Five New Board Books

My Lucky Little Dragon. Joyce Wan. 2014. Scholastic. 14 pages. [Source: Review copy]

You are my lucky little dragon
my clever little snake
my happy little horsey
my snuggly little sheep
my silly little monkey
my chatty little rooster...

You Are My Cupcake by Joyce Wan remains my favorite, favorite, favorite board book. It lends itself so well to singing, and as a song it is practically perfect in every way. I can't say that My Lucky Little Dragon works as a song; it may be possible with effort and imagination, but, as a read aloud, I think it works well enough. Everything about this one is super sweet. And it would probably make a great companion book for those families who loved Wan's previous board books.

My favorite pages? My silly little monkey; my trusty little puppy; my playful little pig.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

Giraffes Can't Dance Number Rumba Counting Book. Giles Andreae. Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. 2014. Scholastic. 12 pages. [Source: Review copy]

One wobbly Gerald tries to find his feet.
Two leaping leopards, skipping to the beat. 
Three high-kicking hyenas, springing through the air.

A fun counting-to-ten concept board book starring oh-so-playful animals with easy-to-turn pages. I liked the eight bold baboons getting in the groove. And I loved the nine cheerful chimps who waltz and jive and prance. The illustrations are just fun!

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

A Big Hug for Little Cub. Lorie Ann Grover. Rosalinda Kightley. 2014. Scholastic. 18 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Morning dawn, I stretch and yawn.
Momma's near, purrs in my ear.
Come, let's play this bright, hot day.
We run free. So much to see. 
Grasses sway. I lead the way.

I liked this sweet and gentle board book starring a lion and cub. It follows parent and child from morning to night. I liked the writing. My favorite bit:

Hear a sound, so we duck down. Momma, now, will show me how. Stalk and pounce. Tumble and trounce. 

It is a pleasant, very pleasant book for sharing with a little one.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

Tickety Toc Count Our Friends! 2014. Scholastic. 12 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I'm sharing another counting book with you today. This counting book only goes through five. It stars the characters from Tickety Toc: Tommy and Tallulah, Hopparoo, McCoggins, Madame Au Lait, Pufferty, and Chikidee. The writing, as you might expect, is not the best. The rhyming is serviceable at best. This board book exists solely because of the TV show.

The pages are easy to turn. And for little ones who do love the TV show, this is a perfectly fine book to put in their hands. But it's not a wonderful read!

Text: 2 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 5 out of 10

How Does Baby Feel? Karen Katz. 2013. Simon & Schuster. 14 pages. [Source: Library]

Baby wants milk and crackers. 
How does baby feel?
Hungry.
Baby gets a tummy tickle?
How does baby feel?
Happy.
Baby is yawning.
How does baby feel?
...

 If you and your little one loved What Does the Baby Say? there's a very good chance you'll both love How Does Baby Feel? Like What Does The Baby Say? (and so many other Karen Katz titles) this one is a lift-the-flap book. Readers are given clues about the text, the answers are revealed under the flaps. It is a simple book to be shared one-on-one at story time. It's a lovely board book.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10


© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Four 2014 Board Books

Small Bunny's Blue Blanket. Tatyana Feeney. 2014. Random House. 24 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Small Bunny loved Blue Blanket. Everything he did, Small Bunny did with Blue Blanket.

I really loved this board book. I love Small Bunny. I love Small Bunny's love for Blue Blanket. I love how Blue Blanket "helps" him with many, many things. I especially love how Small Bunny needs Blue Blanket to help him read the hardest words in his books! I also love how Small Bunny oh-so-faithfully stands by and watches Blue Blanket in the washer for every single minute it takes. "It actually took 107. And Small Bunny watched Blue Blanket for every single one."

I love this sweet, predictable story of an attachment object. I thought the illustrations were just right--very simple, very sweet.

This one might pair well with Blankie by Leslie Patricelli, Owen by Kevin Henkes, Bubba and Beau Best Friends by Kathi Appelt, and Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems.

Also available: e-book, picture book

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out 5
Total: 9 out of 10

All Fall Down. Mary Brigid Barrett. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2014. Candlewick Press. 16 pages. [Source: Review copy]

You might be expecting a board book telling of Ring Around the Rosie, I admit that I was based on the title, but instead All Fall Down is a book that celebrates things falling down--many, many things.

