Picture Book Review: Tomie dePaola's Favorite Nursery Tales (3/1/2022)

Quick Booktalk 

This collection of stories and poems for young children was originally published in 1986 and has been re-released for a new generation of little ones. 

About the Illustrations 

The gentle, cozy pictures done in dePaola's beloved and instantly recognizable style are the real draw of this book. The tales included can be found almost anywhere, but fans of Tomie dePaola which enjoy his visual interpretations of these old favorites. 

Story Time Possibilities

This collection is worth looking at for a few short pieces to supplement a story time plan. Because there are minimal illustrations per story, it might be tricky to share them with a larger group, but it would be manageable with a small audience. A few of the poems and stories are adaptable for the flannel board, but if the main point of the book is to share dePaola's art, it may not be worth doing so. 

Readers Advisory

This book would be a great start to a child's library. As such, it would be a great gift for a baby shower, baptism, or first birthday or Christmas. Though the book is from the '80s, it doesn't have an outdated or cheesy feel. The text and art both feel timeless. For parents like me who grew up with Tomie dePaola, it could have the added benefit of stirring up pleasant childhood memories, but the book also holds up well enough on its own without needing to appeal to nostalgia. 

Disclosure

I received a review copy of Tomie dePaola's Favorite Nursery Tales from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

Picture Book Review: Acorn Was a Little Wild by Jen Arena, illustrated by Jessica Gibson (3/15/2022)

 

Quick Booktalk

A free-spirited acorn lives every experience to the fullest - even being planted underground and changing into an oak tree.

About the Illustrations 

This book's autumnal color scheme and earthy textures bring to life the backdrop of the natural world against which cartoonish Acorn and his squirrel neighbors live. Though the story is fantastical, light and color work together to immerse the reader in a realistic forest environment.

Story Time Possibilities

This is a very contemporary and conversational book, and it's the exact kind of thing I loved to read aloud during class visits when I worked in the library. It can stand on its own as a single read-aloud or it would for a whole host of themes: growth, trees, fall, having a positive attitude, forests, and even squirrels. Potential books to pair with it include Ol' Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein, Fall is Not Easy by Marty Kelley, and the Pete the Cat series. 

Readers Advisory

The tone of this book is not quite irreverent, but it's not a tame, gentle text either. The author uses slang phrases like "so chill" and there is one reference to fox urine. I have less of a problem when animal bodily functions are mentioned in a natural setting than when books include human-based toilet humor, so I didn't judge this book harshly for this one detail. My kids don't really know what "chill" means but I think they can figure out from the context.

Disclosure 

I received a finished copy of Acorn Was a Little Wild from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.