Picture Books To Teach 1000 and More Lessons

Sometimes I wish that I was homeschooling Z because there are so many fantastic non-fiction picture books out there that I could use in a variety of subjects.

There are books about science like

Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World, written by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez, might not fully represent the handsomeness of this scientist but it does portray the hard work and genius of the man. It starts with Tesla's childhood in Serbia (including the name of his cat), moves through his college years and finishes with his professional life. It also has six pages of history and science at the end and a great bibliography.

There are books about math like

Mesmerizing Math by Jonathan Litton and Thomas Flintham is a totally amazing flap-and-tab book that gives a quick introduction to dozens of math concepts, from geometry to tessellation. Z was fascinated by this book and all of its hidden information. I like that it makes math fun and accessible. This book obviously won't teach kids everything they need to know about the diverse ideas (it's only 16 pages long), but it will give kids a familiarity with concepts and terms that should help later when they reach these concepts in their studies.

There are books about animals like

and

The Organic Bug Book by Chris Korrow (farmer) attempts to get kids to look past the ick factor that they may have learned from squeamish parents to the true usefulness and fascinating qualities of a variety of insects. Not all bugs are welcomed by farmers but many are grouped together unfairly with the true pests. This book tries to clear up some of the misconceptions and to celebrate the diversity of insects.

Marije Tolman (artist) and Jesse Goossens' (writer) Jumping Penguins is a beautiful tribute to the many amazing qualities of animals that one might see at a zoo. The artwork is not realistic (bats have bandages, polar bears are painting and there's a blue whale on a scale) but the book is oh so fun and the facts might be ones that you haven't heard before -- bison can jump six feet vertically, polar bears are left-handed and caterpillars throw their poop away from their bodies to confuse wasps that would want to eat them.  This would be a fantastic gift book as well because it's just so attractive!

And there are books about places like

This beautiful duo from Charlotte Dematons, Holland and A Thousand Things About Holland (with text by Jesse Goossens), give a wonderful introduction to a beautiful country. One is a book without words, simply presenting Holland from the water through the busy cities and on to the countryside. It has many details that should give young readers an idea of the things that make Holland unique. The other is, well, a book of a thousand pieces of information and literature about Holland's history, weather, cities, people, art and more told from the unique perspective of Dematons, who was born in France but studied art in Amsterdam. Obviously, with 1000 "things", there's a lot to learn about Holland, especially for kids with little previous exposure to the country.

Luckily, there are no limits on where one can learn, so we can bring all of these books into our home anyway (and you might want some of them in your home too).

Learning the fun and colorful way,
K and Z

Great African-Americans Past and Present

I would love it if you would head over to The Estella Society today and read my post on Christopher Paul Curtis' The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963. It's a wonderfully vivid chapter book focusing on a turbulent time for African-Americans that is a must-read for all ages. Here, I'll introduce you to two fab picture books.

Written by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld, What Color is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors is a picture book that links a modern-day family's everyday life with oft-ignored scientists and inventors. Ella and Herbie (fantastic jazz names!) are twins who are moving into a new home that isn't so new after all -- in fact, it's somewhat shabby. They complain a bit about the house before meeting handyman Mr. Mital, who is left in charge of them while their mom goes out to run errands. Mr. Mital is not only handy but is a font of knowledge about African-American inventors. The kids come to appreciate how difficult it was for inventors and innovators of color (and also for women and younger inventors) and we get quite a few fantastic examples of pioneers, both historical and those who are making technological advances in our world today.

Just like the twins, before Mr. Mital's lectures, I could have named just one African-American inventor, George Washington Carver. But now I know more about these remarkable men (and women) and the hardships that they endured simply because of the color of their skin. They were denied educations, were passed over for jobs and so much more. But they persevered, sometimes even using a white front-man to ensure their important discoveries were used and shared. The story that stuck with me the most was probably that of Dr. Percy Julian who fought to become a chemist, eventually having to leave the U.S. and study in Europe because of prejudice against him. When he returned, he began his research on synthesizing drugs, including finding a cheaper way to produce cortisone from soy plants. Dr. Julian sadly died the day before I was born in 1975.

