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Are We There Yet? Written by Nina Laden Illustrated by Adam McCauley Chronicle Books   3/01/2016 978-1-4521-3155-9 32 pages    Ages 3—6 “We’ve all been there. Or more accurately, we’ve all been with kids in the backseat clamoring (over and over!) Are we there yet?” [back cover] Review It’s time for a trip to grandma’s. …

Peek-a Boo! Written & Illustrated by Nina Laden Chronicle Books     8/01/2015 978-1-4521-3396-6 10 pages     Age Infant—3 “Peek-a goo? Peek-a brew? Peek-a booo! “In this hi-scare-ious follow-up to the bestselling board books Peek-a Who? And Peek-a Zoo!, Nina Laden turns her playful eye (and wear) to spooky Halloween sounds. Read the clue …

This month our best selling picture book from our affiliate store continues to be the lively board book Peek-a-Zoo!, by Nina Laden.

The best board books of 2014, as picked by the editors and contributors of The Children’s Book Review.

This month our best selling picture book from our affiliate store is the lively board book Peek-a-Zoo!, by Nina Laden.

My author/illustrator friend, Nina Laden, posts the most delightful pictures of what she gathers, grows and cooks on Lummi Island (WA). Last week she shared a photo of two halves a giant porcini that weighed in at over one pound! … Continue reading →

In a follow-up to the bestselling board book Peek-a-Who?, Nina Laden creates another must-have for parents.

I’m back with another Wednesday series of interviews with published and unpublished illustrators whose work I admire. So prepare to be wowed by the skill and fascinated by their process and passions as we get a glimpse into their lives … Continue reading →

Daddy Wrong Legs, by Nina Laden, is a colorful board book split down the middle and offers a top and bottom page turn.

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Daddy Wrong Legs

by Nina Laden

Chronicle Books    3/4/2014

978-1-4521-1528-3

Age 2 to 4     16 ½ pages

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“Every daddy is different—mix-and-match the split pages to see how! A daddy can have frog legs, dog legs, or even bone legs! Can you find a pair like your daddy’s own legs?”

Review

Well, this is a perfect Father’s Day book, only a couple of days late. But daddies need legs every day, not just on their special day. Open the book and you will see a “Daddy Wrong-Legs” on the left side and a “Daddy Long Legs” on the right side. Which is correct? Are either of them your daddy? If not, flip a page, or both pages. Little fingers can decide to turn only the top page or only the bottom page, instead of both pages. Whatever they chose to do a daddy will appear on each side. Keep turning until you find your daddy.

This is a cute book for kids learning to match things. Each half has a corresponding half somewhere that will make it whole. Not until the last two pages will kids find a daddy that looks almost like their daddy. He is standing with his little girl sitting on his shoulders and the house cat gleefully rubbing his leg hello. Until you get there, many other daddies lie waiting for its match or mismatch, whatever your child prefers. A little frustrating are the rooster top half and the alligator bottom half. The rooster’s lower half is unable to get below him and the alligator just doesn’t have a head. I would have loved to see the daddy alligator and his just hatched baby gators.

Daddy Wrong Legs has a daddy spider (not my favorite), elephant, frog, ape, teddy bear, octopus, skeleton, dog, and human—when correctly matched. Who is to say what is correct? Not me. Kids needing  little help n look to the backgrounds that match top and bottom. Daddy Wrong Legs will entertain young children for quite a while as they mix-up the animals. I like the thick pages that will stand up to tiny fingers and PB&J sandwiches that squish onto the pages. The cover shows a “wrong daddy:” a daddy getting kisses from his pup has chicken legs and a couple of confused baby chicks. Turn the chicken legs page a couple of times and daddy dog has his doggy bottom half including a tail and one more puppy. I think kids will laugh heartily as they randomly turn the pages, getting all sorts of daddies never seen before.

