My friend Wishy lent me this Caldecott Honor book and I immediately had to rush out and buy a copy to keep.
The non-wordy story is very simple: the contrast between a typical dog and cat day. Hondo the dog goes to the beach and Fabian the cat stays home with “the baby.” Guess who has the better day!
The soft illustrations are very sweet and soothing. Yet the expressions on the cat and dog faces convey such nuances of emotion that everyone, adult and child alike, will enjoy this book.
(Paperback is eligible for Amazon’s 4-for-3 promotion.)
Book Recommendations, animals, award winner, children's books, exceptional illustrations, picture books, young children
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award-winning book, Book Recommendations, Book Recommendations, Caldecott, children's books, Hondo & Fabian, Peter McCarty
This is not a book that is going to change the world, but it is SO CUTE, you can’t help but love it! I am always pleased when this is my children’s bedtime choice.
The story is so simple. It is basically a comparison of an indoor mouse and an outdoor mouse. Each page shows a mouse in his house, or in his daily travels. The indoor mouse is always on the left-hand page, and the outdoor mouse is on the facing, right-hand page. Their activities are always comparable. For example while the inside mouse is asleep in a clock, the outside mouse is asleep in a stump. The indoor mouse runs between the socks while the outdoor mouse runs between the rocks. You get the idea. Simple. Plus there is a sweet little surprise at the end.
The illustrations are what REALLY make this book. As you can tell by the number of books to which I have given the label “exceptional illustrations,” illustrations are quite important for me and can sometimes even “make or break” a book.
These illustrations are incredibly bright and detailed, and so cute that you just want to keep looking at them over and over! Please, if you have a toddler or a preschooler, at least check this out of the library. Your little one, and you, will love it!
(Paperback is eligible for Amazon’s 4-for-3 promotion)
Book Recommendations, animals, children's books, exceptional illustrations, older children, picture books, young children
| Book Recommendations, Book Recommendations, children's books, Inside Mouse Outside Mouse, Lindsay Barrett George
We have had this one since my 6 year-old was just a baby and it is oft requested.
The plot is very simple: a flea with a cold. The adorable illustrations and the comfortingly repetitive text are what really make this book a bedtime favorite. Everyone especially loves the page where the flea finally lets out his huge sneeze that wakes the entire barn!
The Flea’s Sneeze is one of those rare finds that is as much fun for a parent to read, as it is for little ones to listen to.
Paperback is eligible for Amazon’s 4-for-3 promotion.
Book Recommendations, animals, children's books, exceptional illustrations, funny, picture books, young children
| Book Recommendations, Book Recommendations, children's books, Karla Firehammer, Lynn Downey, The Flea's Sneeze
This funny book teaches children and adults alike about javelinas (pronounced: “HAVELEENA”) and yes, most people think that they are a variety of wild pig - nope, they are “peccaries.”
As a resident of Arizona, we actually encounter javelinas from time to time, and these encounters are all the more interesting now that we have learned so much from this wonderful book! My children adore this book and love shouting out the oft repeated refrain: “Don’t call me pig!”
In addition to the fun, rhyming text, the book features marvelous and funny illustrations of the javelinas. Both the text and the illustrations describe their physical characteristics and their life in a manner that is appealing even to young children.
For adults who want the straight facts, there are two pages at the end of the book that discuss javelinas in a more narrative manner. This book should appeal to any child who is curious about wildlife, or the southwestern United States. It would be a great book for teachers too. My kids learned a lot, and so did I!
Book Recommendations, Southwestern US, animals, children's books, educational, exceptional illustrations, funny, nature, older children, picture books, young children
| Arizona, Beth Neely, Book Recommendations, Book Recommendations, collared peccary, Conrad J. Storad, Conrad Storad, Don't Call Me Pig, educational books, javelina, nature books, peccary, Southwestern US, Southwestern US books, wild pig, wildlife books
This is such a cute book! DK books always have wonderful photographs and this one is no exception.
The text is basically a recitation of the children’s song “Old Mac Donald Had a Farm.” The adorable photos are what really make the book so enchanting. Each image features a farm scene composed of cute little felt toys.
My 20 month-old loves this book. She likes pointing to the animals and telling me what noise they make. This is a large-format board book so it is quite sturdy. An important (but often overlooked) plus for a book geared towards babies.
Book Recommendations, DK Publishing, animals, baby, board book, children's books, photos, picture books
| board books, Book Recommendations, Book Recommendations, children's books, DK books, DK Publishing, Old Mac Donald
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Themocracy