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Wise old owl who lives in this tree has seen it all before, but in fact there’s something reassuring about his experiences. Seasons come and seasons go, but life continues. And it’s a beautiful life, one to take time to savour.

Tree by Britta Teckentrup (@BTeckentrup) explores the life of a tree across the span of a single year, watching changes in leaves, blossom, fruit and the landscape around. Teckentrup celebrates the seasons with eye-catching beauty and soothingly rhythmic, lullaby-like text, reminding me of Walt Whitman’s tree which “utter[s] joyous leaves“.

We witness the circle of life not just on the tree, but also with the animals who visit; look out for the birds who build a nest and see what happens! What makes this book about seasonal changes stand out is its beauty, attention to detail, and lovely, quiet text which works very well for reading aloud. The physical book is incredibly inviting – from the textured hardback cover, to the satisfyingly thick pages, and most delightful of all – the peep-through holes, which page-turn by page-turn reveal and then conceal visiting animals.

The illustrations look like relief printing, with a handmade texture and matt finish that perfectly reflects a delight in nature and “the natural”. Jubilant use of colour lights up every page.

Interestingly, the text for this picture book was actually written by Patricia Hegarty, but her name doesn’t appear on the book cover or title page inside. I imagine this is because the book is really a vehicle to let Teckentrup’s illustrations sing – which they do in all their glory – but it’s an interesting detail given the current debate about equal recognition for authors and illustrators reflected by the Pictures Mean Business campaign. Do you know of any other picture books where the author doesn’t get the same credit as the illustrator?

Sumptuous, strokable and always in season, Tree tells a timeless tale to delight all.

Inspired by Teckentrup’s artwork, we set about creating our own colourful trees. First we stencilled a trunk…

…before adding tissue paper leaves in a variety of colours.

When dry, we cut out our trees to include their canopy, added a few hand-drawn animals, and put them up somewhere a little bit unusual – by our skirting board – so that other woodland creatures could come and play.

Whilst creating our trees we listened to:

Other activities which might work well alongside reading Tree include:

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Disclosure: I was sent a free review copy of this book by the publisher.

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Busy Bunny Days: In the Town, On the Farm & At the Port

by Britta Teckentrup

Chronicle Books*    2/25/2014

978-1-4521-1700-3

Age 4 – 8        56 pages

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Back Cover

“What is the Bunny Family doing today? Join the bunny family for a busy day in their hometown, on a fun-filled farm adventure, and at the port for an exciting outing! From the time they wake up until the time they go to sleep, there is so much to see and do. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for that pesky Benny Badger—he is always up to no good!”

Opening

“IN THE TOWN . . . Join the Bunny family for a busy day in their hometown, surrounded by friends and neighbors!”

The Story

The Bunny family—Baxter, Bethany, Mom, Dad (doctor) and Grandma Bunny—are spending the day in their hometown. There is so much to see, many other bunnies to visit, and others to greet, “Hi!” Everyone rises for the new day, dressing, eating, and opening his or her shiny, wide eyes. Outside the street is very busy. Harold Hippo is walking his pooch, Gary Gator is jogging, and—Oh, No!—Barbara Bear slips on a banana peel. 9 AM and school is ready to begin. Bethany enters kindergarten after her dad walked her to school. Baxter is on the playground with his friend Vincent, a tiger. At home, mom is feeding the two cats and grandma is knitting. Such a busy start to the day.

At 12 noon, it starts to rain. Benny Badger is leaving the bakery. What is he up to now? Grandma is on her way home with two sacks of groceries. Bethany is in a line with her classmates and Baxter is still in class. Uh, oh, a cat is on the table. Where is mom to scold the cat? 3 PM is snack time. Grandma Bunny is bringing Bethany a drink—the cat is on the floor. Baxter is learning math with his teacher, Mrs. Katz. Barbara Bear is walking down the street, aided by a crutch for her broken and casted leg. Benny Badger is a pickpocket! He is stealing Bernhard Builder’s wallet right out of his back pocket. 9 PM is time for everyone to sleep. The day was interesting. The fire department put out a fire in the apartment above the Bunny’s apartment four hours ago. Benny Badger broke into someone’s car and into the bakery. Now, at nine at night, Bethany and Baxter are asleep. The town gets quiet and the police arrest Benny Badger. Tomorrow the Bunny Family will go to the farm and the day after to the port. But wtch out! Benny Badger will be there too.

Review

Busy Bunny Days: In the Town, on the Farm, and at the Port will keep kids busy. Originally three books, each book divided by hour segments. 6 AM starts the day, which continues at spaced intervals until bedtime and the end of the day at 9 PM. The spreads are busy with loads of activity by many anthropomorphic creatures. Before each story begins, a page of the story’s characters, illustrated and named, make finding them much easier. I found myself referring to this page many times. At the top of each spread are questions for the reader.

“Who is awake?” /  “What is Mrs. Bunny doing?” /  “Has Squawk made a friend?”

 Benny Badger is the bad badger in every story and it is always a good idea to keep track of what this scoundrel is doing. Busy Bunny Days: In the Town represents a normal day for the Bunny Family. Bethany and Baxter go to school, Dr. Bunny goes to work, and Mrs. Bunny and Grandma Bunny do all sorts of things. The creatures around the town are actually more fascinating than the Bunny Family.

Busy Bunny Days: On the Farm, the Bunny Family is visiting friends, the Gardiners, who own a farm. Interestingly, in addition to the anthropomorphic animals, there are regular animals: cows, chickens, horses, pigs, dogs.  Once again, Benny Badger is around to create havoc. The farm slower paced looks more like a tourist attraction than a working farm.