RIF (Reading is Fundamental) has free downloadable teaching guides and activities on their blog that pair with this book but even sitting down and simply reading this book with your children or students will hopefully make a difference in how they view the scientific and technological contributions of African-Americans.

I first saw this book at the airport in Honolulu last year but didn't get a chance to look at it. But, having spent a few years of my childhood in Hawaii just like President Obama did (same island, different part), my curiosity finally got the best of me and I got a copy of A President From Hawai'i by Dr. Terry Carolan and Joanna Carolan. This colorful book is a collection of quotes from Obama's pre-Presidential days, some Hawaiian history, lore and language, and photos of the President as a young man and an adult on the islands. It's a fun little book that highlights important Hawaiian values and customs. In fact, it is more a book about Hawaii than about the President but that's okay. With intricate paper cut illustrations by Elizabeth Zunon, this would be a great book to give to kids before a trip to Hawaii or just as something to brighten up a dreary midwinter day.

"... when you come from Hawaii, you start understanding that what's on the surface, what people look like, that doesn't determine who they are." -- Barack Obama, Honolulu, 8/8/08

Respecting those who came before,
K and Z

Tam Lin: A Survey

The Fire and Hemlock Read-Along discussion is at the end of next week but I thought I would write about the Tam Lin readings I've done in preparation. Then I can just discuss the tale in the context of F&H next week. I ended up reading five retellings and the original Scottish ballad and none of them were identical.

If you aren't familiar with the ballad, here is a great place where you can read Tam Lin (Child 39A version) and it has translations for the Scottish words on the side (very helpful!). The basic story is that a Scottish lass named Janet (or Jennet or Margaret) is warned away from a place called Carterhaugh --

O I forbid you, maidens all,

That wear gold in your hair,

To come or go by Carterhaugh,

For young Tam Lin is there.

She goes anyway because her father owns the land where this shadowy glen is and there she picks a rose, which summons Tam Lin (or Tamlane or Tam-a-Lin). He was once a man but then he was captured by the fairies and has lived with them for a very long time. However, they have a custom that, every seven years, they make a human sacrifice to Hell to preserve their way of life and he is the chosen one this time. It also happens though that Janet falls instantly in love with him and becomes pregnant with his child. She returns home and is shamed but defiant and so she returns to Carterhaugh. Then Tam Lin tells her that there is one way that he can be saved from sacrifice. On Halloween night, she must be there to see a procession and, when he passes, she must pull him from his horse and hold on tight. The fairy queen will change him into all sorts of terrifying animals and finally a burning torch. If Janet persists and then dunks the torch in the well, her love will be human again (and naked). All goes to plan and the fairy queen is angry but defeated and Tam Lin and Janet can be together.

First, on a nice sunny day, I sat on the front porch and read the picture book versions from Susan Cooper (illustrated by Warwick Hutton) and Jane Yolen (illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak) and a brief version in Barbara Ker Wilson's Stories from Scotland. They covered a wide range of variations on the story. The Susan Cooper version added in more backstory for the heroine. The Jane Yolen version added a castle in Carterhaugh. But I certainly came away from these three retellings with some basic thoughts on the ballad --

One, the female is the heroine of the tale. She not only brashly sets off to a forbidden land, but she bravely deals with an out-of-wedlock pregnancy and holds her ground when confronted with all of the terrors and physical pain that the fairy queen sends her way.

Two, this is definitely a ballad full of symbolism -- from the roses to the serpent that Tam Lin briefly becomes.

Three, the only part that nobody seems to want to change in the stories (or the illustrations) is that Tam Lin was naked after all of the transformations.

