Book Review: I Ain't Gonna Paint No More

Book #27

Book Image:

Bibliographic Citation: 
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More.
By Karen Beaumont. Illus. by David Catrow.
2005. 30p. Harcourt, $$16.00. (9780152024888)

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Age Group:

Preschool - Gr 2

Genre:

Fiction

Awards:

Bill Martin, Jr, Picture Book Award, 2007-2008 Nominee Kansas

Buckaroo Book Award, 2007 2nd Runner Up Grades K-3 Wyoming

Colorado Children's Book Award, 2007 Runner-Up Picture Book Colorado

Kentucky Blue grass Award, 2007 Winner Grade K-2 Kentucky

Ladybug Picture Book Award, 2006 Winner New Hampshire

Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award, 2006 Winner Missouri

Mitten Award, 2005 Winner Picture Book

Monarch Award: Illinois' K-3 Children's Choice Award, 2007 Second Place Grades K-3 Illinois

Prairie Bud Award, 2008 Winner Grades K-3 South Dakota

Topics/Issues:

Painting

ELS promoted:

Print awareness, print motivation, phonological awareness, vocabulary, narrative skills. 

Format:

Hardcover.

Author/Illustrator sites:

http://www.karenbeaumont.com/ /  http://www.catrow.com/

Categorization Tags:

E Beaumont

Annotation:

In the rhythm of a familiar folk song, a child cannot resist adding one more dab of paint in surprising places.

Reactions/Observations:
A little boy can't stop painting! His mother takes the paint and paper away, but it doesn't deter this little artist. The boy paints an unbelievable piece of artwork, using his body as his own personal canvas.

There are so many reasons why parents, children, and educators should read this book.  I ain't gonna paint no more  has so many ways to promote early literacy skills within one book with its rhyming text, object identification, and opportunities to encourage children to predict what will happen next.  Children will enjoy the little boy's antics while parents will secretly relish this incognito lesson in phonological awareness, vocabulary, and narrative skills. I've read this book multiple times in different storytimes. I like to sing it rather than read it. It emphasizes the rhythm of the words as well as providing musical cues to remember the events of the story.

Book Review: Z is for Moose

Book # 25

Book Image:

Bibliographic Citation:

Z is for Moose.

By Kelly Bingham. Illus. by Paul Zelinsky.

2012. 32p.Greenwillow Books, $16.99.(9780060799847)

Age Group:

Toddler – Gr1

Genre:

Fiction

Awards:

None yet.

Topics/Issues:

Alphabet, Moose, Zebra

ELS promoted:

Print motivation, Print awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary

Format:

Hardcover.

Author/Illustrator sites:

http://site.kellybinghamonline.com/ http://www.paulozelinsky.com/

Categorization Tags:

E Bingham

Annotation:

Moose, terribly eager to play his part in the alphabet book his friend Zebra is putting together, then awfully disappointed when his letter passes, behaves rather badly until Zebra finds a spot for him.

Reactions/Observations:

The book begins much like every other alphabet book, but readers will soon appreciate the deviation from the norm. Moose wants to appear with every letter, but Zebra won't let him. When it's time for "M is for moose", it doesn't happen. Mouse is selected instead. Moose rebels and tries to show up on every page much to Zebra's dismay. Zebra tries to stop him, but when he finally succeeds he doesn't have the heart to tell Moose he can't join in.

I finally got my hands on a copy of Bingham's Z is for Moose. My library had a short hold list for it, but I was hoping it would arrive before the discussion board closed. It's fun, hilarious, and just the right amount of unpredictable. I caught myself laughing aloud at least three times. At first, it looks like every other alphabet book but you pause when you see at the letter "D". By "J", you're rolling on the floor laughing. The book was truly a delight. I can't wait to share it with my coworkers, parents, and storytimes. Preschoolers will want to read it again and again with anyone and everyone.

Book Review: Neville

Book # 26

Book Image:

Bibliographic Citation:

Neville.

