Market Day!

 

Kane Miller

Victoria Roberts; Illustrated by Tomislav Zlatic

My absolute favorite gift to give children, no matter the occasion is, of course, books.  There's just something about reading a really good children's book that is so enormously enjoyable. So when I find a particularly hilarious or charming one, I feel like I'm giving a really great gift. I wonder if people who are not nearly as taken with children's books as I am, think it's a bit of a chintzy choice.  I always hope not, but if that person is not in the habit of buying children's books, they may not realize how expensive books can be these days.  Plus, books sometimes don't have the wow factor that other, less literary, more battery dependent gifts do. 

This set of books combines the best of both worlds.  You get four board books packaged in a really fun way, so you feel like you're giving a fun gift as well as some good books.  Release the snap and the market unfolds with a flourish, displaying four little stands that pop right up. Neatly tucked into the back pockets are four books and three sheets of glossy cardstock - punch out the perforated animals and move them around the scene. The pop-up shops match the covers of the board books: Mr. Pig's Colors, Miss Dog's Shapes, Mr. Peacock's Opposites, and Mrs. Mouse's Numbers.  

These books are simple, brightly colored and oh, so adorable. The concepts are simple, but the language isn't overly simplistic.  It's not just a word here and there like some board books are, but a full four sentences (that rhyme!) on each page.  Mr. Pig covers colors at his fruit market, Miss Dog's bakery illustrates shapes, Mr. Peacock shows off opposites at his clothing store and Mrs. Mouse's hardware store gives us a rundown on numbers.         

Super cute packaging and nifty pockets, plus a carry handle make this one of the cutest sets I have seen.  What a clever idea, making board books into so much more. While you are reading, the kids are able to move the little characters around to the markets.  And when you are done, it all slides neatly back into the pockets, snapped back up for another day. I think this would make a great gift, from a baby shower up to children three years old. It's so darn cute!  

Review copy provided by Kane/Miller. 

Chicken Big

Chronicle Kids

Keith Graves

I will admit just looking at this book cover makes me laugh.  I guess there's just something about a really large chicken with a open footed stance that tickles my funny bone. So even before I opened it up, I was already wanting to like it. "Please don't suck, please don't suck."  It so doesn't suck! The giant chicken has a funny flattened haircut, the other chickens are equally awkward and weird - exactly how you want your literary chickens to appear.

This big, humongous chick hatched from a big, humongous egg, which sprang forth from a very small hen. I don't know how that happened, but there are mother hens wincing everywhere. Besides humongo, there are four main characters: little rooster, small chicken, smaller chicken and smallest chicken.  Flatly put, they are not a bright bunch. The smallest chicken has a penchant for blurting out inaccuracies, squawking "It's an elephant!" when she first spies the enormous chick. The coop is small, this chicken is not, and so he is banished for no fault of his own.

When an acorn (this part may seem familiar to readers) falls from the sky, landing squarely on the smallest chicken's head, she screeches "The sky is falling! Run for your lives!" That's where the similarities end. The giant chick calms the others, eating a pile of acorns to prove they are only a delicious snack and not the crumbling sky. He goes on to save the chickens from the terrors of rain, strong winds and a sly fox egg thief. To quote the big chick, "These are not bright chickens." 

The only thing I would change, and this is very minor, would be to name the darn chickens. I grew a wee bit tired of reading "the small chicken, the smaller chicken and the smallest chicken" every time they spoke.  Plus, I feel confident that someone who came up with all of this also has the aptitude to come up with fall-down-funny chicken names.  I feel a tiny bit cheated. 

That one negative is far outshadowed by all the positive factors. The chickens are funny. The illustrations are outstanding. The chickens use word bubbles to say things like "Buk Bok! and Awk!" The smaller chicken is amazingly moronic and makes insane statements. And there's a moral: the big chicken shows that just because he's big (and has a terrible haircut) it doesn't mean he's dumb. He's a nice guy with a big heart, which the other chickens eventually realize, allowing him back in the coop.   



Review copy provided by Chronicle Books.

Daydreams of a Solitary Hamster

Enchanted Lion

Astrid Desbordes; Illustrations by Pauline Martin

This is a very unusual book that takes a little getting used to. Initially, I wasn't quite sure what I thought because the format is just so different from other children's books.  But the illustrations drew me in and the character attitudes and dialogues kept me engaged and entertained.  It definitely is a different sort of book, but it is also an interesting one that gets the readers thinking.

I would describe the set up as similar to a comic book or strip, with white lines forming boxes that separate the actions. Each vignette lasts only one or two pages, featuring a mix of the animals and their everyday life. A cast of six characters, each of whom bring their own unique personality to the table, are named simply as Hamster, Mole, Snail, Hedgehog, Rabbit and Squirrel. They may have simple forest names, but they are actually very complex animals. Hamster is remarkably egotistical, and unabashedly so. The comments that come out of his mouth are in direct contrast to his small, fuzzy exterior. Mole is sensitive and thoughtful, writing poetry and doing kind favors for his friends.  Rabbit is one of those all around good guys, whom others just seem to flock around. 

I thought some of the funniest bits in the whole book are those of Hamster and his birthday presents. He has a strict list of approved gifts (specific in both type and quantity) and shows absolutely no appreciation whatsoever for those which deviate from list. When presented with an unauthorized offering, he flatly states "Yuck. That smells bad. But thanks anyway." 

