The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book two hundred and eighty-seven

Like so many other people in our fast-paced world, I often find myself running around at a furious pace, trying to keep up with all the things that I have to do. Aside from the fact that this way of life is stressful, and therefore unhealthy, it is also a way of life that encourages one to be unaware of what is going on around you. You are going so fast that you don't realize that your actions are impacting others, sometimes in negative ways.

In today's picture book you will meet a beaver who lives his life at such a frenetic pace that he makes his neighbor's lives very difficult. 

The busy beaver

Nicholas Oldland

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 8

Kids Can Press, 2011, 978-1-55453-749-5

Beaver is always busy. In fact he is so busy that he does not pay attention to what he is doing. He does not “always think things through.” As a result, his dams leak, he makes a mess wherever he goes, he leaves trees half-chewed, and sometimes he chews down more trees than he needs.

   One day beaver is so careless that he chews a tree that has a bird’s nest in it, and does not notice that the tree is “falling in his direction.” When he comes to, beaver is in hospital with a formidable number of injuries. For the first time in his life beaver has to lie still and take it easy.

   After many days of resting and healing, beaver is able to get up and look out of his hospital window. What he sees makes him realize that he has caused a great deal of destruction and trouble in the forest. He did not mean to cause harm and now he has to do something to make up for his mistakes.

   Sometimes we get on a roll and we plough through life without realizing that we are leaving a wake of destruction in our wake. This picture book addresses this issue with humor and sensitivity. Through beaver’s eyes we see that sometimes it is better to take our time than to rush rush rush.

   With delightful illustrations and a meaningful message, this picture book will resonate with readers of all ages.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book two hundred and eighty-six

I have noticed that many parents, though they dote on their children, sometimes fail to realize that their children are trying to tell them something. The child says something, and the parent answers with a distracted "yes honey." It is obvious to anyone who is watching, including the child, that the parent did not take in a word.

In today's picture book you will meet a baby who has a lot to say, and the members of his family who don't realize that what he is saying makes sense. A lot of sense.

Edwin Speaks up

April Stevens

Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Random House, 2011, 978-0-375-85337-1

   Tomorrow is baby Edwin’s birthday, and his mother needs to go to the grocery store to buy a few things, including the sugar that she needs so that she can bake Edwin’s birthday cake.

   The outing begins with Mrs. Finnemore discovering that she cannot find her keys. “Gloo poop SHOE noogie froo KEY” baby Edwin says in his own brand of baby ferret language. Even though his mother doesn’t listen to him, Mrs. Fennimore does eventually manage to find the car keys, which are inside her son’s shoe.

   When you have five children, loading up the car to go to the grocery store can be rather chaotic, and Mrs. Fennimore is so busy getting Edwin into his car seat, and getting the other children to cooperate, that she ends up driving to the store with her pocketbook on the roof of the car. Edwin did say “Figbutton noo noo POCKY BOOKY froppin ROOF,” but as usual no one listens. If they did, they would know that the “Pocky Booky” is on the roof of the car.

   In this clever and wonderfully funny picture book, children will meet a family of ferrets who youngest member seems to be more aware than anyone else of what is going on around him. For all those people who think that little children have nothing useful to say, take heed. They probably know a lot more than you give them credit for.

   With delightfully quirky illustrations and a memorable tale that has a perfect ending, this picture book is sure to become a family favorite. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book two hundred and eighty-four

For some people making friends is easy. For others it is difficult because they don't know how to go about it, or because they are shy, or because they are unsure of themselves. I know a few people who approach making friends as if it is a quest that must be completed. In today's picture book you will meet someone who is like this. She is determined to make a friend, and she will force the issue if she has to.

You will be my friend

Peter Brown

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Little Brown, 2001, 978-0-316-07030-0

   One morning Lucy the bear wakes up and she decides that today she is going to make a new friend. She does not know how she is going to achieve this goal, but she is bursting with confidence that one of the “critters” in the forest will want to be her friend.

   With great enthusiasm Lucy throws herself into the task. Her first attempt to befriend a frog goes horribly wrong when she jumps into the frog pond and all the water splashes out. Next she tries to make friends with a giraffe by climbing a tree. Too late she realizes that she has climbed into the giraffe’s breakfast. She goes on to wash a skunk and to ask an ostrich “So tell me, what’s it like to fly?” Needless to say, neither of these attempts to make a friend work out.

