Owl Babies: Martin Waddell

Owl Babies in board book format! I'm so excited! This is a beloved favorite of our family, and I'm so glad it's formatted again for little hands.

The cover is lightened, the background blue rather than black, maybe to make it less scary? Otherwise Patrick Benson's perfect imagery is untouched, as well as Martin Waddell's text. Bravo, Candlewick!

I met Martin years ago and can still hear his voice reading as Sarah, Percy, and Bill await the return of their mother. Here is a lifework to treasure.

Owl Babies
By Martin Waddell
Illustrated by Patrick Benson
Candlewick Press, 2015, 2nd US edition

Poetry Friday: Double Happiness by Nancy Tupper Ling

Filling little boxes with treasures from home, helps a Chinese American brother and sister prepare for a move. The picture book-in-verse tells a complete story as a novel-in-verse would. Another delight from Chronicle, and it's perfect for Poetry Friday!

Leaf

One stray leaf
flutters down
onto my box--
Eucalyptus!
If I had a koala I'd feed
her this minty meal all
day long--
the perfect treasure
to remind me of home.

Double Happiness
By Nancy Tupper Ling
Illustrated by Alina Chau
Chronicle Books, 2015

Are You My Mommy? by Mary Murphy

Mary Murphy has another adorable board book for your totz. Are You My Mommy? asks a little dog of the various farm animals. Each mother says no but introduces the puppy to her baby. New words are likely introduced such as duckling, foal, and calf.

The thick black outline for characters and the Murphy Brush typeset against soft watercolor settings create vibrant spreads. Candlewick Press has a gem in Mary Murphy.

Are You My Mommy?
by Mary Murphy
Candlewick Press, 2015

Arf! Arf! and Quack! Quack! by Sebastien Braun

Nosy Crow has a series titled Can You Say It, Too? The big flaps are easy to lift for little hands. Quack! Quack! and Arf! Arf! are the two I most recently ran across from Sebastien Braun. The former is set near a pond and the latter by the sea. Answers to the questions are printed on the backside of the flaps.

The series could easily have been titled, "Who's that?" With each question and flap, another character is present as well. The additions can expand the interactive read. Double flaps at the conclusion are a nice surprise.

Chunky and sturdy with adorable animals, these are sure to be read and reread. Look for the whole series.

Quack! Quack!
Arf! Arf!
by Sebastien Braun
Nosy Crow, 2015

Poetry Friday: Bathtime for Chickies, by Janee Trasler

I'm a chickies fan! Thanks, Janee Trasler for another peek into the life of the chickies. In Bathtime for Chickies we find the little birds covered in grime and grub, resisting bathing, and then not wanting to get out of the bath…over and over. Pig washes them once; Cow follows up the perfume/lotion mess; and the cooking catastrophe is cleaned up by Sheep.

"Once they're clean
     and shiny too,
     what will
little chickies
     do?

Take a guess. Just know Pig, Cow, and Sheep join those little chickies. Happy Poetry Friday, readertotz!

Bathtime for Chickies
by Janee Trasler
HarperFestival, 2015

More, more, more: Pool, by JiHyeon Lee

I'm a huge fan of wordless picture books. Before your summer ends and school starts up again, find Pool by JiHyeon Lee. As a young boy approaches the public pool, it seems the entire town turns out and jumps in ahead of him. But…what if he dives beneath all the floaties and splashing swimmers to find a girl down below. Maybe there is a world of coral, fish, and mythic creatures, tiny and great, to be discovered.

With their descent, color saturates the oversized format, and the reader is lost in another world created with color pencils and oil pastels. When the two friends resurface, it's possible their discoveries return with them and cause the pool to empty. The book is dedicated: "For Those Who Want To Swim Freely in the World."

This is JiHyeon Lee's first book. The work so clearly taps into the imagination it feels as if she has read our own wishes. Brava! Joan and I will be waiting for more from this gifted newcomer.