First the red block,
then the green.
Place the yellow one between.
Stack the blocks.
Build them high.
Make the tower reach the sky!
ALL FALL DOWN!

The book captures the simple every day things of life: a family playing together, eating together, just being together. I like board books that focus on ordinary, every day happenings. The moments that life are made of. The moments that you can almost forget to treasure if you're not careful. I also like the rhythm and rhyme of this one.

Spoon potatoes in a mound,
plopping green peas all around.
Plunk spoon and cup atop the plate..
Daddy reaches out--too late!
ALL FALL DOWN!

This board book is oh-so-easy to recommend!

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

Pat-a-Cake. Mary Brigid Barrett. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2014. Candlewick Press. 16 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake
Clap, clap, clap.
Pat a pudding, wibble wobble.
Pat a puddle, splat!

This book made me laugh within a page or two. (I love the pat-a-pudding bit. The splat just makes me smile!) This is a book that demands to be read aloud. Read it to yourself silently, and perhaps it falls short. Read it aloud, and it transforms into something fun. I still don't like it as much as I like All Fall Down. But it's certainly a fun book worth reading and perhaps reading again again.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

Ten Tiny Toes. Caroline Jayne Church. 2014. Scholastic. 22 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Mouth, ears, eyes nose, arms, belly, legs, and ten tiny toes!
Touch your ears, make them wiggle.
Touch your belly, laugh and giggle.
Touch your mouth, open wide.
Touch your arms, wave side to side.

I have liked some of Caroline Jayne Church's books in the past. This one, however, I just have a hard time liking. The pictures are over-the-top adorable as usual. And for parents who love, love, love her artwork, this one may prove quite satisfying. But for me, the text just does not work as it should. The rhythm feels forced and unnatural.

Text: 2 out of 5
Illustrations 4 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Five New(ish) Picture Books

Little Bear's Little Boat. Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter.  2003/2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 30 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Little Bear loved his little boat. 

Little Bear loves sailing his boat on Huckleberry Lane. He loves, loves, loves his little boat. It is just perfect for him. But, as Little Bear begins to grow--slowly but surely--his little boat loses its just right-ness. Little Bear doesn't understand why it is his destiny to grow and his boat's destiny to stay exactly the same. But he does accept this truth and adds to it. It is the boat's destiny to find a new little bear. And it is equally important to let that new little bear know that he too will one day have to part with the oh-so-perfect little boat.  This is a charming story of growing up and letting go.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

Big Bear's Big Boat. Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. 2013. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

When Big Bear grew too big for his little boat, he gave it to Little Bear. Now he was building a big boat for himself. 
"I want it to be just like my little boat, but bigger," Big Bear told his mother. His mother smiled, "You loved your little boat, and now Little Bear loves it. You will love your new one just as much."

Big Bear's Big Boat is a sequel to Little Bear's Little Boat. He is now a proper "big" bear, and when the book opens he is hard at work building a brand new boat--a big boat of course. And he does build a perfect boat--just the way he wants it. But. After he's finished, he begins listening to his friend. All of his friends have ideas and give him advice on how to make this boat even better. And Big Bear listens and follows... But will he be happy with his friends' vision of the perfect boat?! This little picture book has a good moral to it: "a bear should never let go of his own dream."

I definitely enjoyed both books!!! I would recommend both books!

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

The Invisible Boy. Trudy Ludwig. Illustrated by Patrice Barton. 2013. Random House. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Can you see Brian, the invisible boy? Even Mrs. Carlotti has trouble noticing him in her classroom. She's too busy dealing with Nathan and Sophie.

I definitely liked this picture book. It deals with the question: which is worse--being laughed at or feeling invisible?

Brian, our young hero, is the invisible boy. He's friendless. This is noticeable even in the classroom, but especially so in the lunchroom and at recess. But when a new student comes, Brian reaches out to him--via note, I might add--and soon Brian begins to lose his invisibility. It starts with the new kid, Justin, but soon expands to include others. It has a happy ending that may seem sudden and a bit too good to be true. But it makes for a satisfying conclusion. I liked Brian and Justin. I liked the fact that Brian had strengths, that he definitely was worth knowing and worth noticing.

The book is intentional. It is packed with social lessons. It is inviting the visible and invisible kids to think about their actions, their words, their choices. None of the children are "bad" children; some are thoughtless and impulsive, but nobody is vilified into a BULLY, which I thought was a good thing. The focus is on the little things. The little things that are more accidentally thoughtless than purposefully: I'm out to HURT you.   

