Title: The Midnight Visitor
Author: Juliet David
Illustrated by: Jo Parry
Publisher: Candle Books
Publication Date: Sept 18, 2015
Description:
Miriam was glad to be warm and cozy. There were so many people in the town but it was nice and peaceful inside her cowshed. Little did she know that she would soon be joined by Midnight Visitors . . . and not just any old visitors!
Snuggle up and enjoy the warm, soft feel the art and narrative bring to this delightful Christmas picture book with a difference.
My Review:
This recent release comes at just the perfect time for the holiday season. The story follows a little fox who wants to spend the night in a stable to come in from the cold night. He is welcomed in and is there to witness the miracle of Jesus' birth.
The animals are all expertly drawn and the color scheme is rich and inviting. This is a great spin on the classic tale of the birth of Christ and I found that it would be a fun new perspective for children to see it from this adorable foxes point of view.
I would recommend this story for the upcoming holiday season and if you want a great way to approach the religious story associated with Christmas in a fun yet insightful way this book is exactly what you need.
My Star Rating:
5 out of 5
Title: Surf's Up
Author: Kwame Alexander
Illustrated by: Daniel Miyares
Publisher: North South Books
Publication Date: Feb 1, 2016
Description:
Surf's up! Not yet, Dude! Books are boring! Not this one! Bro and Dude have very different ideas about how to spend the day at the beach. But as Bro continues to gasp and cheer as he reads his book (Moby Dick), Dude can't help but get curious. Before you can shout 'Surf's up!' both frogs are sharing the same adventure, that is, until they get to the beach. Newbery Medal Winner, Kwame Alexander, and Daniel Miyares have joined forces to give little listeners a wild ride.
My Review:
This story was cute but not my favorite. It is about two little frogs hanging out on the beach. One is interested in catching big waves and being adventurous on their beach trip while the other is using the story of a book to live out his adventure.
I think it is a great way to show that adventure can mean different things to different people and that you should give both sides a try.
There are lots of bright colorful illustrations and you easily get sucked into the story just like the young frog listening to the adventures of the great whale. I think this was fun and I could see it really being a hit read aloud with fun voices and I think a boy audience would really get a kick out of this.
Definitely worth a read.
My Star Rating:
3 out of 5
Title: Big Cat, Small Cat
Author: Ami Rubinger
Illustrated by: Ami Rubinger
Publisher: Abbeville Press
Publication Date: March 17, 2009
Description:
Big Cat, Small Cat takes readers through a fantastical world of felines, where they will encounter many different pairs of cats from good and bad to happy and sad. The book sing-song text leaves out the last word of each page, allowing little ones to chime in and complete the rhyme. Captivating, colorful illustrations provide clues for the words that have been left out. Introducing words like dirty, clean, nice, and mean, Big Cat, Small Cat teaches children about rhyming and opposites with a fun, fill-in-the-blank challenge that encourages participation.
The illustrations by accomplished illustrator and cartoonist Ami Rubinger are charming and unique, depicting a variety of humorous cats that will engage young and old readers alike. With its message of acceptance, Big Cat, Small Cat evokes compassion for animals and presents an important lesson in diversity: cats like people come in many different shapes, sizes, and personalities. Beyond its wide general appeal, this book will interest children who have pets and all animal lovers.
My Review:
This was absolutely adorable! If you love cats and books that have a rhyming pattern than I would definitely suggesting picking this up to read with the children in your life.
I loved the lesson of the story and the fact that it was promoting diversity and gives young readers at the differences between others but also saying that it is okay to be different and that you can still be special.
I thought the art was so vibrant and the fact that this is told with cats is just extra icing on the cake.
I thought the fact that it encourages kids to take part in the reading just adds such a great element to the reading experience. This has been out for several years and I hope people can still find a copy either on Amazon or in their local bookstore because it is definitely worth picking up and reading with your young ones.
My Star Rating:
5 out of 5
Title: Are you Sleeping Little One?
Author: Hnas-Christian Schmidt
Illustrated by: Cynthia Vance
Publisher: Abbeville Press
Publication Date: Aug 14, 2012
Description:
Introduce young children to how baby animals sleep with this whimsical board book. With lyrical bedtime rhymes, it describes the sleeping habits of over a dozen animals, including species both common and rare, from ducklings to sloths, bats to giraffes! Its gentle rhymes and sweet, soothing pictures are the perfect way for little ones to end the day.
