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IT’S (still) BOARD BOOK DAY!

Here are three new board books perfect for the littlest hands in your family. Each are made with thick, difficult to tear pages that will clean off everything from baby drool to grape jelly.

From Chronicle Books: Hop, Hop Bunny (A Follow-Along Book), by Betty Schwartz and Lynn Seresin, with illustrations by Neiko Ng.

“Bunny is secured to a sturdy ribbon as young readers help them hop through the die-cut holes to explore the garden. Where will she go? What will she see? Warm illustrations and a tactile, interactive adventure teach little ones hand-eye coordination and introduce them to reading fun.” [publisher]

Continue reading for review and a spread . . . HERE.

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Also from Chronicle Books: On My Beach (Felt Finger Puppet Board Books) by Sarah Gillingham, with illustrations by Lorena Siminovich.

“Turn the colorful die-cut pages of this irresistible board book to discover just what makes little crab’s beach so cozy.” [publisher]

Continue reading for review and a spread . . . HERE.

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And from yesterday:
From Blue Manatee Press: Black and White Nighty-Night by Sarah Jones.

“This unique concept book combines the ever-popular bedtime nursery rhyme with contemporary high-contrast illustrations, specifically designed with babies in mind. The youngest readers and their families will delight in the gentle story of an owl-saying goodnight to barnyard friends as they snuggle into bed. Bold black-and-white illustrations will capture babies’ interest, as the soothing rhymes lull them to sleep.”

Continue reading for review and a spread . . . HERE.
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Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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On My Beach

Series: Felt Finger Puppet Board Books
Written by Sarah Gillingham
Illustrated by Lorena Siminovich
Chronicle Books           5/01/2015
978-1-4521-0640
10 pages       7” x 7”      Age 0—2
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“Turn the colorful pages of this irresistible board book to discover just what makes little crab’s beach so cozy. Is it the warm tide pool? Is it the soft sand? No, it’s little crab’s family! Bright pictures, a sweet, reassuring message, and an adorable finger puppet fi this book with reading and playtime fun!” [back cover]

Review
On his beach, Little Crab relates a day of fun activities for readers. Ah, before you turn the cover, turn the book over. In the center of the back cover is an opening—a die-cut circle—waiting for you to bring Little Crab to life! He is actually a finger puppet crab.

“On my beach, I race over sand with my friends,
“I hide between the treasures in the warm tide pool . . . “

Beginning with the first spread, each die-cut opening decreases in size (5” diameter on the cover down to 2 ½” diameter on the next-to-last spread—perfect for the 2” oval Little Crab. The circles might sound bland; they are not. Smooth circles alternate with wavy circles, much like the pattern waves leave as they return to sea. I really love this eye-pleasing, 3-dimensional pattern. I think young children will also like the different textures.

Little Crab decides to race over his beach with his sea creature friends. Helping him navigate the beach puts children into the story. Without them, Little Crab could not navigate his way through the sand and water. Upon reaching his destination, Little Crab enjoys a nap with . . . sorry, only Little Crab can reveal his companions.

I think young children will enjoy becoming Little Crab and wiggling him through seaweed and splashing the orange crab in a wave pool. One caveat: little hands might find holding the book, while playing with the finger puppet, awkward. On My Beach is a good size for a board book story, with traditionally thick, glossy—difficult to tear, easy to clean—cardboard pages. The 7” x 7” book is a perfect fit for my hands, enabling me to navigate Little Crab through his story while easily turning the pages. Young children might need to adjust—every confidence they will—using problem solving, imagination, and dexterity.

The varying seascapes and critters, rendered in collage, are bright and inviting, working perfectly with the cover. Young children will love the combination of story and an interesting puppet. The stuff that interest young children and their enjoyment of books include a good story, an interesting character, including play, and becoming part of the adventure are all found in On My Beach. The latest title in the (first published in 2009), will entertain young children. From a barn to a pond and patch, the Felt Finger Puppet Board Books series introduces young children to a variety of places and things (see list of titles below).

ON MY BEACH (FELT FINGER PUPPET BOARD BOOKS). Text copyright © 2015 by Sarah Gillingham. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Lorena Siminovich. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

Purchase On My Beach at Amazon—Book Depository—Chronicle Books.

