At the Beach, by Huy Voun Lee

Lee, Huy Voun. At the Beach. Henry Holt & Company, 1994. 32 pages. $15.95, ISBN 0-8050-2768-8

AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds

GENRE
Nonfiction (Chinese characters)

REVIEW
This book teaches a few Chinese characters through the visit of a mother and her son, Xiao Ming, to the beach.  As the mother draws the characters, she and her son discuss how the forms of the characters are similar to the objects and ideas they represent.  For example, the character for person looks like the torso and legs of someone walking forward in long strides.  Additionally, the characters for big, small, sky, water, mountain, sand, woman, child, and good are taught.  For the unique and highly relevant way in which it aims to teach this vocabulary, this book is recommended for 3 and 4 year-olds.  The book is short enough that it will not overwhelm.  The cut paper collage illustrations are eye-catching, and it is positive that depictions of people of all races, genders, and body sizes are included.  One slightly unusual aspect of the book is that the figure who appears to represent Xiao Ming appears to be wildly different ages on different pages: teenager, boy, and finally young toddler at the end.

Don't Forget I Love You, by Miriam Moss

Moss, Miriam. Don't Forget I Love You. Illustrated by Anna Currey. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2004. 32 pages. $15.99, ISBN 0-8037-2920-0

AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds
GENRE
Picture book 

REVIEW
Billy the bear is holding up his and his mother's departure for nursery school one morning because he keeps turning his attention to his stuffed rabbit doll, who of course has not been helping matters by hiding, refusing to eat his eggs, and buttoning his clothing wrong.  But finally Billy and his mom are off.  Unfortunately, Billy drops his lunchbox on the way, leading to Mama's placing of Rabbit in her bag for safe-keeping during the clean-up.  Dropping off Billy late at school, Mama accidentally leaves with the toy still in her bag and without remembering to say "I love you" to Billy.  The day at school just doesn't start off right for Billy, but suddenly the school door swings open and a welcome visitor appears.  This is an excellent story for 3 and 4 year olds, and will help them make the transition from home to preschool.  They will be reassured that their parents and caregivers always love them, and will always return.  This is also a nice reminder to both parents and children of the importance of telling your loved ones that you care.  Softly-edged watercolor paintings round out the story's charm.

Two Homes, by Claire Masurel

Masurel, Claire. Two homes. Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton. Candlewick Press, 2001. 40 pages. $14.99, ISBN 0-7636-0511-5

 AGE LEVEL
1 and 2 year-olds

GENRE
Picture book

REVIEW
A child named Alex, who appears to be 3-4 years old, narrates this story about his post-divorce world. He lives part-time with his mom in the city and part-time with his dad near the ocean. He has two of everything: two bedrooms, two toothbrushes, and friends in each location.  And most important of all, he knows that he always has the love of both of his parents.  Alex's calm acceptance of this living situation and his happiness while going about his day at each home will assist children of divorce. The watercolor and gouache illustrations are warm and inviting and fill each page with lots of interesting details to discover.  A couple of the illustrations may contain too much detail for young 1 year-olds, but the brief text on each page makes for a short story which will be enjoyable for most younger children.

LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
After reading this story aloud at toddler or preschool storytime, children can follow Alex's lead and create paintings of a parent or another special person in their lives.