Review: Banana Fox and the Secret Sour Society

Written and illustrated by James Kochalka

Available now from Graphix

Review copy

Popular children's graphic novelist James Kochalka starts a new series with Banana Fox and the Secret Sour society. The titular Banana Fox is a detective who loves bananas, receiving adulation from his fan club, and saying, "Wowie pow!" He's aided by Sharyanna, or Flashlight, a kid who he meets at the beginning of the story and who is the much better detective.

The story of the Secret Sour Society is appealingly silly. There's mind-controlling soda and a giant turtle and plenty of fun things. Some of Kochalka's work has crossover appeal, but this one is aimed squarely at young readers. The art adds excellent context to help younger readers understand the text, in addition to being fun on its own. Kochalka's art is deceptively simple. He doesn't crowd the page, but there is plenty of dynamic movement to guide the eye.

 I found Banana Fox himself tedious. But that's fine. Six-, seven-, and eight-year-old kids will love Banana Fox and the Secret Sour Society and there's no inappropriate content. Nothing wrong with kids reading stories they find fun.

Review: Eric

Written and illustrated by Shaun Tan

Available now from Scholastic Press

Review copy

More than ten yeas ago, I reviewed Lost and Found by Shaun Tan. It is a joy to return to his work, although Eric is not new. This was originally one of the stories included in Tales from Outer Suburbia, published in 2009. This is disclosed in the book's legal matter, and I'm sure fans of that anthology would recognize Eric on the cover of this eponymous volume.

Eric is a short, sweet tale. The narrator tells of a strange exchange student who came to live with their family. (No gender is given for the narrator.) The narrator is excited to share their life with Eric, who is quiet and a little strange to them. The mom, of course, chalks it up to cultural differences. Nothing is ever said of the fact that Eric is a small, wispy figure.

Tan's art adds so much to the story. The art expounds upon the text, each giving us a bit of insight into the mysterious Eric. The art is whimsical, full of beautiful details and charming humor. When the art disappears with Eric, the emotional impact is felt. Then, for the first time, color is added to the black and white illustrations.

I can understand why Eric was reprinted as a standalone work. It is a timely story about the joy of sharing your culture with another person and the beauty of experiencing their cultural in return. It is a kind story, and a hopeful one, punctuated by bits of melancholy that make the happy ending that much better. I highly recommend this lovely book.

Review: Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (Take Along Storyteller)

By Scarlett Wing
Available now from Cottage Door Press
Review copy

The legacy of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood lives on with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. This Take Along Storyteller set also reminds me of my childhood in the 90's since I had a set of books that came with tapes I could put in the cassette player and read along with. I loved those books.

This set contains nine books and one book of songs:

• Daniel Goes to the Dentist
• Daniel Learns to Ride a Bike
• Daniel Goes to School
• Potty Time with Daniel
• The Baby is Here!
• Visiting Grandpere
• Neighbor Day
• Pajama Day at the Library
• Daniel Meets the New Neighbors
• You Are Special

The books are thin hardcovers. They aren't super durable for young readers. The stories themselves are simple and perfectly suited to the age group with nice messages. The words are simple to better help kids follow along as they learn to recognize them. The pictures feature the familiar characters from the show. I know parents really appreciate "Potty Time with Daniel" and the potty song. 

The included storyteller does require 3 AAA batteries. There is a screw to keep kids from removing the batteries on their own. There's a dial to select narration for one of the books and a dial to select a song. The song dial was stiff at first, but then moved along smoothly. There is a low and high volume, but even the low is pretty loud. I found the narration and songs both to have reasonable audio quality.

I do wish this set had something to keep int all together. It comes in a cardboard box that clearly isn't meant to be kept.

But this is a wonderful little set for preschool Daniel Tiger fans, carrying case or no.

Review: The Magical Unicorn Activity Book

By Glenda Horne

Available now from Castle Point Books

Review copy

Unicorns are having a moment, and The Magical Unicorn Activity Book is a great choice for any young unicorn fan bored at home. (Can I say that author Glenda Horne has the perfect name for writing about unicorns?) This is a thick book with heavy paper and a wide range of activities.

In The Magical Unicorn Activity Book, there are images to color, paths to follow, dots to connect, shadows to match, crosswords to fill in, and more. Most of the activities are on the simpler side, since the age range of this book is four to eight, but some might cause an eight-year-old to stretch themself.

What I don't like is that there are several activities that require cutting and pasting. These can't be easily done on the go, and they destroy the activity on the opposite side of the page. I didn't like these sorts of activities as a kid, and I still think they're lower in appeal than the others included in the book.

