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Claire has a new list of concept books up for your edification.

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Denise, Anika. 2007. Pigs Love Potatoes. Illustrated by Christopher Denise.

What's not to love about a family of potato-lovin' pigs? It all starts with one hungry little piggy. A piggy that wants a potato. But what one piggy wants, another and another and another and yet another will soon want. Soon Mama piggy is cooking ten potatoes for nine hungry piggies! Luckily, these pigs know how to help Mama best and remember to say thank you at the end of the meal! This is a fun counting book (1-10) featuring a family of piggies and their piggy neighbors.

One pig wants potatoes
So Mamma starts to cook.
Then one pig's little brother
Decides to come and look.
Now Two pigs want potatoes
And soon begin to yelp
So Mamma scolds her two pigs
And tells them they must help.

If you have a child that loves piggies, this one is a real treat!!!

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Counting Ovejas by Sarah Weeks. Illustrated by David Diaz. Atheneum, 2006 (978-0-689-86750-7) $17.99

A little boy who's trying to sleep finds himself counting sheep against his will when they start wandering in ever expanding numbers into his bedroom. "Una oveja blanca./One white sheep. Adios, oveja blanca!/Good-bye, white sheep!" says the boy, gesturing the first sheep out of his room. As the groups of sheep get bigger, the boy has to use increasingly strong measures to get them out: "Nueve ovejas azules/Nine blue sheep" are pushed with a bulldozer, and "Diez ovejas amarillas/Ten yellow sheep" are airlifted by the boy in a personal rotocopter. The tired boy thanks the sheep and falls asleep, only to be cozily surrounded by ten sheep who must have found their way back.

The text here seems very simple, but I really like how it's written: the repetition of phrases highlights the unique words for colors and numbers, and the Spanish and English texts flow into each other so smoothly and invitingly, it only makes sense to read both together. (Though you can choose to read just one, if you prefer.) Best of all, a phonetic pronunciation guide is given under each line, though unfortunately in Spanish only. The illustrations in acrylic and pencil are also attractive, with bright, glowing colors, lots of interesting implied textures (the sheep fur is made up of dozens of spirals), and splotchy-colored backgrounds that add a dreamy effect. The juxtaposition of the old-fashioned looking night garb of the boy and the striking modern colors gives a distinctive, unexpected look. (2-6)

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Big and Little by John Stadler is a picture book that has thoroughly charmed me this past week. It is about a mouse and an elephant. Hence the title big and little. You might think you know where this is going, but you may just be surprised. Ellie, the elephant, is going to climb a tall ladder and dive into a small glass of water. The mouse is the ringmaster of the show. Read along as this incredible act unfolds...

From John Stadler's website:

Prepare to be amazed and astounded by how BIG on suspense, such a little book can be! You will gasp! You will laugh! You will not believe your eyes!

Be the first in your neighborhood to see for yourself how the magic unfolds!
Hurry! Hurry! Read it today!

(No one will be admitted to or allowed to leave the book during the last six pages so as not to ruin the ending for others.)

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Elliott, David. 2007. One Little Chicken: A Counting Book. Illustrated by Ethan Long.

I have mixed opinions on One Little Chicken. On one hand, it is a fun, rhyming counting book. It is a concept book with a fun premise: a counting book with dancing poultry. The book features chickens doing all sorts of dances and having lots of crazy fun as the numbers get higher and higher. On the other hand, one thing that is slightly disappointing is the fact that while it rhymes it isn't really very rhythmical. Some books are so rythmical, so right, that the text seems to sing. This one doesn't. That's not a crime necessarily. It's not an unpardonable sin. But I think it would have more appeal if the words flowed a bit more smoothly. What this book really needs is insight from a kid. I am curious what kind of reaction this book gets from children. Do they laugh? Do they giggle? Do they count along? Do they do the dances? Do they wiggle and move and shake about while someone is reading it aloud? Do they interact with the text? If they do, then this book would be a success. Sometimes adults are more harsh with a book than they need to be. They notice things that wouldn't bother any kid. I'm wondering if that is the case in this situation. The second half of the book invites audience participation.

But one little chicken
will not bugaloo.
Who is that little chicken?
Oh my gosh! It's you!

The text then implores you to get up and boogie and shake.

Make your own music
with wax paper and a comb
and dance! dance! dance!
till the cows come home.

The last rhyme, the last little bit, seems forced to me. It doesn't seem natural for some reason. I don't know if it's the excessive use of exclamation points after each dance when commas would suffice. Or if it's the fact that instructing kids on wax paper and comb music skills seems out of place with the rest of the text...or what. I think if it had ended any other way, I would have enjoyed it better. What do I like about the text? I like the fact that it's chickens dancing. Yes, chickens are big this year. But I think there is a bit of a hidden, "clever" meaning. Those on the sidelines too scared to dance and have a little fun are being chickens. The text is saying stop being a chicken and get out there and have fun.

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O'Keefe, Susan Heyboer. 2007. Hungry Monster ABC. Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger.

I have a weakness for monsters. Particularly hungry monsters. Cookie Monster. Hungry Thing. My secret alter-egos. So I was very happy to see Hungry Monster ABC on the shelves, and eagerly grabbed it up. What happens when ten hungry monsters visit Ms. Tubbins' classroom? A lot. Most of what happens is quite messy. All of it quite fun.

