Hot Off The Press! New Picture Books (11)

This is a feature that I do weekly called Hot Off The Press!  based on my visits to Vroman's Bookstore and checking out their wall of new picture books.  Here are the 3 new releases that stood out from the pile this week:

Buglette: The Messy Sleeper
Author/Illustrator: Bethanie Murguia

Publisher: Tricycle Press (May 10, 2011)
Audience: Toddler/Preschool

Buglette is a tidy bug by day but when her dreams take over she becomes a very messy sleeper.  This is a concern for her family especially because it may put them at risk of attracting unwanted attention.  A nice twist on the theme of being different and how that might just help her family. Sweet watercolor illustrations really made this book extra special for me.


Below is the official book trailer for Buglette.

 

Bee & Bird
Author/Illustrator: Craig Fraiser
Publisher: Roaring Book Press (May 10, 2011)
Audience: Toddler/Preschool

Wordless picture books sometimes require more than one reading to fully appreciate them.  When I first flipped through this book, I thought "hmmm, interesting", but it was on the second closer viewing that I really began to appreciate the visual perspective of the various illustrations.  Bee rides on Bird's head and as they fly from one spot to another there is some fore-telling of what is to come from looking at parts of the pictures.  The book has a nice wrap-up for the story.

How To Get A Job By Me The Boss

Author:  Sally Lloyd-Jones
Illustrator: Sue Heap

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (May 10, 2011)
Audience: Kinder to Second

I couldn't help but laugh out loud when reading this one. An interesting perspective on how to get a job from the eyes of a child as told to her baby brother. Loved the part where in the interview she reminds him "You shouldn't EVER bite the Boss when he is talking to you. Or sit in his lap. Or fall asleep." Young children will enjoy this a lot and parents will get a kick out of it as well.

Hot Off The Press! New Picture Books (10)

This is a feature that I do weekly called Hot Off The Press!  based on my visits to Vroman's Bookstore and checking out their wall of new picture books.  Here are the 5 new releases that stood out from the pile this week:

Leap Back Home To Me
Author: Lauren Thompson

Illustrator: Matthew Cordell
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (April 26, 2011)
Audience: Toddler/Preschool 

With a nod towards Mother's Day, this story celebrates the classic theme of developing some independence while knowing that mom will always be there.  This little frog goes leap frogging all over the place but mama frog is always waiting for him to return.

Itsy Mitsy Runs Away
Author/Illustrator: Elanna Allen
Publisher: Atheneum  (May 3, 2011)
Audience: Preschool


You can have a lot of fun around the "I'm not going to bed" theme and Allen does just that with Itsy Mitsy Runs Away. With a twist on "The House Jack Built" repetitive lines, children will enjoy all of the things Mitsy must do before she can "run away". Below is the official book trailer which gives you a taste of the book.  I think my favorite line was "LITTLE GIRLS don't mow lawns - GROWN-UPS do!"

Chamelia
Author/Illustrator: Ethan Long
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (May 3, 2011)
Audience: Ages 4 to 6 

There are a lot of picture books or stories that focus on being yourself/celebrating one's uniqueness.   Chamelia wants to stand out but sometimes this can be a challenge for making friends and participating in things at school.  Can Chamelia find a way to fit in that doesn't cause her to be the same as the others. This is an enjoyable story that does a nice job with a common picture book theme.
 

Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator!
Author/Illustrator: Mo Willems
Publisher: Balzer & Bray Books (May 1, 2011)
Audience: Ages 4 to 7 

Mo Willems does it again. I really enjoyed the 6-1/2 stories about Amanda and her stuffed alligator who is awfully busy for being a toy. Perfect for beginning readers.  Below is a great interview/book trailer which will tell you more about this new offering by Willems.

Ollie and Moon
Author: Diane Kredensor

Photographer: Sandra Kress
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (April 26, 2011)
Audience: Ages 4 to 6 

This has been on my list to read for several months and it finally is out. Though it wasn't exactly what I expected, I was still excited about this one.  Ollie & Moon have a great friendship and trying to guess what the end surprise would be kept it interesting too. I enjoyed the cartoon characters layered over real photographs.  Check out the trailer below. 

Happy Book Birthday to Little Chicken's Big Day

Author:  Jerry Davis
Illustrator:  Katie Davis
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry (April 19, 2011)
Audience: Ages 2 to 6
Source:  Advanced Readers Copy

Description from GoodReads:
"I hear you cluckin', Big Chicken!" That's the simple refrain that Little Chicken repeats to his mama throughout a typical day. But Little Chicken can be distractable . . . and when he wanders off and gets lost, the day becomes anything but typical. With subtlety and humor, this sweet little story sweeps through a wide range emotions using the simplest of language.
From husband and wife team Katie and Jerry Davis, this is a little book with a huge heart. The perfectly minimal illustrations and spare text belie the enormous message at its core: that with family, help is always just a cluck away.

Producing a children's picture book for toddlers and preschoolers that is entertaining for young children and for the adult who will be reading it aloud is not easy.  Some books are cloyingly sweet.  Others are a bit to sing-songy with the text.  Some books have great illustrations but lack memorable text, and then there is the opposite - poetic text with lackluster illustrations.  However, Little Chicken's Big Day from Jerry and Katie Davis may literally be my favorite picture book for this age group so far in 2011 (which is saying a lot since I probably have read over 300 pictures books since January). 

