Put Me in the Story personalized books

 

Put Me in the Story 

Put Me In The Story is a new personalized children’s book site offered by Sourcebooks. What makes these personalized books so different from the others already on the market is that these are some of bestselling and award-winning books from Sourcebooks. To be honest, most of the other personalized books I've seen have been pretty blah. 

Browse the selection here to see all titles offered. I love that they included some books we already own and absolutely love, My Dad, My Hero by Ethan Long.  My Name is Not Isabella and My Name is Not Alexander, would both make ideal personalized books. We chose More Bears by Kenn Nesbitt, as he is one of our favorite authors.

Ordering is pretty painless: choose your book, supply the child's name, inscription, and three photos. The best part is that you can't move forward until all the necessary information is complete. That makes it foolproof. And believe me, this fool tested it. I didn't realize you needed three photos and tried checking out after loading just one. Best of all, you can see a preview of the entire book online complete with your information, page by page. So before you press the order button, you feel confident about how the finished product will look.

Our book arrived less than a week later and it was perfect. The photo was clear, the inscription was correct, and the personalized book made the most amazing baby gift. The entire experience was nothing but positive, and I would absolutely order again from Put Me In the Story. Actually, we'll definitely order again - because I think these personalized books would make fantastic Christmas gifts.

Review copy provided by Sourcebooks.

Romping Monsters, Stomping Monsters

 

Candlewick Press

Jane Yolan, Illustrated by Kelly Murphy 

This is the perfect sequel to Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters, which was published two years ago. The two books are very similar, with fantastic illustrations, cute rhyming text, and hilarious little monster activities.

This might not be exactly right, but it seemed to me that Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters was a day in the life of monsters - a weekday, to be specific. This sequel appears to give us a look into a monster weekend. And once again, it's super fun to see their activities aren't so different from ours.

Monsters are whooping it up at the park, playing ball, taking turns on the slide, and jumping rope. Much like humans at the park, although they need less equipment, using just their freakish monster arms for the ropes. They have picnics in the park, teeter-totter and ride their bikes. Of course, they all line up for monster-sicles when the cart comes around. 
 

I think this book series is actually a great tool for helping children get over their fear of monsters. This is an easy way to show that monsters aren't creepy dudes that hide under the bed. These monsters smile, hug, and play silly games in the park. The only growling here is a little fight between siblings over the water fountain. 

Happily, there are enough monster-specific details included, so the book is also equally humorous. One large monster waits on the teeter totter while a pile of teeny monsters help each other pile on the other end. The three-headed monster on the tricycle is sporting three safety helmets. And one of the treats dispensed from the monster ice cream cart is a popsicle covered with tongues and eyeballs.  

Review copy provided by Candlewick Press.

The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone

Candlewick Press 

Timothy Basil Ering 

It is the illustrations rather than the story that are so mesmerizing to me. Timothy Basil Ering has a very unique style of mixing watercolors with loose sketches, so the whole thing is all textures and shadows. It's also amazing.

There once was a stick boy who lived in a dank place called Cementland, which was filled with heaping piles of junk. The boy had one wish: to find a true treasure. After endless fruitless searching, he unearths a strange and wonderful box.The box is filled with beautiful packages and a note that instructs the finder to put the wondrous riches into the earth and enjoy.

The boy does as the note instructs, but when he comes back the next day, his plantings have been stolen. Enraged, he rummages through the junk and sets to work making a strange and loathsome creature from smelly socks, moldy pillows, and scraggly wires. Frog Belly Rat Bone is the monster who will guard over the boy's treasures, like a scarecrow for Cementland.

That very night, a rat, a rabbit, and a fruit fly are scared nearly to death when a "giant scary monster with long bony arms and wet smelly socks" leaps out. The thieves run off and the boy's treasures remain safe. The little boy and Frog Belly water the treasures and continue to guard against thieves. Soon Cementland is covered in beautiful flowers and laden with delicious fruit and vegetables. They all celebrate, even the thieves (who came back and apologized).  

This book was originally published in 2003, and has been adapted to the stage play by Rogue Artist Ensemble in Los Angeles, California. This printing celebrates the book's ten year anniversary.   

Timothy Basil Ering says this book was inspired by a visit to Descanso Gardens, a botanical garden in Pasadena, California, where there is a private garden for urban Los Angeles schoolchildren. "For as long as I can remember, I have loved to mix up words and phrases into silly little combinations that would make me laugh," he explains. "I’d make up songs while meandering down the outer beach of Cape Cod to favorite fishing spots, and ‘Frog Belly Rat Bone’ was always a favorite string of nouns. Then one day in Pasadena, I sat at a tiny picnic table in the children’s garden and began to sketch the garden’s scarecrow. I knew at that moment that Frog Belly Rat Bone had found a home." 

Timothy Basil Ering also wrote and illustrated Finn Throws a Fit, which is equally excellent.

Review copy provided by Candlewick Press. 

I Scream Ice Cream: a Book of Wordles

Chronicle Books

Amy Krouse Rosenthal; Illustrated by Serge Bloch 

At first I thought "wordles" must be a fabricated word for the sake of humor, but it's a real thing. A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differ in meaning. Wordles are a group of words that sound exactly the same as another group of totally different words. I scream/ice cream is easily the one that people are most familiar with, but it certainly isn't the funniest one in the book.