Learn more about On My Beach HERE.
Meet the author, Sarah Gillingham, at her website:  http://www.saragillingham.com/
Meet the illustrator, Lorena Siminovich, at her website:  http://www.lorenasiminovich.com/
Find more board books at the Chronicle Books website:  http://www.chroniclebooks.com/

Felt Finger Puppet Board Books

In My Barn
978-1-4521-0641-0

In My Den
978-0-8118-7053-5

In My Flower
978-0-8118-7339-0

In My Forest
978-0-8118-7566-0

In My Jungle
978-0-8118-7716-9

On My Leaf
978-1-4521-0813-1

In My Meadow
978-0-8118-7338-3

In My Nest
978-0-8118-6555-5

In My Ocean
978-0-8118-7717-6

In My Patch
978-0-8118-7567-7

In My Pond
978-0-8118-6556-2

In My Tree
978-0-8118-7052-8

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Review Section: word count = 394

Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved
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I just love that Earth Day is in spring! It makes perfect sense to capture everyone's attention when they are ready to get back into the great outdoors after winter. Below you'll discover just a couple of the books that have caught my attention because of their appreciation of gardens, plants, and even weeds.

You Are My Baby: Garden

You Are My Baby: Ocean

By Lorena Siminovich

Chronicle Books     2014

Age up to 4     10 pages

.“Two books in one! Turn the pages of the little book nestled inside the bigger book to match the baby animals to their parents. La-la-chirp! Buzz-buzz! Swish! Splash! Perfect for learning and playtime fun.”

Openings

“You sing a happy song in our leafy tree. You are my baby little hatchling La-la-chirp!”

“You crawl on the sandy ocean floor. You are my baby, little octopus. Fizz!”

Review

You Are My Baby:  Garden includes animals you will find in your garden or backyard. Animals such as the answer to the opening line above top: a Blue bird and a baby blue bird. You will also find a spider, snail, squirrel, and a bumblebee, all with their baby.

You Are My Baby:  Ocean includes animals from the sea. In this board book, you will find an octopus (the answer to its opening lines), a seahorse, goldfish, turtle, and a big wale with water spouting out of its blowhole.

Both books have soft colors, many in a pattern, such as the bluebird made of blue with a white dotted body and a yellow beak with smaller white dots.Each book is also two books in one. The adult animals and the baby animals move independently giving any possible combination as you please. If you want the whale to raise the baby turtle, simply put the two together. Both are easy to handle. Made of thick cardboard, the books—all four—will withstand the toughest of little hands that grab, pull, and drop.

I really like the two books together. I like the mix and match of the two without carting out a second book. Kids like to match things up. As a kid, I matched up playing cards. One of these books would have been so much more fun. I could have sat in my grandpa’s lap instead of next to him; I could have practiced on my own. Plus, I know from experience, jelly wipes right off these pages.

Both the Garden, and the Ocean version of You Are My Baby series is adorable and will enchant children and peak their growing curiosity of the world around them. The series is a collection of four including, You Are My Baby: Farm and You Are My Baby: Safari. These You Are My Baby books are one other way of interesting your child in books and reading at an early age. Babies like other babies, making this perfect for the child recognizing his or herself in the world.

YOU ARE MY BABY: GARDEN and YOU ARE MY BABY:  OCEAN. Text and illustrations copyright © 2014 by Lorena Siminovich. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

Learn more about the You Are My Baby series go HERE.

To purchase any of the You Are My Baby books go to Amazon—B&N—Chronicle Books—your local bookstore.

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Meet the author/illustrator, Lorena Siminovich at her website:  http://www.lorenasiminovich.com/

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

*all illustrations courtesy of Chronicle Books

Also by Lenora Siminovich

You Know What I Love?

Monkey See, Look at Me!

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New Chronicle Board Books

We’re Going to the Farmers’ Market

A Tree for All Seasons

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I’ve been thinking a lot about conventions and their importance. Without proper conventions, how can a piece of writing hold its own? All of our young writers need to realize that published writers use conventions when they’re drafting, not just as an editing tool. There’s a new book coming out on Tuesday, [...]

To celebrate the holidays we asked some of our favorite people in publishing what their favorite book was. Let us know in the comments what your favorite book is and be sure to check back throughout the week for more “favorites”.

Lauren Cerand is an independent public relations representative and consultant in New York. She writes about art, politics and style at LuxLotus.com.

When Oxford University Press asked me to recommend a holiday book pick, I was thrilled. For one thing, the blog is a daily must-read for me, and like the best sort of party, it’s a pleasure just to be asked. And although I feel as though I can’t wait to read the new catalog of OUP offerings, I’ve left it on my front table because the cover’s so pretty it makes me smile whenever I walk in the door. As an independent publicist, I spend my days, nights, and almost every waking moment helping worthy books and cultural projects reach their intended, ideal audiences. I feel like my friends at Oxford University Press share a similar enthusiasm for their endeavors, and that’s one reason we’re pals. (more…)

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