Next, I read Pamela Dean's Tam Lin, the only book I initially intended to read before F&H. I know it's a favorite for many but I was kind of disappointed with it. It's a 450 page book and the actual Tam Lin part is only in the last 50 pages. The rest was a play-by-play of Janet Carter's time at a small liberal arts college in Minnesota. Having to sit through discussions about which classes to take next term, classroom discussions about literature I haven't read and Janet's constant bitching and eye-rolling about every person on campus was a bit tiring. I was not an English major in college so maybe that would have made a difference. Maybe I could have related to the story more. But Janet's ineptitude in the one physics lab she took just made me roll my eyes because it was so stereotypical. I was also a little put off by how Dean had to point out everyone's race and color so often. And, honestly, the diversity at the college seemed a bit unlikely for the Midwest in the 1970s. I am not sure about that though. It was interesting to read about the first birth control pills and their awful side effects. My mother-in-law tells me horror stories about them every once in a while.

If you're interested in reading this book, I suggest going and reading other blogger's thoughts on it (good and bad) -- here are some from Jenny, Rhinoa, Ana and Heather.

Finally, I ended with the version of Tam Lin put forth by Elaine Lee and illustrated by Charles Vess in the beautiful Book of Ballads. This one was WAY out there, making Tam Lin's rescue more of a spiritual one as his soul went into Janet's unborn baby and he was saved by being born to his own lover (naked, of course). I assume then that all of the pain and monsters were actually labor and childbirth. By the way, this is not a volume to share with your children if you don't want them seeing a high level of nudity and anguish.

Now that I have a firm grasp on Tam Lin, I will continue with Thomas the Rhymer (in Stories from Scotland, The Book of Ballads and Ellen Kushner's novel). Hopefully I'll get all of that done before the read-a-thon on Saturday because I'd really like to read F&H then!

(And this reading all obviously qualifies for the Once Upon a Time Challenge.)

Call me Janet,
K

Happy Spring! with Picture Books

I don't know why spring makes us want to pull out picture books but I would guess it's because they're so bright and happy and so many of them are about nature and exploration. And these are a special bunch because they aren't from the U.S. so they are just a bit different than what we're seeing at our local library.

Pip the Gnome by Admar Kwant (an artist who lives in the Netherlands), is a gently drawn board book that takes a child through the four seasons, starting with spring. There is a surprising amount of detail in the drawings and a real sense of peace and oneness with nature. Z loves the page when Pip is catching leaves in the fall. I think my favorite thing about these drawings is that Pip has legs! I'm tired of the "garden gnome" with no knees. How would a creature like that even walk? Pip is an adorable little guy.

Wee Granny's Magic Bag, written by Elizabeth McKay and illustrated by Maria Bogade, is a Scottish picture book (as you can probably guess from the title and cover). Wee Granny is a marvelous woman who calls her two grandkids her "bonnie darlings" and has a tartan handbag that literally has everything in it but the kitchen sink. I so wish I could do a good Scottish accent for reading this one aloud but I don't think that it would work in my Sean Connery imitation. The book has great flow with many of the page turns revealing a surprise item emerging from Wee Granny's bag. Z screamed with delight when the item happened to be a donkey! The landscapes and dwellings are inviting and definitely Scottish and the grandkids have two different but equally gorgeous shades of ginger hair. And the website for the publisher (Picture Kelpies/Floris Books) continues the fun with a colouring page and some granny and dog jokes!

My Think-a-ma-Jink by Dave Whamond is from Owlkids Books in Canada. It's centered around a fairly simple and common idea -- that kids can come up with much better games and adventures through their own imaginations than by playing with predefined-action toys and games. But what sets this book apart are the fun and vivid illustrations of young Jack's imaginary lands and creatures. From aliens to dragons to a delicious-looking candy land, this book could definitely initiate some fun imaginings in young readers and have them asking for their own Think-a-ma-Jink.

Tom the Tamer by Tjibbe Veldkamp (Dutch), drawn by Philip Hopman (also Dutch),  is a very unique and wonderful book about Tom, a young boy whose father won't come out of the house because he's afraid of animals. This is unfortunate because Tom is an animal tamer who has tamed snails and squirrels in the yard and he wants his dad to see the show. But Tom has an idea for how to change his father's mind and it all starts with going to the local pet store and picking up an untamed polar bear. This book is absolutely brilliant! From the unconventional idea of a scared parent instead of a scared kid to the bright and detailed artwork, this is going to be a book that I start giving as a gift to 4-7 year olds.

