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Friday, October 9, 2015
Friday, December 10, 2010
Waiting for Winter, by Sebastian Meschenmoser
Meschenmoser,Sebastian. Waiting for Winter. Kane Miller, 2009. 56 pages. $15.99, ISBN 978-1-935279-04-4
AGE LEVEL
1 and 2 year-olds
GENRE
Picture book
REVIEW
It's winter, and Squirrel, Hedgehog, and Bear have decided to wait to watch the first snowfall. They have never seen snow before, and so are looking for something that resembles the description provided by Deer, who explained that snow is "white and wet and cold and soft". Each animal finds an object which fits some of these requirements. As they sit staring at Bear's choice (an old white sock), the real thing begins to fall. Even though certain pages contain a large amount of text, others are wordless, making this book enjoyable for toddlers and preschoolers alike. The colored pencil drawings are tenderly done in blacks, browns, and a wonderful orange-red for Squirrel. They are appropriately a tad scruffy around the edges, as they depict, after all, wild animals. This humorous and highly recommended book is a great subtle reminder to children to be thorough when trying to find items to meet a certain set of criteria, a skill that will help them later in life.
LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
This book could be shared at toddler storytime along with other books concerning the coming of winter, such as Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara, and Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep!, by Maureen Wright.
AGE LEVEL
1 and 2 year-olds
GENRE
Picture book
REVIEW
It's winter, and Squirrel, Hedgehog, and Bear have decided to wait to watch the first snowfall. They have never seen snow before, and so are looking for something that resembles the description provided by Deer, who explained that snow is "white and wet and cold and soft". Each animal finds an object which fits some of these requirements. As they sit staring at Bear's choice (an old white sock), the real thing begins to fall. Even though certain pages contain a large amount of text, others are wordless, making this book enjoyable for toddlers and preschoolers alike. The colored pencil drawings are tenderly done in blacks, browns, and a wonderful orange-red for Squirrel. They are appropriately a tad scruffy around the edges, as they depict, after all, wild animals. This humorous and highly recommended book is a great subtle reminder to children to be thorough when trying to find items to meet a certain set of criteria, a skill that will help them later in life.
LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
This book could be shared at toddler storytime along with other books concerning the coming of winter, such as Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara, and Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep!, by Maureen Wright.
All Aboard! A True Train Story, by Susan Kuklin
Kuklin, Susan. All Aboard! A True Train Story. Orchard, 2003. 32 pages. $16.99, ISBN 978-0439455831
AGE LEVEL
1 and 2 year olds
GENRE
Nonfiction (Trains)
REVIEW
"Fire blazing / Water steaming / CHUGGA-CHUGGA / Wheels rolling," begins this exuberant book, which shows in large photographic images the journey of a Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge steam engine through the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Images are bordered by a track motif, and yellow, green, and red solids form the background -- everything comes together very attractively. At no more than ten words per two-page spread in enormous text, some repetition of certain phrases, and a lot of onomatopoeia in words/made-up words such as "SQUEAK-SQUEAK", "WHOO-WHOO", and "HISSSSS", this book is perfect for 1 and 2 year-olds. The book gives the basics of the events during a train's journey, in basic language: "Ring the bell All aboard!" and "Through the town, smoke swirls". This book certainly creates excitement about trains and books, and it is highly recommended for these facts. However, the pervasive lack of proper punctuation is one slight concern.
LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
Here is a rhyme to accompany this book during toddler storytime:
DOWN BY THE STATION
Down by the station
Early in the morning
See the little pufferbellies
All in a row
See the station master
Turn the little handle
Puff, puff, toot, toot
Off we go!
AGE LEVEL
1 and 2 year olds
GENRE
Nonfiction (Trains)
REVIEW
"Fire blazing / Water steaming / CHUGGA-CHUGGA / Wheels rolling," begins this exuberant book, which shows in large photographic images the journey of a Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge steam engine through the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Images are bordered by a track motif, and yellow, green, and red solids form the background -- everything comes together very attractively. At no more than ten words per two-page spread in enormous text, some repetition of certain phrases, and a lot of onomatopoeia in words/made-up words such as "SQUEAK-SQUEAK", "WHOO-WHOO", and "HISSSSS", this book is perfect for 1 and 2 year-olds. The book gives the basics of the events during a train's journey, in basic language: "Ring the bell All aboard!" and "Through the town, smoke swirls". This book certainly creates excitement about trains and books, and it is highly recommended for these facts. However, the pervasive lack of proper punctuation is one slight concern.
LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
Here is a rhyme to accompany this book during toddler storytime:
DOWN BY THE STATION
Down by the station
Early in the morning
See the little pufferbellies
All in a row
See the station master
Turn the little handle
Puff, puff, toot, toot
Off we go!