   Lucy tries really hard to “fit in” with her potential friends, and in each case something goes wrong. Then she gets mad. “You will be my friend!” she says, and not surprisingly this tactic falls flat too.

   Making new friends is never easy, no matter how old you are. In this picture book, young readers will meet someone who really tries to make a new friend, and they will appreciate Lucy’s struggles and failures. With Lucy’s help, young readers will come to understand that finding friends is not something that you can control. Sometimes you just have to have a little faith and hope.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book two hundred and eighty-four

There is no doubt that many children love picture books that feature a bear as the main character. Some of these bears are big and mean, while others are gentle and friendly. Some behave very much like bears, while others behave like humans, living in houses and sleeping in beds.

In 2002, Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman brought us a delightful picture book about a bear who sleeps so soundly that nothing wakes him up until a fleck of pepper touches his nose. Bear Snores On was an instant hit, and all the subsequent Bear books have also been hugely popular. Here is a review of the latest Bear book.  

Bear’s Loose Tooth

Karma Wilson

Illustrated by Jane Chapman

Picture Book

For ages 3 to 6

Simon and Shuster, 2011, 978-1-4169-5855-0

   Bear and his forest friends are eating their lunch when Bear feels that something strange is happening to one of his teeth. The tooth wiggles and wobbles and bear gets very upset. How will he eat if his tooth falls out?

   Thankfully, Bear’s friends know all about loose teeth. Hare takes a look at the tooth and Mouse reassures Bear that “A new tooth will grow / where the old used to be.” The best thing to do is to get the old tooth out so that new one can grow in.

   This sounds pretty straightforward, but when Bear’s friends try to remove the loose tooth, they cannot budge the thing. Who knew that having a loose tooth could cause so much trouble!

   Bear and his friends have delighted readers of all ages ever since the first title in the series, Bear Snores on, came out. Now Bear is back and he has a new problem, a problem that young children will surely appreciate. Having a loose tooth is annoying after all. At first you are afraid that losing it will mean you will have a hole in your mouth forever. Then you are afraid that the loose tooth will never fall out, and that you will be stuck with it.

   With Karma Wilson’s wonderful rhyming text and Jane Chapman’s expressive paintings, this is a picture book that young children will want to read again and again.

Roxie Munro's New Children's app - Roxie's Doors

A very dear friend of mine, children's book author and illustrator Roxie Munro has a new app for the iPad on the market. I asked her to tell us about the new app and to describe what it was like to make. Here is a sixty second trailer about the app

And this is what Roxie has to say about the new app:

Our previous app, “Roxie’s a-MAZE-ing Vacation Adventure,” was a new maze game created from all new original art, which was based upon my 5 published maze books (BTW, an iPhone version will be out by early November). “Roxie’s Doors,” however, was made from a previously published children’s book by Chronicle, the rights of which reverted to me a couple years ago.  When I formally requested the rights back, I had also asked for the scans. Always do that if you can, because it makes it much easier and less expensive to resell, reprint, or reuse the art.  OCG Studios carefully reviewed the book and came up with a creative game plan. It involved making it 3-D, which is quite labor-intensive, but adds greatly to the experience (tilt the iPad to fully appreciate it). So I had to do some more art, primarily working on the backgrounds, which I did directly on the original art, rather than redrawing everything (it did mess up the illustrations somewhat, but keep in mind that this was lift-the-flap paper-engineered book in the first place, so the art was in complicated separate pieces anyway). Here’s a link on how the 3-D part was done by the developers: http://www.ocgstudios.com/roxies-doors/making-of-roxies-doors/

They found all sorts of cool sounds to add - dog barking, phones, sirens, singing, crunching, flushing, tapping hammers, etc. In the refrigerator, for example, the four desserts in parfait glasses (upper left) each have a different note, like a piano - when you touch them, you can play a tune! There are three choices for voice-over: silent (you can read the text yourself); you can have a guy (Dirk) read it; or be read to by the author (me). OCG Studios is in the Netherlands, and we did all the work via e-mail. The VO recordings, however, were done here in the US not far from my studio, and the files sent over. Updates are important (and free to purchasers) so we are now working on a major addition to “Roxie’s Doors,” which will be out within a month or so.

