Tag: pull tabs

Posted in Post-apocalyptic/Dystopian, Toddler Reads, Uncategorized

Tactile Board Books for Little Hands

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Bedtime Kisses, by Élisabeth de Lambilly/Illustrated by Mélisande Luthringer, (Feb. 2025, Twirl Books), $10.99, ISBN: 9791027613267

Ages Birth-3

A group of babies get bedtime cuddles in this adorable graduated, die-cut board book. Baby squirrels, monkeys, kangaroos, whales, and humans all run through a bedtime routine with their parent: a soothing hush from Mama Squirrel, closing eyes with Papa Monkey, tickles, cuddles, and kisses from Daddy Kangaroo, a warm snuggle with Mommy Whale, and a loving hug and kiss from a human parent to child. The board books are sturdy and pages get larger in size with each mammal; die cuts are chunky and the shapes allow for little fingers to trace and explore. This book will hold up to multiple readings and the gentle illustrations are warm and show affection between caregivers and babies. Colors are soft and cheerful. A very cute addition to board book and bedtime story collections.

 

Look! What is That?, by Tristan Mory, (Feb. 2025, Twirl Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9782408056018

Ages Birth-3

There is so much to enjoy about this interactive board book! A baby wanders onto the scene, with no idea that they’re being watched! A mouse, bear, rabbit, bird, pig, and wolf all wonder aloud and take guesses as to what this strange little creature could be until a parent arrives on the scene, answering the question. Sturdy pull-tabs pop up from the top and right side of the book, making for a fun interactive storytelling and solo play. A fun introduction to animal descriptions as the animals puzzle things out: “…it doesn’t have a beak… and it has no feathers! It’s not a bird”. The characters’ expressive eyes draw readers’ attention right away, and the bright illustrations keep readers engaged. The pull tabs and pages are sturdy and will hold up nicely. Developing motor skills and teaching readers about animals? Look! What is That? is a fun addition to collections that readers will ask for again and again.

 

My Hand is the Sun, by Christine Naumann-Villemin/Illustrated by Géraldine Cosneau, (Feb. 2025, Twirl Books), $14.99, ISBN: 9782408056025

This is a board book that’s begging for an art storytime activity. A narrator considers different things their hands can be: an apple tree, a hen, an octopus, a lion, a flamingo, a butterfly, a garden, or a heart. Handprints form the basis for the illustrations, with a glossy allowing readers to touch and glide their own hands over the book’s, and place their hands over the illustrations to see how their own hands fit. Thoughtful illustration shows readers how to add to their initial handprint to create, for instance, a flamingo’s long neck or an octopus’s waving arms. Fun sound effects for each spread allows for an interactive storytime where readers can crunch apples, cluck like chickens, bloop like an octopus, or roar like lions. This book is another great addition to storytime and board book collections: it’s a program and book, all in one!

Extend the storytime with a handprint craft: if you don’t want to bring out paints to do handprints, you can always trace and cut handprints on colorful paper. Simple Everyday Mom has some fun ideas, or you can take inspiration from My Hand is the Sun.

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

Animals, Animals, Animals for all!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ultimate Spotlight: Polar Animals, by Sandra Laboucarie/Illustrated by da-fanny, (Aug. 2021, Twirl Books), $16.99, ISBN: 9791027608782

Ages 5-8

As kids area getting ready to put on sweatshirts and jackets, the Ultimate Spotlight: Polar Animals are here to show readers how they handle the extreme weather in the Southern Hemisphere. Five spreads, loaded with flaps, pull-tabs, pulls, and fold-out spreads illustrate how penguins, orcas, whales, musk oxen, polar bears, and more animals eat, travel, and live on land and in the ocean. A brief, factual paragraph introduces readers to the subject matter on each spread: Born in the Cold, Eating Underwater, Traveling Underwater, Winter and Summer in the Tundra, and On the Ice Sheet. Interesting facts run through each spread: penguins use their wings to swim, not fly; humpback whales have baleen plates, not teeth; a seal’s clawed front flippers help it cut breathing holes in thick ice. Sturdy flaps and pulls will stand up to multiple reads; the illustrations and facts will make this an interesting book that will keep toddlers happy during a read-aloud, and preschoolers and emerging readers fascinated as they discover and learn about life in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Cool Antarctica has beautiful photos and facts about Arctic and Antarctic animals, as well as recipes, PowerPoints, and other school resources.