The final book for today is The Umbrella by Ingrid & Deiter Schubert (German but living in Amsterdam). This is a wordless picture book about a small black dog who finds a red umbrella in the garden on a windy day. He travels all around the world, riding the wind, and has fun and sometimes harrowing adventures. When he finally returns home and sets the umbrella down, a curious cat can't help but take a peek at it. This book is really unique because it starts and ends on the endpapers. The drawings of all the animals around the world are very realistic and large in scope -- showing entire savannahs and underwater seascapes. Sometimes a wordless book is just what you're looking for and this would be a good one to choose!

Doing a bit of armchair travelling,

K and Z

Special Offer: Mrs. Claus Explains it All

Do you have an inquisitive little one (or more than one!) in your house?

Are you being bombarded with questions about Santa and his helpers?

Do you find yourself faced with questions that only one woman is qualified to answer?

Sourcebooks has a special promotion going right now on the e-book version of Mrs. Claus Explains it All by Elsbeth Claus and illustrated by David Wenzel. For only $1.99 you can have the answers handy to such questions as

• Why can't you see Santa's village at the North Pole?
• What is Santa's favorite cookie?
• I'm worried that Santa is too fat. Does he ever exercise?
• How does Santa know where I live? How does he keep track of what I want?

I was really happy to see that Santa and the elves like to spend time reading when they're not busy getting ready for Christmas. And, not surprisingly, the elves and I have some favorite books in common -- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. I guess I could have been an elf in another timeline! Z was particularly interested to learn the history of the reindeer. This is a great "reference" book for believers of all ages and it's well worth the magical price.

Here are the links for iBooks and Nook versions:

Apple’s iBookstore
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/mrs.-claus-explains-it-all/id485469062?mt=11

NOOK Book Store
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mrs-claus-explains-it-all-elsbeth-claus/1102174204

(Available on the following platforms: iPad, iPhone, iPodTouch, NOOK Tablet, NOOK Color, NOOK app for iPad)

In the know,

K and Z

All Scholastic, All of the Time

Since I'm spending the next five days surrounded by Scholastic Books, I thought I would share this release with you. Maybe you have a book fair coming up soon and need to decide what to buy or maybe you are just starting to think about holiday gifts. This is a great starter list!

Making my book fair shopping list,
K

SCHOLASTIC PREDICTS THE HOTTEST NEW CHILDREN’S BOOKS OF THE 2011 HOLIDAY SEASON

Children’s Literacy Experts at Scholastic Book Clubs and Book Fairs Offer Recommendations to Help Holiday Shoppers

November 7, 2011 – Get ready for holiday shopping. The children’s book experts from Scholastic Book Clubs and Scholastic Book Fairs have just revealed their picks for what will be the most popular new children’s books for the 2011 holiday season. This go-to list features books for all ages from a variety of authors and publishers to help gift-givers pick the right books for the kids in their lives.

Some of the book picks include new releases and sequels for popular series, such as The Heroes of Olympus, Book Two: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney, and The 39 Clues®: Cahills vs. Vespers Book 2: A King's Ransom by Jude Watson; others are tied to highly anticipated film releases such as War Horse, Hugo, and The Hunger Games, all of which are based on books.

“Parents, grandparents and educators all know the value of giving the gift of reading to kids, but we know they also struggle to compete with the hot new toy, electronic device or video on the market,” stated Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer at Scholastic. “This list was curated by the experts at Scholastic Book Clubs and Book Fairs to help shoppers identify the books that will be sure to delight a child as much as any other favorite gift.”