The first group of words is given with a terrific illustration by Serge Bloch. The reader is supposed to guess what an alternate meaning might be, before turning the page. The first couple are on the easy side (probably just to boost the readers' confidence) but they ramp up after that. Honestly, the obscurity is what makes the book so funny. I loved turning each page to see the answer and illustration. "Pants. Knees." becomes "Pant ... sneeze."

Rosenthal has laid the groundwork of the book by coming up with some really clever phrases, but I think it's Serge Bloch who adds the magic with his illustrations. Instead of showing reindeer placidly standing around, his are soaring across the sky, like a pack of geese flying south for the winter.The wordle with Snow White has a pack of dwarfs lined up behind her, all glowering at the wicked queen. This is like a puzzle and a picture book rolled up into one.

Review copy provided by Chronicle Books. 
 

Maya Was Grumpy

Flashlight Press

 Courtney Pippin-Mathur

Maya is having a bad hair day. Her wild red hair reflects her mood… cantankerous and smoldering. She isn’t sure why she’s in a grumpy mood; she just is. And she wants to make sure everyone around her knows it. She mopes through the house, scowling and grumbling, trying to infect the pet cat, her brothers, and even the birds outside, to no avail. Maya’s bad mood is ignored, which only makes her grumpier.

In a last ditch effort to share her grouchiness, Maya attempts to get a rise out of her grandma. Gramma’s silly comments at first infuriate Maya, but then Maya begins to succumb and eventually resorts to giggling at Gramma’s fantastical suggestions that they spend the day swinging with the monkeys and tickling tarantulas. Gramma fixes Maya’s hair, and off they go to enjoy the day. 

I love Pippin-Mathur’s illustrations. She perfectly captures the facial expressions of an obstinate little girl who is determined to have a bad day. It’s clever how she uses Maya’s hair as a symbol of feeling out of control, and then transforms it into cute, fun pigtails as Maya’s mood improves. And all parents can learn a thing or two from Gramma, who remains cool and calm throughout.

Maya Was Grumpy is Pippin-Mathur’s first picture book. It’s an entertaining read for young children, and is sure to bring forth smiles from parents as well. I hope a few Maya sequels are in the works.

Reviewed by Leslie. Review copy provided by Flashlight Press. 

This is Not My Hat

 

Candlewick Press

Jon Klassen 

Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back won the New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year, and was named an honor book of the 2012 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. Clearly I wasn't the only who loved the story about a bear who was trying to track down his misplaced (stolen!) hat, with a fantastic sardonic ending.

This one is about a small fish who nicks a hat from a much larger fish, and his attempted getaway. I like how this book is quite similar to I Want My Hat Back, but written from the complete opposite point of view. Before we were identifying with the victim and now we're seeing the captor's point of view (who also turns out to be a victim).  

After the hat swiping, the little thief is quite smug as he darts away, sure that the big fish was dead to the world. Even if he did wake to notice the empty space on his head, he wouldn't have the faintest idea who the thief could be. Should he be suspected, the little fish is confident that he's smart and quick enough to make it to the thick plants, where he will hide and never ever be found.  

Many of the pages look similar, but the book isn't a bit boring. I love the four pages of the big fish, right in a row. All four illustrations are nearly identical, except for the way his big fish eye conveys his reaction to the story. Even better, his reaction is a direct contradiction to the text printed on that page. It's so cleverly done.

Review copy provided by Candlewick Press.

Winner Bakes All: The Cupcake Club

Sourcebooks

Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk

In this third installment of The Cupcake Club series, the mother and daughter writing team of Sheryl Berk and Carrie Berk focus on fifth grader, Sadie Harris. Sadie has a lot on her plate, and not just cupcakes!

Not only is Sadie failing math and trying to take the girls basketball team to the next level, she’s also worried that her parents are headed for divorce. On top of it all, she and her friends are vying for a spot on the hit show Battle of the Bakers. As a result of the struggling economy, their cupcake business has hit a snafu and orders are dwindling. PLC (Peace, Love, and Cupcakes) needs a boost, and winning TV’s ultimate cupcake competition is just the ticket.

In this fast-paced chapter book, we follow Sadie and her friends through the many highs and lows of being business owners. As if being an adolescent girl isn’t hard enough! As they support and learn from each other, they discover that it’s not all about winning. It’s about putting forth the effort and giving it your all.

This book is a sweet treat for middle school girls. As a mom, I would highly recommend it as a wholesome and heartwarming read. My first grader was drawn in by the cover art and title, and quite jealous that I was reading the book without her.

As the book closes, we are left feeling satisfied yet wanting more… and what better way to get more than to turn the page and find three delicious PLC cupcake recipes. But now I’m torn: Snowball Coconut, Golden Caramel, or Chocolate Chili? I may just have to bake them all.

Reviewed by Leslie. Review copy provided by Sourcebooks. 

Free Printable Bookplates!

How beautiful are these printable bookplates from Lily Ashbury? They are versatile enough to use in children's books as well as adult. Download all four designs here and start personalizing your own books. I like the mix of patterns and colors, and how she offers two in printed font and two in cursive.