The included stickers, however, are a great bonus. They're super cute, and there's some nice bigger ones as well as plenty of small ones.

The Magical Unicorn Activity Book includes several styles of unicorns, from very cartoony to looking more like a realistic horse with a horn. None of the designs copy My Little Pony, but I think young MLP fans would enjoy this book.

Review: What Can I Draw Today? Daily Drawing Prompts for Young Artists

By Andrea Mulder-Slater

Available now from Rockridge Press

Review copy

What Can I Draw Today? Daily Drawing Prompts for Young Artists contains a variety of drawing prompts printed on blank pages (except for finish this line prompts). Sometimes two prompts share a page. Sometimes an inspirational quote is added to a prompt. Each type of prompt (concrete, abstract, sensory, get thinking, finish a line) is color coded. If you prefer one kind of prompt, it is easy to flip to each of those.

Personally, I think having fewer prompts so that all of them could have a full page would be best. The half-pages are somewhat cramped, allowing for less free-flowing ideas. The paper is a nice bright white, but fairly thin. Designs do show through to the reverse page. I think the book is best for pencil and colored pencil, but crayons work well, too.

I think the prompts are suited to the full age range recommended on the cover. Eight-year-olds might prefer the concrete prompts (such as "a row of crooked, colorful houses"), but twelve-year-olds will be challenged by more advanced prompts like "design a set of musical instruments for a band of punk rock giraffes" or drawing what a cake that represents the sunset might look like. There are lots of fun starting points to help kids develop creativity and start drawing their own creations.

I think What Can I Draw Today? is a fun choice to keep kids busy. It is a little more free-flowing than a coloring or activity book, but still offers some structure so they aren't left adrift. It might be fun to pair with a sketchbook as a gift, for when the kids what to draw their own ideas with no guidance.

Review: Where's Waldo? Spooky Spotlight Search

Part of the Where's Waldo? series
By Martin Handford
Available now from Candlewick
Review copy

Just in time for Halloween comes Where's Waldo? Spooky Spotlight Search, a new Where's Waldo book with a gimmick. You use a glow-in-the-dark wand that slides beneath a transparent image to find Waldo.

The slider isn't super bright, so I recommend using it in a dim room rather than a fully dark one. A flashlight can also be used to make the picture over the glowing star appear brighter.

In some ways, Where's Waldo? Spooky Spotlight Search is more difficult than a standard Waldo book. Since you can only see a small part of the image at a time, it is possible to accidentally skip over the bit Waldo is in. At the same time, the transparency only takes up part of one page instead of the image being a full bleed over two pages. There is much less space to look over. The hardest page had Waldo hidden at the very edge. But Martin Handford's art does always have so much fun packed into it that there is far more to look for than Waldo, the other characters, and even the bonuses listed on each page.

Buy Where's Waldo? Spooky Spotlight Search for the gimmick. It is also good for introducing younger kids to Where's Waldo? It doesn't have as many pages as most Waldo books and has a more limited search area, making it quicker to get through in addition to the glow-in-the-dark mechanic. Kids on the older end of the Where's Waldo? age range might be disappointed by this one.

Review: Little People, Big Dreams Coloring Book

Created by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara

Available now from Frances Lincoln Children's Books

Review copy

The Little People, Big Dreams series created by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara now contains more than forty books, as well as various compilations, dolls, and other material - such as this coloring book. This coloring book takes material from 15 of the previous books, with each person's name, an identifying title, birth and death years, and a short bio opposite a page to color.

The biographies are cute and often make a thematic suggestion about how the page might be colored. Even after the pages are colored in, kids might want to reread their favorite bio (or have someone buy the full book for them).

The art has lots of nice, big spaces for young hands to fill in. The cartoonish styles from various artists are cute, but I think the majority don't look particularly similar to the people they are supposed to represent. They're most recognizable by the iconography around them. 

I think a nice range of figures are included. There are people famed for science, art, sports, activism, or some combination of notable work. There are men and women, white, Black, Hispanic, and Asian people. With only 15 people featured, I like that an effort was made to include such a variety of inspiring people.

I do think that at only 15 coloring pages (with the opportunity of the graphic borders on the facing pages), this coloring book is extremely slim for the price. The Little People, Big Dreams series easily has enough material to double the size of this coloring book.

