Play All Day!

Chronicle Books 

Taro Gomi

The sub-caption is A Really Giant Book of Punch-Out-and-Play Games, Toys, Finger Puppets, Boxes and More!  There's a reason they chose to print that on the front cover, because it's a very accurate description of what you'll find inside. Gosh, I love Taro Gomi.  He has proven himself the king of curbing boredom with his big books of Scribbles, Doodles, and Squiggles. This book takes a slightly different direction by making the play three-dimensional, though I can see how Punchies may not have been the best title. 

This isn't just a book of flat objects you punch out. These are three dimensional play things that really go the distance (hence the title ... Play All Day) after they have been removed. Drum up a game of Ring Toss with the stand up target and two sets of patterned rings or put together a set of the Treasure Boxes to create your own game. There's an awesome set of finger puppets that includes people and animals as well as smiling flowers and trees. One of my favorite is the Zoo Animals - the legs are pieced separately and attach to the bodies, so the animals stand unassisted.

This is the sort of book that is a true gold mine on a rainy stay-in-the-house sort of day or any time you are in need of a quiet activity. I like that the activities are quite varied - make a string of hooked monkeys, put together some picture frames, or set up an entire village. All the pieces are made from heavy cardstock, and the tabs on the constructed boxes are nice and wide, making this a durable set when treated properly.  There are very few printed instructions, but the tabbed pieces are clearly marked, so it is more a matter of punch and go!

Even though you may have already assumed this, it bears mentioning that the illustrations are the usual delightful sort we expect from Taro Gomi.  Bright colors, sweet expressions and a wide variety of activities are waiting inside the cover. Although the play things are pre-printed, they still require a healthy dose of imagination when used in play. This is a terrific book guaranteed to jump start all sorts of creative play. 

Review copy provided by Chronicle Books. 

Dear Tyrannosaurus Rex

 


Random House

Lisa McClatchy; Illustrated by John Manders

I have always considered the ridiculously short arms of a Tyrannosaurs Rex to be their best feature. Those puny appendages dangling from the large body never fail to make me laugh. Although these illustrations from John Manders have made me believe there are an entire host of funny things about these guys - from their stripey bodies to their comical expressions, or the way their tongues loll out the side of their mouths as they run in a concentrated way.  All those things are scientifically proven, of course. 

With her sixth birthday quickly approaching, Erin has come to the conclusion that the pièce de résistance to her party would be if she could have a REAL dinosaur in attendance. The best way to get him to come?  She'll write a letter that describes the party in detail - the celebration will be so fun and fabulous that he won't be able to resist! The book is basically Erin's letter to T-Rex, giving him a rundown of what to expect, if he should accept her party invite.

Erin will include a map to her house, and there will be the obligatory party signs and balloons marking her street, so no worries about a dinosaur roaming the neighborhood, forlornly clutching a wrapped package. All the guests will enjoy dinosaur favors and hats to celebrate the guest of honor. The words make it seem like a standard birthday party with games, pizza and cake, but the illustrations show it to be anything but ordinary.  The dinosaur gets first crack at the pinata, the bat the size of a toothpick in his claw. He is good natured enough to give the children dino rides around the yard, help blow out the birthday candles (whew!) and allow his tail to be used as a slide.

Is Erin's letter attractive enough to lure a T-Rex to her party?  Seemed persuasive enough to me - I kind of want one at my next birthday party ....   




Review copy provided by Random House. 

Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch

Charlesbridge

Mary Peterson and Jennifer Rofe

What sort of trouble can two devilish little piggies get into while their mama naps?  Bear in mind that they have an entire farm at their disposal and plenty of energy.  They cover so much territory that the inside cover provides a little schematic of everywhere they traveled.  The map was a big hit at our house - those little black dashes mark their path of mayhem from start to finish.     

This is the perfect autumn book, bursting with fat orange pumpkins and rife with scampering squirrels. Crisp yellow sheets are flapping on the line, plump bunnies line the garden and an entire hive bees buzz nearby.  This farm is simply ideal for a pair of mischievous piggies.            

