Tag: rhyming

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Author Terry Pierce talks Eat Up, Bear!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Eat Up, Bear! is an adorable, rhyming board book that addresses a big topic: respecting the local wildlife – and keeping yourself safe! – when enjoying the outdoors! Whether you’re having a picnic or birthday party in a park, going on a hike, or enjoying a camping trip, it’s important to remember that local wildlife, especially bears, LOVE to eat and will eat your food – not healthy for them! – unless you keep that food safely packed up and properly disposed of!

Eat Up, Bear!, by Terry Pierce/Illustrated by Nadja Sarell,
(Apr. 2021, Yosemite Conservancy),
$8.99, ISBN: 9781-951179-01-4
Ages 3-6

Author Terry Pierce was kind enough to answer a few questions I had. Enjoy!

MomReadIt: Hi there and thank you so much for writing Eat Up, Bear! I love that you’ve written a fun and informative book about keeping both bears and people safe. What inspired you to write Eat Up, Bear for a young audience?

Terry Pierce: Thank you for inviting me to talk about Eat Up, Bear!, Rosemary. It’s a small book that packs a powerful message. My inspiration for this story came from my love of black bears. I’ve hiked and backpacked my whole life and have had many amazing bear encounters in the wild. I’ve seen bears in trees, in ponds, even bears in my camp! One time, I almost ran right into a fledgling bear at a blind spot on a trail. That was exciting! All these encounters led me to have an enormous respect for them, knowing these are gentle creatures who really just want to eat and be left alone.

And therein lies the focus of Eat Up, Bear! Black bears LOVE to eat! Their natural food sources are things like berries, grubs, nuts, grass, and occasionally fish. But they’re also opportunistic eaters, meaning if humans leave food out a bear will eat it. And this is bad for both bears and humans. Obviously, bears should eat natural good-for-their-health foods, not chips and hoagies! Beyond concerns for the bear’s health, when a bear becomes dependent on human food, it can behave more aggressively in its efforts, becoming a “problem bear.” Bears have been known to break into cars if they see food inside, or rummage through a campground looking for unattended ice chests or food left out on picnic tables. This can be a huge problem for bears and people! Sadly, if a bear gets too aggressive, it is put down, so proper food storage can help prevent the death of a bear.

So, when I saw Yosemite Conservancy’s call out for board books, I immediately thought about writing a book about using proper food storage to help keep bears safe and healthy (people too!). Our goal for the book is to entertain and educate little campers everywhere and show how families can do their part to help keep bears wild through respectful coexistence.

MomReadIt: You mention a variety of ways people can enjoy nature, yet keep wildlife – especially bears! – safe from people food (which keeps people safe, too): latching boxes, packing their food well, locking up their coolers, and disposing of trash. Are there any other things to be aware of, when planning a day or camping trip, to keep everyone and every bear safe and sound?

Terry Pierce: Planning is the key word. Plan your trip ahead of time, including learning about wildlife you might encounter during your visit. You can visit the National Park Service website for specifics about the location. For backpackers, an essential item is a “bear canister” for storing your food. In the old days, hikers would hang their food in storage sacks from a tree branch at night, but now they’re required to use a bear canister (a heavy-duty plastic container with a locking lid that’s bearproof).

It’s also smart to make sure you leave no food (or evidence of food) in your car while you’re out enjoying nature. Bears will look in cars and can smell food even if it’s out of sight so roll up your windows. I once saw where a bear had ripped off a car door just to get three peanuts accidentally left on the dashboard! As Eat Up, Bear! says, “Bears are hungry. Clever, too! Take care or bears will eat your food!” The book is a good way for families to learn together the various ways to store food properly and keep everyone safe.

Last, in established campgrounds, such as those in Yosemite National Park, campsites have food lockers to store food when not in use. These lockers are bearproof and right in your campsite, making in convenient for campers to use. Keeping your food inaccessible to bears will keep them safe. For more information about bears and food storage, here’s a NPS link: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bears.htm.

MomReadIt: Keeping the area safe for people and bears also means keeping the area safe and clean for everyone to enjoy. Over the last year in particular, people have turned to the great outdoors for a safe space. Do you have any suggestions for people that may be new to hiking, camping, and picnicking that will respect nature?

Terry Pierce: Yes, this is true! The pandemic has caused people to take to the great outdoors to enjoy life in a naturally social distanced way. And it’s wonderful to see so many families heading to the outdoors, exposing their little ones to nature early in life. But sometimes, when folks aren’t familiar with wildlife and the outdoors, mistakes can happen.

As I mentioned above, check out the area you plan to visit ahead of time, so you’ll be prepared. Also, check the weather conditions as they can make or break an outing (especially if you’re not prepared with proper attire).