My Review:
I thought this book would serve as the perfect bedtime story. Not only was it wonderful to learn about the different habits of such a variety of animals and how they sleep but it can also serve as a great conversation about how we sleep.
It could serve as a great dialog for the difference with little people and little animals sleeping and just be great when talking about going to bed. The illustrations were pretty typical but they were still nice and added to the story.
Both rhythmical and educational this story is definitely something to check out. Again, it was published a few years back but I could definitely see it serving as a favorite bed time story for years to come.
My Star Rating:
4 out of 5
Title: The Bus Ride
Author: Marianne Dubuc
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Publication Date: March 1, 2015
Description:
"This is the first time I'm taking the bus by myself. Mom packed me a snack -- and had me bring my sweater in case I get cold."
But Mom likely didn't imagine the adventure her little girl would have as she rides to her grandmother's house in this sweet picture book. While the bus is taking her down the streets, through a forest and into a pitch-black tunnel, the little girl encounters an assortment of animal characters who enliven her journey, including a goat who offers her a flower from a bouquet, a wolf child with whom she happily shares her cookies and a fox who attempts to pickpocket a bear. Adding to the fun are lots of running visual gags, such as the changing headlines on the newspaper that hides one passenger's face, a sleeping sloth who mysteriously appears in different seats without ever having woken up and a nervous-looking turtle whose head and arms pop in and out of its shell.
The interior of the bus covers each two-page spread, and award-winning author-illustrator Marianne Dubuc uses subtle colors and tiny details to draw in youngsters to the activity happening there. This book offers a potentially multilayered classroom reading experience: there is the terrific main story of the girl's trip, but there are also any number of mini stories playing out at the same time with each of the other characters. It would work beautifully as a jumping-off point for children to do some imaginary storytelling of their own.
My Review:
When I first saw the cover of this I thought it might not be that great. It seemed like the illustrations would be a little rudimentary and bland and might not be that exciting for a young child.
As I dove into the story I was instantly proved wrong. Although the drawings were rich in color they were rich in detail. I found them to be the perfect whimsical compliment to this story.
I would suggest this to more kindergarten-first graders as they would be the ones most likely to know and relate to the character.
This is the story of a little girls first bus ride by herself. She is headed to her grandmother's house across town and ends up with a great little adventure. She meets all sorts of animals on her trip and even stops a thief!
The characters were fun and the story enchanting. This story just recently came out and I would definitely suggest picking this up asap for your young reader.
My Star Rating:
4 out of 5
Title: Walk on the Wild Side
Author: Nicolas Oldland
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Publication Date: March 1, 2015
Description:
This clever picture book tells readers right away what to expect. "There once was a bear, a moose and a beaver who loved adventure. But sometimes their competitive natures got in the way of having fun." One day, the three set off to climb a mountain together. But on the way there, they decide to make it more exciting by turning the climb into a race to the top. It's only after being sidelined by a series of mishaps -- a boulder tumbling down the path, the moose hanging off the side of the cliff, the bear hanging off the moose hanging off the side of the cliff -- that the three friends realize competitions don't always make for a good time. "At the end of the day, the bear, the moose and the beaver agreed that reaching the top of the mountain was great, but enjoying the journey together was even better." This funny, contemporary fable is from Nicholas Oldland's popular Life in the Wild series. The wonderful fun here is the comedy that highlights the adventure, in both the dry humor of the text as well as the simple, earth-toned illustrations that provide a humorous visual play-by-play of the action. This would make a terrifically entertaining storytime title, easily promoting the importance of teamwork, kindness and friendship. It could also be used in the early grades as part of a classroom discussion of woodland animals and their habitats. Another lesson here is the pleasure of getting outdoors for recreation.
My Review:
I thought this was super fun. Really enjoyed the art style and the colors used as well as the story. This is about a group of animals friends who actually try to compete to reach the top of the mountain the quickest.
Along the way they realize that competing for something and not stopping to care about your friends can lead to trouble and they quickly learn that friendship is a lot more important than winning a race.
I loved the formatting of this book and could really see kids getting a lot out of the lesson. I would definitely think that young readers would get a kick out of the cute beaver's actions and the overall story.
I would definitely suggest reading this and as it is a new release it will be an exciting thing to pick up.
My Star Rating:
3.5 out of 5
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