MA! There's Nothing to Do Here! Barbara Park

Every now and then Joan and I will run across a book and say, "Why didn't we think of that?" It's a book waiting to be born, right on the tip of our tongues. And we have to celebrate its birth, because it is so perfect. Ma! There's Nothing to Do Here! A Word from Your Baby-in-Waiting by Barbara Park, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli, is that book this time. It was first released as a picture book in 2008 and now is in a most excellent form: a board book!

"My choices are slim.
There is no room to swim.
I'm so tired of floating.
I'd love to go boating,
But where's the canoe?
          MA!
There's nothing to do!"

Spot on, right? Pair that text with Garofoli's delightful illustrations, and you'll find you've never seen a cuter placenta.

Your readertotz will enjoy thinking of what their sibling might be doing in vitro or how they occupied the womb-time on their own. The sturdy pages are ready for little hands. Enjoy!

MA! There's Nothing to Do Here!
by Barbara Park
illustrated by Vivana Garofoli
Random House

Poetry Friday: Round is a Tortilla, a Book of Shapes

Here's a beautiful suggestion for Poetry Friday: Round is a Tortilla, A Book of Shapes by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrated by John Parra. Watch for the release March 19th.

Round are sombreros.
     Round is the moon.
Round are the trumpets
     that blare out a tune.

Round are campanas
     that chime and ring.
Round are the nests
     where swallows sing.

Such lovely poetry and paintings. Happy Poetry Friday!

Round is a Tortilla, a Book of Shapes
by Roseanne Greenfield Thong
illustrated by John Parra
Chronicle Books, March 19, 2013

February: Around the Block With Sesame Street, Upside Downton Abbey

So fun! Hope you enjoyed our stop on Sesame Street this month. :~)

Whose Toes Are Those?: Sally Symes and Nick Sharratt

On each spread of this board book, totz will see the tail end and the nose of an animal character that covers both pages. However, its mid-section (and the middle of the spread) is covered by an environmental clue. Totz are also provided with 3 question-clues. For instance, in one of my favorite spreads:

Whose tail?

Whose toes?

Whose big gray nose?

(There’s a jungle shown in the middle of the spread, going across the middle fold.)

(Turn ½ page flap to remove environmental clue and reveal entire animal.)

Hippo!

A bright, colorful, clever book that will keep totz guessing and turning the pages all the way to the last spread, where the character is a baby.

Whose Toes Are Those?

Author: Sally Symes

Illustrator: Nick Sharratt

Candlewick Press, 2012

Poetry Friday: The Longest Night

Dip into Poetry Friday with The Longest Night, a Passover Story by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by Catia Chien.

On the day we killed the lamb,
Aba wiped his bloody hands,

Marked the post above the door,
Drank and ate and said no more.

Till--the saddest sound, so stark.
Cries like knives that split the dark.

Cries that found us, frozen, numb,
Woke us, made us rise and run.

Brilliant, yes? Don't miss this beautiful celebration of Passover. Happy Poetry Friday!

The Longest Night, a Passover Story
by Laurel Snyder
illustrated by Catia Chien
Schwartz & Wade Books, 2013

Board Book, Please: 10 Hungry Rabbits

I thought to start a series of posts for when Joan and I discover a picture book which would make an excellent board book. Our first is by Anita Lobel, 10 Hungry Rabbits. This adorable picture book is screaming to be formatted as a picture book. The counting and color concepts are perfect for totz.

3 Three
The third rabbit broke off THREE YELLOW peppers.
4 Four
The fourth rabbit picked FOUR RED tomatoes.

Obvious, right? So, please, Knopf. Give us a board book!

10 Hungry Rabbits
by Anita Lobel
Knopf, 2012

Big Girl Panties: Fran Manushkin

Graduation from diapers to panties is worth celebrating. Fran Manushkin's text paired with Valeria Petrone's art will jump start your party.

Happy panties!
Snappy panties!
Panties! Panties! Hip hooray!
Panties for every single day.

So if your tot is moving toward this milestone, make it easier with this fun board book. The flat shapes and catchy rhythm will have your panties dancing.