By Norton Juster. Illus. by G. Brian Karas.

2011. 32p. Random House, $17.99 (9780375867651)

Age Group:

Preschool – Gr2

Genre:

Fiction

Awards:

None listed.

Topics/Issues:

Moving, change

ELS promoted:

Print awareness, print motivation, and narrative skills.

Format:

Hardcover.

Author/Illustrator sites:

http://www.randomhouse.com/book/204555/neville-by-norton-juster#abouttheauthor/ http://www.gbriankaras.com/

Categorization Tags:

E Juster

Annotation:

When a boy and his family move to a new house, he devises an ingenious way to meet people in the neighborhood.

Reactions/Observations:

An unnamed boy moves to a new neighborhood. His mother assures him that he'll love it, but will he? Sadly, the boy takes a walk but suddenly calls out, "Neville!"  Another boy comes to find out what the commotion about. Soon enough, other children come over too to help look for Neville. They spend the afternoon looking for the mysterious Neville.  At the end of the day, the boy's mother tucks him in only to reveal where Neville's been hiding all along.

Juster does a great job reassuring children who must face moving to a new place.  Children will often worry about whether they will like their new home or whether they'll make new friends.  Neville depicts one boy's creative solution to deal with change.  The illustrations are playful and expressive.  Karas uses Neville written in different styles as part of the illustrations. I read this book in family story time.  Children enjoyed calling out to Neville with the other children.  They were surprised and delighted when they finally did find Neville. Although children of all ages enjoyed this book, it would appeal most to preschoolers.

Book Review: Animal Spots and Stripes

Book #24

Book Image:

Bibliographic Citation:

Animal spots and stripes.

By Britta Techkentrup. Illus. by author.

2012. 18p. Chronicle, $12.99. (9781452109947)

 Age Group:

Baby –Toddler

 Genre:

Fiction

 Awards:

None listed.

Topics/Issues:

Animals

ELS promoted:

Vocabulary, Print motivation, Print awareness

 Format:

Lift flap book.

Author/Illustrator sites:

www.brittateckentrup.com/

Categorization Tags:

E Teckentrup

 Annotation:

Illustrates the spots and stripes of different animals, including tigers, dogs, frogs, and lemurs.

Reactions/Observations:

The illustrations easily attract the attention of babies with their bold and playful colors. Each two page spread features various striped and spotted animals with a flap to lift to reveal another animal with the opposite pattern. All different kinds of animals are depicted including tigers, fish, dogs, caterpillars, frogs, turtles, zebras, bugs, lemurs, and finally the chameleon. The chameleon breaks the pattern because it's both spotted and striped. Babies and Toddlers will enjoy the interactive nature of the flaps as well as the simple yet colorful images. I especially liked the different die cut shapes of the flaps. It gave the book a peek a boo aspect which children will like. I think children will enjoy identifying the animals as much as lifting the flaps.

Book Review: Alphabet City

Book # 23

Book Image:

Bibliographic Citation:

Alphabet City.

By Stephen T. Johnson. Illus. by author.

1995. 32 p. Viking, $14.99. (9780670856312)

Age Group:

Toddler – Preschool

Genre:
Fiction

 Awards:

1995 Caldecott Honor Book

 Topics/Issues:

City, Alphabet, Concept

 ELS promoted:

Letter Knowledge, Print motivation, Print awareness

 Format:

Hardcover.

 Author/Illustrator sites:

http://www.stephentjohnson.com/

 Categorization Tags:

E Johnson

 Annotation:

Paintings of objects in an urban setting present the letters of the alphabet.

Reactions/Observations:

Alphabet City is a great concept book for depicting how the letters can appear everywhere in daily life around the city. The illustrations are realistic and surprising. They are very similar to photographs which are great for sharing the images found around an urban area. I think a more cartoon like appearance would not be able to stress the theme of this unique alphabet book. The only downside would be that because some of the letters are not as obvious, younger children may have difficulty identifying the letters. Children will have to look at the images from different perspectives to find the alphabet in all of these city images. Preschoolers will definitely enjoy it. Toddlers will too, but will have more trouble with the abstract imagery of the alphabet but will still enjoy the letter knowledge practice.

