New Board Books, August-October 2022

In Dinosnores by Sandra Boynton (Simon & Schuster, 9/27/22), the dinosaurs get ready for bed, then disturb their rabbit neighbor with some very loud snoring. The text and illustrations are both in Sandra Boynton's usual tongue-in-cheek style, with rhyme and wordplay, cartoonish faces and expressive eyes. The onomatopoetic sounds of the snoring dinosaurs make for a great opportunity to ham up a read-aloud, something my dinosaur-loving toddler son especially enjoys. The punchline of the story is not as clever as in some of Boynton's older books, but toddlers won't care. This book, along with the author's Dinosaur Dance, would make a great dino-themed story time, either for a group or just for bedtime. 

I Want That, written by Hannah Eliot and illustrated by Ana Sanfelippo (Little Simon, 10/11/22), is an interactive board book in which the young toddler reader helps a series of babies by figuring out what they want and giving it to them. On each page, an infant expresses a desire for something to eat, or wear, or play with. Young readers can turn a wheel on the side of the page to view the available options, then stop on the item they want to give to the baby. As long as they leave the wheel in place, when they turn the page, they will see the result of their choice. My little girls have all loved taking caring of baby dolls as toddlers, and this book is a perfect extension of that interest. The fact that every option works within the context of the story means that kids have real agency in their contribution and are not just hoping to find the "right" answer. (There is one clear logical answer for most of them,  but the silly options make the story even more fun!) Because the items available to give to the baby are never named in the text, there are also lots of opportunities for parents and caregivers to chat with their children about what they have selected, describing each item and connecting it to their kids' own lives.  I think this is a fabulous concept for a board book. I'd love to see more.

In The Thank You Book written by Danna Smith and illustrated by Juliana Perdomo (Little Simon, 9/6/22), rhyming text explains why and how we might say thank you, not just with words, but also with kind gestures and affectionate touches. The illustrations are brightly colored and populated by diverse figures. There appear to be a couple of same-sex couples, though their interactions with each other are platonic-looking enough that it's not something my kids are likely to notice. Most of the emphasis is on kids learning how to show and accept gratitude to and from each other and the adults in their lives.  When I worked in the library, I liked to do a thank-you-themed story time for Thanksgiving, and this would fit right into that theme, along with Thanks a Lot by Raffi and Thankful by Elaine Vickers. 

Snow by Jane Ormes (Nosy Crow, 8/23/2022) is a lift-the-flap book about animal families who live where it snows. On each page, there are mother and father animals along with their correct names (e.g. a daddy reindeer called a bull, a mommy whale called a cow, etc.) When the young reader lifts the flap, the offspring and its name are revealed. At the end of the book, the four species that appear in the earlier pages come back to introduce the collective noun used to refer to them. This book perfectly stitches together three things my toddlers love: baby animals, flaps, and new words. The illustrations strike a good balance between child-friendly and scientifically accurate. The pinks, blues, and greens of the pictures maintain a cool wintry feeling throughout the book which captures the animals' climate in a visceral way. A book like this is a great way to sneak some nonfiction into your story time stack! 

Picture Book Review: Big Stuff: Planes, Rockets, Spacecraft by Joan Holub, illustrated by The Little Friends of Printmaking (10/19/2022)

Quick Booktalk 

Information about a variety of flying vehicles is introduced in an oversized board book format.

About the Illustration

The bold lines of the pictures, combined with the cartoonish faces assigned to the vehicles, are instantly engaging. Each spread includes a labeled diagram of the parts of a vehicle, a step by step description of how it works, and sections for Big History and a Big Fun Fact. Everything is accompanied with kid-friendly pictures. 

Readers Advisory

This would be too lengthy to read to a group, and it's also too long for my two-year-olds to sit through. For toddlers or story time audiences, I might just read aloud the rhyming couplets that introduce each vehicle and then add in additional information from other parts of the pages as the children express interest. For a four- or five-year-old, it would be fine to read all the details.

Content Notes

This is the perfect book for kids (especially little boys) who love things that go and want to hear all the details of how they work in a very child-friendly way. Because it's a board book, it's most appealing to ages 5 and under, but the content could skew even older.

Disclosure

I received a review copy of Big Stuff: Planes, Rockets, Spacecraft from Little Simon in exchange for an honest review. 

Picture Book Review: Mouse Calls by Anne Marie Pace, illustrated by Erin Kraan (10/5/2022)

Quick Booktalk 

With a big storm on the way, Mouse rushes to warn all of her animal friends and get them all to safety.

About the Illustrations 

I love the way the illustrator uses texture in this book. The way she draws the animals' fur, and their clothes, the grass and rocks, the leaves and even the rain makes it feel like the reader could reach out and touch them. The animals' wide expressive eyes, anthropomorphic behaviors and cute outfits contrubute to a gentle, cozy feeling. The blues and browns of the sky and background also help to evoke the damp, cool quality of air during a storm.

Read-Aloud Possiblities

The simple rhyming lines of this story make it a natural choice to read aloud, especially with toddlers. There is a good variety of animals in the text, too, including creatures not often mentioned in children's books, like the skink and the caribou. Occasional wordless spreads of the animals huddled away from the storm also give kids the opportunity to provide their own commentaries and interpretations of what is happening. This book would work nicely for a weather, animals, or mice theme. 

Readers Advisory 

The structure of the story reminds me a little bit of the Bear books by Karma Wilson (Bear Snores On, etc.) I also found myself thinking of The Umbrella by Jan Brett. 

Disclosure 

I received a review copy of Mouse Calls from Beach Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.

Picture Book Review: The Little Bear by Nicola Killen (6/28/2022)

Quick Booktalk 

In this back-to-school story from the same series as The Little Kitten, Ollie follows a bear to his woodland school one night and learns not to be nervous about her own first day. 

About the Illustrations 

The sweet, gentle pictures are mainly done in black, white, and gray, with occasional bits of navy and gold foil. They capture the nighttime atmosphere in a way that feels quiet and peaceful, not spooky. 

Readers Advisory

This could be a fun read-aloud at home for a child who is already anxious about attending school. I'd probably avoid reading it to a child who doesn't have any reservations about the first day because I wouldn't want to introduce a problem where there isn't one. The ideal age range is probably ages 3 to 5, which matches when most kids will begin their first school experiences. 

Content Notes

This is a different take on the back to school story, and it takes a very gentle and supportive approach. It keeps a positive outlook on the idea of starting school and makes it fun by imagining what an animal school might be like. My kids are homeschooled, but they are fascinated by school, so they all enjoyed reading this one. 

Disclosure 

I received a review copy of The Little Bear from Paula Wiseman Books in exchange for an honest review.