Review: Search the Zoo, Find the Animals

By Bethanie and Josh Hestermann

Illustrated by Sara Lynn Cramb

Available now from Rockridge Press

Review copy

Search the Zoo, Find the Animals is a the companion book to Search the Ocean, Find the Animals. Both are search-and-find activity books suitable for younger children. In Search the Zoo, Find the Animals, each spread features a zoo exhibit in which children can find ten animals accompanied by brief facts that will help them spot the animals.

Author Josh Hestermann is a terrestrial husbandry manager and co-author Bethanie Hestermann is a writer. Together, they write descriptions of the animals and environments that are fun and engaging for children while being factual and informative. There is a small moral lesson about conservation and what children can do to preserve animal habitats (including avoiding products that use palm oil).

There are several different types of habitats explored. Some are geographical, such as "The Green Heart of Africa." Others, like "Life on the Farm" showcase animals that live together due to human intervention. Other animals are grouped by type, such as "Creatures of the Night" and "Reptile House." I think this reflects the way zoos sort animals depending on their needs.

Sara Lynn Cramb's art is as colorful in Search the Zoo, Find the Animals as it is in Search the Ocean, Find the Animals. It isn't my favorite style, but it serves the purpose of the book well. The animals are even easier to find in this book, in my opinion, but there are still shown interacting with their environment and a few are partially hidden.

If you're looking for something for your child to do that is fun and educational, I think Search the Zoo, Find the Animals is a good choice. It is a good search-and-find book for younger children and full of interesting facts.

Review: National Parks of the U.S.A. Activity Book

By Claire Grace

Illustrated by Chris Turnham

Available now from Wide Eyed Editions

Review copy

National Parks of the U.S.A. Activity Book is a companion to Kate Siber's National Parks of the U.S.A., but is perfectly enjoyable even without reading that informative book first. (Although some readers might be interested in seeking out more information after enjoying the activity book.)

I think this activity book is appropriate for elementary school children. Most of the activities are fairly simple, but some require strong reading skills. I do wish that the book hadn't been printed in cursive, since some schools don't even teach cursive any more and it is an upper-level skill for part of the age range. It might be best for siblings to share, especially since there is a game needing more than one player.

This is a shorter activity book (around 16 activities) and while a few will take longer - a game, designing your own park - most are fairly short. One is also a wildlife spotting activity, which can't really be done most places.

There are several facts included, especially in the true or false activity, but for there isn't much beyond a few tidbits per activity. Once the activities are done, National Parks of the U.S.A. Activity Book doesn't offer much further value.

However, I do still like this activity book because it is gorgeous. It is oversized compared to most, with a pearlized cover. Chris Turnham's art recalls classic travel posters for the national parks. It is showcased in borders, illustrations of animals, and a few human figures of multiple races. The best part of this activity book, to me, is the included fold-out poster and stickers. The poster is a map with little illustrations representing each park, and the stickers feature many plants and animals shown throughout the book. They're beautiful, and I think kids would have fun with both.

Review: A World Full of Dickens Stories

By Angela McAllister

Illustrated by Jannicke Hansen

Available now from Frances Lincoln Children's Books

Review copy

Of all the books I had to read for high school English, Charles Dickens' works were some of my favorites. Thus, I was quite intrigued by an anthology for younger readers that I could share with my relatives. A World Full of Dickens Stories: 8 Best-Loved Classic Tales Retold for Children includes versions of Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Hard Times, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, and A Tale of Two Cities.

I wasn't sure if this would be child-friendly excerpts or the whole enchilada. Angela McAllister does cover the entirety of each story in about fifteen pages. I quickly found that I preferred those told in first person, since they had more personality. The third-person stories read more like summaries. Personally, I adore Dickens' humor and found it entirely missing from these versions. A few of his most famous lines are preserved. There are also a few more difficult vocabulary words included, with an index of terms at the back of A World Full of Dickens Stories.

This is a beautiful volume, with a lovely cloth spine and foil on the cover. Jannicke Hansen's pictures add a lot of appeal, with a limited color palette and melancholy tone. There's a personality to them that I think is missing in the simplified text. I do understand the difficulties McAllister must have faced, as Dickens' long, twisty sentences aren't very child reader friendly.

I do think A World Full of Dickens Stories is a decent introduction to these tales, and could perhaps be followed with some of the better movie versions. I would note that although this is an illustrated children's book, it is not meant for toddlers. Dickens' stories involve quite a lot of deaths, many of them unfair, and that is not bowdlerized.

