Saturday, March 8, 2014

Welcome in Spring with a Good Book -- Great Children's Board Books from Candlewick Press (Review)

Disclosure:  I was sent review copies from the publisher in order to write up an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.




Here are some great board books to share with little ones that will have them learning things like colors, shapes, counting to different animal sounds.  And, with spring and Easter right around the corner, the bunny books will surely put a smile on your child's face when they find one or more of these board books in their Easter baskets, or shared at bedtime.  My girls are fans of the following recent releases from Candlewick Press, and I know they will be instant favorites with your children, too. :-)


Hop!

  • Age Range: 3 - 7 years
  • Grade Level: Preschool - 2
  • Board book: 16 pages
  • Publisher: Candlewick; Brdbk edition (February 9, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0763648795
  • ISBN-13: 978-0763648794
  • Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches

Synopsis:

"When a master of the rhythmic read-aloud joins a Caldecott honor-winning artist to visit baby animals, the result is sure to have little listeners clamoring for more. With a lilting text and luminous collage illustrations, HOP! shows the nonstop antics of five little bunnies, bumping, tumbling, wiggling, twitching, thumping, and lunching."

My Thoughts:

What a way to get excited about spring and Easter than with this cute rhyming board book. With only a few words per page, Bella is able to enjoy the easy to follow story about bunnies and what they do like zig, zag, jump, thump, etc. The illustrations by Holly Meade are colorful and appealing to the eye.  Both my daughters love to point to the different bunnies and tell me the color of their fur and then follow up by counting the number of bunnies on each board book page. 

I can see this little board book being a great addition to your little one's Easter basket, and a favorite at bedtime.  Bella can't go a night without having me read this cute book about bunnies to her.

Bunny My Honey

  • Age Range: 2 - 5 years
  • Board book: 22 pages
  • Publisher: Candlewick; Brdbk Rep edition (December 22, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0763646458
  • ISBN-13: 978-0763646455
  • Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches

Synopsis:

"How Bunny loves his mommy! And Mommy adores her little one. "Bunny, my Honey," she says, showing him how to do special rabbity things, like running and hopping, digging, and twitching his nose, and thumping his great big feet. Bunny's best friends are Little Duckling and Miss Mouse. They play quack-quacky games, squeaky games, and thump-thump-thumpy games together. But one day Bunny runs too far on his own and gets lost in the deep woods. The more Bunny looks for his friends and his mommy, the more lost he becomes. Bunny cries, "I want my Mommy!" until, at last, she arrives to cuddle and kiss him and put her twitchy nose on his twitchy nose. A sweetly reassuring story by the illustrator of the award-winning GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU."

My Thoughts:

If you are a fan of the GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU books then you will love this cute board book for little ones as the illustrator wrote and illustrated this book.  My girls and I fell in love with the adorable illustrations done by Anita Jeram the first time I read this book to the girls.  When the girls heard me read that the little bunny was lost, they kept telling me to they hoped the mommy bunny found him. :-)  

This story has a happy ending and the little bunny is found by its mom.  And, just like with the GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU books, this story is filled with "I love you's" to remind your little one how much they, too, are loved.


  • Board book: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Candlewick; Brdbk edition (March 11, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0763670987
  • ISBN-13: 978-0763670986
  • Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches

Synopsis:

"Those adorable bears from Bears on Chairs return in an irresistibly sweet bedtime story.

It’s time for Big Brown Bear to tuck all four little bears into their beds. Then he’s ready to climb into his own bed and turn out the light. Five warm beds, holding five sleepy bears, until a sound goes whoosh in the middle of the night, and all the bears wake up in a fright. Will they ever get back into bed? Luckily, Big Brown Bear knows just what to do! A fun, rhyming read-aloud that parents will love and tired little cubs will be happy to snuggle up with."


My Thoughts:

This is definitely one my girls' favorite bedtime books.  Fans of Bears on Chairs, my girls were excited to see the five cute cuddly bears back with a fun bedtime story.  Not only is the story easy to follow, but the illustrations done by David Walker are simply adorable.  

What happens when 4 little bears hear noises at bedtime?  Scared of what they heard, they quickly rush to hide under a chair.  But, the chair cannot shield 4 bears from the scary whooshing noises.  What are they to do?  Why, crawl into bed with Big Brown Bear. :-)  Feeling safe, they can cuddle together and fall fast asleep.  