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

Tiny King. Taro Miura. 2013. Candlewick Press. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a Tiny King. The Tiny King lived all alone in a big, big castle. 

If I had to describe The Tiny King, I would say it was unusual, but unusual in a mostly good way. This picture book was first published in Japan. Candlewick is publishing it for the first time in the United States. It has a one-of-a-kind feel to it. And you'll pick up on this from the start. The cover says: THIS IS THE ACTUAL SIZE OF THE TINY KING.

The Tiny King is sad and lonely. At least he is in the beginning. But this is a happy fairy tale. He meets a BIG queen and they marry. He's soon the father of ten tiny children. And with the Queen and all ten children: his life isn't so empty and he doesn't feel so tiny after all.

The illustrations are interesting and fun. Very bright and bold. Original storytelling is complemented by original artwork.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

The Silver Button. Bob Graham. 2013. Candlewick. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

At 9:59 on Thursday morning, Jodie drew a duck. she gave the duck a top hat, cane, and boots of the softest leather. On the boots, she put silver buttons: one...two... Her pen hovered in the air before the final button.
Jodie's brother, Jonathan, pushed slowly to his feet. He swayed, he frowned, he tilted forward...and took his first step. He took that step like he was going somewhere.

Some people really LOVE Bob Graham. I am not one who "loves, loves, loves" his books. The Silver Button is an interesting look at one minute of time in the city. In that one minute, many things happen. Some, like the baby's very first steps, seem momentous. Others are very ordinary. For example, in that minute a soldier says goodbye to his mother (definitely emotional) and a little boy stops and has his shoes tied for the second time that morning (definitely not emotional). The book is seeking to capture life: a blend of simple and complex. One review calls it existential. I think this is a hit or miss book. You'll either really like it and think its brilliant or you won't. It has received plenty of starred reviews: Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 2 out of 5
Total: 5 out of 10

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Two Pop and Play Board Books

Zoo Animals. (Pop & Play). Simon Abbott. 2013. Kingfisher. 10 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Monkeys swing through the trees.
What noise do they make?
Chatter! Chatter!
Pandas eat bamboo.
Crunch!
Peekaboo!
Say hello to the tiger.
Count the bugs.
Roar!

Zoo Animals is a pop-up board book. Each spread reveals a fun pop for little ones. Monkeys swing on the vine, for example, and a crocodile opens wide and snaps. The text is simple and direct. It isn't the most amazing text ever. But it works well enough, I suppose. The illustrations are bright and fun. My favorite pages: the monkeys, the tiger, and the crocodiles. (My least favorite spread is the panda.) Your little one would need to be old enough not to pull on the pop-ups. A few rips could take all the fun out of this one. But if your little one is gentle with books, then this one definitely has appeal!

Things That go (Pop & Play) Simon Abbott. 2013. Kingfisher. 10 pages. [Source: Review copy]

The racecar whizzes past. What shape are the wheels? Vroom!
The digger scoops up dirt. Count the builders.
Chug! Chug!
The boat bobs up and down.
Where is the dolphin?
Toot! Toot!

Things That Go is another book in Kingfisher's Pop and Play board book series. The focus this time is on vehicles. Some of the movements (the pop-ups) are great. I really loved the last two, the train and the rocket. Others didn't thrill me. The text is simple. But the flow could be a bit better perhaps. Though I think questions that ask readers to interact with the illustrations are good, at least in theory. The book's main appeal may be the pop-ups. They can be fun! For little hands that can be gentle, this one may work.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Twelve (newish) Board Books

Not That Tutu! Michelle Sinclair Colman. 2013. Random House. 20 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Taylor loved her tutu.
She wore it everywhere.
She wore her tutu to school. 
"Not again," her mother sighed.
 She wore her tutu in the pool.
"Not again," her father moaned.

Not That Tutu is a cute story (maybe even a cute, cute story) about a little girl named Taylor and the family who loves her. (Attention being paid to mother, father, brother, grandmother, and a grandfather!) Taylor loves, loves, loves her pink tutu. She will never give up wearing it...or will she? What will her NEXT favorite clothing item be?!