Daddy Wrong Legs is an inventive book, maybe a bit of a novelty, yet loads of fun. Kids can work on their matching skills and have fun playing with the different pages to make oddball animals that will have them laughing. Daddy Wrong Legs needs no supervision after the first run through. The text is minimal. Mainly, the book encourages hands-on play young children will enjoy. With its cute animal halves, its strong pages that easily clean, and supervision-free enjoyment, Daddy Wrong Legs makes a perfect book for kids now insisting on doing things alone and their own way. Yep, your newly independent child will like making all the possible daddies. With some encouragement, kids might have stories to tell about their interesting daddies. Life-long joy of reading can begin with Daddy Wrong Leg, even when the reviewer misses Father’s Day.

DADDY WRONG LEGS. Text and illustrations copyright © 2014 by Nina Laden. Reproduced by permission of Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

Buy Daddy Wrong Legs at Amazon—B&N—Book Depository—Chronicle Books—your local bookstore.

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Learn more about Daddy Wrong Legs HERE.

Meet the author/illustrator, Nina Laden, at her website:   http://www.ninaladen.com/

Find more books at the Chronicle Books website:   http://www.chroniclebooks.com/

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Also by Nina Laden

Romeow and Drooliet

Who Loves You, Baby?

Grow Up!

Ready, Set, Go!

Peek-A Who?

Peek-A-Zoo!

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Reviewed HERE

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Peek-A-Zoo!

by Nina Laden

Chronicle Books        2014

978-1-4521-1175-9

Age 0 to 3    20pages

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“Peek-a mew? Peek-a ‘roo? Peek-a zoo! In this hilarious follow-up to the bestselling board book Peek-a Who, Nina Laden turns her playful eye (and ear) to the animal world. Read the clue . . . guess the animal . . . giggle wildly . . . and repeat!”

Review

Peek-a Zoo. What can I say about this interesting board book? First, when you even open it, you see a pair of eyes encased in blue. What in the world could this be? Check real close. The eyes have long eyelashes. Below the eyes would be a nose, but instead, there are two lines down that have lines moving horizontally from the first line to the second. This cannot be a nose, so what is it? The one big clue is this . . . “Zoo.” It has to be an animal. A blue animal? Well, I give up. I am turning the page . . . oh, my, gosh! It is an elephant! No, not just an elephant, but a kangaroo, a panda, a tiger, and a cockatoo, too.

Now there is nothing left to do but turn the thick, baby-safe pages and find out what is next in this Peek-a Zoo. The page is orange with black stripes. Maybe it is black with orange stripes. There is also a stripe of orange running down the middle that looks more like a river. What animal has a river of orange running down the middle of . . . what? Its face, its arm, its back, its stomach? Do you know? Me either. I’m turning the page. Whoa! It could be an orange kitty playing with a ball of yarn or a baby tiger. Look at the eyes! They are green and look maniacal. Look at the ears; they are round, not pointy like most kitties. I think this is a baby tiger!

Time to turn the page again. Then again, and again. Each new set of two pages has a new zoo animal for you and your child to guess. Add some ferocious sounds and you will have your child roaring along in laughter. I’ve not seen the first by Nina Laden, titled Peek-a Who, but if it is anything like Peek-a Zoo, I understand why it was a bestseller.

The illustrations are bright, colorful images kids will instantly recognize. Plus, little ones love animals. I think one reason they like animals is because it gives mom or dad, grandma or grandpa, aunt or uncle, or maybe even big brother or sister, the opportunity to not only read the book, but to add voices as well. Animal voices. What could be better than that? “Roooaar!” How about each page having an “oo” sound one might find in a z-oo, as in a kangar-oo, bamb-oo, and cockat-oo. The “oo” sound is one of those that you can elongate and exaggerate, which is usually good for a smile, if not a laugh. One word of caution: be careful of the last animal, it is the most ferocious of them all.

PEEK-A ZOO! Text and illustrations copyright © 2014 by Nina Laden. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

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Learn more about Peek-a Zoo Here.

Buy Peek-a Zoo at Amazon—B&N—Chronicle Books—your local bookstore.

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Meet the author / illustrator, Nina Laden, at her website: http://www.ninaladen.com/

Find more wonderful board books at the Chronicle Books website:  https://www.chroniclebooks.com/

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Also by Nina Laden

Once  Upon a Memory .

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Also by Chronicle Books

We’re Going to the Farmers’ Market

You Are My Baby: Safari

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