Gobble Gobble Crash!: A Barnyard Counting Bash, by Julie Stiegemeyer

Stiegemeyer, Julie. Gobble Gobble Crash!: A Barnyard Counting Bash.  Illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev. Dutton Children's Books, 2008. 32 pages. $16.99, ISBN 978-0-525-47959-8

AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds

GENRE
Nonfiction (Numbers, Counting)

REVIEW
This is not your average counting book.  In addition to practice with the numbers one through ten, it contains a humorous story of a group of turkeys' barnyard visit, encouragement to help others, and a fun game of find-the-turkey toward the end of the story.  The story starts off peacefully with one mare quietly eating at night, two calves sleeping, three kittens cuddled close to their mother, etc.  But then, "Gobble-Gobble-Crash!," the turkeys arrive to take this count home, alternately annoying and delighting the animals whom they visit, such as six chicks, seven mice, eight baby goats, etc.  The farmer, awoken by all the racket, threatens to catch the turkeys.  The other animals come to their aid, and children will enjoy discovering just where the turkeys are hidden. Although this story has a very predictable structure, the amount of text makes it more appropriate for 3 and 4 year-olds than younger children.  The painted illustrations are warm and joyful.  Children will enjoy participating by counting and repeating "gobble-gobble-crash!" A highly recommended book.

Maisy's Fun Club, by Candlewick.com

Candlewick Press. (n.d.). Maisy’s Fun Club [Web site]. http://www.maisyfunclub.com/default.htm

AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds

GENRE
Web Site

REVIEW
This is a Web site based on the characters in Lucy Cousins’ Maisy books. Maisy is a mouse-like creature with human hands and feet. The Web site, like the books, introduces concepts such as sorting, colors, and numbers. The site includes interactive games as well as printable games and activity sheets. Children can color pictures online and view and listen to Maisy stories as an adult reads them aloud. A nice feature of this site is that every link is accompanied by an image, helping pre-readers to navigate around. Another great feature is that certain items, such as the games, are offered in various levels of difficulty. Children and parents alike will enjoy the inclusion of a very natural video of Lucy Cousins demonstrating in detail how she draws and paints, while talking about her art training, how she came to draw Maisy, and what Maisy is like. This will certainly encourage children that they too are capable of creating art. There are no commercial intrusions on the site other than a small icon which leads to an area where books can be purchased. Downsides to the site include the facts that the “A to Z” letter links on the gallery page don’t lead anywhere and some of the illustrations are very small. Other than this, however, it is an exemplary interactive site for preschoolers.

LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
This Web site could be included on a library pathfinder of electronic resources for young children

The Everything Book, by Denise Fleming

Fleming, Denise. The Everything Book. Henry Holt and Company, 2000. 26 pages. $25.99, ISBN 978-0805088694

AGE LEVEL
1 and 2 year-olds

GENRE
Board Book

REVIEW
In this board book, Fleming really does cover a little bit of everything, including introductions to the alphabet, numbers, body parts, facial expressions, colors, shapes, and seasons.  Notably, the sections on shapes and faces will help pre-readers prepare to develop letter knowledge.  The two-page spread on shapes shows not only triangles, circles, and squares in isolation on the left panel, but also includes a cheery scene of houses and mountains on the right panel which places the shapes in a real-world context. The two-page spread of eight babies' and childrens’ faces exhibits diversity in ethnicities/races, genders, and facial expressions depicted.   Although due to the large variety of concepts it contains, this book verges on the disjointed in a few instances, the striking multi-colored dyed-pulp illustrations effectively mitigate this issue.  Their richness makes one stop and savor each depicted concept separately.  This book is a good choice for babies and toddlers alike.

LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
Although this board book version would be most appropriate for one-on-one parent-child sharing, a picture book version would be an excellent choice for infant storytime.