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Here's my lion contribution. A book I did back in 2004 for Standard Publishing.

Although I’m very comfortable with and enjoy using new technology and products, I’m not the kind of person who runs out every time a new product is released. I still don’t have an iPad (although the new one about to be released is very tempting). I don’t have a Droid or smartphone. I am a Mac user though and will be forever.

All this being said, I am a book lover and, if you can’t tell from a visit to Book Dads, I’m just a tad book-obsessed as well. When the Color Nook was released I just wasn’t able to resist getting one. However, I wasn’t just going to buy one for myself, but also for my daughter Tessa. Although it didn’t stop me from buying one, I admit I was a little bit worried about Tessa becoming mesmerized with the Nook, and not wanting to look at her picture books any more. In our particular case and I think for other kids as well, it was a needless worry. If anything, Tessa spends even more time now pouring through the books on her shelf, and has developed an even greater love of books. But I believe that doesn’t have anything to do with the Nook — it has to do with me and my wife continuing to make ourselves available to read to her aloud.

So what makes the Color Nook worth getting for toddlers?

First, what I’m not so crazy about:

* The selection of children’s picture books for the Color Nook isn’t great (yet). If you’re looking for a lot of your favorites (for example, we were looking for Mo Willems books), they’re not available yet on the Nook.

* I really like the Read to Me feature which allows a book to be read to the child. It gives me a little break from reading aloud, which is something I sometimes need because I read aloud quite often every day. However, not every book has that feature which, if it’s something you really want to have on your Nook books, can even further trim down your selection choices.

Neither of these are really huge deals to me. I’ve been able to find some good selections at good prices, but I have to spend a lot of time looking. I’m absolutely thrilled to see many Todd Parr books on the Nook and we’ve purchased a few because he is one of our very favorite children’s authors. Plus, his books are available with the Read to Me feature and it sounds like he’s the one reading the books!!

Here’s what I like about using the Color Nook with my daughter:

* The Nook’s portability makes it great for traveling. We used it on vacation and having it on the plane was awesome!

* I really think if you have a child who isn’t as interested in books and reading, the Nook might be a way to spark an interest in book

My next book, due in June of this year, is a complete departure from the fantasy novel that came out last year, THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN (Knopf), and a return to picture book format. It’s titled: MINE!

And I thought you all might be interested in seeing the wonderful artwork of the illustrator, Patrice Barton.  It’s published by Knopf, and edited by the talented Michelle Frey.

MINE! is a simple tale of one-upmanship with a hero who is a VERY YOUNG child. This book is for sharing with any child who has ever laid claim to all the toys within reach. It was inspired by the Toddler’s Creed—something I always keep in mind when writing for this age group. 

Love it!

And I hope you will love MINE! when it gets here. I do know that many online ordering sites are doing preorders right now.

Happy National Reading Month to all of you!

Shutta

Nosh, Schlep, Schluff: BabYiddish by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke

Check out my review on Waking Brain Cells.  This blog will no longer be updated at the end of this week, so change your bookmarks and RSS feed readers now!

Ribbit Rabbit by Candace Ryan, illustrated by Mike Lowery

Frog and Bunny are the best of friend.  They swim together.  Fight monsters together.  Even share peanut butter sandwiches.  But sometimes something happens and they stop getting along.  Like when they find a robot with a key.  One of them ends up with the robot, the other with the key.  And they don’t want to share.  After a bit of alone time though, they come together ready to share and have fun once again.

Ryan’s text is such fun to read aloud.  It trips, gallops, dashes and dances on the tongue.  The rhythm of the book is a delight and the silly rhymes add joy to the book.  It is impossible to read it without grinning. 

Lowery’s illustrations have a wonderful modern, fresh feel to them.  Done in pencil, screen printing and print gocco, they are finished digitally.  They have a simplicity that works well here.  The soft colors have an intriguing pop to them and the texture from the screen printing adds to the appeal.

Highly recommended, this is a top choice for toddler and preschool story times.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from ARC received from Bloomsbury.

Also reviewed by The Bookbag and Young Readers.

• Follow this blog to its new home at Waking Brain Cells.

Not Me! by Nicola Killen

Messes and small children go together in this book.  Someone has been making a series of messes, but when each child is asked, they reply with a merry “Not me!”  Readers will immediately know the truth though, because the clues are there to tie that mischievous child to the mess that surrounds them.  Add in one small dog, and the messiness is complete until it’s time to clean up…

A book with only a few words per page that focus more on the visual cues than on the words themselves.  The text asks who has made that specific mess and then has the reply of the child denying that it was them.  The repetition makes for a rollicking pace that is great fun to read aloud and is perfect for even the smallest of toddlers.   Killen’s illustrations are done in mixed media with a combination of stencils, collage, and stamping.  The effect is sweet and jolly.  She uses primarily pastels with bright pops of primary colors. 

