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i'm a dirty dinosaur

5/31/2017

“I’m a dirty dinosaur with a dirty face. I never have a wash – I just shake about the place. Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake about the place!” This is another book that goes in my this-author-really-gets-little-kids category. Dinosaurs? check. Getting dirty? check. Lyrical, repeated phrasing? check. And, as an added bonus for the parents, the dinosaur washes in the lake at the end – check!

I’m a Dirty Dinosaur (a Kane Miller book by Janeen Brian and Ann James) follows a little dinosaur as it plays in the mud – and yes, the artist used real mud for the illustrations! The dinosaur gets its snout dirty, then face, then tummy… until it’s completely covered in mud! Then, at the end… “I’m a dirty dinosaur. I’m YUCKY! Oh, my gosh! I think I’ll stomp right to the swamp and… give myself a wash!”

So the little dinosaur ends up all sparkling clean. Of course, as any parent who has hung out with little kids knows, it doesn’t last long – the final page of the book shows the clean dinosaur eyeing the mud puddle again…

It’s that book that brings humor to the classic kid process of getting dirty and clean and dirty all over again.

Book benefits:

Text is written with lyrical rhythm that's fun to read aloud and an emphasis on repeated words ("sniff, sniff, snuff, snuff, sniff and snuff about!"
There's no gender given to the dinosaur, making this an equally relatable book for girls and boys
Illustrations are whimsical, combining bright colors with actual mud

Buy I'm a Dirty Dinosaur here! (hardcover, $11.99)

Also available: I'm a Hungry Dinosaur

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big book of big machines

5/30/2017

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"This truck is used for mining. It's SO HUGE and HEAVY that it can't be driven on normal roads without damaging them." That's one of the many facts you'll be asked to read again and again as your kids fawn over this BIG book. My boys love trucks and excavators and helicopters and fire trucks and... well, you get the picture. So this book was an automatic winner! And I have to say, it's as fun for me to peruse, too - I am a big fan of books that will hold my interest when I'm reading them repeatedly with kids!

The Big Book of Big Machines (Usborne, written by Minna Lacey and illustrated by Gabriele Antonini) is full of energy. From the giant fold-out pages featuring giant machines, to the added emphasis through bolded words and caps, to the fun little dotted lines pointing out specific parts of the machines, the pages can't help but draw you in and make you excited about learning new facts. Oh, and the excavator crushing an old car with its claw on the first page doesn't hurt, either! My boys were hooked instantly.

Each page focuses on a different theme: mining machines, farm machines, flying machines - you get all sorts in this book. There are essentially seven pages, four of which fold out one way or another to highlight some of the biggest machines. And each page is packed full of interesting facts - one of the fastest trains is the JR-Maglev, which has reached a top speed of 361 miles an hour. An auger can drill 16 feet deep, as deep as an Olympic diving pool. The Mil Mi-26 helicopter can carry 100 passengers!

It's that book you can only properly explore while sprawled out on the rug because the pages are so big.

Book benefits:

Each page features multiple machines and layered facts, which ensures hours of entertainment and inquiry
Big fold-out pages will delight kids and add to the impressiveness of the machines
The facts are bite sized, but there are a lot of them - so it's interesting for little ones to read without being overwhelming
People are included with most illustrations to give an easy sense of proportion
Hard cover and heavy duty cardstock pages mean the book will last!

Buy The Big Book of Big Machines here! (hardcover, $14.99)

There are lots more available in the big book series, including bugs, tractors, animals, planets...

Click on the photos to get a sense of the BIG facts and illustrations:

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b is for bedtime

5/29/2017

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"A is Awake, how I feel after dinner." Reading this first line in B is for Bedtime (a Kane Miller book by Margaret Hamilton and Anna Pignataro), I could tell this was going to be a fun book to read with toddlers. From the first page - the little girl wide awake, zooming around on a little cart - to the last page, where she is tucked into bed and sleeping soundly, this is an alphabet book that any parent can relate to!

There are a few sweet elements that make this book feel special. For one, the watercolor illustrations turn a typical bedtime routine into a serene, heartfelt process - they make you want to cuddle up on the couch with your little one, dimming the lights to get in that peaceful bedtime mindset. And if you're of an artistic persuasion, you'll love the subtle integration of real textures - polka dotted cloth, cut pieces of paper, hints of plaid - that add depth to the watercolor.