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

My Pretty Princess Dress: A Fancy Color Book. Ilanit Oliver. Illustrated by Genevieve Leloup. 2013. Scholastic. 12 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

I'm going to a fancy party! Can you help me find my perfect party dress? My dress has puffy sleeves like this red one. But this is not my dress.
This orange dress sparkles like mine! But this is not my dress.

Little ones can dress up this pretty princess by turning the pages. Each dress is a different color. There are six dresses in all. Which dress will be HER favorite? The red one? The orange one? The yellow one? The green one? The blue one? The pink one? I liked the premise and design of this one!

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

Shoe-La-La. Karen Beaumont. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2011/2013. Scholastic. 32 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Scholastic has released a board book version of Shoe-La-La. This was a picture book that I loved a few years ago!

Party dresses, party hair...
Need new party shoes to wear.
Emily, Ashley, Kaitlyn, Claire! 
Let's go find the perfect pair!
Shoe-la-la!
They're everywhere.
Rows and rows!
These or those?
Up, up, on our tippy toes.
Can't wait to choose new shoes. 
Here goes!

Could I really be liking a book with SO MUCH glitter on the cover? I'm not a glitter-loving girl after all. But. I was pleasantly surprised by Karen Beaumont's Shoe-la-la! I found this book about four friends to be so much fun! The rhythm-and-rhyme of it worked for me. (I can be a bit picky, I know!) And the illustrations by LeUyen Pham, well, they were fantastic!!! I just love, love, love her work so very much!!! I don't know that I've ever read a book she's illustrated (or written) that I didn't end up loving!

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

A Kiss for You! Joan Holub. Illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church. 2011. 14 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

A little hand can wave hello. And pat a puppy softly. A little hand can high-five.

How much can a little hand do? Quite a lot in this interactive novelty board book. The die-cut (magnetic) hand on the cover can interact with each spread of the book. My favorite? Probably the peek-a-boo or perhaps the blowing of a kiss.

It is a cute book though perhaps not the most exciting.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

I Love You! A Cloth Book with Mirror. Caroline Jayne Church. 2012. Scholastic. 6 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

I love my eyes.
I love my nose. 
I love my fingers.
I love my toes.
I love my arms and belly, too.
But most of all...

There's a small window of opportunity for cloth books and babies. But cloth books can be the perfect choice at times! So soft, so easy to chew, with easy pages to hold. This one would make a sweet choice perhaps for a baby shower or welcoming home gift! (It is never too early to start reading aloud!!!)

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

Horsey Up and Down: A Book of Opposites. Caroline Jayne Church. 2013. Scholastic. 12 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Horsey up.
Horsey down.
Horsey jumping all around.
Horsey white. 
Horsey black.
Horsey rolling on the track.

Opposites are explored in this rhyming board book. Horses are the subject: toy horses and real horses. Opposites explored: up/down, white/black, big/small. It may not be the best concept book available. But. For little ones showing an interest in horses, well, it may satisfy. A few of the pages interact. I like the up/down action on the cover for the merry-go-round horse. But the horse-jumping wheel was very tricky. I don't know if little hands could manage it.

Cute but not perfect.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

Baby and Me. Emma Dodd. 2013. Candlewick. 16 pages. [Source: Review Copy] 

This is me. And this...is my baby doll. Isn't she pretty? And I change her diaper. I play with her in the bath. Then I wrap her in a cozy towel and give her a big hug. 

I love this one. I do. It is cute. It is precious. It is sweet. It is recommended by the publisher for 3 years and up. This little girl (love her pigtails!) loves playing mommy with her doll. The book is very interactive. The reader can help rock the baby's cradle, change the baby's diaper, wrap the baby in a towel, etc. Each spread reveals a new aspect of the baby routine. The last spread holds a surprise: she's just as eager to "help" her mom take care of her new baby brother or sister. (The text doesn't tell us).

Love the illustrations in the details and the interactive features are just so precious!

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

Giggle! Caroline Jayne Church. 2013. Scholastic. 10 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Laugh out loud or just giggle!
Feel a tickle in your middle!
Roll around and touch your toes!
Give a grin! Wiggle your nose!

Will the sound of giggling be contagious? Some board books or novelty books have sound. This one has a giggle. At the press of a button, little ones and parents can hear a baby in giggly glee. The text, well, it rhymes and it's cutesy. (Caroline Jayne Church also wrote Potty Time, a board book with a flushing sound.)