Big  Girl Panties
by Fran Manushkin
illustrated by Valeria Petrone
Robin Corey Books, 2012

Photo Friday: Bookish Baby

Pinterest

Happy Photo Friday! Enjoy a book with your totz!

February Big Kid Pick: The Odyssey

There are times when you find a book in your hands, and you just know that it represents the best work of an author and illustrator. I think of it as a lifework. The Odyssey by Gillian Cross, illustrated by Neil Packer, is one of those books.

Gillian takes Homer's epic and makes it accessible to young and old. The story flows with beautiful pacing and language. Causing those words to resonate are Packer's masterful illustrations. With a nod to Greek vase painting and his own expressionistic style, the story blossoms. You can sit and stare at the detailed paintings, and then find, you have to share the amazing images with someone else.

Candlewick's production honors the creation. The paper quality is rich, thick, and smooth, while the larger book size lets the reader relish Odysseus's journey.

This work is a treasure, a must-have for your family. Find it.

The Odyssey
by Homer
retold by Gillian Cross
illustrated by Neil Packer
Candlewick Press, 2012

Huggy Kissy: Leslie Patricelli

Lorie Ann and I are huge fans of Leslie Patricelli and her “bald baby” character. Her Yummy Yucky and Quiet Loud are two of my personal favorite board books. Although her little guy has loads of personality of his own, he has a universal quality that makes us want to give him a HUGGY!

In this book, baby is looking for something: Hugs and kisses.

Tuggy, tuggy.

(baby tugging at busy dad’s pants leg)

Huggy, huggy?

(baby open-armed; looking adorably wistful and ready for a hug)

(His hopes are met with dad hugging him.)

Squeeze, squeeze.

Don’t stop please!

As the book continues, we see all kinds of hugs and kisses, including an uncle’s scratchy embrace and an auntie’s squishy one. And baby has hugs and kisses of his own to bestow, including a hug for blankie and a kiss for fishy.

A great book for anytime, but especially for December holidays or Valentine’s Day!

Huggy Kissy

Author-Illustrator: Leslie Patricelli
Candlewick, 2012

Photo Friday: Born to Read

Happy Photo Friday! In light of Midwinter ALA, I thought this was perfect from their store. :~)

Image from Pinterest with link to product. 

Annual Call for a Youth Media Board Book Award

It was so fun to watch the livestream of the Youth Media Awards this morning. However, Joan and I stop for a moment and once again give the call for a novelty/board book category. Research indicates it takes about $10,000 to fund the start of an award. Joan and I are busy writing to fill the format with quality literature, along with others passionate for the board book. Who will come forward to recognize the best first books for our very youngest readers? We propose The Dorothy Kunhardt Award.

 ~ Lorie Ann Grover and Joan Holub, 2013

In the meantime, here are your Caldecott winners:



Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:

“This Is Not My Hat,” illustrated and written by Jon Klassen, is the 2013 Caldecott Medal winner. The book is published by Candlewick Press.

Five Caldecott Honor Books also were named: “Creepy Carrots!” illustrated by Peter Brown, written by Aaron Reynolds and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division; “Extra Yarn,” illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett and published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of

HarperCollins Publishers; “Green,” illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger and published by Neal Porter Books, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press; “One Cool Friend,” illustrated by David Small, written by Toni Buzzeo and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group; “Sleep Like a Tiger,” illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Mary Logue and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Splat the Cat, Funny Valentine: Rob Scotton

How about a fun, soft-sided, Lift-the-Flap for Valentine's? Splat the Cat, Funny Valentine delivers. Mrs. Wimpydimple reminds the cat class to bring in their special valentines. Splat, Kitten, Seymour, and Spike gather with their supplies at the clubhouse and get to work rhyming, sewing, cutting, and gluing. When Valentines are delivered, everyone is remembered, even Mrs. Wimpydimple.

Based on Rob Scotton's characters and style, you and your Valentine will be lifting flaps and smiling this February.