The book's content seems slightly more adult to me, and I was not surprised to read that the author has a background in philosophy. The press release reads "Philosophical, thought-provoking and laugh-out-loud funny ... the author infuses the book with a joyful spirit, while meditating on friendship, selfishness and the power of dreams."  You know, they really nailed it.  

Review copy provided by Enchanted Lion. 

Sweet Freebie! Cupcake Templates.

How awesome is this?  Download the free templates (ten pages total) and build your own paper cupcakes, courtesy of Jessica, the creative mastermind behind blog Volume 25.

You get the following for free: cover page, recipe, eight cupcakes, eight liners, eight frostings, eleven cupcake toppers, and a sheet of name tags for your little baker!

Download here.  Stop by the blog and say thanks! Then get those scissors moving and turn out your own tray of impressive cupcakes. 

Too Pickley!

 

Bloomsbury Children's Books

Jean Reidy, Illustrated by Genevieve Leloup

Talk about judging a book by the cover - you can tell from the boy's upturned nose on this one that these pickles aren't making the cut. In fact, none of the foods offered to him will meet his exacting standards. He has a specific problem with each and every one.  Does that sound like a picky eater who bellies up to your table? 

The book opens with the little boy yelling "I am hungry!" I am quite sure he's bellowing because the font is enormous white letters and this kid looks like he means business.  Food after food is offered, but he finds fault with each one: "Too crunchy, too licky, too stingy, too sticky."  Yup, that sounds about right for a picky toddler. I wonder if the author wrote this based on personal experience? 

He declares the soup too slurpy, spaghetti too stringy, carrots too crunchy and snails too slimy.  He's got a valid point with those snails.  And he could very well be right on with the fish being too fishy.  But deeming the lollipop too licky and the cinnamon rolls too gooey - you lost me there, kid.

I really like the kid's facial expression each time he turns down a food.  He shows us everything he's got, from disdain to terror, and many more in between. The boy has a small tan companion he drags along, who provides a little bit of humor with his antics. One of us thought it was likely a small stuffed bear, but the other vehemently insisted it was a large hamster. That will have to be your call.

My five year old summed it pretty well with this statement "This kid doesn't eat anything! He's pickier than me."  Yes, this kid must be the pickiest eater in the world, which other children will just love reading about.


Review copy provided by Bloomsbury. 

Animal Soup - A Mixed Up Animal Flap Book

Random House

Todd H. Doodler

We just laughed ourselves silly at this one. For whatever reason, it is always funny to combine two animal names into a silly one, and the accompanying illustrations here make it that much funnier. These are truly hilarious combinations - much, much better than my feeble imagination could have come up with. Considering the size of the book (slightly larger than a board book and just as durable) and simple text, this is aimed at younger children, but we all heartily enjoyed it.  

The layout itself is very simple. Each page poses the question: "What would I be if I had ... " and presents body parts/features from two very different animals.  The animals are featured on opposing pages with a giant flap on the right.  Lift that up and you get to see the permutation underneath. Bird + turtle = birdle. Squirrel + whale = squale. My personal favorite was the croctopus, with the upper body of the crocodile looking perfectly normal floating along, but with all those octopus legs dangling down under the water's surface.

I would love to see another book with even more animals from this same author. With only seven animals, the end came far too quickly. Besides the birdle, squale and croctopus, we are also introduced to a flamonkey, tigeroceros, gorillican and girelephant. After that, we tried to think up our own combos, but we really need the doodling power of Todd. He draws the best giant eyeballs and clutchy paws. He makes the pelican look friendly and the squirrel kind of neurotic, but in a sweet way.         

From the press release: Todd H. Doodler is a professional doodler. His doodles can be seen on clothing, as well as on paintings, as cartoons, and in fun books. So do you think his last name is real?

Review copy provided by Random House. 

Pinocchio

Candlewick Press

Translated by Emma Rose; Illustrated by Sara Fanelli

Obviously, Pinocchio is one of the classics that most children eventually learn. If you are a parent, have you realized that you are one of the people responsible for teaching it to others? I tend to take this sort of thing for granted - it seems like everyone just knows the tales of classic such as Pinocchio and Alice in Wonderland. Once it dawned on me that I am the teacher, I also decided it would be best to catch them before the Walt Disney version is too firmly entrenched in their brains.   

I won't recount all the twists and turns of the book, as I think most adults are familiar with the story of Pinocchio and don't require a detailed run through. The basic story is of a (slightly magical) wooden puppet who gets into heaps of trouble. He learns a number of lessons, thereby earning his way to becoming a real boy. Lying, cheating, trickery, theft - you name it, Pinocchio gives it a try. The upshot is there are lots of good lessons in there ripe for the teaching!

We chose to read this as a bedtime story that spanned several nights.  The book weighs in with 191 pages, but the art takes up a fair amount of room and goes a long way towards holding the attention of smaller kids. By page ten, I knew I had never been exposed to the real Pinocchio before. I am one of those people whose only recollection is the Jiminy Cricket version. I am quite positive that the twinkle-eyed Gepetto of my memory does not punch, scratch and bite.  This story has some character and color!    

I wish Sara Fanelli would take this success as a jumping off point and go ahead and illustrate a whole batch of classic children's books.  Her art is just mesmerizing - beautiful, vibrant colors and funky illustrations bring a whole fresh feel to this book. Without Sara, I would never have moved past Walt's version to read Carlo Collodi's original tale!



Review copy provided by Candlewick Press.