We’ve had great reviews, from SLJ, Kirkus, PW, Moms With Apps, Digital Storytime, Common Sense Media (which gave it the max 5 stars and a valued “Hidden Gem” award), and many more. With children’s apps you must go beyond the usual children’s book review venues, and reach out to web reviewers, many of whom interact directly with moms and dads. The institutional market (schools and libraries) isn’t as important to the app market as printed books are. Web reviews are also available all over the world.  This app is written/spoken in English, which limits the world-wide audience somewhat. It has sold in 40 countries (the maze app, which is wordless, has sold in 63 countries). We are currently making an app from another out-of-print Chronicle book, to be called “Roxie’s Circus,” which we expect to have out early 2012.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book two hundred and eighty-three

Being rather shy, I am not the kind of person who likes to be on stage front and center. I know a lot of people however, who are not afflicted by my shyness and they enjoy being in the spotlight, and get a kick out of having everyone's attention focused on them. In today's picture book you will be a peacock who takes this need for attention to the extreme. Larry likes the limelight so much that he ends up creating a problem. For himself.

Limelight Larry

Leigh Hodgkinson

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 8

Tiger Tales, 2011, 978-1-58925-102-1

   Meet Limelight Larry. He is a peacock who thinks that he is “amazing” and “fantastic,” and that he therefore should be “famous.” Larry believes that this whole book should be about him, and only about him.

   The problem is that Larry isn’t alone for long. Soon Mouse is standing at the corner of one of the pages looking at Larry. Mouse is thrilled that he is in a “real live book.” Larry isn’t. Larry thinks that Mouse’s presence is making the page “all messy!”

   Then Bird arrives, and Bird is also very pleased to be in a book. He even offers to “do something funny on the next page.” Larry is getting more and more miffed. If anyone is going to do something funny it is going to be him and only him.

   In the pages that follow, more and more animals arrive on the scene. Elephant suggest that the book should have a “BIG surprise at the end.” Wolf brings a scary forest with him, and Bear arrives with a tea party in a basket. Soon the page is “cluttered” with animals, a forest, and a tea party. It is all too much for Larry, who decides that everyone needs to “get lost” so that he can have his book to himself.

   In this unique and deliciously funny book, Leigh Hodgkinson uses a very arrogant and self-centered peacock to demonstrate the fact that being famous is all very well, but it is not much fun if you are all alone. With her distinctive collage style art and her outrageous main character (who tries to hog the pages), Leigh Hodgkinson gives children a very special bookish experience. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book two hundred and eighty-two

Let's face it. Most of us, not matter how old we are, don't like to admit that we have messed up. We don't like to talk about the mistakes or errors we have made. Some of us even try to cover up our screw ups. Not surprisingly children also have a reluctance to fess up when they have done something they shouldn't, or when they have lost or broken something.

Today's picture book addresses the whole 'it is better to fess up than to cover up' issue with humor and sensitivity.

Don’t worry Douglas!

David Melling

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Tiger Tales, 2011, 978-1-58925-106-9

   Douglas the bear’s father has given him a wonderful red woolly hat. It has three white pompoms on it, and Douglas dashes outside, eager to show his friends his present. Happily Douglas does a series of cartwheels in front of his sheep friends. By the time Douglas has completed his cartwheels, something dreadful has happened to his hat. It has turned from a hat into “one long string of spaghetti.”

   Poor Douglas is terribly upset. What will his father say when he sees what Douglas has done to his brand new hat? Douglas’ friends all have ideas about what Douglas should do with his unraveled hat, but none of these ideas work for Douglas. It looks as if there is only one thing that Douglas can do.

   Fessing up when you have broken or lost something is never easy, especially if you are a young bear who doesn’t want to disappoint his dad. In this delightful Douglas title we see how Douglas deals with a very common problem. With laugh-out-loud funny illustrations throughout, this picture book is a must for young children.

