It's Monday, What Are You Reading? July 11, 2022

 

Please visit the amazing blogs: Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers who host this terrific meme each week.

Here are a couple books I read last week.  

We Are Shapes

by Melinda Beck

Published April, 2022

Phaidon Press

32 Pages

Board Book

Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary

A playful and clever board book about shapes and teamwork by a two-time Emmy-nominated children's content creator at Nickelodeon

Pitch-perfect for a preschool audience, this board book introduces shapes and explores themes of teamwork and resilience. Square, rectangle, triangle, circle, squiggly and lumpy all work together to build a house. Each shape makes a unique contribution, and collectively they achieve something that they could not do alone. With an emphasis on interpersonal development, and visually inspired by the children's books created by Russian Constructivists, this is an artful, fresh take on the evergreen topic of shapes. This charming book teaches young readers everywhere that we are far stronger together than alone.

My Thoughts

I am already thinking about using this book in my library for K-1. It offers the concept work of shapes and the attributes of shapes while also capitalizing on the theme of teamwork. The illustrations are intentionally simplistic, and each shape has its own unique personality. This will be a book kids want to hear over and over again. 

Here are some other books I read last week. Click on the cover to go to the book's page on Goodreads. 

From the 2022-2023 Maine Student Book Award List

Loved this graphic novel for younger students from the author of Mel Fell. And it's a series! 

I am kind of obsessed with all the Elephant & Piggies Like Reading series. 

 

Two Counting Books for Babies and Toddlers

10, 9, 8...Owls Up Late 
by Georgiana Deutsch
Published February, 2018
Silver Dolphin Books
Board Book
26 pages
Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary
Ten cheeky, bouncy, noisy owls are playing in a tree. It's bedtime, but they're having far too much fun to go to sleep! Uh-oh. Will Mummy Owl ever convince all her little owlets to fly down to the nest?

My Thoughts
Oh my gosh these owls are SO cute, but they are in no hurry to get to bed. Mama Owl keeps trying to get them to rest, but they always have an excuse to stay up. The book uses rich vocabulary on each page. Young readers will hear words such as chuckling, chortling, flittering, fluttering, and chittering to name a few. The rhyming and repetitive text offers a structure littles ones can learn as they read the story over and over again. Each little owl has its own look color pattern and they vary in size. Small speech bubbles are sprinkled in for a dose of dialogue. 
Little ones can count the owls in the cutouts and learn how numbers change when one is taken away. The board book is very sturdy and is just the right size for little hands. 

Image from: http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/10-9-8-Owls-Up-Late!/Georgiana-Deutsch/9781684121847

See what others have to say about this book:
The Parenting Patch
The Bookbag

Sesame Street: 5 Little Rubber Duckies
Published February, 2018
SFI Readerlink Dist

Board Book

12 pages

Review copy provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary

Join Ernie and his friends on Sesame Street as they try to find five little rubber duckies. With touch and trace elements perfect for little hands and plastic duckies to push and count along, this book is the perfect story time activity for early learners. 

My thoughts

Every kid loved Sesame Street characters. Combing their favorite characters and counting is a winning combination. Ernie's friends take turns borrowing his rubber duckies to play with. However, each time another character takes them, one seems to get misplaced. Finally all of them are missing and Ernie is sad. Then his 5 friends each return one duckie to him in the end. 
The rhyming, simple text is sure to be a hit with young readers. They will be able to count the duckies on each page and run their finger over the indented number on each page. They will also be exposed to subtraction and counting backwards. 

Another neat aspect of the book is the 5 little duckies at the top. These duckies can be moved to count, but will stay in the little box and be there for every page. I played with them and they moved very easily.

I would recommend 5 Little Rubber Duckies for babies and toddlers. 

See what others have to say about this book:

The Parenting Patch

On Honeysuckle Hill

A Rup Life

Pink is for Boys by Robb Pearlman and Eda Kaban

Pink is for Boys 
by Robb Pearlman and Eda Kaban
Published June 5, 2018
Running Press
Fiction
40 pages
Review copy (F&G) was provided by publisher

Goodreads Summary
Pink is for boys . . . and girls . . . and everyone! This timely and beautiful picture book rethinks and reframes the stereotypical blue/pink gender binary and empowers kids-and their grown-ups-to express themselves in every color of the rainbow. Featuring a diverse group of relatable characters, Pink Is for Boys invites and encourages girls and boys to enjoy what they love to do, whether it's racing cars and playing baseball, or loving unicorns and dressing up. Vibrant illustrations help children learn and identify the myriad colors that surround them every day, from the orange of a popsicle, to the green of a grassy field, all the way up to the wonder of a multicolored rainbow.

Parents and kids will delight in Robb Pearlman's sweet, simple script, as well as its powerful message: life is not color-coded.

My Thoughts

How often have we heard kids (and adults) talk about colors like pink and purple being "girl" colors or associated with femininity?
This book reinforces the concept that colors do not have a gender specificity and ALL colors are for ALL people. 
The repeating text is sparse, but effective. Children will quickly be able to learn the story and read it themselves. 
However, the illustrations by Eda Kaban really bring this book to life. Each page is depicted in the color being showcased and the last pages put all the beautiful colors together. The characters are simply adorable with many ethnicities and abilities being represented so children will find someone that looks like them. 

I would happily share this story to kids ages 2-6

See what others have to say about this book. 

Publishers Weekly

Kirkus

Unleashing Readers

Peekaboo Pals by Becky Davies

Toddlers and preschoolers are a unique group of readers. They love books and listening to stories. They are also quite hard on paper books as they have not figured out how to gently turn the pages. I remember when my children were toddlers. Many of our beloved picture books at home have rips that are taped together. 

I'd like to share three concept books in a new series for toddlers that has books that have thick covers like board books and sturdy pages that are thinner than board book pages, but can better withstand a toddler's repeated handling. They also help teach concepts that toddlers and preschoolers are ready for in a fun and interactive way.

Peekaboo Pals A to Z, Peekaboo Pals 123 and Peekaboo Pals Opposites. 

Goodreads Summary

In Peekaboo Pals: A to Z, children will lift the flaps and be amused by the silly antics of the animals while learning their ABC’s. From an alligator admiring some art to a zebra catching some z’s, each letter of the alphabet is presented in an accessible way so that kids ages 3 and up will not only learn but also laugh as they turn the pages.

Goodreads Summary

It’s time for the Animal Antics Race! Who will be the first to the finish line? In Peekaboo Pals: 123, children will lift the flaps and be amused by the hilarious antics of the animals as they make their way to the checkered flag. Will the winner be three gorillas in a gondola, twelve bears on a bus, twenty turtles on a train, or another team vying for victory? Young learners will delight in the silly animals on these pages and learn how to count from 1 to 100.

Goodreads Summary

Who is flying high one moment, only to come down low the next? Who is quiet with anticipation of a loud celebration? InPeekaboo Pals: Opposites, children will lift the flaps and be delighted by the amusing antics of the illustrated animals while learning about opposites. Colorful illustrations and flaps with hidden surprises underneath will keep youngsters engaged as they learn.

My Thoughts

I wish I'd had these books when my kids were younger. Kids LOVE lift-the-flap books! Each book in this series offers big, colorful illustrations and at least one sturdy flap on each page. They are bigger than board books (8.5 x 9 inches), but not quite as big as most picture books. Little ones will enjoy learning the alphabet, counting to 20 (and the by 10's to 100) and opposites as they interact with these fun books. 

See what others have to say about these books:
Publishers Weekly
Cracking the Cover

Just in Time for Halloween! Four New Monster Books From Sterling Publishing

I received these books from Sterling Publishing in exchange for my honest thoughts. 

Mind Your Monsters

by Catherine Bailey 

Illustrated by Oriol Vital

Published August 2015

Sterling Children's Books

32 Pages

Goodreads Summary

Vampires and werewolves and zombies—oh my! It's a monster invasion, and the stinky-smelling creatures are destroying Wally's peaceful little town. They scare the kids, knock over the lampposts, and make a mess of everything. And no one can stop them—until, fed up, Wally says . . . the magic word, "PLEASE." Learning good manners has never been as monstrously fun!

My Thoughts

This is a neat twist on a book about manners. It is really about how using manners changes how people (or monsters) respond. Kids will love the big, colorful pictures. They will also get a kick out of watching these monsters trash the town before they are asked nicely to stop. Ages 4-8. 

Dining with Monsters! A Disgusting Way to Count to Ten!

by Agnese Baruzzi

Published September 2015 

White Star Kids (An Imprint of Sterling Publishing)

34 Pages

What an adorable rhyming, counting book! The pages flip open and are so big that the book needs to be held sideways.  Each page contains a close up view of a monster. Opening the flap reveals the critters the monster ate with the number of critters increasing by one each time. I can imagine the kids getting really excited to pull down the flaps. The illustrations remind me a bit of Ed Emberly's Big Green Monster Books. Young kiddos will love this one. Ages 3-6. 

Monster Trouble

by Lane Fredrickson

Illustrated by Michael Robertson

Published September 2015

Sterling Children's Books

26 Pages

Goodreads Summary

Nothing frightens Winifred Schnitzel—but she DOES need her sleep, and the neighborhood monsters WON'T let her be! Every night they sneak in, growling and belching and making a ruckus. Winifred constructs clever traps, but nothing stops these crafty creatures. What's a girl to do? (Hint: Monsters HATE kisses!) The delightfully sweet ending will have every kid—and little monster—begging for an encore.

My Thoughts
Try as they might, these monsters just can't scare little Winifred Schnitzel (great name right?). When they interrupt her sleep night after night with their antics, she is forced to take drastic measures. Kids will enjoy the silly things these (not so scary) monsters do to try to scare Winifred. They will also love the ending when she figures out what monsters hate. The pictures by Michael Robertson are so adorable. I can see this one being read over and over again. 

The Color Monster: A Pop Up Book of Feelings

by Anna Llenas

Published September 2015

Sterling Children's Books

20 Pages

I absolutely LOVE pop up books and this is one of the best I have seen in a long time. But even without the pop ups, this is a sweet story of how monster starts to identify and name his feelings. At the beginning the monster is all colorful, scribbly and overwhelmed by his feelings. Using jars, a friend helps Monster learn what color each feeling is and separates it into its own jar. For example happiness is "...yellow like the sun and twinkles like the stars".  The feelings of happiness, sadness, anger, fear and calm are each described in a fabulous pop up page with the appropriate color and artwork to represent the feeling. Many young children have difficulty identifying their feelings. This book would be a fabulous way to discuss emotions, their names and how they make us feel. I just loved this book and can't wait to share it. Ages 3-7 (but older kids will find it really interesting to look at).