Book Review: Plant a Kiss

Book # 22

Book Image:

Bibliographic Citation:

Plant a Kiss.

By Amy Krouse Rosenthall. Illus. Peter H. Reynolds.

2012. 40p. Harper, $14.99. (9780061986758).

Age Group:

Preschool - Gr2

Genre:

Fiction

Awards:

None listed.

Topics/Issues:

Love, sharing, kiss

ELS promoted:

Print awareness, phonological awareness, print motivation

Format:

Hardcover.

Author/Illustrator sites:

http://www.whoisamy.com/

Categorization Tags:

E Rosenthal

Annotation:

One small act of love blooms into something bigger and more dazzling than Little Miss could have ever imagined.

Reactions/Observations:

Little Miss plants a kiss and carefully attends to it. The kiss grows into a golden ribbon of glitter which I could only interpret as love and happiness. She shares it with her friends, but they tell her to keep it safe and keep it to herself so she doesn't run out.  Against their wishes, she gathers the love and shares it with everyone everywhere until she runs out.

Rosenthall weaves a charming tale about what happiness and love can grow from a little kiss.  The illustrators are simple yet expressive, but reflect the warmth in the yellow undertones. The story is told in rhyme in short sentences and interjections. Without the details of Little Miss' facial expressions, you would lose a lot of what was going on in the story.  The author does not identify what exactly grows from the kiss, but you get the gist of it by the response in expressions from the other characters. The glitter gets a response out of the audience, but the abstract nature of what's growing would make this book more appropriate for an older end of the 0-4 spectrum.  Preschool would be the ideal age group to share this book with.

Book Review: When Blue Met Egg

Book #21

Book Image:

Bibliographic Citation:

When Blue Met Egg.

By Lindsay Ward. Illus. by author.

2012. 31p. Dial Book for Young Readers, $16.99. (9780803737181)

Age Group:

Toddler -Gr2

Genre:

Fiction

Awards:

None listed.

Topics/Issues:

Birds, eggs, snow, spring

ELS promoted:

Print motivation, print awareness, narrative skills

Format:

Hardcover

Author/Illustrator sites:

www.lindsaymward.com

Categorization Tags:

E Ward

Annotation: 
A bird makes a surprising friend when an egg drops into his nest. 

Reactions/Observations:

Blue helps an egg search for its mother one winter afternoon. Blue or Egg aren't successful, but friendship forms. They explore New York City and take in the sights. As the weather gets warmer, Egg gets smaller until one morning when Blue wakes up to a pleasant (yet slightly sad) surprise. .

The illustrations are soothing yet modern with the graph paper like touches here and there. The color scheme gives a mellow feel while the images of the characters themselves are really expressive. AS Blue and Egg look for Egg's mother, they show the reader around New York City. Children will enjoy the event filled tour along with friendship that grows between the main character and his silent sidekick.  I read this book in family storytime with the younger end of the age spectrum. They were surprised by the ending and enjoyed discussing the secret identity of Egg.

Book Review: Whatever

Book #20

Book Image:

Bibliographic Citation:
Whatever.
By William Bee. Illus. by author.
2005. 31p. Candlewick, $12.99. (9780763628864)

Age Group:

Preschool-Gr2

Genre:

Fiction

Awards:

Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Award

Topics/Issues:

Fathers and sons, Tiger

ELS promoted:

Print motivation, print awareness, narrative skills,

Format:

Hardcover

Author/Illustrator sites:

http://www.williambee.com/

Categorization Tags:

E Bee

Annotation:

Billy, unimpressed with everything his father does with him, always responds "whatever," until the world's "hungriest" tiger comes along and gets his attention.

