Henry and the Crazed Chicken Pirates, by Carolyn Crimi

Crimi, Carolyn. Henry and the Crazed Chicken Pirates. Illustrated by John Manders. Candlewick Press, 2009. 40 pages. $15.99, ISBN 978-0-7636-3601-2

AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds

GENRE
Picture book

REVIEW
Life for Henry and the other Buccaneer Bunnies has been peaceful for quite some time, until the day Henry finds a threatening letter in a bottle which reads in part, "We're coming to steal all yer loot....BOWK!  Sincerely, Yer worst enemies".  Of cautious nature, Henry is quite concerned about the note and decides to prepare for a possible attack through research and writing down his plans. His rabbit friends all think he's silly for worrying, but when the crazed chicken pirates actually do arrive, Henry is ready to save the day.  This is a rollicking fun book for 3 and 4 year-olds, full of adventure and laugh-out-loud humor.  Children will enjoy the comically drawn rabbits and chickens in their swashbuckling outfits, wigs, and exaggerrated features.  This book is recommended for its positive message about reading, planning in advance, and believing in oneself.

I Am a Backhoe, by Anna Grossnickle Hines

Hines, Anna Grossnickle.  I Am a Backhoe.  Illustrated by Anna Grossnickle Hines. Tricycle Press, 2010. 32 pages. $12.99, ISBN 978-1-58246-306-3

AGE LEVEL
1 and 2 year-olds

GENRE
Nonfiction

REVIEW

A happy toddler uses his whole body to dig, stretch, push, and roll, imagining himself to be a series of six trucks commonly used on construction sites.  Young children will enjoy trying out each movement themselves, and on subsequent readings, trying to remember the corresponding truck which appears on the page after each movement.  The images of the toddler are clear, yet just a tad too ordinary, so the background washes of various hues of primary and secondary colors add some welcome interest to the overall visual experience of the book.  The last several pages of the story focus on the themes of family togetherness and literacy, as the boy’s father joins in the play and pretends to be a flatbed truck, delivering his son to the couch so that they can read a book together.  Overall, this book’s combination of almost perfect pacing and positive themes, together with its encouragement of imaginative play and the development of gross motor skills, make it a winning choice for toddlers.

LIBRARY PROGRAMMING
While reading the book aloud, encourage children to try the protagonist's moves themselves.  Follow this up with more motor skills practice using action rhymes.