Ten hungry monsters
visit school today.
They're here to learn the alphabet
the hungry monster way.

The "hungry monster way" is a fun, messy, hands-on learning experience. Sometimes it is the children--particularly the little boy in the red and blue striped shirt--giving the instruction, and sometimes it is the monster matching letters and words together.

L is always lunchtime
when monsters are around.
They want their grilled cheese sandwiches
with bacon nicely browned.

They hope that M's for Mango,
a messy, juicy treat,
because they like to end their meals
with something very sweet.

When the alphabet is exhausted--and by the time they reach X, Y, and Z, everyone will be exhausted--the teacher frightens them away with scary words: homework, grades, and test.
Overall, Hungry Monster ABC is a rhyming picture book that offers fun and giggles to those just getting ready (or starting) school. The book does come with flashcards, but don't let that frighten you away. There is plenty of story along with the "educational" aspects of the story.

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Several months ago, Scholastic started a new line of books specifically for babies and toddlers called Little Scholastic. (Read what Publishers Weekly had to say here.) From the very first book I received, I loved this new series, this new line. Today I am highlighting Five Shiny Stars. It is in many ways a simple concept book. The concept? Counting backwards from five. The surprise? Well, let's just say there is a surprise ending that is sure to delight readers young and old.

Five shiny stars were twinkling at the cat,
Looking very pretty in the sky like that.
One of the stars found the perfect place to hide...
Leaving four shiny stars and a cloud outside.

The illustrations are great. I love the cat. (Then again, I've always been a cat person). And I think that the rhyming, rhythmic text is perfect. The repetition is fun as well. As the same words are repeated for each number...

Four shiny stars were twinkling at the cat,
Looking very pretty in the sky like that.
One of the stars found the perfect place to hide...
Leaving three shiny stars and some clouds outside.

I think you can get the basic idea now. I'm sure this one will be a hit with the big "surprise" at the end. This book is a real treat.

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Forest Bright, Forest Night by Jennifer Ward. illustrated by Jamichael Henterly. Dawn, 2005 (978-1-58469-089-4) $7.95 board

Count to ten twice, first with a forest by day, then with a forest by night. In the day, a deer splashes, two bear cubs tumble and three woodpeckers tap; at night three opposums peek, four foxes prowl and five skunks amble. Despite the many active verbs--"chatter and chase... chipmunks race/strut and wobble... turkeys gobble"--the short rhyming text reads very soothingly, in conjunction with the naturalistic but slightly dreamy pictures, making this book seem just right for bedtime. On the other hand, you might want to allow more time to explore some of the captivating detail in the illustrations. The day and night sections each contain the other's opposite: an owl sleeps while the deer splashes during the day; at night, the "owl eyes search" while the deer curls up to sleep. The animals blend intriguingly with their natural surroundings; I particularly like the woodpecker that's just barely visible through a knothole. Perhaps best of all, each page has its number somewhere blended into the background: a sleeping salamander's tail curves into a six, moss on a log forms an eight. These pictures are so packed with interest, the book is probably even better in its larger picture book form. (2-8)

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Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Harcourt, 2007 (978-0-15-205676-6) $17.00

A string of anthropomorphic numbers merrily beboppin' across the end pages sets the tone for this deliciously nonsensical Mother Goose collection. All of the rhymes include numbers, from the well-known "Baa baa black sheep" to more obscure verses like "1-ery, 2-ery, tickery, 10," but it's not really a counting book--in fact, young children who truly want to count may find some of the longer numbers a bit frustrating. (Four and twenty very thin hairs in a wig, for example.) Mostly this book is about imaginative images and movement: the strange, often masked characters cavort across the pages almost as if in a whimsical parade. A clock strikes its own bell, fish strut in boots, potatoes dance in fezzes, the four-and-twenty blackbirds willingly trot into the pie. Except for a few bright splashes, the color scheme is largely muted, as if to keep all the attention on the odd inhabitants of this friendly world. The effect is very engaging, for both young and adult readers. * (2 & up)

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It's like magic: right after my last post, a box of books appeared at my doorstep.





The Baker's Dozen written and illustrated by Dan Andreasen. Henry Holt, 2007 (978-0-8050-7809-1) $16.95

I was drawn to the cover of this book, an apple-cheeked-and-chinned baker exuberantly juggling cupcakes. He just looks so darn happy about it. And happiness continues to be the theme throughout, as the baker takes "great care to make one cream eclair," "in the oven bakes two German chocolate cakes," and "in tins the perfect size bakes three cherry pies," all the while loving his job with all his heart. No, the rhyming text is not particularly scintillating, but it's adequate. There are a few cute visual touches here, like the Baker's smiling chef-hatted clock, which beams and occasionally licks its lips, but the main point of the pictures is the baker's joy as he creates and dallies with his sweet treats, from the one eclair to the twelve small cupcakes he juggles. Thirteen is the number of customers he greets, and a chart at the end of the book shows the progression of the numbers, from the one eclair, to thirteen eager little boys. Perfect for everyone who likes to play with their food. (2-6)

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