Picture Book Review: We Are One: How the World Adds Up by Susan Hood, illustrated by Linda Yan (2021)

Quick Booktalk 

This introduction to math for young readers explains part/whole relationships, addition, and fractions using examples from real life and bright, colorful illustrations.

About the Illustrations

The pages of this book are very busy, and it's hard to know where to look. Because the text is a bit of a hodgepodge, the illustrations are similarly random, and it's not easy to tell at a glance what is being expressed by each picture. The yellow borders where tiny supplemental text is printed are distracting and their color, in particular, makes it difficult to focus on either the tiny text or the main part of each page.

Story Time Possibilities

I think this is strictly a lap book because it's going to require quite a bit of extra context from an adult to make sense to the kids who are at this level mathematically. I actually think that my kids who have mastered the concepts the book covers would like it, but it would be totally overwhelming to a new learner. From a practical standpoint, the main text is too thin on its own, but the supplemental text on each page is too hard to see, making it sort of impossible to read it aloud while also showing the pictures to an audience.  

Readers Advisory

For a reluctant math student, this book is going to be overwhelming and confusing. For kids who naturally love math, it may be fun to look at, but it's still not enough on its own to teach the concepts it sets out to teach. The cover is appealing, but inside, it's too much of a muddle for me. 

Disclosure 

I received a finished copy of We Are One from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review.

Picture Book Review: Time for Bed, Old House by Janet Costa Bates, illustrated by AG Ford

Quick Booktalk 

Isaac is nervous about spending the night at his grandfather's house, but Grandpop calms his nerves by taking Isaac around to say goodnight to every part of the old house. 

About the Illustrations 

Something about the pictures in this book doesn't really work for me. The items in the background of each illustration have a more straightforward feel to them, but the figures are more animated and cartoonish in a way that makes them feel at odds with the setting. Many of the pictures also place the figures at a distance from the reader, and it's almost hard to follow the action, even with the book right up close. The best illustrations are the ones where Isaac and Grandpop appear large and expressive, and there just aren't enough of those. 

Story Time Possibilities

Because so many of the illustrations are hard to pick out at any kind of distance, I wouldn't recommend this as a story time book. The onomatopoetic words used to convey the sounds the house makes do beg to be read aloud, however, and this could be a very satisfying bedtime story to read aloud one-on-one, especially with a grandfather. 

Readers Advisory

This book portrays a loving relationship between a black child and his grandfather, and that is sure to appeal to libraries looking to diversify their picture book collections. It also works well as a story for dispelling fears kids have about strange noises in their houses at bedtime, and for reinforcing the idea that a trusted adult will be there with the child all night long. 

Disclosure

I received a finished copy of Time for Bed, Old House from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. 

Picture Book Review: Moose's Book Bus by Inga Moore (2021)

Quick Booktalk

Moose, the neighborhood storyteller, runs out of stories to tell, so he starts borrowing books from the library, eventually leading to a literary renaissance among his fellow creatures.

About the Illustrations

The pastel illustrations in this book are timeless and very cozy and gentle. The animals have all the features appropriate to their respective species, but they are also infused with sweet hints of personality in their facial expressions and body language. Their homes and the natural world surrounding them are very warm and homey, as is the environment in the library itself. The pictures are the perfect complement to this snug story about spreading literacy and the love of reading. 

Story Time Possibilities

This picture book is a children's librarian's dream! In a public library setting, I'd be taking this on every outreach visit for things like National Library Card Sign-Up Month, National Library Week, summer reading promotion and anything else even remotely related to literacy. It would also be a regular title in my story time rotation. Without preaching, and completely within the confines of a lovely close-knit animal community, this book communicates anything a book lover could ever want to pass onto children about the importance and joy of reading. I have a book-themed story time planned for the group that meets in my home, and I am excited to include this title. 

Readers Advisory

For families who prefer older, more traditional picture books, Moose's Book Bus will be an ideal read. It reads like a classic, and its illustrations have that feel as well. It reminds me a little bit of the Mr. Gumpy books by John Burningham, and the illustrations also made me think of artwork by David McPhail.  There is an earlier book about the same characters, called A House in the Woods (2011). Inga Moore is also author and illustrator of that old story time favorite, Six Dinner Sid (1990). This is one of the best picture books I have received for review in 2021. 

Disclosure

I received a finished copy of Moose's Book Bus from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. 

Board Book Review: Nom Nom Nom by Jeffrey Burton, illustrated by Sarah Hwang (2021)

Quick Booktalk

On each spread of this lift-the-flap board book, an animal is presented with three food options (including one that is notably gross by human standards) and the reader is invited to choose one before the flap reveals the inside of the animal's mouth displaying the words, "Nom nom nom." 

About the Illustrations 

The animals in this book are comprised of simple lines, shapes, and dots that suggest their features. Each one has a set of teeth appropriate to its species that appears beneath the flap. The food options are similarly simplified, but they have slightly more detail to differentiate one meal from the next. 

Story Time Possibilities

Because the text addresses the reader with open-ended questions, this could work for a story time, but with preschoolers, not toddlers. The meals are drawn pretty small, so they would be difficult to see in a larger room, but because the text describes them, and because the animal and its mouth are larger and easier to see, it is still probably possible for a larger audience to enjoy the book. It's a little unclear whether the child reader is meant to choose a meal for the animal in question or for himself or herself - I would plan to decide that up front and let the listeners know how we are approaching the book. 

Readers Advisory

This book plays on kids' fascination with gross humor, but only as it pertains to food. (There is no bathroom humor in this book, thankfully.) The format of the book makes it look like it's for babies or toddlers, but the spine is extremely weak, and I know that my 19-month-old twins would destroy it in about 15 seconds flat. Gentler toddlers or those with heavy adult supervision might be okay with it, but personally I think the concept and the lack of durability make this a book that is best shared with preschoolers. 

Disclosure

I received a finished review copy of Nom Nom Nom from Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.