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.

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

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.

Big Brown Bear Stories, by David McPhail

Nutmeg Media. Big Brown Bear Stories. Nutmeg Media, 2007. 1 videodisc, 24 minutes. Price unknown, ISBN 1933938323

AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds

GENRE 
Film

REVIEW

This delightful DVD is a film version (still images of the pages) of three picture books about good friends Bear and Rat.  The first of these books is Big Brown Bear's Up and Down Day, in which the two meet and become friends as a result of Rat’s attempt to steal Bear’s slipper to use as a bed. In the second book, Big Brown Bear Goes to Town, Bear and Rat find a creative solution to the issue of preventing Rat’s car from filling with rain.  The third book is Big Brown Bear’s Birthday Surprise, in which Rat organizes a surprise birthday picnic for Bear.  The warm and sweet ink and watercolor illustrations transfer well to the screen.  The DVD also includes McPhail’s discussion of how he became a children's books author and other topics. These humorous stories which focus on friendship, creative problem-solving, and forgiveness make for a wonderful DVD which is highly recommended for 3 and 4 year olds. Although the film is a collection of still images, it is not at all stilted.  Actually, this format, in which different sections of each page are focused on separately, highlights aspects that one may have missed when reading the books.

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.