 

The Ultimate Book of Animals, by Anne-Sophie Baumann/Illustrated by Éléonore Della Malva, (Aug. 2021, Twirl Books), $22.99, ISBN: 9791027610006

Ages 5-8

This oversized beauty is chock full of activities for curious little minds and hands. With more than 50 flaps, pop-up, pull-tabs, mini-books, and more, kids won’t know where to look first! A great starter animal encyclopedia, The Ultimate Animal Book has spreads on Animal Bodies, Birth and Growing, Body Coverings, movement, the five senses, movement, and more. Each spread is loaded with manipulatives for kids to explore: lift the wings of a seagull or a macaw or pull a tab to learn how horses, cats, bees, and bald eagles see; pull a tab to see a snake’s slithery tongue, and lift flaps to discover the inner workings of all sorts of animals, from a pigeon to a dolphin. Loaded with facts that let kids learn hands-on, this is going to be a popular book in your collections. Preschool shelves should absolutely keep one of these on-hand for their science/STEM stations.

Put out the animal coloring sheets and display with other interesting animal books – maybe take a spread to draw attention to related books in your collection! If you were doing a spread on Animal Hearing, you could feature books like What If You Had Animal Ears?, by Sandra Markle; the immortal Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr., and Caroline Arnold’s Did You Hear That? Animals with Super Hearing.

 

Magnetology: Animals, by Maud Poulain/Illustrated by Camille Tisserand, (Sept. 2021, Twirl Books), $22.99, ISBN: 9791027609987

Ages 3-5

If you have play areas, this is the book for you! Perfect for science stations and play areas (and a pretty darn nice gift), Magnetology: Animals includes 45 magnetic pieces and a strong cardboard envelope, built into the book, for storage. Five magnetic spreads let readers create their own animal habitats across the Arctic, a forest, the Savanna, the rain forest, and a coral reef. A few lines on each biome gives readers an overview of each area; short fun facts across each spread give readers more to read and learn. Let kids create their own habitats, mix and match animals, and create their own stories! Consider putting a rubber band around the top of the page to keep pages open and offer some toy animals, too, if you have them available. Illustrations are colorful and eye-catching. Toddlers can easily get in on the fun. Make animal board books available around the play area, if you’ve set one up. Some recent favorites of mine include Giuliano Ferri’s Go Fish and Lo Cole’s Ten in a Hurry; Turn Seek and Find Habitats, and Brita Teckentrup’s Little Animal series.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Let’s get the school year off to a great start!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

You want books for back to school? I got books for back to school!

 

My First Ready for School, by Roger Priddy, (May 2021, Priddy Books US), $9.99, ISBN: 9781684491384

Ages 3-5

Priddy Books does it again; I’ve loved their board books and early learning books for babies since my own now-fourth grader (fourth grade!) was born. This preschool activity book is the perfect Welcome to School gift for preschoolers, and a great add to preschool shelves and collections in your classrooms and libraries. It’s all about concepts, early learning, and fun: there are pull tabs and flaps on every single page, all getting the little ones ready to experience a school day. Learn what to put in your school bag, with pull-down flaps that reveal what goes in your pencil case, lunch box, gym bag, and backpack; use the pull tab to discover all the great activities taking place at school, like playtime and storytime; learn about mixing colors, school shapes, patterns, and more! The book is tough, strong enough to stand up to repeated use, with bulky board pages, strong tabs, and secure flaps. Colorful and friendly animal characters will greet little readers and help them sharpen their pattern and shape recognition, counting skills, and sight words. Get a few of these in your collections if possible; they’re a great investment.

 

 

Let’s Be Safe, by Alice Le Henand/Illustrated by Thierry Bedouet (Oct. 2021, Twirl Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9782408028497

Ages 0-3

I am a big fan of Twirl Books’s Pull and Play series. This outing, Let’s Be Safe, teaches readers about safety while doing everyday tasks. Familiar animal friends from previous books in the series are back, like Little Kangaroo, Little Cat, and Little Monkey, and their parents gently guide them through scenarios that could end up with tears – but don’t, thanks to some smart thinking and safe action. Little Crocodile wants to come down the stairs by himself – great! – and Dad lets him, as long as he holds onto the railing. Little Kangaroo wants to stand up to play in the tub, but Mom cautions against it, because slipping and falling really hurts. Isn’t it better to sit and play? Pull tabs illustrate the before-and-after, with the Little Gang modeling safe behaviors as parents lovingly explain and stand by to help. Parents will appreciate the modeling on what to say to newly independent toddlers and preschoolers, and kids will love pulling the tabs and seeing their animal friends be safe. Win-win for all.