Review: The Farm That Feeds Us

By Nancy Castaldo

Illustrated by Ginnie Hsu

Available now from words & pictures

Review copy

The Farm That Feeds Us: A year in the life of an organic farm is an 80-page nonfiction picture book. I feel that it has the most appeal to a narrow age group, probably first and second graders. The Farm That Feeds Us is too dense to appeal to younger children, but older children probably feel like they are beyond children's books.

Broken into sections by the four seasons, The Farm That Feeds Us covers various farming activities in no particular order other than the seasonal theme. Each spread covers one topic and then moves to the next. This is not a sun-up to sun-down description of activities, but covers everything from crop growing to animal husbandry to jam making. Every once in awhile there is some shorter, more poetic text to break up the larger informative paragraphs. Perhaps this text could be used by parents to make a shorter version for younger kids. I will admit, even I learned a few things from this book.

There are things to appreciate. The Farm That Feeds Us is very informative. It also has a focus on ethical consumerism and the advantages of patronizing smaller farms. It might also get kids interested in trying some new fruits and vegetables after they read about them. The art doesn't do much for me, but I think it has kid appeal and it is easy to tell what is happening on each page. I do like that a variety of people are shown throughout the book.

I think The Farm That Feeds Us has noble goals, but I wouldn't expect most kids to be all that interested.

Review: Princess Kevin

By Michael Escoffier

Illustrated by Roland Garrigue

Available now from Frances Lincoln Children's Books

Review copy

I was attracted to Princess Kevin due to the bright pink cover and the beautiful dress, which reminded me of 18th-century French court fashion. I noticed the incongruous title third and had to pick it up.

Princess Kevin is a very cute children's book in which Kevin wants to wear a princess costume to his school's fancy dress party. But he wants a knight to hold his hand to complete his costume, and none of the kids dressed as knights are willing to help. Meanwhile, Chloe (who is dressed to a dragon) is kind to him even though he thinks her dragon costume is sub-par and sock-like.

I appreciate that Princess Kevin tackles issues of gender roles that might be fraught for adults in a manner perfectly suited for children. There's nothing wrong with children playing around and being creative and imaginative. The important thing is to be kind to one another and have fun together. (And I love the touch that Kevin realizes wearing high heels all day is not fun!)

My favorite part might be the illustrations by Roland Garrigue. There's an old-fashioned nature to them and all the kids having messy hair reminds me of Hilary Knight's Eloise. The colors are lovely, too. I really love the choices for all the other children's costumes in the background.

The story is pretty slight, but it is nice to see a book tackles a fraught issue without making a big deal of it. There is some complicated vocabulary. Between that and the subject, I think Princess Kevin is a book best read to a child.

Review: Search the Ocean, Find the Animals

By Bethanie and Josh Hestermann

Illustrated by Sara Lynn Cramb

Available now from Rockridge Press

Review copy

Search the Ocean, Find the Animals is a fun search-and-find activity book for younger children. Each spread features a different watery setting where children can find ten animals with included facts about them.

 Author Josh Hestermann is a terrestrial husbandry manager and Bethanie Hestermann is a writer. They combine their expertise to write simple but entertaining blurbs about the environments and animals featured in Search the Ocean, Find the Animals. I like that they start on the beach, a potentially familiar setting for children, before moving farther out. 

One thing I loved on the beach spread was that one of the items to find is reef-safe sunscreen. It's a simple way to introduce kids to something they can use to help preserve our oceans. I also liked that some more unusual settings for a basic book, like a mangrove swamp, were included. The activity book also ends with a call to action, asking children to find ten pieces of trash that are polluting the ocean.

The art by Sara Lynn Cramb shows off the beautiful colors of the ocean. It isn't my favorite style, but it serves the purpose of the book well. I like that some of the animals are half hidden by other objects, such as a flounder partially buried in the sand. It helps show how these animals actually interact with their environment. (And the text up top gives clues to where each animal might choose to hide.)

If you're looking for a way to keep a child entertained, I think Search the Ocean, Find the Animals is a good choice. It is simple, as far as search-and-find books go, but it includes good information.

Review: A Wave of Stars

By Dolores Brown

Illustrated by Sonja Wimmer

Available now from NubeOcho

Review copy

I was attracted to A Wave of Stars due to the arresting cover, with adorable turtle and a seal clutching a merman plush. I am glad I decided to pick it up, because the art is beautiful throughout.

 Sonja Wimmer's art has a softness to it that makes the characters look extra cute. The bright colors are well-suited to a story that partially takes place in the ocean. There are also lots of fun details for young readers to spot, like where the merman plush is on each page as it gets tossed through the waves with Mimbi and Kipo, the seal and turtle. There's also a really fun use of color and style where not only are some detail images done in black and white, but some images turn black and white when they cross a border.

