Little Penguin: Chronicle Books

What a wonderful series from Chronicle Books! These chunky board books each have a hole in the center for the attached finger puppet to poke through. The books are sturdy and small enough to fit in a tot'z hands. There are many other titles in the series: Little Bee, Little Bunny (an Easter favorite), and Little Ladybug. The list goes on and on, each one cuter than the last. The text is super-simple and this book has a plot:

All the penguins are going to sneak away and hide.
But who will seek?
Close your eyes and count to four...
Now find your friends!

With totz' help, Little Penguin will find them all!

Little Penguin
Chronicle Books, 2008

Poetry Friday: How Doth the Little Crocodile

Art by me, Lorie Ann Grover, 2012

How's this for Poetry Friday? Thanks, Lewis Carroll!

How doth the little crocodile 

Improve his shining tail, 

And pour the waters of the Nile 

On every golden scale!

How cheerfully he seems to grin 

How neatly spreads his claws, 

And welcomes little fishes in, 

With gently smiling jaws! 

Alice in Wonderland: Jennifer Adams

Another in the BabyLit book series is Alice in Wonderland. If you recall, "BabyLit is a fashionable way to introduce your child to the world of classic literature." This entry does that!

Jennifer Adams' colors primer joined by Alison Oliver's art is exquisite. The right hand side of the spread features an animal or object from the traditional story, while the left side carries the text and a pattern. Even these are beautiful, some being repetitions from the main image. The words "brown hat" are superimposed on a repeated tonal mustache which matches the Mad Hatter's mustache on the right.

Your totz will be primed for their future reading by the White Rabbit, black shoes, and pink flamingos. I'm such a fan of this series. You'll love it!

Alice in Wonderland, a BabyLit book
by Jennifer Adams
art by Alison Oliver
Gibbs Smith, 2012

Poetry Friday: Around the Block with Sesame Street, Elmo and Adam Sandler

Happy Poetry Friday! Sing it, Adam and Elmo!

Noodles Loves to Eat: Marion Billet

Noodle is a panda who loves to eat!

Each item he loves to eat is a touch-and-feel. The bread is soft and the peas are bumpy. In another title in this series, Noodle Loves the Beach, a peach is sticky and the sand is sandpapery. The final page in each title is mirrored, so that totz can see themselves and feel involved in the story.

This is a true board book, with colorful, sturdy pages that will hold up to lots of handling. Additional titles in this series include: Noodle Loves Bedtime, Noodle Loves the Farm, Noodle Loves to Cuddle, Noodle Loves to Drive.

Noodles Loves to Eat
Artist: Marion Billet
Nosy Crow, 2011

Poetry Friday: New York, Baby!

Starting to dream up summer trips with your totz? Check out New York, Baby! and San Francisco, Baby! City highlights are retro-illustrated by Ward Jenkins and accompanied by rhyming text, which makes these works spot on for Poetry Friday. Here's a tease from New York, Baby!

"The SUN is up in N-Y-C.
Come and see the SIGHTS with me.

First, let's have BREAKFAST, please.
I'd like a BAGEL with cream cheese."

Me, too! Happy Poetry Friday.

New York, Baby!
San Francisco, Baby!
illustrated by Ward Jenkins
Chronicle Books, 2012

May Pick for the Older Sibling: The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?

It is incredible. The duckling gets a cookie just by asking for it. Politely, of course. The older siblings of your totz are going to smile, giggle, and laugh at the pigeon, who is once again incredulous over the way the world works.

As I always say, Mo is the master. While his body of works grows, I'm continually amazed and thankful he is a voice in children's literature.

Enjoy The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? Then, with your family, bake a batch. With and without nuts.


The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?
by Mo Willems
Hyperion Book, 2012

The Little Gardener: Jan Gerardi

Now that Memorial Day has passed, it's safe to get the garden in, here in the Pacific Northwest. As everyone plants their seeds across the country, look for The Little Gardener by Jan Gerardi for your totz.

This simple lift-the-flap will get you ready to garden.

"Shovel.
Pail.
Rake.
Hoe.
Tiny seeds in a row."

Included are the ideas to compost and deter insects without chemicals. The board book is part of the Teenie Greenies series, printed on 80% recycled paper with soy ink and water-based varnish. The flat illustrations with lovely textures are precise and clean in The Little Gardener. Pick this little work up and then get that wheelbarrow rolling!