My girls love to cuddle close when we read this book, and on occasion will sneak into our big bed when they hear rattling or other noises from the wind, rain, etc. outdoors.  And, you know what?  I can't help but pull them close and cuddle with them like Big Brown Bear does with the four little bears, as they are only small once, and these extra special and unexpected cuddle time is what memories are made from. :-)


  • Age Range: 2 - 5 years
  • Board book: 12 pages
  • Publisher: Candlewick; Brdbk edition (February 10, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0763641421
  • ISBN-13: 978-0763641429
  • Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 6.6 x 5.6 inches

Synopsis:

"Root’s lilting verses soothe the ear...An unusually fine addition to parents’ sleep inducing bag of tricks.— Booklist

Outside in the farmyard, ten lively lambs would rather play than go to sleep. Off they scamper; off they skip. But the sun is sinking, the stars are twinkling, sleepy eyes can’t stay open, and one by one, ten drowsy sheep drop off to sleep in a cozy country countdown. With rhythmic, lyrical language and pastoral scenes of lambs drifting off wherever they may, author and artist blend the perfect potion to ease even spirited little ones into sweet dreams."

My Thoughts:

When your children can't sleep, do they count sheep?  Well, if they do, this cute board book by Phyllis Root and illustrated by Susan Gaber will surely make them smile.  With acrylic and pastel illustrations that are done is calming colors, little ones will love having this board book read to them at bedtime.  Not only will they have fun hearing this story about getting ready to go to bed themselves, it is a fun board book to use to help teach them how to count to ten.

I was surprised to find this book to an instant favorite with Bella.  When I am not reading it to her at bedtime, she is flipping through the pages during the day and counting the sheep. Even though my girls still struggle to go to bed on time, now when they find themselves waking in the night, they count sheep to try and go back to sleep before calling for us. :-)

Two Interactive Tiny Tab Books by Jannie Ho


  • Series: Tiny Tab Books
  • Board book: 8 pages
  • Publisher: Nosy Crow; Brdbk edition (February 11, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0763672734
  • ISBN-13: 978-0763672737
  • Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches

Synopsis:

"Teeny Weeny is a little bit worried. He can’t find his mommy anywhere. She can’t have gone far. Little readers will enjoy pulling the sturdy tabs to help Teeny Weeny in his search and identify with the story’s sweet, happy resolution."


  • Series: Tiny Tabs
  • Board book: 10 pages
  • Publisher: Nosy Crow Ltd (April 4, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0857631969
  • ISBN-13: 978-0857631961
  • Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches

Synopsis:

"It's bedtime for Bunny Boo but she can't find her teddy anywhere. All families will identify with Bunny Boo's search for her favorite toy in this cute little bedtime book."

My Thoughts:

I don't know about you, but my girls love when books are interactive and that they can help with the story, either by lifting flaps, touch and feel, or pulling tabs.  So, when I saw that Candlewick Press and Jannie Jo had released two new tiny tab board books, I had to request copies to review and share with the girls.  And, when it came time to reading this two books for the first time with the girls, they were instant hints, due in part by the pull tabs.  

Just note that when you buy these and other books, it is a good idea to pull and push the tabs in and out a few times before letting the kids do it, so make them function more smoothly.  I forgot to do this, and the girls were frustrated at first, as a few of the pull tabs were tough to maneuver.  But, after a few times of reading, the tabs worked with ease, and really made reading this two books -- one about a mouse looking for his money and the other about a bunny looking for her lost teddy bear -- a real treat.  

If you have little ones around the same age like I do and have to deal with them not sharing, then you may want to pick up both of these tiny tab board books to share with them.  I have found that having the two similar pull tab books keeps the peace when the girls want to flip through these books on their own.  :-)  

And, with Easter right around the corner, these two board books would make for a great Easter basket gift, as they are filled with bright spring colors.


  • Board book: 10 pages
  • Publisher: Nosy Crow; Brdbk edition (February 11, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 076366605X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0763666057
  • Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches



  • Series: Can You Say It, Too?
  • Board book: 10 pages
  • Publisher: Nosy Crow; Brdbk edition (February 11, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0763670669
  • ISBN-13: 978-0763670665
  • Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 7.6 x 0.8 inches

Synopsis:

"Sturdy flaps and simple texts combine with friendly artwork to make this a fantastic first book for children who are just starting to talk.