Pool
by JiHyeon Lee
Chronicle Books, 2015, originally published in South Korea, 2013

All Shook Up! and Who's There? Alain Crozon

I have two lift-the-flaps that are unique and stand out from the stack. Alain Crozon's All Shook Up! and Who's There? are strong, graphic additions to the market which invite page turns and giggles.

The limited palate of blue, yellow, black, and red; the matte pages; and thick black line create all the fun. Whether you are reading and lifting to discover what's inside the fearless fish or the nesting dolls, or exploring movement in fluttering feathers and spiky hair, the reads are interactive and dosed with joy.

I love these two, and so will your totz!

All Shook Up!
Who's There?
Alain Crozon
Chronicle Books, 2015

Poetry Friday: What Pet Should I Get?

Happy Poetry Friday! It's time to "Make up your mind," with two totz, the boy and girl from One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, trying to decide which pet to take home. How lovely to have one more Dr. Seuss book to treasure with back matter to explain context. Enjoy!

"Dad said we could have one.
Dad said he would pay.
I went to the Pet Shop.
I went there with Kay.

And so we went in..."

What Pet Should I Get?
by Dr. Seuss
Random House, 2015

Poetry Friday: The Bus is for Us!

Poetry Friday will be a beauty with The Bus is for Us! Michael Rosen's text swings through locomotive options, real and imaginary, while Gillian Tyler's illustrations softly wisp along the reader. Find this rhyming picture book and then take a ride somewhere delightful with your totz. Consider taking the bus!

"I do, of course,
like riding a horse.

I like to float
in a little boat.

I like trips
in big ships.

But the best is the bus.
The bus is for us."

The Bus is for Us!
by Michael Rosen
illustrated by Gillian Tyler
Candlewick Press, 2015

Poetry Friday: Funny Face, Sunny Face

Happy Poetry Friday! Here's a little Funny Face, Sunny Face to brighten your day with your totz. It's oh, so catchy.

"Sticky lips, licky lips,
love-you
kiss-me-quicky lips.

Peeky nose,
beaky nose,
rub-a-
     dub-a-
        cheeky nose."

Funny Face, Sunny Face
by Sally Symes
illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
Nosy Crow, 2015

More, more, more: The New Small Person

Elmore Green began life as an only child, happy with his status in the family. No one ever ate his jelly beans, until "somebody else came along." The small person, being cut major slack within the family, makes Elmore wish he would go away. And when he only grows larger and moves into Elmore's room, there's little hope left in life.

But a bad dream and finding a bit of comfort from the younger sib, along with a large dose of admiration, and someone to laugh with, changes Elmore's perspective. Enough to share his jellybeans. Except the orange ones, of course.

Lauren Child is the master of wry humor, truthful twists, and everyday observations. The New Small Person is a brilliant work to add to your collection beside Charlie, Lola, and Clarice Bean. More, more, more, we say!

The New Small Person
by Lauren Child
Candlewick Press, 2014

Shark Bite! by Beatrice Costamagna, Little Bee Books

Shark Bite! is a fun read for your readertotz, helping them to see maybe the fearsome can be friendly after all. On each spread, Mark the shark shows his teeth, and a pull tab allows the reader to chomp through the book.

Scary, then angry, then laughing, thanks to the tickling octopus, Mark finds friendship in the sea. Beatrice Costamagna's illustrations are bright and inviting. Look for Shark Bite! for your readertotz and take a bite out of this board book this summer.

Shark Bite!
illustrated by Beatrice Costamagna
Little Bee Books, 2015

Poetry Friday: Itty Bitty Kitty, by Joan Holub

So adorable with rhyme throughout. Itty Bitty Kitty is a great pick for Poetry Friday! Enjoy our own Joan Holub's bouncy, punchy text accompanied by the cutest illustrations by James Burks. Move over Clifford!