I am not sure whether I lost my heart to the refrain "I hear you cluckin', Big chicken" or the picture of little chicken strapped into a car seat.  Jerry Davis' first attempt at a children's picture book is impressive.  His text captures perfectly the amusing wanderings of this baby chick on his outing with mama chick.  From the time, mama chick gets little chick up and ready all the way to bedtime, readers will delight in little chicken's antics.  Of course, Katie Davis' illustrations amazingly depict the emotions of the story from the look on little chick's face while buckled into the car seat (the "I don't like being buckled in" face) to the happy relief of finding his mommy after wandering off.   Their collaboration has succeeded in producing a book that not only will have young children saying "again" upon reaching the end, but one that even mommies & daddies who are reading it will want to read "one more time".   


I look forward to future collaborative efforts from the husband and wife team of Jerry Davis and Katie Davis.  Little Chicken's Big Day will definitely be added to my list of books to give new parents or or as gifts to my favorite little friends. 


You can find out more about Katie Davis and her books at http://katiedavis.com/blog/welcome/
And you can find her on twitter: @katiedavisburps

And don't forget to watch the book trailer for Little Chicken's Big Day.  It makes me laugh and is probably my favorite book trailer of 2011. 

Hot Off The Press! New Picture Books (8)

This is a feature that I do weekly called Hot Off The Press!  based on my weekly visits to Vroman's Bookstore and checking out their wall of new picture books.  Here are the 4 new releases that stood out from the pile this week: 

Diego Rivera: His World and Ours
Author/Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh
Publisher: Abrahms Books (May 1, 2011)
Audience: Grades 2nd to 5th

This book talks about Diego Rivera's art, what influenced him, and how his style developed over time.  The illustrations are lovely and supports the text well.   The story also proposes what Rivera may have painted if he were painting today and compared it to the pieces that he had painted. I am going out on a limb here and suggesting that this will likely get a serious look by this year's Pura Belpre committee.

The Quite Contrary Man: A True American Tale
Author: Patricia Rusch Hyatt
Illustrator: Kathryn Brown
Publisher: Abrahms Books (May 1, 2011)
Audience: Grades 2nd to 5th

"Beard" Palmer stood up for the right to keep his beard despite being thrown in jail as a consequence for refusing to shave it off.  When I first picked up this title, I was expecting a story about an unpleasant person.  I was pleasantly surprised for the way the story unfolded.  Palmer appears (at least by the way the tale is told) to have been well loved by his family but extremely stubborn when it came to things like standing up for his right to have facial hair or prisoner's conditions (which he managed to speak out against by sneaking out letters to his family).  Text and illustrations work well to tell Palmer's story and the author's note at the end provides readers with more information about the historical trends of facial hair and facts about Palmer.

Clementine
Author/Illustrator: Sebastian Loth
Publisher: NorthSouth (May 1, 2011)
Audience: Pre-K to 1st

Clementine is a snail who loves anything round.  One day, she decides she wants to go to the moon. With the help of a worm named Paul, there are numerous failed attempts.  And though she doesn't quite make it there she does make a remarkable discovery in the process. The illustrations are gentle and the story about a very determined snail will make for an enjoyable read aloud.  

   

Clink
Author: Kelly DiPucchio
Illustrator: Matthew Myers
Publisher: Balzer & Bray (April 1, 2011)
Audience: Pre-k to 2nd

At one point, Clink was a snazzy state-of-the-art robot.  As with all things, newer and supposedly better models appear.  Each day, Clink watches as children clamor over the newer robots.  However, no one appears to want Clink, until one day a little boy comes into the story.  Will he be the one to adopt Clink as his own?  Myers illustrations play well against DiPucchio's text.  Another story that will do well as a read aloud for young children. 

Check out the book trailer for Clink here. 
 

Book Review - Press Here

Author: Hervé Tullet
Publisher: Chronicle Books (March 30, 2011)
Audience: Ages 3 to 7
Source:  Personal Copy


Description for GoodReads:
Press the yellow dot on the cover of this book, follow the instructions within, and embark upon a magical journey! Each page of this surprising book instructs the reader to press the dots, shake the pages, tilt the book, and who knows what will happen next! Children and adults alike will giggle with delight as the dots multiply, change direction, and grow in size! Especially remarkable because the adventure occurs on the flat surface of the simple, printed page, this unique picture book about the power of imagination and interactivity will provide read-aloud fun for all ages!

On the opening page of PRESS HERE, the reader sees a simple yellow dot on a clean white background and the simple words that invite the reader to "Press here and turn the page."  I challenge anyone not to be tempted to "press here".  Once you do "press here" and turn the page the journey has begun.  Each page invites the reader, to press, rub, shake, tilt, or blow on the page.  Each time, readers are rewarded with some kind of action on the subsequent page.  Rubbing the yellow dot may make it change color.  Shaking it moves all of the dots around.  And blowing on the page just might send all of the dots flying.  Every time I share this book with someone, I get the same response - smiles, chuckles, and enthusiastic interaction with the book.

There are books and then there are books. PRESS HERE is fun, simple, and brilliantly executed. In some ways, I like to describe this as an iPad app for people without an iPad.  It should be noted that the book is designed in a way that also allows for heavy use.  With a book that encourages interactions, it is critical that it can stand up to lots of handling.  The pages of PRESS HERE are thicker and coated which will support frequently use.  


If you are looking for gifts for young children in your life, or just like collecting unique books, I would seriously recommend this one.  I am already making up a list of who will get a copy.

Have fun watching the book trailer below.