Monday, September 30, 2019

Baby Animals and Body: Stephanie Babin


How about fun fiction for your readertotz? Play Tabs from Twirl has released Baby Animals and Body. Durable thick board books with prominent, arrowed tabs teach first readers concise facts.

Stephanie Babin's text is straightforward: "A dog's babies are called puppies." And "When you are out and about during the day, dirt gets stuck to your skin." Thierry Bedouet has illustrated the animal book while Ilaria Falorsi illustrated Body. I would have thought one person created both sets of images as there is a constancy between them.

From the back covers: "...sturdy pull-tabs on every page that are right for little hands, and bite-size facts that are just right for hungry minds!"

Enjoy these nonfiction works, their action and information.

Play Tabs
Baby Animals
by Stephanie Babin
illustrated by Thierry Bedouet

Body
by Stephanie Babin
illustrated by Ilaria Falorsi

Twirl, 2019 (first published in France, 2018)

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

More, more, more: Rabbit and the Motorbike



"Exhilarating . . . Graceful text and evocative illustrations combine in this story about the rewards of facing fears and trying something new." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

This beautiful work is a treasure as we walk through loss and brave living. Rabbit dreams of going down the road, but it's Dog who travels. When Dog doesn't return from an adventure, his bike is left to Rabbit. Watch as Rabbit nurses his loss and eventually takes to the road himself. Life holds wheat fields of comfort, but it also offers roads, motorbikes, wings, and stories that keep us all together.

Here is a heartfelt text, a wide format to hold the scope of the world, and illustration that echoes beloved John Birmingham. Don't miss this work that bears much truth and is ready to share. 

Rabbit and the Motorcycle
by Kate Hoefler
illustrated by Sarah Jacoby
Chronicle Books, 2019

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Top Shelf: This Little Artist, Joan Holub



Celebrations for readertotz founder, Joan Holub! Her "This Little" series continues beautifully with This Little Artist, an Art History Primer.

Painting, shaping, making art.
With creative joy, hands, and heart.

Little artists have great big imaginations.

Introduce your totz to ten artists who have shaped our world culture by reflecting their own insights. A rhyme and portrait is followed by a fact and example of the featured artist's work. Daniel Roode's adorable big-eyed, flat characters create a unity in our diversity. 

Lastly, a final spread collects eighteen more creators. The broad field of art is open to collage, photography, glass creation, performance and more. An end question asks:

Crayons, paper, paint, or clay-
what will you use to make art today?

Bravo, Joan and Daniel! Thank you for this joyful board book!

This Little Artist, an Art History Primer
by Joan Holub
illustrated by Daniel Roode
Little Simon, September 10, 2019

Thursday, September 19, 2019

More, more, more: We Are All Greta



Follow up the #ClimateStrike with this call to save our world. Take action for your wee one's future.

"This may be the first book about Thunberg, but with the youth mobilization for the upcoming Global Climate Strike in September, it almost certainly won't be the last."-Publishers Weekly

We Are All Greta
by Valentina Giannella
illustrated by Manuela Marazzi
Laurence King Publishing, September 24, 2019

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Happy Book Birthday: I Love All of Me


  • Today! She's born! Celebrations!

Happy book birthday to I Love All of Me! Thank you for sharing the joy in this virtual launch party. Feel free to spread the word. May she be held by many tiny hands who know they are worthy, wonderful, and welcome in our world. Huzzah!

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
Best Board Book of the Season

From “wiggle toes” and “smelly nose” to “blinky eyes” and “bendy knees,” this is a delightful, affirming ode to toddler parts. The smile-inducing rhymes beg to be repeated again and again, while the bold palette and cheery images heighten the book’s enthusiastic tone. 
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Grover’s rhyming text soars, and reading the words aloud almost feels like singing a song...a vibrant and lyrical ode to bodies ideal for those learning to explore their own. 
KIRKUS REVIEWS

Grover’s book gets right to the point in an unfussy and streamlined way; it’s a breath of fresh air and just right for sharing with the toddlers in your life....With a book like Grover’s at the ready, that grownup can say to a child: I love you just the way you are, and I want you to do the same. What a powerful and compassionate sentiment.
KIRKUS REVIEWSJulie Danielson

I Love All of Me
by Lorie Ann Grover
Cartwheel Books, Scholastic, September 17, 2019