Who's Hiding? Sebastien Braun

 

 

Who is peeking out from under the leaves? Who's behind the watering can? What's in back of the flowerpot? A cast of multicultural babies discover critters that wiggle, crawl, hop, and delight--right in their own backyards.

Who's hiding behind the gate?
(under the flap) Puppy!

I enjoyed the fact that the illustrations offer hints of what will be behind the flap. And the large, easy-to-lift flaps are especially well-shaped.

Sebastien Braun is the author-illustrator of the companion book Peekaboo Baby. He studied fine arts at the University of Strasbourg, France, and now lives in London. 

Who's Hiding?
author/illustrator: Sebastien Braun
Candlewick Press
http://www.candlewick.com 
2011

Photo Friday: Dads Read

Let's hear it for the dads who love to read to their totz. And with their totz. Happy Photo Friday! Image from Pinterest.

Colors and Opposites: Xavier Deneux

It's so lovely to see concept books presented in a fresh way. Xavier Deneux has achieved that with Colors and Opposites, touch/think/learn. With carefully designed cutouts he shows color. A raised brown bear walks from the right hand of the spread, leaving his cutout behind, now filled with brown leaves. A white raised cat stands opposite her cutout of a black cat.

Opposites is wider in representation. A raised cat atop a ladder illustrates High, while in the opposite cutout a mole shows Low. A Heavy raised elephant is opposite of a cutout Light cloud.

The tag on the series which includes Numbers and Shapes as well is: To touch is to experience. To experience is to learn. There is a choking hazard for children under 3 due to the small pieces. Otherwise, the work is a visual delight.

Colors
Opposites
by Xavier Deneux
Handprint Book, Chronicle, 2013

The Bus Driver: Todd H. Doodler

The Bus Driver is a counting board book that takes us through a bus driver's typical daily route. We start with:

1 One bus driver started his day all alone.
2 Then he picked up two chatty girls talking on the phone.

We count up to 10, and then down again as passengers who got on the bus get off again.

A simple, but clever concept.

The Bus Driver
Author-illustrator: Todd H. Doodler (Todd Harris Goldman)
Robin Corey Books www.randomhouse.com/kids
2013 

Big Kid Pick: The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy by Martha Brockenbrough

The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy spends her time polishing her collection of teeth. She has one form a spinosaurus, a gigantosaurs, and a duck-billed Hadrosaur.

Those were good days for a Dinosaur Tooth Fairy.
The world was hot, the teeth were huge,
and the tiny dinies made her happy.

But now the Dinosaur Tooth Fairy lives in the museum, alone, alone, ALONE! Along comes class on a field trip, and a little girl loses her tooth while in the museum. The DTF wants it! However, so does someone else -- a rival Tooth Fairy! How will they work this out?

An adorable, fun, romp with plenty of trademark Martha Brockenbrough humor and adorable art!

Martha Brockenbrough is the celebrated author of the YA novel, Devine Intervention; a social media diva for readergirlz (our big sister site); and the founder of National Grammar Day.

The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy
Author: Martha Brockenbrough
Illustrator: Israel Sanchez
Arthur A. Levine Books / Scholastic
July 2013