The other thing I recommend is to be respectful of the outdoors while enjoying it. Immerse yourself in nature—listen to the birds, watch for animals, pack out all your trash, absorb the beauty and carry it with you. Turn off your music and phones and take in the sounds of the forest. Slow down as you drive so you have ample time to brake for wild animals. Resist the urge to take selfies with wild animals in the background. People have been injured doing so! Remember, wild animals are exactly that—WILD. So be respectful of them and their home while you visit.

And last, if you have little ones, prepare them in advance by reading books with them. Eat Up, Bear! is terrific book for the smallest of campers and hikers, not only for its message but Nadja’s Sarell’s gorgeous illustrations show what a camping experience might be like. Yosemite Conservancy has an online store with many wonderful children’s books: https://shop.yosemite.org/collections/youth.

Thanks so much to Terry Pierce! Visit Keep Bears Wild for more tips on staying safe – and keeping bears safe – when enjoying the great outdoors this spring and summer.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Billy McGill is ALONE! Until…

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

ALONE!, by Barry Falls, (March 2021, Pavilion), $16.95, ISBN: 9781843654858

Ages 3-6

This rhyming, cumulative tale is hilarious fun with a seek-and-find. Billy McGill is a boy who lives all alone on the top of a hill, and he’s very happy that way: until a mouse finds his way into Billy’s home! Naturally, Billy has to get back to the status quo, so he goes and gets a cat, which leads to getting a dog, a bear, a tiger, and ultimately, a veterinarian to check on the tiger, who’s developed a cold. When the vet brings in a friend and his son, Billy has had far too much and heads out to find a place where he can be ALONE. But he discovers that maybe being all alone all the time isn’t so great after all. A humorous story with a good message about the need for both having one’s own space and making time for connection, ALONE! is a relatable book, especially these days when so many of us are living on top of one another. Readers are challenged to look for the tiny mouse in every spread – he’s not always that easy to find! – and the friendly, colorful art invites readers to join right in with the fun. A good rhyme scheme, a funny story, and definite flannel potential makes this a delightful storytime choice.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Baby Moses in a Basket retells a Biblical tale

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Baby Moses in a Basket, by Caryn Yacowitz/Illustrated by Julie Downing, (March 2021, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536206098

Ages 3-7

The oft-recounted story of Baby Moses’s journey as an infant gets a rhyming take. On the first spread, we see a woman looking off page, face twinged with sadness, as she reaches a hand out toward an infant in a basket on the other page, tiny hand reaching up from the basket. On the next page, the rhyme begins the story of Baby Moses’s journey down the River Nile, where denizens of the river – Curious Ibis, Mama Hippo, and Mighty Crocodile – watch over him to keep him safe until he arrives in the arms of the pharaoh’s daughter. Gentle earth colors guide the reader through each spread, as do the movements of each of the animals and the basket itself. Baby Moses carefully watches everything around him at first, eyes open and hands outstretched, and gently naps as different animals guide his basket to safety. The story ends with pharaoh’s daughter holding him up in the air after taking him from his basket, all the animals surrounding the two, having seen him through to his destination. A bittersweet ending and a hopeful one all at once. A gentle story for the upcoming Passover season, for Sunday school, or any reason.

Source: https://www.juliedowning.com/

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Let’s Get Sleepy! plays seek and find up ’till bedtime

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Let’s Get Sleepy!, by Tony Cliff, (Aug. 2020, Imprint), $17.99, ISBN: 9781250307842

Ages 3-6

A group of kittens are trying to track down a mouse they call wee Sleepy, the Prince of the Night. Where can he be? This adorable seek-and-find adventure does double duty as a rhyming bedtime story that will have your Kiddos joining the kittens in their search for Sleepy. Searching their neighborhood block, a weekend parade, the beach, Mount Snow, even a swamp, slug caves, and the moon, Sleepy always manages to stay ahead of the kittens – will Sleepy stay ahead of your Kiddos? Tony Cliff, the author-illustrator of the Delilah Dirk graphic novel series, is an Eisner, Shuster, and Harvey award nominee and brings his talent for creating fun, fast-paced cartooning to this children’s adventure. The crowd scenes have movement and a sense of delightful play, and the rhyming text has repetitive phrases like, “Is this where he’ll be? We’ll search and we’ll seek and we’ll ask friends that we meet”, and – naturally – “Let’s Get Sleepy!”, that encourage readers to chime in along with you as you’re reading. You ask them to guess if the cats will find him on the next spread, or where he could be hiding – and then seek him out. An amusing brainteaser for bedtime, Let’s Get Sleepy is a nice addition to smaller storytime groups (or virtual storytimes) and bedtime reading.