The Little Gardener
by Jan Gerardi
Random House, 2012

Poetry Friday: Snug, by Carol Thompson

Child's Play isn't as widely known here, but I love their contributions that make their way to the US from England. Snug is perfect for Poetry Friday. The format is large with stiff paper and ADORABLE illustrations from Carol Thompson. I love the free, sketched line-work, paper textures, and fluid color. Here's a snippet to enjoy today:

"As snug as a bug
in a very old rug,
Snug as a mole
in his underground hole.
Snug is a bulb deep under snow,
Snug is the earthworm curled up below."

Snug
by Carol Thompson
Child's Play, 2011

Playtime: Maureen Roffey

What a clever novelty board book! (It's not a true board book, but the pages are sturdy enough for totz.) Each page explores a playtime activity and has a pull-down tab that transforms the picture.  A ballerina points her toes, a child reads a book, another skips rope.

The text is simple:

I'm a ballerina.
I can point my toes.

Each spread explores a playtime activity. One of my favorites shows a girl painting a "big hairy spider" which began as a green dot.

A unique book that totz will enjoy, playtime or not!

Playtime
Author/Illustrator: Maureen Roffey
Bloomsbury, 2010

Photo Friday: Reading Totz

As an author, it's such a gift to receive a photo of a reader enjoying your work. Here's today's Photo Friday of the dearest tot reading Bedtime Kiss for Little Fish. The crab shirt couldn't be better!

Enjoy those snapshots or your totz reading today, whether you capture them with a camera or your mind. They are precious.

A Nest in Springtime: Belle Yang

How about introducing your totz to spring, summer, counting, colors, flowers, English, and Mandarin? Author/illustrator Belle Yang delivers all of this in A Nest in Springtime and Summertime Rainbow. Two geese have babies and a family of rabbits go for a walk in summer.

With English on the right hand side and Mandarin characters on the left of the spread, seasonal stories are told. Pinyin pronunciations are provided at the conclusion of the works as well.

Belle's gouache illustrations are vibrant with movement. They read as fresh and direct in our digital age.

Have some fun with these titles with your totz. Mandarin is so beautiful!

A Nest in Springtime, A Bilingual Book of Numbers
Summertime Rainbow, A Bilingual Book of Colors 
by Belle Yang
Candlewick Press

Poetry Friday: Dragon, Robot, Gator Bunny

I have a perfect suggestion for Poetry Friday this week: Dragon, Robot, Gator Bunny, presented by Calef Brown. Picture a drawing pad full of suggestions for doodles, AND rhymes and stickers are included. It's just an all around fun, interactive, inspiring book. Look for it from Chronicle.

"Bugs that walk and bugs that fly.
I drew these. Now you try."

Dragon, Robot, Gator Bunny
presented by Calef Brown
Chronicle Books, May 2012

Hello, Dinosaur!

Scholastic has combined a board book and finger puppets into one with Hello, Dinosaurs! The small board book is permanently affixed to the palm of a plush glove, which sports one dino puppet on each finger. The glove fits a left hand, so you can turn the pages of the book with your right.

Red dinosaur loves to fly.

Orange dinosaur stretches to the sky.

I think this is a unique and engaging way to teach colors, plus it's fun for parentz and totz!

 

Hello, Dinosaur!

Scholastic, 2009

Poetry Friday: Around the Block with Sesame Street

Happy Poetry Friday! Sing with Elmo, totz!

April: Around the Block with Sesame Street

One of my favorites! I'm sure Joan loves these cats and dolls as much as me. Enjoy, totz! One, two...

I Love You, Little Bear: Scholastic

Isn't there just something so sweet about straight forward texture books? Add images of plush bears, a squirrel,  and a fish and the "ah factor" is guaranteed. I Love You, Little Bear delivers with the dearest collage, textures, and photos along with a simple rhyming text.

"Little Bear, Little Bear,
look up high.
Hello,
says Bird in the sky."

Find more about the bears at www.woudours.com and www.ebulobo.com.

I Love You, Little Bear
Scholastic, 2012

Poetry Friday: An Awesome Book

Encourage your totz to dream with An Awesome Book. The illustrations will captivate you for hours. Happy Poetry Friday!

"Please dream for those
who've given up
for those who've
never tried
Please use your dreams
to make new dreams
for all the dreams
that died"

An Awesome Book
by Dallas Clayton
Harper

Giraffes Can't Dance: Giles Andreae

How about a rhyming board book to illustrate that everyone can dance? Even a giraffe? That's exactly what Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees offer in Giraffes Can't Dance.