Splat the Cat, Funny Valentine
based on the creation of Rob Scotton
Harperfestival, 2012

Photo Friday: Book Baby

Pinterest

Happy Photo Friday! Enjoy the day with your totz and books.

readertotz Newsflash: Reach Out and Read

    

So excited to learn of Reach Out and Read and then hear my work was chosen for the program. Check it out and visit the drive. Here's to totz' community service! 

Reach Out and Read prepares America's youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. In the Greater New York region, we provide new, age-appropriate books and literacy guidance to over a quarter of a million children. 

Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish is one of 11 books included in the online Virtual Book Drive. www.reachoutandreadnyc.org/VirtualBookDrive.htm

This year the celebration is the 14^th Anniversary of Reach Out and Read of Greater New York, on May 6, 2013, at The Helen Mills Event Space and Theater in New York City. Susan Kaufman, Editor of Time Inc.’s People StyleWatch Magazine will serve as Auction Chair. 

Pediatrician Dr. Leora Mogilner

Thanks for taking a look. And thanks to Scholastic for their contributions! 

A Kiss Like This: Mary Murphy

This, from the back cover, sets up the premise of this book, which uses a clever, split-page format:

Buzzy, bubbly, long, or small,

whose is the best kiss of all?

Can you guess?

A giraffe kiss is gentle and tall. . .

(Giraffe tot pictured on left; parent on right. Turn the split-page flap . . .)

like this!

(Giraffe tot and parent kiss.)

A mouse kiss is quick and small. . .

(Parent mouse on left; tot mouse on right. Turn the flap…)

like this!

(Mouse tot and parent kiss.)

I waited till now to mention that this is not a board book. But it does read like one and could easily be transformed into one in the future. The art is simple and fresh, with cute characters that aren’t syrupy-cute. The book ends with a spread filled with hearts of many sizes, including a giant sparkly one in the middle.

Charming!

A Kiss Like This

Author-illustrator: Mary Murphy

Ages 2-4

Candlewick Press, 2012

Photo Friday: Onesie Words

Happy Photo Friday! May this be true for our totz! Image from Pinterest.

For You: Return to Me

Next time you set the board books aside and your sweet totz to bed, reach for Return to Me. Justina Chen delivers a raw, realistic look at change, redefining normal, and lasting love. 

Here's the description from Amazon:

Nothing is going as planned for Rebecca Muir. She's weeks away from starting college--at a school chosen specifically to put a few thousand miles of freedom between Reb and her parents. But her dad's last-minute job opportunity has her entire family moving all those miles with her! And then there's the matter of her unexpected, amazing boyfriend, Jackson, who is staying behind on the exact opposite coast.

And if that isn't enough to deal with, mere days after moving cross-country, Reb's dad drops shocking, life-changing news. With her mother and brother overwhelmed and confused, Reb is left alone to pick up the pieces of her former life. But how can she do that when everything can change in an instant? How can she trust her "perfect" boyfriend when her own dad let her down? Reb started the year knowing exactly what her future would hold, but now that her world has turned upside down, will she discover what she really wants?

Join the Celebratory Twitter Party at #LBSchat at 5 PT, 8 ET!

Return to Me
by Justina Chen
Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2013

Poetry Friday: The Brave Spell

Do you see the totz in the tapestry? :~) I loved this movie so much. How about you and yours? Happy Poetry Friday!

"Fate be changed.

Look inside.

Mend the bond

torn by pride."

More, More, More: Who's on First?

Who doesn't love Abbott and Costello's piece, "Who's on First?" Thanks to Quirk, you can bring this classic comedy to your totz. A rabbit and bear stand in for the famous duo and deliver the fun.

John Martz's clean illustrations make the wordplay clear for everyone. Who is a worm. What is a dog, and I Don't Know is a chicken. Everyone will be able to follow the fun, except, of course, Costello. A "Brief History" of the exchange closes the book. Did you recall the long version is in the film The Naughty Nineties?

Enjoy Time magazine's pick for best comedy sketch of the 20th century with John Martz's Who's on First? Your totz will be instant fans.

Who's on First?
by Abbott and Costello
illustrated by John Martz
Quirk Books, February 19, 2013