As all parents know, little children just love to be asked to make animal sounds. So a flap book in which they can spot the animal’s tail, lift the flap to reveal the complete creature, and then make its noise is guaranteed to be a winner!"

My Thoughts:

I just love these two board books by Sebastien Braun.  They truly are great for little ones learning how to talk.  Now that Bella is talking, I have been trying to read board books to her when we have one-on-one time, to help build her vocabulary.  I find that cute stories about animals really work well at keeping her engaged and excited about repeating words back to me.  With these two board books, not only does she get to enjoy a cute story, but with big flaps to lift and expose complete creature, this makes for a more enjoyable reading experience.  

I love seeing Bella laugh and smile as she plays peek-a-book and slowly lifts each of the tabs.  Once the creature is exposed, we both look at each other made that animal's sound.  If you didn't know we were reading a book and heard us making animal noises, you would think we went crazy.  From meowing like a cat, barking like a dog to making silly frog sounds and making bubble guppy faces, Bella and I have a blast reading this two sturdy board books, with large flip tabs.

If you have little ones, these two books would make for a great addition to your growing book library.  I know that once you share these books with your little one, they will become instant hits like they have with my daughter.


  • Age Range: 2 - 3 years
  • Series: Sam Books
  • Board book: 30 pages
  • Publisher: Candlewick (September 9, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0763620947
  • ISBN-13: 978-0763620943
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches

Synopsis:

"It was a dark and stormy night on Plum Street. In the little white house, Mrs. Bear was putting Sam to bed.

Outside, the wind blows and the rain comes down. Inside, it is Sam's
bedtime. Mrs. Bear reads him a story, tucks him in, and brings him warm milk. "Are you ready now, Sam?" she asks. "I'm waiting," he says. What else does Sam need before he'll go to sleep? Could Mrs. Bear have forgotten a kiss? Now this NEW YORK TIMES best-selling story by two of the most beloved picture book creators is available in a board book edition suitable for the youngest listeners."

My Thoughts:

This is a staple during bedtime each night with the girls.  If I don't read the book to the girls, Savannah is quick to ask for it.  The story itself is simple and easy to follow along for even the youngest of listeners.  On a dark and stormy night a little bear is being put to bed by his mommy.  She runs the list of things that she has to do before the little bear can roll over and go to sleep. But mommy bear keeps forgetting something.  As you flip through the pages, you learn that baby bear needs a kiss from daddy bear, and then can go to bed.

This is a cute bedtime story that is full of colorful illustrations that will surely become a bedtime favorite in your house, too.


  • Series: Guess How Much I Love You
  • Board book: 16 pages
  • Publisher: Candlewick; Brdbk edition (February 11, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0763670642
  • ISBN-13: 978-0763670641
  • Product Dimensions: 10 x 10.2 x 0.7 inches

Synopsis:

"This inviting, beautifully designed introduction to early concepts from the creators ofGuess How Much I Love You makes a perfect gift.

Would you rather be a yellow thing or a green thing? A caterpillar or a frog? A circle or a square? Play with Little Nutbrown Hare as he learns about nature and explores all the sounds, shapes, and weather in the wonderful world around him. Lift the flaps to help him discover colors, numbers, and all the actions he can do in this delightful first look at concepts starring the characters from Guess How Much I Love You."

My Thoughts:

This is a great early concepts book to share with preschoolers and toddlers, that features lift the flaps that let little ones learn all about colors, numbers and new things that coincide with them.  Savannah had a blast learning about different flowers and their colors found by Little Nutbrown Hare and his mom when they go out into the world and explore.  Other pages deal with nature, the weather, actions like running, jumping, hopping, stretching, etc. and even shapes and numbers.

Savannah loves to pull this board book of the book shelf to flip through on her own.  And, I have caught her a few times trying to play teacher and teaching Bella counting, shapes and going over colors with her.  Fans of "Guess How Much I Love You" books will enjoy this concepts book, that is sturdy enough for even the littlest of hands to play with. :-)

Disclosure:  I was sent review copies from the publisher in order to write up an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.


1 comment :

  1. These look so adorable I would love to get the book Hop for my freinds daughter and I really like the price too. I also love the Ten Sleepy Sheep but wish the price was a little lower. Thanks for sharing these great books.
    heather [email protected]

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