As all the animals turn out for the Jungle Dance, the giraffe is mocked for being clumsy and a silly fool. But when the giraffe departs and comes across the cricket, the former listens to the latter:

"Listen to the swaying
grass and listen to the trees.
To me the sweetest music is
those branches in the breeze."

Gerald the giraffe breaks into a dance that everyone can appreciate. "We can all dance," he said, "when we find music that we love."

Add this reprint, now in board book format from Cartwheel Books, to your totz' library and kick up your heels together.

Giraffes Can't Dance
by Giles Andreae
illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees
Cartwheel Books, Scholastic

Poetry Friday: Demolition

Here's an awesome book for Poetry Friday. Get ready to demolish!

"Swing the ball. Swing the ball.
Thump and smash and whack.
Bring the top floors tumbling down.
Bang! Clang!
Crack!"

Brian Lovelock's spattered ink illustrations set the tone for Sally Sutton's poetry. Super fun, right?

Demolition 
by Sally Sutton
illustrated by Brian Lovelock
Candlewick Press

Link of Awesome: FindTheData

It's a joy to share Links of Awesome. I encourage you to check out FindTheData. Click here to see the library comparison. What a cool tool! The site provides unbiased data-driven  comparisons. Definitely check them out. There are a billion things to compare even beyond libraries, right? So many things for your totz...

First Time Series: Hospital, Vet

Child's Play just gets it so right. Today I recommend their series, First Time. Included are: Doctor, Dentist, Hospital, Vet, Baby Sitter, Sleepover, Nursery, and Big Day Out.



The stiff paper books are illustrated by Jess Stockham, who has taken the care to portray these new experiences without fear. There's a real honesty in this series which will benefit your totz on multiple levels.

Following several children through each experience, a number of situations are covered to offer familiarity and comfort. In Hospital, one child is having a cast put on, while another has surgery. In Vet, children bring in their various animals. Here is an example of appropriate forthrightness when the boy brings his sick rat to the vet:

"She's quite unwell. She has a lump on her side. (child)
I'm afraid she might not live much longer." (vet)

How helpful to open discussions. Overall, the series remains positive and appealing. It will answer questions your totz may have before their first time visits.

First Time Vet
First Time Hospital
illustrated by Jess Stockham
Child's Play

Poetry Friday: Water Sings Blue

Happy Poetry Month and happy Poetry Friday! What a perfect day to read Water Sings Blue.



Well-crafted, insightful fun poems are joined with Meilo So's free-spirited watercolors. A great match!

Jellyfish

Deep water shimmers.
    A wind-shape passes,
kimono trailing.

Water Sings Blue, Ocean Poems
by Kate Coombs
illustrated by Meilo So
Chronicle Books, 2012

April Community Service: Rock the Drop, 2012

Grab your totz' little hand and run to leave a young adult book in a public gathering place! Right now!

 

How are you rocking the drop? Which book are you leaving for another to find? Post your photo at the readergirlz facebook page and tweet #rockthedrop. It's a perfect day to share your love of YA lit!

If you discover a book left in a public gathering place, nab it and tweet your fabbity find.


Your totz will love this act of kindness.

April Pick For the Older Sibling: Paul Thurlby's Alphabet

Begun as a project to keep himself busy at the start of the recession, Paul Thurlby delivers his rendition of the alphabet. His goal was to join the object featured with the specified letter. Each letter can be found online, where he uploaded them upon completion. Thankfully, an agent discovered Paul and Templar Books brought this collection to life, both book and included poster.

The retro-modern style will appeal to all readers in the family. The imagery stimulates me to create. How about you?





Paul Thurlby's Alphabet
by Paul Thurlby
Templar Books, 2011

Sushi Touch and Feel Stroller Cards

Let's go to the youngest reader format. How about stroller cards? And some sushi? Seriously! There cute cards from Chronicle introduce babies to sushi with assisting touch and feel textures. Sticky rice and crinkly seaweed are included, of course.

I was charmed by this little set, with text labels on the back of each of the ten cards. Snap these onto your diaper bag or stroller for your totz. Before you know it, you may be headed for sushi for lunch...