    It was a furry purry,
snuggly huggly,
cutie patootie,
                   itty...
                     bitty...
                       kitty!
                    He had sparkly green eys
                 and was just the right size
                 for a girl like Ava.

Itty Bitty Kitty
by Joan Holub
illustrated by James Burks
Harper, 2015

Poetry Friday: Beach House

Oh, these two caught it: the summer sun and fun at a beach house. This is perfect for your Poetry Friday out at the shore. Deanna Caswell's text is lyrical while Amy June Bates captures sunshine in her watercolors. Enjoy!

A long, long drive.

It's been a year
     of dreaming, waiting.

Summer's here.

Doors fly open.
     End of the road.

"To the beach!"
     "Not yet--unload."

Beach House
by Deanna Caswell
illustrated by Amy June Bates
Chronicle Books, 2015

Young reader recites Mighty Dads at a construction site

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly! Lucille Colandro

Can it be done again? Yes! In board book format for little totz' hands. And how about dropping the line, "Perhaps she'll die."? Why can't a cough release all the Old Lady's new friends she has temporarily ingested? Much more friendly thanks to Lucille Colandro's text.

And then Jared Lee's illustrations add a frenzy to the story with tiny pen hash marks zinging across the imagery. The layout is brilliant. (That black dog is the cutest ever and with a few others, smartly avoids being eaten!)

Colandro dedicated the work to the Cartwheel Team. I agree. Bravo!

There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly!
by Lucille Colandro
illustrated by Jared Lee
Cartwheel Books, July 2015

Poetry Friday: After the Bell Rings

Here's a collection of poems centered on all things after school. Read a few for this Poetry Friday!

Escape

Out of the prison gates I slip,
I zig and zag, I dodge and dip,
Through the dark forest of towering trees,
Leaving no trail for my enemies.
Across the wild river on a narrow log,
Past the castle with the howling wolf-dog,
One last mad dash! I got home okay!
Good thing that my school is just three blocks away.

After the Bell Rings, Poems About After-School Time
by Carol Diggory Shields
illustrated by Paul Meisel
Dial Books for Young Readers, 2015

Polar Bear's Underwear: tupera tupera

How can you not chuckle just by saying the title: Polar Bear's Underwear? Right? This Chronicle Books release isn't a board book, but the stiff pages with underwear cutouts will hold up to little hands.

As Polar Bear and Mouse look for the missing undergarment, they find other underwear with design hints as to whom the clothing might belong. The zebra's is striped. The butterfly's is tiny and covered in flowers. The guessing game will keep the giggles going along with the fun tighty-whitey ending.

Tupera Tupera, the team of Tatsuya Kameyama and Atsuko Nakagawa's layered collage hints at Eric Carle while holding its own freshness. Enjoy!

Polar Bear's Underwear
by tupera tupera
Chronicle Books

Poetry Friday: Blown Away

Happy Poetry Friday! Look at this cutie and consider adding it to your collection!



"A windy day.
A brand-new kite.
For Penguin Blue
a maiden flight.

The kite so high. The wind so strong.
It's pulling Penguin Blue along."

And so begins the adventure!

Blown Away
by Rob Biddulph
Harper, 2015

Giveaway! Autographed Mini Myths board books for preschoolers.

Mythology life lessons in board books for totz! 

Giving away 4 autographed Mini Myths board books

by readertotz co-founder, Joan Holub,

illustrated by Leslie Patricelli, creator of Yummy Yucky

and other amazing board books.

Abrams Books

Please do this to enter:

"Like" readertotz on Facebook 

"Like" Joan Holub and Lorie Ann Grover on Facebook

Drop a quick comment here on this post.

Entry rules: 

Must be over 18. Must like books! :o) 

USA only. 

2 randomly chosen winners each receive 2 autographed Mini Myths books (author's choice). 

Winners names posted here and notified via email (if email provided). 

Promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with any social networking site. Ends June 10th. 

Good luck!