I like the use of prepositional directions: under the sheets, over the green beans, behind the sheep and between the cats. There is also a wonderfully liberal use of adjectives, so it's actually under crinkly, clean sheets, over the growing, green beans and between teasing tabby cats. The pigs chase bushy tailed squirrels and race through muddy fields, having the time of their lives until they find themselves in the big bull's pen and have to escape through a swarm of stinging bees.  They return to their mama, tuckered out from the adventure, soon fast asleep, happy as pigs in ... a pumpkin patch.         

The illustrations are super cute, with colors and patterns abound. No plain jane sheep here - these guys sport a sweet design of tiny white and orange spirals on their golden backs.  The piggies are equally adorable, with perfect pink snouts and black patches dotting their plump white bellies. Even though their eyes are just round black dots, they manage to convey a look of innocence while racing about.  Okay, the bull isn't cute, but the little squirrel rears racing away from him definitely are!

Of course, the trailer gives us an actual look inside the book, complete with animation and a peppy tune.  



Review copy provided by Charlesbridge.

Baby Baby Baby!

 

Sourcebooks 

Marilyn Janovitz

It's true that all a board book really needs to fulfill its purpose is durability. Be the book that can stand up to the rigors of a toddler and everyone loves you.  Every once in awhile, a board book will come along that catches my attention by going over and above my expectations. I particularly like this one because of the flowing rhyme. Reading this is as close to singing without actually singing. It's catchy and fun!

Like most great board books, this has a simple set up.  Everyone in the family, from Mommy all the way down to the family cat, has an activity they love to do with baby. Daddy's baby likes to dance, Grandma's baby likes to splash in the bath, and Puppy's little baby likes to crawl. The book has a nice little wind down where the baby does some hugging and snuggling and settles down for sleep. The verb is printed in triplicate, like in this excerpt:

Bitsy bouncy baby
On a bumpity lap
Mommy’s little baby likes to
CLAP
CLAP
CLAP!

The bright colors  (mom's red hair - wow!) are stimulating and the illustrations are pleasing - we particularly liked the perfectly round heads.  Clearly, this is a book for younger children, but my six year old has been reading it aloud for several days. He's hooked on the the rhymes and enjoys acting out the motions.  If an older kid has taken this much of a shine to it, I imagine younger children would be bowled over. The downside to this book - it's so freaking catchy that I can't get it out of my head! Daddy's little baby likes to dance, dance, dance!

Review copy provided by Sourcebooks. 

The Eensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out!

Random House

Troy Cummings

Where I come from, this nursery rhyme spider is commonly known as the Itsy Bitsy Spider.  A bit of internet detective work turns up that it also acceptable to use Incy Wincy or Eensy Weensy. No matter the name variation, most of us are familiar with the tale as it is one of the more popular nursery rhymes. Have you ever considered that the spider might be a bit disoriented by the big wash off the waterspout?  What happens if she isn't soothed by the sun coming out? 

Not only does Eensy Weensy freak out big time after the waterspout incident, there just happens to be a news reporter on site who records it.  Embarrassed, she holes up in her garden apartment until her ladybug friend comes to talk some sense into her. Instead of climbing right back onto that fickle spout, the spider starts out smaller - climbing a flower pot.  With one successful climb under her belt, she moves onto a fire hydrant and then a dog.      

Eensy is feeling so good about her successes that she just keeps climbing and climbing. Before we know it, she scales that waterspout with no hesitation, then scoots clear across a telephone line to a wrecking crane high in the sky. That's high enough, right? Not for this spider. She climbs to the top of a hotel, to a radio tower and manages to end up on the tip-top of a rocket.  There you have it - space travel is what happens when a spider freaks out big time!

I like that the story works off an old familiar nursery rhyme, in an updated fashion.  After her initial hesitation, she works up some courage and gradually starts to regain her confidence.  I can see how this would be a useful parenting tool as a little "remember when the spider was scared to climb again?" encouragement.  The video below is set to a jazzy little rendition of the spider song we know and love.  Enjoy!   




Review copy provided by Random House. 