Sushi Touch and Feel Stroller Cards
Chronicle Books, April 2012

Photo Friday: Chubby Peep

Here's a chubby peep for your holiday weekend. Happy Photo Friday, totz and parents!

More, More, More: There Are No Cats in This Book

There Are No Cats in This Book is Viviane Schwarz' title. No cats. But wait. When you open the book you find the cats are present. They are trying to go on vacation, but they need your readers' help. They can't push themselves out, or jump from the book. Rather, they need your imagination. That said, they'll send a postcard, and if you wait around long enough, they may return...with a few friends. But the title stands: There Are No Cats in This Book.




Your readers are going to love the exuberant line, fold out portions, and the collage used to make this fun book. Certainly a giggle will call for another reading. Well done, Viviane!

Be sure to check out her first work: There Are Cats in This Book. :~)

There Are No Cats in This Book
by Viviane Schwarz
Candlewick Press, 2010

Yumi and Aoki: Annelore Parot

My most adorable recommend today is the Kokeshi series from Chronicle. The cuteness combined with the rich presentation are irresistible!

With art and text by Annelore Parot, your totz can follow Yumi on the way to a party and Aoki as she visits Tokyo. The flaps are inventive and fun. Totz will help the Kokeshi, little wooden dolls, choose a kimono, help the kites blow in the wind, and visit favorite stores.

There's an air of sophistication to this collection while it remains accessible. Every detail is designed beautifully, from the padded cover with applique stitching to the endpapers covered in joy.

Watch the video for interior imagery. Before you know it, you'll be going Kokeshi crazy, too!



Grab the headband, room sign, or thank you!

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/kokeshi/images/Kokeshi_ActivityKit_consumer.pdf

Aoki and Yumi
by Annelre Parot
Chronicle Books, April 2012

Poetry Friday: Current Totz Playlist

Enjoy these tunes, full of poetry with your totz today! Happy Poetry Friday, everyone!

Hop, Skip, and Jump, Maisy! Lucy Cousins

It's no secret that I'm a Maisy fan. I like the bold, bright colors and fat black outlines in these books. This is a hardcover book, but it's geared young like all Maisy books, and could easily become a board book. So it seems perfect for readertotz.

The pop-ups enhance the energetic movements here--kicking a ball, touching toes, and jumping rope, among others. The pop-ups move really well and are cute and clever. Although it's not as sturdy as a board book, it should hold up to use.

In the afternoon, Maisy skateboards and skips and jumps rope, like this.
Sidebar: Who else can skip?

Perfect to get your energetic totz going!

Hop, Skip, and Jump, Maisy!
Lucy Cousins
Candlewick Press, 2012

Poetry Friday: Little Bobby Snooks

 

illustration by Blanche Fisher Wright

. 

Little Bobby Snooks

Little Bobby Snooks was fond of his books,

And loved by his usher and master;

But naughty Jack Spry, he got a black eye,

And carries his nose in a plaster.

Happy Poetry Friday! May we be like Bobby, rather than Jack...

More, More, More: Little Owl Lost

Sometimes an illustration will just grab you. This was the case for me when I saw Chris Haughton's Little Owl Lost. Those big eyes just pull you in, right?

Little Owl falls from the nest and with the help of forest friends, he is reunited with his grieving mother. Are You My Mother comes to mind, but this work conveys so much simply with it's imagery, it deserves a place on your shelf. It will be loved.




So cute I can hardly stand it!

Little Owl Lost
by Chris Haughton
Candlewick Press, 2010

Jane Eyre: Jennifer Adams

As a literacy advocate, I have to recommend Little Miss Bronte, Jane Eyre for your totz! The BabyLit series is "a fashionable way to introduce your child to the world of classic literature." Yes, it's highbrow, but how can you resist a counting book featuring 1 Governess, Jane, and 4 towers, Thornfield Hall? The list includes chalkboards, trees, trunks, and pearls. An occasional quote is included: "I have as much soul as you--and full as much heart."

Author Jennifer Adams' text is paired beautifully with art by Alison Oliver. With colors that capture the time period, and delicate lines around printed forms, Jane Eyre is a visual delight in board book format.


photo from Guiltless Reading

Add a first copy of Jane Eyre to your totz' reading collection. "This book I had again and again perused with delight."

Little Miss Bronte, Jane Eyre
A Counting Primer
by Jennifer Adams
art by Alison Oliver
Gibbs Smith, 2012

Poetry Friday: The Lost Shoe

It's always fun to find an unfamiliar Mother Goose rhyme. Happy Poetry Friday!