A Weekend with Wendell, by Kevin Henkes
Henkes, Kevin. A Weekend with Wendell. Greenwillow Books, 1995. 32 pages. $6.99, ISBN 0-688-06325-X
AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds
GENRE
Picture book
REVIEW
Wendell is staying with Sophie for the weekend, and things are not going well. He only wants to play games where he makes all the rules, he wakes Sophie up, tries to scare her, and ruins her crayons, just to list a few examples of his annoying behavior. Not surprisingly, Sophie is counting the minutes before Wendell's mother returns to pick him up. On the last day of the visit, however, Sophie asserts herself, declaring that she will make the rules of their next game of make-believe. Finally experiencing a taste of his own medicine and likely touched by Sophie's tenderness to him when she sees that he is hurt, Wendell's attitude changes and the two become friends. Sweet painted illustrations reveal the characters' emotional states. This is a very funny look at a topic which is important for 3 and 4 year-olds, namely how to compromise and share in friendships. The repetitive pattern of the plot heightens its accessibility to young children. A highly recommended gem of a book.
LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
At one point in the story, Wendell leaves Sophie's crayons on the porch and they melt. In a special visit to the library kitchen, children can watch librarians melt old crayons in a microwave and pour the result into candy molds of various shapes. Children can help decide which colors to melt together.
AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds
GENRE
Picture book
REVIEW
Wendell is staying with Sophie for the weekend, and things are not going well. He only wants to play games where he makes all the rules, he wakes Sophie up, tries to scare her, and ruins her crayons, just to list a few examples of his annoying behavior. Not surprisingly, Sophie is counting the minutes before Wendell's mother returns to pick him up. On the last day of the visit, however, Sophie asserts herself, declaring that she will make the rules of their next game of make-believe. Finally experiencing a taste of his own medicine and likely touched by Sophie's tenderness to him when she sees that he is hurt, Wendell's attitude changes and the two become friends. Sweet painted illustrations reveal the characters' emotional states. This is a very funny look at a topic which is important for 3 and 4 year-olds, namely how to compromise and share in friendships. The repetitive pattern of the plot heightens its accessibility to young children. A highly recommended gem of a book.
LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
At one point in the story, Wendell leaves Sophie's crayons on the porch and they melt. In a special visit to the library kitchen, children can watch librarians melt old crayons in a microwave and pour the result into candy molds of various shapes. Children can help decide which colors to melt together.
A Splendid Friend, Indeed, by Suzanne Bloom
Bloom, Suzanne. A Splendid Friend, Indeed. Boyds Mills Press, 2005. 32 pages. $8.95, ISBN 978-1590784884
AGE LEVEL
1 and 2 year-olds
GENRE
Picture book
REVIEW
AGE LEVEL
1 and 2 year-olds
GENRE
Picture book
REVIEW
As Bear is reading a book, Goose starts climbing his huge body. He ends up at Bear's head, where he asks, “What are you doing? Are you reading?” Goose can’t help himself, as his favorite pasttime is chatting. Bear prefers solitary silent activities such as reading books, writing, and thinking, and is at first annoyed by Goose’s questions, although he tolerates them. However, when Goose writes a note to Bear, referring to him as “my splendid friend,” Bear is touched and joyful. Due to its few words per page, engaging multi-shade blue and white illustrations, and the irresistible character of Goose, this book is very highly recommended for 1 and 2 year-olds. This is a wonderfully humorous look at the theme of friendship.
On Earth, by G. Brian Karas
Karas, G. Brian. On Earth. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2005. 32 pages. $16.99, ISBN 0-399-24025-X
AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds
GENRE
Nonfiction (Earth)
REVIEW
This is a great introduction for 3 and 4 year-olds to topics concerning space and the planets. More specifically, the book discusses concepts concerning Earth, such as rotation and revolution, gravity, and the seasons in simple, concise language. Karas’ lovely large illustrations are absorbing in various shades of blue, green, and yellow. They are fun – with wonderful details such as a face hidden in the clouds smiling benevolently onto our planet – and also demonstrate a sense of wonder about the universe. Each page contains few words, making this book accessible to children. This beginning science text is highly recommended.
AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds
GENRE
Nonfiction (Earth)
REVIEW
This is a great introduction for 3 and 4 year-olds to topics concerning space and the planets. More specifically, the book discusses concepts concerning Earth, such as rotation and revolution, gravity, and the seasons in simple, concise language. Karas’ lovely large illustrations are absorbing in various shades of blue, green, and yellow. They are fun – with wonderful details such as a face hidden in the clouds smiling benevolently onto our planet – and also demonstrate a sense of wonder about the universe. Each page contains few words, making this book accessible to children. This beginning science text is highly recommended.
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.
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.
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