Busy Bunny Days: at the Port, is the third book in this three-book compilation, all originally published in Germany in 2011 and 2012. The port is a very busy place, and Benny Badger is there to cause trouble. I think he follows the Bunny Family, just as we are doing. Docked at the port are several ships, including a pirate ship and the Poseidon, still afloat and unloading its cargo containers. Baxter is sporting an eye patch and wielding a dagger. At the Port is the best of the three books.

The illustrations are bright, cheery, and simply fun. Each spread holds more than the eye can comprehend in one look. Kids will have so much to look for and follow throughout the day. There are more to follow from spread to spread than just the Bunny Family. Barbara Bear slips on a banana peel, breaks her leg, and returns on a crutch. Harold Hippo cannot keep a hold of his dog’s leash, the dog runs, and finds its way to the school where Baxter pets the happy mutt.  On the farm, Late at night—seven o’clock—everyone dances.

If your child likes to find things in the illustrations, then Busy Bunny Days will keep them busy for a long time. Without an actual text, kids can make up stories for their favorite character. Parents can read the questions at the top of each spread, helping their child with the answers. After that, kids can master Busy Bunny Days on their own, changing the story as they please. Busy Bunny Days: In the Town, on the Farm, and at the Port will entertain your child while growing their imagination as they story each character in their own way, finding and following the Bunny Family and their friends and neighbors—and Benny Badger, too!

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Learn more about Busy Bunny Days: In the Town, on the Farm, and at the Port HERE.

Buy Busy Bunny Days: In the Town, on the Farm, and at the Port at Amazon—B&N—Chronicle Books—at your local bookstore.

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Find the author/illustrator, Britta Teckentrup at:     website      unitedartists    nosy crow  

Find more great books at Chronicle Books  at:  website     blog**     facebook     twitter

 **HAVE A GREAT IDEA FOR A FUNNY BOOK? NOW IS THE TIME: THE GREAT TUMBLR BOOK SEARCH SEE BLOG POST ABOVE

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BUSY BUNNY DAYS: IN THE TOWN, ON THE FAR, AT THE PORT. Text and illustrations copyright © 20111, 2012 by Britta Teckentrup. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

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*Originally published in Germany in 2011 and 2012 by Veriagshaus Jacoby & Stuart GmbH, Berlin, Germany. *Original titles: Das 24-Stunden-Wimmelbuch: In der Stadt ist was los!, Das 24-Stunden-Wimmelbuch: Auf dem Bauernhof ist!, Das 24-Stunden-Wimmelbuch: Am Hafen ist was los! *Translated by Chronicle Books, 2014.

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by Britta Teckentrup

{published 2013, by Barefoot Books}

I just lost myself on Britta Teckentrup’s portfolio. Entirely charmed and swept away by every single piece. She’s new to me, and I’m happy to have flailed around in her brain for a bit. And it looks like I have a lot to catch up on!

I have an unusual affinity or board books. Proof: here and here and here. And that’s just a select smattering! But everything that is perfect about a picture book is even more so in a board book.

Smushier, sweeter, chewier.

And these are especially delicious.Fast and Slow shows those opposites side by side. Directly in contrast, varying by speed. The comparison is limited to that spread only, which is a detail that I love. One of the later spreads shows a train and a bus, which of course is double decker and European and fancy. But isn’t a bus faster than even that motorbike up above? Sure, but one spread isn’t competing with others. Little brains noodling that out? Smart.

And speaking of the motorbike page – total favorite. That scarf!The colors are saturated and leap into your eyes.

The type! It’s that perfect teacher-handwritten-style.

But it’s the texture that I love the most. Clean shapes, easy lines, and the slightest bit of grit. Smooth, flat color might have been an easy choice to match those shapes and lines. But in a book about contrast, splashing in some texture is smart.

And it looks awesome.Big and Small’s pairs are tightly knitted. Inside a giant apple is an itty-bitty seed. On top of a vast mountain are individual snowflakes. Those connections are beautiful, and the cat-lion standoff might be my very favorite spread.A perfect addition to your baby-shower rotation, your art class, your tiny one’s library, or just the ever-growing stack surrounding you.

Review copy provided by Barefoot Books.

Britta Teckentrup

Next week is Anti-Bullying Week in the UK, when school-children throughout the country will take part in activities to help them:

“grow up with their respect of self and others intact, be fine participant citizens and, perhaps most importantly, become peacemakers in their hearts.”

This quotation comes from Peter Yarrow’s afterword of a remarkable picture book of Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin’s deeply incisive but simple song Don’t Laugh at Me. The words of the song have become increasingly familiar since first being written just over ten years ago: but set here with Glin Dibley’s hauntingly expressive illustrations, and with certain words in the text highlighted in red, even young children will be able to respond to it, using their innate sense of justice to pull out the essence of the song’s message.

Be prepared for taking your time over it: each line triggers all sorts of questions and discussion. Reading this book to your own children or to a class of young children is a beautiful way to introduce them to the notion that “difference” should make no difference. They will appreciate the juxtapositions in the illustrations, like the one of the boy in a helmet in a wheelchair – in that order: the wheelchair is actually the last thing you notice.

There’s also a cd at the back and kids of all ages will enjoy listening to the song, performed so gently and meditatively by the song-writers themselves.

Peter Yarrow, quoted above, founded Operation Respect and a percentage of the sales of the book goes to their “Don’t Laugh at Me” project… And there’s also a Spanish edition. Reading Zone has just placed it in in its Top Ten Picture Books. So what are you waiting for?