Another fun element is the little girl's dog, who echoes the alphabet throughout the process. Although "Y" is for Yawn, you also see the little dog wagging his tail at a toy yacht. While the little girl's mom is singing a Lullaby for L, the little dog is watching leaves fall.

The dog's wordless participation adds another layer of letter integration for you to talk about with your little kiddos as you read. And while the dog also starts out wide awake ("D is my Dog, who's not sleepy at all"), on the last page of the book, we see that the little dog is also fast asleep.

It's that book for bedtime that can't help but relax both you and your wide awake little ones.

Book benefits:

Illustrations and text reinforce letters in two simple ways
Darling mixed media illustrations will entice you and your kiddo alike
Hard cover and card stock pages will hold up to many, many readings

Buy B is for Bedtime here! (hardcover, $11.99)

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cuddle bear

5/18/2017

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"That was a sweet book!" This was Josh's (age 4) reaction after I read Cuddle Bear to him for the first time. And that pretty much sums it up... if a toddler boy recognizes a book is sweet, you know it's true! It's a simple story but one with an important message - and illustrations so snuggly that you want to hug the book itself when you're finished reading it.

The premise of Cuddle Bear, by Clair Freedman and Gavin Scott (published by Kane Miller) is this little bear who wants to give hugs to anyone feeling down. He reaches out to lonely animals, angry animals, happy animals - everyone deserves a hug! "The world needs hugs," Cuddle Bear explains, "to make each day feel bright. So stretch both arms and wrap them round your friends to hug them tight!"

One aspect of this book that I love is that it isn't only lonely or sad animals that get hugs. The lion looks angry and has never smiled because the other animals have been too afraid of his wildness - but not Cuddle Bear! And then... "Now Lion's happy as can be. One hug was all it took!" But even happy animals deserve hugs! Take Little Rabbit, for example - he's in a happy mood, and he wants a hug, too! The message here, of course, is that hugs are good in all weather for any occasion.

And, if you want to hug Cuddle Bear but don't want to bend your book, you can buy a plush version of him! He's equal parts squishy and lovable. :)

It's that book you'll turn to for comfort and cuddles, no matter your mood!

Book benefits:

The story has a sweet, enduring message
Illustrations are bright and colorful, easy on the eyes
Hard cover and thick, glossy pages are ready to be opened and read again and again
Available plush brings Cuddle Bear even more to life!

Order Cuddle Bear here ($12.99, hardcover)
And pick up the accompanying plush! ($12.99)
...or get the special! Order the book and plush together and save $1.00!

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1, 2, 3... by the sea

5/13/2017

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"Big waves tumble onto shore... crashing, splashing. We chase FOUR." Full disclosure: I love number books. It was so exciting to watch both of my boys start to identify numbers, because it was the first time they really could engage with learning intentionally - and I feel like their recognition of, and confidence with, numbers opened the way to recognizing other early childhood milestones: colors, shapes, letters.

Number books still engage my boys, I think because, even though they aren't reading words yet, they can participate in the reading and predict what is coming next. 1, 2, 3... By the Sea, written by Dianne Moritz, illustrated by Hazel Mitchell, and published by Kane Miller, ticks all the boxes for me. First of all, the numbers are set in a sweet story of a boy, his mom, and their dog spending a day at the beach. It's fun, lighthearted, and celebrates those beautiful days with nothing to do but enjoy being together.

Secondly, each page has the lyrical rhythm and rhyme that is both fun to read and fun to listen to. The words are simple, which helps kids predict and fill in blanks as you go. And finally, the number identification is always fun because little kids naturally want to count whatever is happening on the page. Four waves? I can count that! Nine sand castles? I can count that, too! And, as an added benefit, the story can naturally be inspiration for your next ocean or lake trip - what can you find to count?

And of course, I can't write about a good picture book without waxing lyrical about the beautiful illustrations. Each page of this book fully immerses you in a sea scene - renting a striped umbrella, watching clouds, walking along a pier - from different angles. It's as good as being at the ocean, without tracking sand back into your house.

It's that book that whisks you off to the sea and reinforces numbers along the way.

Book benefits:

Clear page layout reinforces connection between numeric symbols and images to count
Full-page illustrations make it easy to imagine your own day at the ocean
Lyrical rhythm and rhyme help young readers predict words and follow along
Interactive story time app available for iPad when you buy this book!

Order your copy of 1, 2, 3... by the Sea here! ($6.99, paperback)