This is definitely a book on my storytime shelf.
Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

That’s Good That’s Bad is a classic – glad it’s back!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

That’s Good That’s Bad, by Joan M. Lexau/Illustrated by Aliki, (March 2020, Prestel Publishing), $17.95, ISBN: 9783791374192

Ages 3-8

This hilarious look at the upside and one boy’s exciting day in the jungle was originally published in 1963, brought back to a new generation of readers by Prestel Junior. A tiger happens upon a boy, sitting on a rock in the jungle, and tells him to run or be eaten. The boy tells the tiger he is too tired to run, and recounts his very busy day running from a rhino and a crocodile. The spreads alternate between the boy’s story, to which the tiger responds, “That’s good!” or “That’s bad!” as the boy recounts the ups and downs of his day. The final twist is laugh-out-loud funny, and Aliki’s vintage illustrations are just as lively and bright today as they were in 1963. Bright, bold colors come right off the stark white background and bring the jungle to life for younger readers.

I adore Aliki’s artwork, so I’d read My Five Senses and ask the kids to think about how they’d use their senses if they were in the boy’s situation.

That’s Good That’s Bad is a storytime book I’m happy to welcome back into print.
Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads, Uncategorized

Welcome to Bustletown!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

All Around Bustletown is a series of oversize board books, originally published in Germany that introduces readers to a bustling little town where there’s so much to see! Let’s enjoy the four seasons as experienced by the citizens of Bustletown, several of whom we meet on the back cover of the book: Sadie, whose car won’t start in the cold; a motorcyclist who comes from far away; Petra, a bookworm who loves to read, and more.

All Around Bustletown: Winter, by Rotraut Susanne Berner, (Oct. 2019, Prestel Publishing), $12.95, ISBN: 978-3-7913-7414-4

Ages 1-5

It’s winter in Bustletown! The trees are bare, the townsfolk are bundled up, and the day begins on a clear, cold morning. There are seven spreads we visit in our trek through the town: a cross section of a house with a busy street in front, where we can board a bus that will take us through the book; a country scene with a house in the background, a farmer’s market and garage/gas station in the foreground; a cross section of a shopping and transportation center; a busy town, where we notice ground being broken on a new kindergarten to come and a cultural center with a library, museum, and performance area; the center of town has shops and shoppers; a shopping mall with parking garage has a bunch of holiday shoppers making their purchases; and a petting zoo overlooks an iced over pond and cafe, where skaters practice and kids slide down a snowy hill.

It’s a series of fun winter scenes with so much to see. Readers can look for townsfolk introduced on the back cover, and there are so many details to spot! Follow the bus as it rides through each spread; count Christmas trees on each spread; follow a person wandering the town with a goose under their arm; will that lady in the yellow jacket catch up to the bus? Seek and find readers will enjoy this wordless book where they can create their own adventures.

 

All Around Bustletown: Spring, by Rotraut Susanne Berner, (Feb. 2020, Prestel Publishing), $12.95, ISBN: 978-3-7913-7409-3

Ages 1-5

Spring comes to Bustletown with green landscapes and budding trees! A garbage truck trundles through the book and a fox shows up to stir up some excitement. The farmer’s market is open and the animals are out, enjoying the springtime. A class trip enjoys a trip to the museum and that new kindergarten is still under construction. There are some new residents to follow, like Officer Tony, who’s very busy; and Tom the Cat, who joins Bonnie on walks through town. Other characters return, like Anne, who gave up on trying to catch the bus and is going on a long hike. There’s always something to see in Bustletown. Work with your littles to identify colors (bright primary colors prominently feature in the artwork), everyday items like trees, trucks, or cats. Ask bigger littles what they notice in Bustletown that reminds them from home: shopping with Mom? Visiting a petting zoo or farm? Ask questions: what is that person doing, walking around with a goose? Where do you think the fox is going next?

 

All Around Bustletown: Summer, by Rotraut Susanne Berner, (Apr. 2020, Prestel Publishing), $12.95, ISBN: 978-3-7913-7420-8

Ages 1-5

Summer comes to Bustletown! The greenery is thick and lush, and a new driver cruises along the spreads. It’s time to pick strawberries at the farm, and crows are eating the ripe cherries from the trees. The fish store has started selling sushi, there’s a new armor exhibit at the museum, there’s a sidewalk sale at the bookstore, and the kindergarten will open in October! For readers who go through the whole series, it’s fun to see how life moves forward as the books progress through the year. There’s a birthday in the park, a penguin balloon on the loose, and Tom the cat has a new mission: find a mouse. By introducing new characters and continuing to build on others, readers will enjoy visiting Bustletown and their friends, knowing there’s something new to find every time.

 

All Around Bustletown: Fall, by Rotraut Susanne Berner, (July 2020, Prestel Publishing), $12.95, ISBN: 978-3-7913-7422-2

Ages 1-5

The last book in the All Around Bustletown series hits the U.S. this summer, with its townspeople getting ready for winter. A street sweeper trundles through the town, getting leaves under control, and George and Anne load a giant pumpkin into a wagon and head for the big pumpkin carving contest at the cultural center. The leaves are turning color and falling; there’s pumpkins everywhere, and fall colors dominate the scene: lighter greens, bright oranges, and reds decorate the pages. Geese fly south for the winter, and the new Kindergarten opens for a brand new school year! A lantern parade makes its way through the town square, heading for the park, and Halloween costumes show up in a store window. It’s a sweet conclusion to a year full of stories.

The Bustletown books are a very nice add to board book collections. Their large size makes it easy to fit loads of details in for readers to seek out, and the thick pages will stand up to repeated reads.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

It’s a Great Big Colorful World! Let’s see what’s in it!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

It’s a Great Big Colorful World!, by Tom Schamp, (March 2020, Prestel Publishing), $19.95, ISBN: 9783791374246

Ages 2-5

It’s concept book fun! Otto the Cat wakes up and wants to know why everything is so gray. Thank goodness Leon the chameleon is available to take Otto out and about and show him that gray is a color – and that there are so many other colors, too! They explore things that are gray, black, white, yellow, orange, red, pink, blue, green, and brown, showing that all colors are wonderful! Brown chocolate, burgers, and dogs; greenhouses and salads; blues music; there’s so much color in the world. Each spread has a riot of images to look through, with little facts and questions peppered about to prompt thought and discussion. A table of contents at the end guides readers to spreads on their favorite color. A fun choice for concept collections.