This is a book that children will love and will ask to have read to them again and again.  Who wouldn’t want to read it?  Not me!  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from Egmont.

Also reviewed by The Book Chook.

Baby Baby Baby! by Marilyn Janovitz

A board book filled with a jaunty rhythm and fun rhymes, this is a book that the littlest ones are going to love (and so will their grown ups!)  The book starts with action and movement, like clapping hands, dancing feet, and crawling away.  It then moves into preparation for bedtime with a bubbly bath, laughs, and some peek-a-boo.  Oh, and a little chasing of the cat too.  Then it slows down into hugs, sleeping and kisses.

Though the rhythm stays the same all the way through, it can be read with plenty of action and then moves gracefully into the quieter moments.  The verse is engaging and fun, matching well with the illustrations which are filled with color and pattern.  Plenty of bright colors also transition at the end to more pastels, making the quiet part that much more soothing.

A very cute board book to share with a toddler or baby story time or to have at home to enjoy again and again.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from Sourcebooks.

Mimi Loves to Mimic by Yih-Fen Chou, illustrated by Chih Yuan Chen

Mimi Says No by Yih-Fen Chou, illustrated by Chih Yuan Chen

These two books capture the essence of being a toddler and the ups and downs of their days. 

In Mimi Loves to Mimic, Mimi copies whatever the grownups in her family are doing.  She throws things away, puts on lipstick, plays the trumpet, makes “soup” and even shushes people.  When Mimi kisses her mother after being kissed, the other adults share some kisses too.  Just like Mimi.

In Mimi Says No, Mimi does the classic toddler trick of saying no to absolutely everything.  She wants to dress herself, pour her own milk, walk alone, and slide down the slide on her own.  But when she ends up getting hurt a little, she finds her own way to get a hug from her mother.

Chou’s words are brief and simple.  Yet they have a wonderful rhythm to them, refrains that repeat, and a steady structure that toddler will enjoy.  Chen’s art may have readers wondering just what kind of creature Mimi is, but that only lasts for moments before the story pulls you in.  The art is friendly, clear and very child friendly.  Children will see themselves in the picture books, but they are not here to teach lessons.  Rather they are a celebration of toddlerhood itself. 

These books have been translated into 14 languages from their original Japanese.  Their appeal is universal and will surely find a place in American toddler’s reading.  Appropriate for ages 2-3.

Reviewed from copies received from Independent Publishers Group.

Ivy Loves to Give by Freya Blackwood

Ivy is a little girl who loves to give gifts.  She gives a snail a shoe, glasses to the dog, tea to the hen, and a pacifier to the cat.  Wait, that doesn’t feel right.  Sometimes she does get it all right.  The baby gets his pacifier.  Her mother gets her tea, now with an egg in the cup.  Her grandmother gets the glasses.  Her father gets his shoe.  But there is one thing that Ivy doesn’t want to give away, even though it’s not hers to keep.  But she has just the right gift to say thank you for something given to her.

Blackwood keeps this book short and very sweet.  Her brief lines of text are ideal for toddlers who will understand both the love of gifting and the love of keeping all wrapped up together.  While the concept of the book is simple and will have children laughing at the mix-ups, Blackwood nicely ties the end together with something a bit more complicated.  Handled very successfully, the topic of giving and taking is secondary to the family relationships we see at work in the book.

Blackwood’s art is done in pencil and watercolor, giving it a beautiful softness.  The layout of the book is done with attention to the way it will read, offering plenty of white space beyond that needed for the words themselves.  This expansive feel makes the book feel welcoming and warm.  Her colors are vibrant and work to create illustrations that will function well with a group.

A solid choice for toddlers, this book is appropriate for ages 1-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

Also reviewed by:

• Kiss the Book
• You Know, For Kids

Heads by Matthew Van Fleet

I am a huge fan of Van Fleet and his mix of clever tabs with very humorous touches.  Perfect for small hands, his books withstand a lot of play from the smallest children.  This book follows his Tails book.  Here the rollicking rhyme takes readers from one type of head to another.  It features heads to touch, like the woolly and hairy heads.  It also takes a funny look at necks, ears, mouths, tongues, noses and eyes.  A great introduction to the various body parts, what sets this book apart are the pull tabs that bring the illustrations to life.  The terrific part is that even the most jaded adults will be surprised at the artistry and humor here.

Van Fleet excels at writing words that flow and dance in a jaunty jig.  His text can be read aloud effortlessly.  His art is cartoony, silly and even the parts that don’t move have small humorous touches to watch for. 

Ideal for a birthday or holiday present for any toddler, this book is a treat.  The only problem is figuring out which child gets to pull the next pull tab!  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.