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

Kiss, Kiss Good Night. Kenn Nesbitt. Illustrated by Rebecca Elliott. 2013. Scholastic. 12 pages. [Source: Review copy]

When baby bunnies go to bed,
their mothers kiss them on the head.
Inside their burrows, warm and deep,
they close their eyes and fall asleep.
When little kittens need to nap,
they snuggle in their mother's lap.
And, bundled up in fluffy fur,
they shut their eyes and start to purr.

Love baby animals? Love bedtime books? Love sweet rhymes? There's plenty to satisfy in this gentle, soothing board book by Ken Nesbitt. I really enjoyed this one!
The bunnies, the kittens, the lambs, the bear cub, and the baby chicks, they are all super-sweet.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

Whose Toes are Those. Sally Symes. Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. 2012. Candlewick. 22 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Whose tail?
Whose toes?
Whose twitchy nose?
Mouse!
Whose tail?
Whose toes?
Whose cold, wet nose?
Dog!

Can your little one solve the mystery and guess the right answer to these questions? It's fun, cute, playful. The flaps reveal the right answers. I like the repetition and predictability of it.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

Away We Go! A Shape and Seek Book. Chieu Anh Urban. 2013. Scholastic. 20 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Away We Go is a celebration of transportation, shapes, bold colors and designs. It uses die-cuts on every page. New pictures are constructed in a very creative way. Every spread is very bold, bright, colorful. The shapes explored are: squares, triangles, hearts, circles, stars, diamonds, octagons, rectangles, and ovals. Some of the vehicles: a truck, a train, an ice cream truck, a sailboat, a spaceship, etc.

Text: 2 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

Rain, Rain Go Away. Caroline Jayne Church. 2013. Scholastic. 12 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

Rain, rain go away.
Come again another day.
The little children want to play,
so rain, rain -- 
Please go away!

Caroline Jayne Church has illustrated a handful of songs now. Other board book titles include: This Little Light of Mine, You Are My Sunshine, and The More We Get Together. The illustrations are in her usual style: very cute and adorable in a sweet and precious kind of way. If you love Church's illustrations, then this one might be worth picking up. The text itself is not surprising.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Four Board Books (2013)

Who's That...Playing? See How The Animals Play.  Kingfisher. 2013. 14 pages.

Who's that playing?
Tip tap
I am a kitten.
I have long fur and pointed ears.

Who's that splashing?
Splish splosh
I am a duckling.
I have a beak and webbed feet.

Who's That...Playing is a fun board book for young readers--toddlers and preschoolers. Each two-page spread focuses on a different animal at play: kittens, puppies, ducklings, bear cubs, lambs, penguin chicks, piglets. Real photographs are used throughout. It is in a series of board books published by Kingfisher. Other titles include: "Who's That? Roaring," "Who's That? Jumping," "Who's That? Eating."

Who's That...Eating? See How The Animals Eat. Kingfisher. 2013. 14 pages.

Who's that eating?
Chomp
I am a giant panda.
I have black and white fur and I like munching bamboo.

Who's that gnawing?
Gnaw
I am an otter.
I have whiskers and I use my tail to help me swim.

If you're looking to share simple animal facts with your little one, this new series by Kingfisher would be a great choice. There are four books in this series, each focusing on a different aspect of animal life. Different animals are featured in each book. In this title, the focus is on eating. The animals featured include pandas, otters, caterpillars, squirrels, anteaters, chickens, and giraffes.

Seek and Peek In the Rainforest. Kingfisher. 2013. 8 pages.

Another series published by Kingfisher is the Seek and Peek series. There are four titles in the series: Seek and Peek in the Rainforest, Seek and Peek On the Farm, Seek and Peek Dinosaurs, and Seek and Peek at the Zoo. The books are oddly shaped, which may appeal to young readers who love to grasp. Readers can choose which animal they want to read about--learn about--and turn directly to that page. But some pages feature more than one animal. And some animals are not featured on the cover.

Seek and Peek On the Farm. Kingfisher. 2013. 8 pages.

The final book I'll be reviewing today is another in the Kingfisher's Seek and Peek series. I'm curious if little hands will appreciate the oddly shaped board book--it is almost a circle. It is easy to grasp and turn pages, which may be a plus! Farm books are almost always fun, and this one isn't an exception. Little ones can learn simple facts about farm animals like pigs, horses, chickens, cows, ducks, etc.




© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews