Saturday, March 16, 2013
Chopsticks
Chopsticks
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
5-Year-Old: Thumbs Up
Mom: Thumbs Up
Summary: Chopsticks are such good friends that they never leave each other's side. But one day, Chopstick gets hurt and is bedridden. His friend Chopstick stays with him, but after a while the hurt chopstick encourages his friend to venture out by himself. The book explores how being apart changes their relationship (for the better).
Review: My son gives this book an enthusiastic thumbs up. After reading it a few times a few days ago, he went to his book pile today and pulled this one out for me to read again. The storyline is one that I think we can all learn from (especially married couples). Both my son and I enjoy the humor in the book (there are clever puns all over the place). We especially like when one of the chopsticks gets "whisked away" ... by a whisk. The art is simple and playful. I will look forward to other titles from this author/illustrator duo.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Best New Children's Books 2011 Summary
Looking back over the reviews that my son and I have done over the past year, a few books stand above the rest. I don't often buy books (we are heavy library users), but there are three authors that are now in our collection and that I recommend for other children, especially in the age range of 3 to 6. Interestingly, all of our favorite new books are a part of a series - maybe this is no coincidence. And the winners are ...
Mr. Putter and Tabby books
by Cynthia Rylant
One of our favorites is Mr. Putter and Tabby Spill the Beans.
These stories are so heart-felt, but also funny. There are some books I've read to my son that I enjoyed because they appealed to an adult's sense of humor (like making funny references to pop culture), but these stories are funny for a 4-year-old. I never thought my son would respond to books about an old man and his cat (and his neighbor Mrs. Teaberry and her good dog Zeke), but this series is one of his favorites. The Henry and Mudge series is also very good. I think we have read them all by now.
Fly Guy books
by Tedd Arnold
My son's current favorite is Buzz Boy and Fly Guy.
My son is starting to read, but he more often likes to be read to. With these books, he is motivated to read himself. I will be buying him Hooray for Fly Guy - he loves sports, so the combination of Fly Guy and sports is a hit. I'm not sure they're all going to be winners for me. (We have read four in the series so far.) But I look forward to reading the rest of them in 2012.
Elephant and Piggie books
by Mo Willems
I don't know about my son, but my favorite by far is We are in a Book.
My son also likes to read these books. The language is simple and repetitive so they lend themselves to early readers. There's usually a pigeon on the back cover of these books, which is so amazingly funny for a 4-year-old to discover.
I'm looking forward to what these authors have to offer in 2012. Happy reading!
Mr. Putter and Tabby books
by Cynthia Rylant
One of our favorites is Mr. Putter and Tabby Spill the Beans.
These stories are so heart-felt, but also funny. There are some books I've read to my son that I enjoyed because they appealed to an adult's sense of humor (like making funny references to pop culture), but these stories are funny for a 4-year-old. I never thought my son would respond to books about an old man and his cat (and his neighbor Mrs. Teaberry and her good dog Zeke), but this series is one of his favorites. The Henry and Mudge series is also very good. I think we have read them all by now.
Fly Guy books
by Tedd Arnold
My son's current favorite is Buzz Boy and Fly Guy.
My son is starting to read, but he more often likes to be read to. With these books, he is motivated to read himself. I will be buying him Hooray for Fly Guy - he loves sports, so the combination of Fly Guy and sports is a hit. I'm not sure they're all going to be winners for me. (We have read four in the series so far.) But I look forward to reading the rest of them in 2012.
Elephant and Piggie books
by Mo Willems
I don't know about my son, but my favorite by far is We are in a Book.
My son also likes to read these books. The language is simple and repetitive so they lend themselves to early readers. There's usually a pigeon on the back cover of these books, which is so amazingly funny for a 4-year-old to discover.
I'm looking forward to what these authors have to offer in 2012. Happy reading!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Pumpkin Trouble
Pumpkin Trouble
by Jan Thomas
4-Year-Old: Mixed
Mom: Mixed
Summary: In the process of carving a pumpkin to create a jack-o-lantern, a duck falls into the pumpkin and gets stuck. He starts walking around trying to get help from his friends. His friends think he is a pumpkin monster and run away. The duck overhears them and thinks a pumpkin monster is after him.
Review: In the middle of the book when the duck thinks a pumpkin monster is chasing him, I asked my son what he thought was going on. He understood that the Pig and Mouse thought Duck was a Pumpkin Monster, but he didn't understand why Duck was running away. I stopped in the middle to explain what each character was thinking. At the end of the book, I asked him what he thought. He said, "It was funny, but it wasn't THAT funny." I agree. We both liked the artwork and simple language (it was all dialogue similar to Elephant and Piggie books), but I think the Theory of Mind piece of it (understanding what others are thinking and why) might be a bit hard for young children to grasp. Regardless, it's a fun book for autumn holidays.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Buzz Boy and Fly Guy
by Tedd Arnold
4-Year-Old: Thumbs Up
Mom: Thumbs Up
Summary: Buzz writes his own comic book story. Buzz and his friend, Fly Guy, are superheros who save their house from pirates.
Review: Ted Arnold is really in tune with what a 4-year-old boy thinks is cool: superheros, pirates, dragons. This book is so simple, and yet it has it all. The artwork is colorful and fun, and the text is easy to read. This is a big plus now that my son is starting to read on his own. He asked me to read the book about five times in a row. At bedtime, he declared that it was his favorite. I didn't realize there was an entire Fly Guy series. I'll definitely look into getting more Fly Guy books.
by Tedd Arnold
4-Year-Old: Thumbs Up
Mom: Thumbs Up
Summary: Buzz writes his own comic book story. Buzz and his friend, Fly Guy, are superheros who save their house from pirates.
Review: Ted Arnold is really in tune with what a 4-year-old boy thinks is cool: superheros, pirates, dragons. This book is so simple, and yet it has it all. The artwork is colorful and fun, and the text is easy to read. This is a big plus now that my son is starting to read on his own. He asked me to read the book about five times in a row. At bedtime, he declared that it was his favorite. I didn't realize there was an entire Fly Guy series. I'll definitely look into getting more Fly Guy books.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Zero
Zero
by Kathryn Otoshi
4-Year-Old: Thumbs Up
Mom: Thumbs Up
Summary: Zero is feeling frustrated. She never gets to count with the rest of the numbers (I think zero is a she in the book). She tries to look more like other numbers, but it's no use - she can't help being zero. Then, she has an epiphany. If she places herself next to the other numbers, she can help them all count higher.
Review: I thought this was a very clever story that helps children conceptualize the value of zero. The story was positive and the character of zero finds her place in the world. My son had an immediate "Again" reaction. I think he liked the storyline and responded to the excitement that zero felt when she could help the numbers count really high - like thousand, ten thousand and one hundred thousand.
If I were a school teacher, I would definitely buy this one for the classroom.
by Kathryn Otoshi
4-Year-Old: Thumbs Up
Mom: Thumbs Up
Summary: Zero is feeling frustrated. She never gets to count with the rest of the numbers (I think zero is a she in the book). She tries to look more like other numbers, but it's no use - she can't help being zero. Then, she has an epiphany. If she places herself next to the other numbers, she can help them all count higher.
Review: I thought this was a very clever story that helps children conceptualize the value of zero. The story was positive and the character of zero finds her place in the world. My son had an immediate "Again" reaction. I think he liked the storyline and responded to the excitement that zero felt when she could help the numbers count really high - like thousand, ten thousand and one hundred thousand.
If I were a school teacher, I would definitely buy this one for the classroom.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Mr. Putter and Tabby Spill the Beans
Mr. Putter and Tabby Spill the Beans
by Cynthia Rylant
4-Year-Old: Thumbs Up
Mom: Thumbs Up
Summary: Mr. Putter's neighbor invites him and his cat, Tabby, to a cooking class to learn 100 ways to cook beans. During the class, Mr. Putter and Tabby fall asleep but then are awakened when Zeke the dog starts a chain reaction that ends with beans flying everywhere.
Review: When I read this book to my son, I could not stop laughing. We love this book and the entire Mr. Putter and Tabby series. My son always has an "again" reaction to them. He likes that the book is split up into chapters and he can relate to the book's humor as well as I can. We went on a vacation this summer and I bought several of the Mr. Putter books for the trip. It was a good investment. I didn't see this one at the time, but I'll probably buy this one as well.
by Cynthia Rylant
4-Year-Old: Thumbs Up
Mom: Thumbs Up
Summary: Mr. Putter's neighbor invites him and his cat, Tabby, to a cooking class to learn 100 ways to cook beans. During the class, Mr. Putter and Tabby fall asleep but then are awakened when Zeke the dog starts a chain reaction that ends with beans flying everywhere.
Review: When I read this book to my son, I could not stop laughing. We love this book and the entire Mr. Putter and Tabby series. My son always has an "again" reaction to them. He likes that the book is split up into chapters and he can relate to the book's humor as well as I can. We went on a vacation this summer and I bought several of the Mr. Putter books for the trip. It was a good investment. I didn't see this one at the time, but I'll probably buy this one as well.
Let's Count Goats!
Let's Count Goats!
by Mem Fox
4-Year-Old: Thumbs Up
Mom: Thumbs Up
Summary: The author introduces you to all different kinds of goats and then on certain pages, challenges the reader to count the goats.
Review: Unlike other counting books that explicitly use the numbers one through ten, this clever book simply asks the reader, "Can you count the goats?" For my son, this trick worked like a charm and he enthusiastically counts all the goats on each page. This is a winner for me as a Mom. My son especially likes the illustrations because the goats are often eating random objects and are doing silly things like playing a trumpet the wrong way. The only problem we had was that on the last round of counting, we were asked to count the goat ears and he started to include the horns as well. Even though he is well beyond counting from one to ten we have read this book dozens of times.
by Mem Fox
4-Year-Old: Thumbs Up
Mom: Thumbs Up
Summary: The author introduces you to all different kinds of goats and then on certain pages, challenges the reader to count the goats.
Review: Unlike other counting books that explicitly use the numbers one through ten, this clever book simply asks the reader, "Can you count the goats?" For my son, this trick worked like a charm and he enthusiastically counts all the goats on each page. This is a winner for me as a Mom. My son especially likes the illustrations because the goats are often eating random objects and are doing silly things like playing a trumpet the wrong way. The only problem we had was that on the last round of counting, we were asked to count the goat ears and he started to include the horns as well. Even though he is well beyond counting from one to ten we have read this book dozens of times.
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