Scholastic’s Holiday Gift List for Kids:

Picture Books
10 Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Lois Ehlert (Simon & Schuster)
Can You See What I See? Toyland Express written and illustrated by Walter Wick (Scholastic)
If You Give a Dog a Donut by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond (HarperCollins)
The Man in the Moon written and illustrated by William Joyce (Simon & Schuster)
Pinkalicious: The Princess of Pink Treasury written and illustrated by Victoria Kann (HarperCollins)

Click here for full list

Transitional Readers and Chapter Books
Clementine and The Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee (Disney Hyperion Books)
Fly Guy: Fly Guy vs. The Flyswatter! by Tedd Arnold (Scholastic)
Magic Tree House: Dogs in the Dead of Night by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca (Random House)
Rainbow Magic: Magical Holiday Boxed Set by Daisy Meadows (Scholastic)
Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers by Dav Pilkey, George Beard, and Harold Hutchins (Scholastic)

Click here for full list

Middle Grade Fiction
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney (Abrams)
The Heroes of Olympus, Book Two: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion Books)
The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers Book 2: A King's Ransom by Jude Watson (Scholastic)
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo (Scholastic)
Wonderstruck written and illustrated by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)

Click here for full list

Young Adult Fiction
Crossed by Ally Condie (Penguin)
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (Random House)
Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion Books)
The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxed Set by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic)

Click here for full list

Nonfiction
How Cool Is This: An Up-close, Inside Look at How Things Work (DK Publishing)
The Hugo Movie Companion: A Behind the Scenes Look at How a Beloved Book Became a Major Motion Picture by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)
Lego Harry Potter: Building The Magical World (DK Publishing)
Lego Star Wars Character Encyclopedia (DK Publishing)
Ripley's Believe It or Not!: Special Edition 2012 (Scholastic)

Click here for full list

These books are available through Scholastic Book Clubs and Scholastic Book Fairs in schools and online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. When you purchase these or any other books through Book Clubs and Book Fairs you are helping out your child’s school. Teachers are awarded bonus points through Scholastic Book Clubs to purchase books and materials for their classrooms, and schools raise money through their Book Fairs to support the school community. If a title from Scholastic’s holiday gift list is not available through your child’s Scholastic Book Club or Scholastic Book Fair, check with your child’s teacher or visit a book retailer or library.

For the full list please visit http://oomscholasticblog.com/2011/11/we_predict.html.
For more information on Scholastic (SCHL), visit us at mediaroom.scholastic.com.

A Huge Ego and A Huge Mistake

We're sadly getting near the end of our picture book days in this house. Z is more and more interested in longer and more complex stories. He's also really into graphic novels these days. So now we have to keep an eye out for those rare picture books that have a little something special, something that can still grab a seven year old's attention and make him laugh. Candlewick happens to have two fun new picture books this fall that do just that.

King Hugo's Huge Ego, written and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen, is a book in verse -- the tale of a king whose diminutive size is greatly eclipsed by his large ego. When he finally angers a sorceress, she secretly curses his head so that each time he brags about himself, his head inflates. Pretty soon, he can barely move because of his huge noggin. When he reencounters the witch, can she get him to realize just why he now has a head the size of a hot air balloon?

The brilliant colors of the detailed and sometimes hilarious illustrations in this book are really fun. This one also works well for slightly older children because it introduces a lot of great vocabulary words including enormous, cocky, adoration, crimson, arrogance and ermine! And, of course, the lesson that is taught is a great one these days in a world of rampant overpraise and quite a few bratty kids. Plus, the king's pug is just the cutest little guy ever!

The other picture book that we enjoyed recently is I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. It's a book of simple words and simple illustrations but it's got real personality.

A bear has lost his favorite hat and so he goes from animal neighbor to neighbor, asking if anyone has seen his hat. After he talks to a few animals, he realizes that he might have actually seen his hat on a shifty rabbit a few pages back. When he finally gets his hat back, the rabbit is soon nowhere to be found.

Z cracked me up when we sat down and read these books together. One of the words we learned in King Hugo was "buffoon". He asked what it meant and I told him it was someone who acts foolishly. Then, after we read this second book, we had the following exchange --

Z: That rabbit is a buffoon.
K: What happens to rabbits who are buffoons?
Z: They get eaten.