The story by Dolores Brown is quite simple. Mimbi and Kipo are told a legend about the moonbow (a rainbow at night), and then they see one and are turned into human children against their will. With the help of a thankfully kind fisherman, they are able to turn back and go home. The flow of the text was somewhat choppy, in my opinion. Also, Mimbi and Kipo's distress at being turned into humans might be too much for more sensitive children.

I think A Wave of Stars is best used in a setting where a child can really linger over the illustrations instead of having to hurry on to the next page to finish the story.

Review: 'Twas The Night Before Christmas (with Santa's Bag Sweepstakes!)

By Clement C. Moore
Adapted and illustrated by Daniel Kirk
Available now from Put Me In The Story (Sourcebooks)
Review copy

I find making the personalized Put Me In The Story books quite fun.  The builder engine is quite easy to use -- you can even see the text and picture you put in immediately.

I personalized 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS for my nephew.  I enjoyed figuring out the right message to include for him, and had plenty of lines to include a nice sentiment.  His picture appears twice in the book: once at the beginning and once at the end, in an ornament you can cut out.

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS is based on the classic poem by Clement C. Moore.  There are a few changes, like dreams of yummy treats instead of sugar plums.  (I must admit, I didn't understand the point of that change.)  The real draw for this version of the poem is Daniel Kirk's illustrations.  They're adorable and bright, with beautiful textured details.

I think this makes a nice, personalized gift.  You could win a copy for yourself, as well as copies of OUR LITTLE DEER by Sarah Magsamen and SANTA IS COMING TO MY HOUSE by Steven Smallman, and a $750 gift card.  You can enter once per day through December 8th. Details are as follows.

Enter here and get a 30% off coupon: http://books.putmeinthestory.com/santas-bag-sweepstakes/
Official rules here: http://www.putmeinthestory.com/santas-bag-sweepstakes-official-rules.html

SANTA’S BAG SWEEPSTAKES FROM PUT ME IN THE STORY

Put Me In The Story, the #1 personalized books site in the U.S., has hundreds of personalized books and gifts for newborns, kids, and even grown-ups! With a diverse selection of personalized story books, activity books, adult coloring books, adorable plush and more, Put Me In The Story is a fantastic spot to find personalized gifts that become beloved keepsakes.

As a huge thank you to their customers, Put Me In The Story is hosting SANTA'S BAG SWEEPSTAKES, just in time for Christmas! Now through December 8, enter each day for a chance to win the grand prize in Santa’s bag of goodies.

Review and Giveaway: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas on Sesame Street!

By Lillian Jaine
Illustrated by Joe Mathieu
Available now from Sourcebooks
Review copy

I reviewed two Peanuts books from Put Me In the Story earlier this week.  However, I also personalized a third book for my cousin Grant: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas on Sesame Street! (By the way, this book is currently on sale for $5 off.)

You can customize this book with the recipient's name, a dedication, and a hi-res photo.  After the story, there is a cookie recipe (by Cookie Monster, natch) and a custom ornament that you can cut out and hang on your tree.  You can double-check that everything is done right in the book builder engine before ordering your copy.

My comments about the quality of these books stand: The pages aren't as glossy as some, probably due to the custom printing, but they are a nice weight.  The bright colors print well.  There's plenty of white space in the name tags and dedications for longer names.  I also like that the name is used throughout the story, not just on the cover.

Click to see full-size!

Grant is a total Sesame Street fiend, so I know that he'd love this book even if it weren't personalized to him.  That's just an extra touch to make it a great gift.  I'm excited to slide this book under the tree for him.

Enter to win the Personalized Christmas Book Bundle from Put Me In The Story!
Ends Nov. 15 at 11:59 p.m. EST
Enter for a chance to win the Personalized Christmas Book Budle Giveaway, including personalized copies of:

• Santa Is Coming To My House
• ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas on Sesame Street!
• Our Little Deer by Sandra Magsamen

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Welcome Bodleian Children's Books!

Bodleian Library Publishing has launched the Bodleian Children's Books imprint, which will be distributed by University of Chicago Press in the US.


The press release says that this imprint will focus on forgotten gems and beautifully illustrated volumes.  I don't know about you, but I'm hoping for something that will rival The New York Review Children's Collection.  (Which, by the way, has several books on sale for the summer.)