Publisher Macmillan has a free, downloadable activity kit with instructions on making a felt bed for Sleepy, a Make Your Bedtime checklist, and more!

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

#SockontheLoose!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

We’ve all been there. We open the dryer, we start sorting the socks… and there’s one missing. Where could it have gone? You know you put all the socks in at the same time, right? Well, friends, Conor McGlauflin has the answer for you…

Sock on the Loose, by Conor McGlauflin, (Feb. 2021, Roaring Brook Press),
$18.99, ISBN: 9781250304575
Ages 3-6

Sock on the Loose is about all the adventures our socks are having while they take a break from being stuck in our drawers or on our feet. They’re learning to tie bow ties and hiding out in watermelon caves! Riding moose and dancing the  polka! Watercolor and gouache artwork show colorful socks in a variety of pastimes, and his rhyme is infectiously cheery. Get some socks of your own – you know you have a pile of mismatched ones at home – and wash ’em again, either handing some out for sock storytime or decorating for your own virtual storytime use. TwistyNoodle has printable sock coloring sheets for you to hand out – let your kiddos decorate them, cut them out, and send them on their own adventures! Publisher Roaring Brook Press also has a free, downloadable Sock On The Loose Activity Kit that includes a maze, matching game, and draw your favorite sock activities.

If you wander over to Twitter (@roesolo) or Instagram (@roesolo), you’ll find out what my own sock has been up to – Roaring Brook Press and Conor McGlauflin have been kind enough to send me a sock of my very own to chronicle adventures.

Posted in Uncategorized

Hats, Hats, Hats!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Now That’s a Hat!, by Heath McKenzie, (Jan. 2021, Kane Miller), $12.99, ISBN: 9781684642212

Ages 3-6

A customer strolls into a hat store and would like a new hat. But that one’s too big, and that one’s too small… the proprietor is showing off everything he’s got, will they be able to find the just right hat? Hilariously manic, with a rhyme scheme that gets progressively more frantic with each outrageous hat. The story is almost Seuss-like, with a dog and a goat going back and forth on presenting and refusing the wild headgear: stripes, Roman helmets, potties, tacos, nothing is too wild for this hat store! The twist ending will make readers gleefully giggle as they imagine events happening all over again. Artwork and endpapers are bright, bold, and feature hats of all shapes and sizes. A fun readaloud that should definitely lead to silly hat making. Get your construction paper out!

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Indie Spotlight: Pickerton’s Jiggle

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Pickerton’s Jiggle, by Riya Aarini/Illustrated by Mariana Hnatenko, (Feb. 2021, Independently Published), $17.99, ISBN:  978-1735347332

Ages 3-7

Pickerton is a fastidious little pig who greets each day with a smile. He scrubs up and gets ready for school, only to step in a mud puddle! Poor Pickerton is very upset, but realizes that a little dirt doesn’t change who he is. He’s still the same, lovable Pickerton, and sometimes, things happen. He shakes off the mud, and with it, the bad feelings, and goes about his day, ending on an upbeat note about loving and accepting himself for who he is. The rhyme scheme is fun and upbeat, and the illustrations are colorful and cheery, with an animated cartoony pig that kids will enjoy. Author Riya Aarini’s website has more information about her books, including her Ollie series.

Posted in Toddler Reads

Blog Tour and Author Interview: The Lovely Haze of Baby Days!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Lovely Haze of Baby Days, by Lindsay Kellar-Madsen/Illustrated by Mie Frey Damgaard, (Jan. 2021, Little Otter Press), $14.99, ISBN: 978-87-972507-0-9

Ages Birth-3

This lovely board book is a tribute to those heady, often hazy days that moms and caregivers often experience when babies enter their lives. Rhyming verse embraces both the wonderful and the challenging moments of parenthood, from the sheer awe (“I’ll forfeit sleep to watch you breathing”) to the wonderful forgetfulness our babies’ incredible cuteness instills in us (“Drooling, spit-up, purèed fruit, but oh my goodness, aren’t you cute?”). Lindsay Kellar-Madsen speaks from her heart to parents everywhere when she writes about the isolation; the time simultaneously crawling and flying by; unwanted advice from seemingly everyone one encounters, and the life-saving power of mom friends. Mie Frey Damgaard’s gentle artwork communicates the intensity of Ms. Kellar-Madsen’s emotions through gentle, loving illustrations of mothers and babies. A touching story of motherhood that lets moms know we’re not alone. The Lovely Haze of Baby Days was a successful Kickstarter and is available on the author’s website, along with free downloadable resources for new parents, including a nap scheduler.