Penguin

Candlewick Press

Polly Dunbar

From the wide-eyed wistful stare of the big guy on the cover all the way to the flick of a blue tail on the last page, Penguin has always been my very favorite Polly Dunbar book. I love Penguin.  I adore Ben's apple green pajamas imprinted with white stars, the pants sloping downward a bit and the top rising up, giving us a quick glimpse of toddler belly.  I love the expressive faces, the spare white backgrounds, and most of all, the way a simple story becomes much more. I'm so thrilled to find it has been released in paperback - only $6.99 and you can be loving it too!

Ben tears open his beautifully wrapped birthday present to find a most interesting looking penguin nestled inside. Delighted, he believes they will become the best of friends. To his dismay, Ben quickly discovers that Penguin seems to be the strong, silent type. He refuses to speak!  Ben tries charming him to speech with  tickling, funny face making and dizzy dancing.  Not a peep.

No more Mister Nice Guy, Ben ridicules, mocks, and imitates Penguin. Still nothing. They stand off, studiously ignoring each other. Ben sends Penguin to a rocket and fired him in outer space.  Upon his return, he then offers him to a passing lion. Ben flies into a rage, cheeks darkening, tears flowing, he yells and shrieks. The lion comes over and gobbles him down for being too loud.  Penguin looks shocked, then runs over and bites the lion square on the nose.  Out pops Ben and a torrent of words spring past Penguin's beak. He speaks! He loves Ben.      

How the idea for the book came about (from Polly's website): Polly wrote Penguin for her brother Ben.  It was he who gave her the original penguin, who was made from black velvet in Paris in 1930. His real name is Pingouin. Ben said "You can keep Pingouin but watch out, he bites!"  I love that her story has a family history, and she used her brother as one of the main characters. 

This is a wonderful interview with Polly Dunbar back in 2008 from the Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast blog.  Well worth reading!

Review copy provided by Candlewick Press. 

The Day the Cow Sneezed

Enchanted Lion Books
James Flora

Originally written and illustrated in 1957, this book had officially been tagged "hard to find" by Flora lovers. Thanks to a fresh reprinting by Enchanted Lion, more of us can be introduced to this great author and illustrator, who we otherwise may have missed out on. James Flora was a commercial artist renowned for creating amazing illustrated record covers in the 1940s and 50s. He created his first children's book, The Fabulous Firework Family in 1955, when his first baby was born. He wrote this one to prove the first one wasn't just a fluke, and many more successes followed. 

Fletcher's morning routine includes taking his cow, Floss, down to the creek for a drink of water. Distracted by a bunny rabbit one cool day, Fletcher runs off, leaving Floss to stand knee deep in that chilly creek water.  Shaking and shivering, she lets out a powerful sneeze: KA-CHOW.  That sneeze sets off a series of unfortunate events that results in an impromptu fireworks show and the release of an entire zoo. That's quite a sneeze!

Of course, there are many steps in between the cow sneeze and the big fireworks show. There happens to be a billy goat driving a policeman's motorcyle with a cat on his back, a huge hole in the side of the schoolhouse wall and a flattened out fire truck.  Not enough?  Throw in some angry townspeople and see how zoo animals fare after tangling with a steamroller.  Now that's a story!

You can see the genius of James Flora's illustrations in the photos here.  Half the pages in the book are black and white, while the other half shout with vibrant pinks and blues. James Flora is very well known for his illustrations but they are not the only wonderful thing on these pages. I like his habit of calling attention to certain words by putting them in all caps, nearly on every page: POW! WHAMBO! and my personal favorite KA-BLOWIE-BLAM! I also enjoy the language he uses, specific phrases such as "scrunched as flat as corn flakes." It's just plain good reading paired with some spellbinding illustrations that make this a book you won't want to miss.   

Publisher Claudia Zoe Bedrick is a Floraphile, and depending on the success of the first reprint, Enchanted Lion will continue to republish two Flora titles a year.  This is much needed news as only a handful of Flora books are currrently available on Amazon. I can't wait to hear what other books will be offered!  The dedication on the inside cover of this one reads "For Caroline Flora: An early-mooing non-sneezer." Based on this book, I think I could easily become a Floraphile myself.   

Review copy provided by Enchanted Lion.