Photo Friday: Smelling Books

Hey totz and parents!

Just a fun image I made at Polyvore which celebrates our love of books. Hope it makes you smile and brings a little joy to your own new year. HAPPY 2011!

 

 

Lorie Ann Grover, 2010

Older Sibling Pick: LMNO peas by Keith Baker

Just when you think all the wonderful ABC books that could possibly have been done, have been done, along comes Keith Baker with LMNO peas.

We are peas--alphabet peas!
We work and play in the ABCs.

Each colorful page or spread in this charming picture book presents a large letter. Lots of industrious little peas are busy under, over, around, and atop them. If you enjoy the wonderful, zany energy of Richard Scarry like I do, you'll find a similar energy here. For the letters E and F:

We're eaters, electricians, and explorers searching land.
We're farmers, flaggers, and best friends in a band.

After all the peas have had their say, they ask us: Who Are You?

Keith's humor extends to the flap copy, in which he proclaims that he hails from the NW city of Peattle!

This book leaves me wanted more, more, more peas...please!

LMNOpeas
Author-illustrator: Keith Baker
Publisher: Beach Lane Books (Simon and Schuster), 2010

February Pick for Totz and Older Siblings: Can You Make A Scary Face?

This book is hilarious. A perfect read-aloud. It's unusual in that the main character speaks directly to readers. I watched a storytime in a local store and the audience of totz and their siblings enjoyed it as much as I did.

The narrator is a big ladybug painted in bold colors, and it begins with her saying...
Can you make a scary face?
Hey, you!
Yes, I'm talking to you! STAND UP!
No, I changed my mind... SIT DOWN!
No, I changed my mind AGAIN. STAND UP!

Kids in the audience were delighted to obey this bossy ladybug's every command, giggling all the while. There's a moment of humorous tension when a big frog comes along and actually scares the ladybug. She enlists the help of readers in scaring him away. But then the audience scares her off!

Very clever and unusual. Loved it.

Can You Make A Scary Face?
By Jan Thomas
Beach Lane Books, 2009