Holding on to picture books for just a bit longer,
K and Z

Happy Earth Day!

There are so many fantastic bookish ways to celebrate Earth Day with the children around you. Here are a few of the books that you might catch us reading today.

We might be learning about a specific ecological problem like habitat loss with Bluebird Finds a Home. This picture book, written by Ryan Jacobson and illustrated by Joel Siebel, features the Nature Squad, a group of animals and a park ranger that help a bluebird who has no place to rest when the trees that he used for nesting in are cut down.

This book has a lot of great messages about ways to protect nature in both obvious ways (picking up litter) and not so obvious ones (leaving dead trees for shelter). It also explains why habitats for one species of an animal aren't suitable for all the different species. At the end there are even instructions for building a simple nest box and some conservation tips for kids. Making conservation and care for wildlife a part of a child's every day routine is an investment in the future of the planet.

You might also see us learning about one of our favorite scientists and environmentalist role models with the stunning Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau, with text by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Eric Puybaret. This is a wonderful book that connects the childhood of an inquisitive and intelligent boy with an adulthood that seems almost unreal in its productivity and influence. This book highlights Cousteau's ingenious inventions, his prowess with a video camera and his desire to use his newly-found knowledge for the benefit of the planet.

We never seem to tire of picture books about Cousteau. Each new author and artist pair brings him to life in a different way. Puybaret's soft colors and imaginative layouts are wonderful. And Cousteau is the perfect example for children of how to take a childhood interest from daydreams to a productive career, whether it be as a scientist or anything else.

We could be learning about the beauty of nature's creatures with Fabulous Fluttering Tropical Butterflies. With beautiful bright artwork by Kendahl Jan Jubb and words by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, this book celebrates some of the most beautiful butterflies in the world and their caterpillars. With flowery prose, this picture book is packed with facts about these delicate insects.

Our local science center has a butterfly house and we love going in the warm, misty room and seeing all of the creatures as they fly from plant to plant, sometimes landing on the shoulder of one of the visitors. Pairing books with real-life adventures is a wonderful way to make learning fun and relevant.

But it's just as likely that you will find us enjoying I Wonder Why Penguins Can't Fly by Pat Jacobs and filling our brains with knowledge about places that we many never get to visit but still should care about. This is a great collection of facts about the North and South Poles and the plants and creatures that live there. With the answers to questions like "Were the poles always frozen?" and "Are there any polar plants?" there's a lot that even I didn't know in this book.

Sometimes it's easy to ignore places that are far away but in order to preserve nature's balance, we need to take care of places both near and far. Familiarity with these places makes it harder to ignore the unique ecosystems and their inhabitants.

Visit Earthday.org for more ideas on how to celebrate this unique day. This year's focus is "A Billion Acts of Green".

Doing our part,
K and Z


Support our site and buy Nature Squad: Bluebird Finds a Home, Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau,  Fabulous Fluttering Tropical Butterflies and I Wonder Why Penguins Can't Fly on Amazon or find them at your local library. We borrowed some of these books from the library and received some for review.

Celebrating Spring in Picture Books

Spring conjures up so many different images: flowers, rain, warmer days and, best of all, baby animals. We've had some great picture books come into our home that make us long for all of these exciting signs of new life!

(oliver) by Christopher Francheschelli is a wonderful board book about Oliver the egg. Done in black, grey and white with only photos of the egg and its shadow, the simple words are enhanced by a real sense of motion and a fun, colorful surprise at the end. The final words of the book are actually on the back cover, next to the two halves of an eggshell --

(...Because miracles happen.)

I think this would be a perfect gift for a first-time expectant mother who could then share it with her little one the next spring. New life truly is a miracle!

Lemniscaat is a well-established (since 1963) publisher in Holland and have published in the US for twelve years as Lemniscaat USA. They have a really interesting backstory and a wide variety of beautiful books. This particular book is constructed in a very unique way and I'm glad they took the extra time and effort to make it so special.