The first two books published by Bodleian Children's Books will be Penguin’s Way and Whale’s Way by Johanna Johnston and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. The 2016 list includes Veronica by Roger Duvoisin and The Story of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff.

(via Shelf Awareness)

Review: Ice Cream Summer

By Peter Sís
Available now from Scholastic Press
Review copy

Peter Sís is a three-time Caldecott Honoree and a Hans Christian Anderson Award Winner.  ICE CREAM SUMMER makes it easy to see why his children's books are so celebrated.

The text is a letter from a boy to his grandpa, explaining all the fun things he's doing this summer.  He's learning about math and maps, for instance.  The illustrations deepen the text, and show how the boy is approaching his studies in more detail.  Everything relates back to ice cream.  How many scoops does he eat, and how many scoops does his dog eat?  Which civilization ate ice cream first, and who invented the waffle cone (and why)?

ICE CREAM SUMMER is full of facts about everyone's favorite treat, presented in a breezy way.  There are lots of layers for children to interact with on the level they're ready for.  That is, kids who are learning addition and subtraction might be able to work the math problems on their own.  Others might want to draw their own ice-cream map or read the smaller passages with more historical detail.

Sís' pictures not only add to the text, they're also appealing in their own right.  He uses a dreamy and soft palette that echoes the colors of common ice creams, and the art has melty soft edges.  Everything works together thematically.  And who doesn't love ice cream?  Even my lactose intolerant nephew likes the dairy-free frozen treats that he's allowed.

ICE CREAM SUMMER is a perfect treat of a children's book.  It has a cute story, great pictures, and invites readers to explore further on their own.

Review: The Lizard War

Battle Bugs, Book One
By Jack Patton
Illustrated by Brett Bean
Available now from Scholastic
Review copy

Max falls into a strange book to find himself on an island inhabited by bugs - giant ones, since he shrunk when he fell.  The bugs are under attack by the reptiles, and Max's knowledge of biology might help them win their next fight.

I liked that THE LIZARD WAR, the first book in the new Battle Bugs series, takes a positive stance on bugs.  Max absolutely loves them, and the book points out some of the cooler facts.  It's a great way for young readers to learn about the world around them.  There is also interesting info about the lizards.  However, education is not the focus of the story.  There's lots of action - scorpion vs. lizard, spider vs. lizard, and more.  Max comes up with some clever tactics to help the bugs out.

THE LIZARD WAR is an easy reader chapter book.  It is a little simple for my first-grader niece, but not so simple that it didn't engage her.  The illustrations, about one per chapter, have a boldly appealing cartoon style.  I really liked that the illustrations give Max darker skin, a detail not mentioned in the text.

So far three Battle Bugs books are listed on Amazon.  The ebook versions are especially affordable.  At 128 pages they're longer than some other easy reader chapter books, providing plenty of story for readers with a long enough attention span for the challenge.

Review: Feet, Go To Sleep

By Barbara Bottner
Illustrated by Maggie Smith
Available now from Knopf (Penguin Random House)
Review copy

When I saw the cover of FEET, GO TO SLEEP, I knew my niece would enjoy the book.  The little girl wearing glasses and doing a headstand would definitely appeal to her.  (My niece is currently working on her aerial and generally terrifying any adult in her vicinity.)  It's also aimed right at my nephew's age group.

Barbara Bottner's text walks that little girl, Fiona, through going to sleep, body part by body part.  Maggie Smith's images work well with the text.  The book has a dual-image layout, where Fiona going to sleep is in a small box and the bigger image shows just how she used that body part on her seaside vacation.  The text and illustrations work very well together.

One touch I particularly loved is that Fiona's cousins (who she chases with her legs) are black.  It's a small detail that isn't commented on, but is appreciated.  Children are great at picking over the details in picture books through multiple readings.

I'm sure any adult who reads kids to sleep is used to the cry of "One more book!"  FEET, GO TO SLEEP makes for a good finish to bedtime reading.  Fiona's method of going to sleep, bit by bit, is very helpful and soothing.  (The details about how Fiona gets up to mischief during the day do keep the book from being a snore.)  FEET, GO TO SLEEP is a good nighttime read.

Be sure to visit the other tour stops:

Feet, Go to Sleep by Barbara Bottner

Blog Tour Schedule

5/12 Booktalking #kidlit

5/13 GoodReadsWithRonna

5/14 Wrapped in Foil

5/15 Teaching Authors

5/16 Big Hair and Books

5/18 Frog on a Blog

5/19 Chapter Book Chat

5/20 In Bed With Books

5/21 Shelf-employed