 

The New Kid Has Fleas, by Ame Dyckman/Illustrated by Eda Kaban, (June 2021, Roaring Brook Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250245243

Ages 3-6

Award-winning author Ame Dyckman’s story about welcoming the new kid is a study in kindness and discovery. There’s a new kid at school, and she’s a little… different. Naturally, the rumors fly when the mean girl tries to spread rumors, but our narrator, who ends up paired with the New Kid for a science project, discovers that she and her family are pretty cool, after all! The New Kid – who we discover is named Kiki – is different, with a different family and a different home. She doesn’t wear shoes, she howls, she chases squirrels, and her family seem to be wolves! After spending a day working on a school project, though, our narrator – a young boy – embraces Kiki’s family, tussles with her brothers and sisters, and, in a laugh-out-loud moment, “goes with the flow” when it comes to using the restroom. Turns out, welcoming the new kid is a far more fun way to go than being mean! Digital illustrations capture the fun spirit of the story and show the growing friendship between Kiki and her new friend, and I loved the use of a wolf’s shadow to illustrate the Kiki is more than meets the eye. What a great way to teach kids to extend a friendly hand to new students. Another win from Ame Dyckman!

Visit Ame Dyckman’s author page for more information about her books.

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.

Posted in Toddler Reads

It’s Board Book time!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

More board books, you say? I’ve got more board books! Let’s dive right in, there are some gems here!

A Little Snail Book: Hide-and-Seek, by Shasha Lv, (March 2021, Chronicle Books), $10.99, ISBN: 9781452183596

Ages 0-3

A companion to A Little Snail Book: Time to Go Home, Hide-and-Seek is a fun seek and find game for your little ones, starring Bear, who’s the seeker. As Bear wanders through each page, questions pop up that invite your little eagle-eyed Kiddos to see if they can find who’s hiding: “Where is everyone hiding?” “Could someone be here?” One by one, Bear discovers their friends, with a fun sound effect upon discovery: clunks, squeaks, and meows abound, letting you get into the act with your readers. But… where is Little Snail? Bear is stumped, but maybe your little ones can figure it out! Absolute fun, with sturdy pages and cheery two-color artwork.

 

Whose Baby is This?, by Stéphanie Babin/Illustrated by Camille Tisserand, (Feb. 2021, Twirl Books), $14.99, ISBN: 9782408023898

Ages 0-3

Match animal parents and babies! Sliding panels give little fingers something to explore as they slide the baby panel back and forth to reveal the parent panel. Seek and find the grownups on the left-hand panel. Organized into habitats – At the Pond, In the Forest, On the Farm, In the Meadow, On the Mountain, and In the Savanna – kids can find a wide variety of animals and learn the names for both children and adults! Colorful and kid-friendly illustrations, plus fun facts, make this a nice choice for learning about animals. Companion books in the series include Who Eats What?, Who Lives Where?, and Who Does What?

Miki Gets Dressed, by Stéphanie Babin/Illustrated by Julie Mercier, (Feb. 2021, Twirl Books), $12.99, ISBN: 9782408019723

Ages 0-3

It’s time to go outside, and kids can help Miki the Lion get dressed by pulling tabs! Help Miki pull up a pair of green pants; pull down a green sweater, slide on orange shoes, and don a red raincoat. A fun pop-up reveal at the end of the book will delight little ones, and the pull tabs are sturdy enough to hold up to multiple reads. This would be a great concept readaloud, with the emphasis on colors, and can also work for a fun rainy day readaloud, too. Add Hello, Rain! by Kyo Maclear, and Linda Ashman’s Rain! for a fun storytime on a cloudy day. A readloud on getting dressed would be great, too: add Caroline Jayne Church’s Let’s Get Dressed, and What We Wear: Dressing Up Around the World by Maya Ajmera, Cynthia Pon, Elise Hofer Derstine, and the Global Fund For Children.

More to come! Enjoy these in the meantime!