Quiet Bunny's Many Colors by Lisa McCue is a celebration of everything spring and also a lesson about accepting and embracing what makes you different and unique. Quiet Bunny sees all of the beautiful colors of spring and is a bit disappointed by his own drab colors. He tries various ways to change his colors (including a roll in a blueberry patch) but eventually learns that he is beautiful in his own way.

This is another stellar title from Sterling Children's Books. The colors are absolutely gorgeous and they make us want to go right out and frolic in a meadow of wildflowers. Quiet Bunny is adorable, as are the many other creatures who are scattered around each page. This book also has a surprise at the end (this time a fold-out page) that makes it extra special.

This final book won't be out until May 1 but I think it's well worth the wait. 999 Tadpoles is written by Ken Kimura and illustrated by Yasunari Murakami. 999 tadpoles are hatched in a small pond. As they become small frogs, they quickly outgrow their pond and are desperate to find a new home. They set off together (with the requisite "are we there yet"s) and narrowly escape a snake only to be set upon by a hawk. However, the strength of 999 little frogs (plus mom and dad) is just enough to save them and they happily reach a new home.

The illustrations in this book are deceptively simple. They still manage to convey a wide range of emotions and are bright and happy. Another plus for this book is the integration of the jacket summary on the back of the book, perfect for those of us who are forced to immediately remove jackets from children's books! This Japanese picture book will be released by NorthSouth Books, a publisher that I've mentioned before that specializes in bringing international picture books to the States.

Seeing the signs of spring all around,
K and Z


Support our site and buy Oliver, Quiet Bunny's Many Colors and 999 Tadpoles on Amazon or find them at your local library. We received all of these books for review.

A HOP and a Give-Away!

We have something really fun for you today. In celebration of the Friday movie release of HOP, we are giving away a prize pack of FIVE tie-in books from Little, Brown!

If you haven't seen the trailer for this film yet, it's the story of E.B., a teenaged bunny. His father is the Easter Bunny and is ready to retire. But E.B. wants to be a drummer in a rock band instead and so he runs away to Hollywood. He ends up staying with a man named Fred and is a less than stellar houseguest. Back at Easter headquarters, the chicks have decided to revolt and take charge of the holiday. Will E.B. accept his destiny before Easter is ruined? You can watch the trailer here.

These are the five books you could win for your family or to give away to other lucky kids:

Hoppy Bunnies is a great Easter basket board book choice for the youngest ones. It has three felt finger puppets attached that you can use while telling the short story of how the Easter Bunny delivers baskets to children. It's an Easter version of The Night Before Christmas poem! We would send this one to Z's almost one-year-old cousin.

Counting Chicks is another cute board book for toddlers who are learning to count. Featuring chicks Carlos and Phil, this one counts from one to ten through yummy-looking candy that needs to go into the Easter basket. This book would be perfect for Z's two-year-old cousin!

Meet the Easter Bunny is an early reader level book that takes young readers (and E.B.) on a tour through the Easter factory, deep under Easter Island. It's only loosely based on the film and is a cute and happy book. Chicks Versus Bunnies is more of a movie picture book, with a brief re-telling of the main movie story. It's more intense than the other book (with a bit of cartoon martial arts) but about at the same reading level. It has some punch-out Easter egg holders in the back. These books are just right for Z and his 1st grade cousin.

Hop: The Chapter Book is a 64 page book with twelve easy chapters and pictures from the movie. It would be perfect for 1st graders that are good readers and up or as a bedtime book. Z has decided to read one chapter a day.

What a great prize package! If you would like to win a set of these books, simply fill out the form below. This contest is for U.S. residents only. Entries will be accepted until end of day on Sunday when I will pick a winner.

HOPping off to the theater,
K and Z


Support our site and buy Hoppy Bunnies, Counting Chicks, Hop: Meet the Easter Bunny, Hop: Chicks Versus Bunnies and Hop: The Chapter Book on Amazon or find them at your local library. We received copies for review from a publicist and will be sharing them with cousins.