Reactions/Observations:
Bee introduces us to Bill and his dad. Billy takes no interest in anything his father shows him. He answers, "Whatever" to toy soldiers, puppets, tall giraffes, butterflies, curly trumpets, bouncy castles, trains, and flights to outer space. The book makes a surprise ending when Billy meets a tiger. 


The book reminds me a lot of Maurice Sendak's Pierre: A Cautionary Tale.   Pierre meets the same surprising end with slightly different circumstances. The story has an dark edge of humor which appeals to both children and adults. The illustrations have a vintage feel with its choice of colors .  The characters are simple , only outlined in black. The background is blank which allows the reader to focus directly on the characters and what actions are taking place. I think this book would be best for the older end of our target audience age, preschool.   It teaches a lesson to children about caring.

Book Review: Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?

Book #19

Book Image:

Bibliographic Citation:

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?

By Susan Shea. Illus. by Tom Slaughter.

2011.28p. Blue Apple Books, $16.99. (9781609050627)

Age Group:

Toddler - Kindergarten

Genre:

Fiction

Awards:

ALSC 2012 Notable Children’s Book

Topics/Issues:

Concept, Growth, Change

ELS promoted:

Print motivation, phonological awareness, narrative skills, vocabulary

Format:

Hardcover.

Author/Illustrator sites:

http://www.blueapplebooks.com/books/31 / http://www.blueapplebooks.com/authors_and_illustrators/tom-slaughter

Categorization Tags:

E Shea

Annotation:

The narrator poses rhyming questions about what grows and what does not using flaps to cover parts of items.

Reactions/Observations:

The book begins with, “A duckling grows into a duck. Will a car grow into a truck?”. Using rhyme, this book discusses the concept of change. Each rhyming question asks the audience which one will grow and which will stay the same.  On each double page spread, there is a pair of items being compared. The right side has a flap hiding the answer to the question.

Do You Know Which One Will Grow? is an interactive lift flap book about the concept of things changing shape or size over times (and which things don’t).  Originally when I thought “concept book”, I went straight for the alphabet and numbers book.  All my first choices were checked out and a coworker suggested this one.  The illustrations are made up of simple forms and bold colors, allowing for easy identification and vocabulary building. It’s fantastic and a great read in story time.  The book is great practice for talking about a story. Children enjoy answering the silly questions and predicting what will happen next.  This book would be especially useful for promoting phonological awareness, vocabulary, and narrative skills as well as introducing science concepts like the difference between living and nonliving things. Booklist recommends this book for Preschool to Grade 2, but after using it in storytime. I think it would be ideal for toddler to kindergarten.

Book Review: Dancing Feet!

Book # 18

Book Image:

Bibliographic Citation: 

Dancing Feet!

By Lindsey Craig. Illus. by Marc Brown.
2010. 25p. Random House, $16.99. (9780375861819)

Age Group:

Toddler - Preschool

Genre:

 Fiction.

Awards:

• New York State Charlotte Award Nominee
• Bank Street Child Study Children's Book Award Finalist

Topics/Issues:

 Animals, Dance

ELS promoted:

 Print awareness, print motivation, phonological awareness, narrative skills, vocabulary

Format:

 Hardcover.

Author/Illustrator sites:

http://marcbrownstudios.com/

Categorization Tags:

 E Craig

Annotation:

 Easy to read, rhyming text depicts different animals dancing.

Reactions/Observations:

Dancing Feet! is an upbeat rhythmic story following different animals as they dance across the pages. The text and illustrations are playful and dynamic. Each image appears to be dancing off the page.  The rhyming text is great for promoting phonological awareness, allowing young readers to hear the different syllables in each word.

The illustrations are so unique with the Brown's use of different textures to depict the background and animals. I have read this story in our Toddler storytime.  The kids enjoyed identifying the animals (vocabulary) and making their corresponding animal noises.  This book stands with its lively text and fun illustrations.  I highly recommend this book for toddlers and young preschoolers.