Lindsay Keller-Madsen was kind enough to let me ask her a few questions about her new book: read on!

MomReadIt: Were you inspired by your own motherhood journey to write The Lovely Haze of Baby Days?

Lindsay Kellar-Madsen: I wrote the first draft of this book about 5 months postpartum after the birth of my twin girls. I was overwhelmed, and hearing stories of my friends who had struggled too. I found myself searching for a way to be honest about what life with babies really looks like, and to support the women I cared about.

As I spent time sitting on the floor reading with my little ones, I started wondering if there was a way through children’s literature to playfully depict our everyday life for little ones, while also sending an important message to mothers.Rhyme is such a fun and dynamic way to communicate, it’s also a great way to teach the rhythm of words and sentences to little ones. I had a lot of fun showcasing everyday moments of mothers with babies in a way that would support early language development!

As the words came together, I could feel that I wanted to savor what my life looked like right then – The mess, the intimate love, the exhaustion, all of it. It also felt so important to remind mothers reading The Lovely Haze of Baby Days that we aren’t alone in all of that.

MRI: There are such relatable moments throughout the book, but I really appreciate your honesty about the rough times and yet, finding a kernel of joy in most of them, as with your phrase, “The longest days, the shortest years’ ‘. Were you able to see those moments at the time, or did you need some distance and reflection to realize them?

LKM: As a first time mom, I don’t think I realized how fast the moments disappear, and how quickly babies grow. There are certainly sleep-deprived times remind myself to cherish these days, but overall I find myself clinging desperately to these sweet little humans who charge around my house!

All of that said, I do think it’s important to preserve some space for yourself. At least for me, I am a more enthusiastic and dedicated parent if I schedule in time for my own interests or just a bit of time to be ALONE each week, and don’t spend every minute in mom-mode.

MRI: Thanks for including mom friendships in your book! I loved that you “thanked goodness” for other mamas, too. Did you find friendships with other moms helped you through some of the rough times of those early baby days/weeks/months?

LKM: My friendships with other moms have been a saving grace. Life with a baby can feel so lonely and isolated, and having women you can connect with any morning (or night!)  is an enormous sense of support.

I am eternally grateful for the women in my life who have supported me in my transition to motherhood, and every day since. While this book has focused on the women who are in the trenches wandering through early motherhood alongside us, my gratitude also runs deeply for my own mom, and the women who have wandered through motherhood before.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Hooray! It’s Garbage Day!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hooray, it’s Garbage Day!, by Eric Ode/Illustrated by Gareth Llewhellin, (Jan. 2020, Kane Miller), $14.99, ISBN: 9781684641147

Ages 3-6

More truck and vehicle books! More community helpers! This rhyming concept book is all about the excitement of hearing the big garbage truck rumble down the street, lights flashing, hissing and sighing, as it grabs cans and dumps them into its maw to crunch and crash up the trash. Fun sounds in the story make for fun read alouds: let your kiddos stomp and smash, rumble and crash as you read along. Kids can count from 1 to 5 along with garbage truck workers, garbage cans, neighborhood kids waving, and more. When the kids in the book make up their own garbage crew using art supplies, encourage your kiddos (if you’re virtual) to make their own signs and trucks, or (if you’re in person) hand some out! If you’re grab and go, like I am, you can make some make and take craft bags with some pieces of cardboard, this cool recycling printable, and some truck coloring sheets, along with a few crayons. Digital artwork is colorful, bright, and cartoony.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

V is for Voting… important ALL YEAR LONG

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

V is for Voting, by Kate Farrell/Illustrated by Caitlin Kuhwald, (July 2020, Henry Holt & Co), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250231253

Ages 3-6

You may be looking at this title and thinking I’m really late on this one, and I am. But I also see this as a book we need to talk about NOW, because it isn’t just about voting. This ABC-edary is an introduction (or a reminder, for some… giving the eyeglasses librarian look now) to civics and what it takes to be a good citizen. V is just one letter in the alphabet, just like voting is just one part of being a good citizen. Farrell has points to make that everyone should understand and take to heart: “A is for active participation. / B is for building a more equal nation.”; “E for engagement. We all need to care. / F for a free press to find facts and share”. Digital illustrations bring vibrant, diverse communities to the pages of the book, showing communities uniting to march for justice, contributing to local communities, and yes, voting. Back matter includes a voting rights timeline and more information about people featured in the book’s illustrations, like Shirley Chisholm, Malcolm X, Takemoto Mink, and Cesar Chavez.

Essential reading. Go to your library and get a copy now, because we all need to read and discuss this book, whether it’s with our kids or among ourselves.