 

Cute pattern at Crafts Crazy

The Lost Shoe

Doodle doodle doo,

The Princess lost her shoe:

Her Highness hopped,

The fiddler stopped,

Not knowing what to do. 

March Pick for the Older Sibling: Subway Story

Jesse loves being a subway car in the city. She especially loves helping people go places. The recounting of her work and the people she carries is enthralling and simple enough for kids to understand even if they don't have experience with subways.

After a quarter of a century of service, she and older cars like her are replaced by newer models. At first, Jessie fears she will be abandoned and forgotten.

But when she is hauled away on a barge with other old cars, she is momentarily scared that her fate will be even worse. Even though I knew what was likely coming because I'd read the book flaps, I felt a pang of concern for her myself because I truly cared about this subway car by now. (Young readers will worry here too, but the dark moment passes in the turn of a page.)

All ends well when, in a very satisfying conclusion, Jessie (and the other subway cars) finds a new job in the sea as part of the underwater reef. Now...

Tiny creatures called coral cling to the same poles
that people held on to when Jessie lived and worked aboveground.
Hundreds of fish dart through the doors that people once used.

This picture book has heart. The author sent me on a journey from happiness to despair to happiness again, right along with Jessie herself. I like that the recycling message grows out of the story rather than being forced upon it.

This wonderful tale is based on the true story of 1960s era subway cars that are currently being used to create artificial reefs in the Atlantic Ocean. The one-page author's note at the end offers interesting factual info about the project of creating underwater reefs.

Subway Story
Author-illustrator: Julia Sarcone-Roach
Alfred A. Knopf, 2011

Bizzy Bear Let's Get to Work!: Benji Davies

 

If your totz are construction fans, this will be a welcome treat. It's a simple sturdy board book that should stand up to rough handling (and possibly chewing!) It has lots of moving parts. For instance, the scoop you see on the cover will move with the push of a finger. For ages 1 to 3.

Bizzy Bear, Bizzy Bear,

lending a hand.

Bizzy Bear, Bizzy Bear,

push that sand!

You might pair this one with the picture book, Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld.

Bizzy Bear Let's Get to Work!
Benji Davies
Nosy Crow (Candlewick Press), 2012

Poetry Friday: Elmo and Elvis Costello, Around the Block with Sesame Street

How about a little Elvis Costello for Poetry Friday with your totz? Sing it, Elmo and Elvis!

More, More, More: Doodle Cook

Think of an Art Kitchen. You have a paperback oversized book with a recipe on the left side and a blank plate on the right. You get to follow the artistic instructions and create beautiful dishes by drawing in the book. Like this for Zigzag Soup:

"Draw a BIG triangle on your plate.
Now draw another triangle, a bit larger than the first.
Draw a BIG circle....

Finally, scatter around a few tiny circles, triangles or squares to taste.
Bon appetit!"

Here's Horn Book blogger Cynthia Ritter's Triangle Cake:



Get the picture? Your dishes/drawings will include Blue Risotto, Crayon Puff Pastries, and Scribble Delight. My college grad couldn't wait to get her hands on Doodle Cook. I'm sure your little artists will feel the same!

Doodle Cook
by Herve Tullet
Phaidon Press, 2011

Tubby: Leslie Patricelli

       

Does you Leslie Patricelli collection include Tubby? We recommend you get this celebration of bath time for your totz!

 It's time for Baby's bath. After undressing, there's the celebratory naked run followed by all things one must do in bathing. Playing with bubbles and counting clean toes are included.

As always, Leslie hits the mark in color, layout, and childlike spirit in Baby. You won't want to miss bath time with Tubby! And then of course, puppy will need a bath, too...

Tubby
by Leslie Patricelli
Candlewick Press, 2010

Poetry Friday: Step Gently Out

Here's a beautiful book to celebrate Poetry Friday. Helen Frost's lyrical poem is set within Rick Lieder's closeup photography. Breathtaking. I wish I could share every page with you and your totz!

Step gently out,

be still,

and watch

a single blade

of grass.

An ant 

climbs up 

to look around.

A honeybee flies past.

A cricket leaps

and lands,

then sits back 

and sings.

A moth flies

in and comes

to rest with

open wings. 

Step Gently Out

by Helen Frost

photographs by Rick Lieder

Candlewick Press, 2012