   Readers who like this title are sure to enjoy David Melling’s first Douglas book, Hugless Douglas.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book two hundred and eighty-one

I have reviewed a lot of books about cats. It would seem that many children's book authors are cat lovers  who cannot resist creating stories about felines. For today's title I have a graphic novel featuring a rather plump cat called Binky who has a vivid imagination, and who also believes that he is destined for great things. I am inclined to agree with him. 

Binky the Space Cat

Ashley Spires

Graphic Novel

For ages 8 to 10

Kids Can Press, 2009, 978-1-55453-309-1  

   Binky the cat is very excited because he is now a card carrying Certified Space Cat. He is no longer an “average cat” who sleeps, plays with toys, catches mice, and washes itself. Binky “has a purpose,” and his purpose is to go into outer space one day to “explore unknown places,” and “battle alien creatures.”

   Though Binky has big ambitions, he has actually never left his house. He has never been outside because outside is “outer space” and everyone knows that “outer space isn’t safe for an ordinary cat.” To be able to go into outer space Binky is going to need to build a space ship.

   Of course Binky does not let his mission distract him from his duties defeating aliens (bugs) who have managed to infiltrate his house (space station). His whole life Binky has been a vigilant alien catcher. He has figured out that aliens and bugs are one and the same thing, and he has always done his best to protect his humans from these insidious enemies.

   Though he is able to build his rocket ship (in secret) and protect his humans from aliens, Binky forgets one very important thing. It is only when he is about to blast off into outer space that Binky realizes that there is something that he cannot leave behind.

   In this deliciously funny graphic novel, readers will meet a cat who has takes himself very seriously. Readers will find it not to laugh out loud when they see how this…er…well padded feline struggles to do his duty and achieve his ambitions at the same time. Clearly being a cat means that you have to deal with having a very complicated life.

Poetry Friday - A review of Rumble in the Jungle

Not long ago I reviewed Commotion in the Ocean, a board poetry book that grownups can let even their youngest children explore without having to worry that the book might get damaged. I like the fact that Tiger Tales has created books of poetry that are suitable for very little children. True, children who are between the ages of three and five usually cannot read on their own, but why shouldn't they have a book of poetry that is just for them. They can look at the pictures, pick out a familiar word or two, and know that poetry is for everyone, big and small.

Here is another Tiger Tales board poetry book.

Rumble in the Jungle

Giles Andreae

Illustrated by David Wojtowycz

Board Poetry Book

For ages 3 to 5

Tiger Tales, 2011, 978-1-58925-864-8

   It is morning in the jungle, and the animals are starting to wake up. We can hear “a whisper in the trees” and “rustling in the leaves.” Let’s go into the jungle to “see what we can find.”

   The first animal we meet is the chimpanzee. There they are, swinging through the trees and looking for things to eat. We find out that if chimps cannot find nuts to dine on, they “munch each other’s fleas!”

   Further along in the jungle we meet a zebra. Some people might think that the zebra’s appearance is a bit odd, but this zebra clearly thinks that he is very lucky to have stripes because his “ladyfriend” thinks that his stripes make him look “handsome and cool.”

   All in all this book contains fifteen poems, thirteen of which are about exotic animals that children are naturally drawn to, such as lions, tigers, giraffes, snakes, and gorillas. With amusing rhymes, bright illustrations, and sturdy board pages that will withstand enthusiastic handling, this book will provide little children with an entertaining poetry experience.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book two hundred and eighty

I am always fascinated to see how resilient people can be. Something seemingly calamitous happens and we despair; until we realize that our new situation is really not that bad at all. Then we find creative ways to make the best of things.

Today's picture book is about two individuals who fall on hard times, and who find a way to make the best of a bad situation in a very special and incredibly sweet way. 

Lovey and Dovey

Elle van Lieshout and Erik van Os

Illustrated by Mies van Hout

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Lemniscaat, 2009, 978-1-59078-660-4

   Lovey and Dovey are a pair of robbers who stole a pair of blue socks and who are now in a “dismal dungeon.” Though they feel lucky to have each other, Lovey cannot help wishing that they had a better view. Because he loves Lovey so much, Dovey squeezes through the bars of their cell (he is very thin) and he brings his lady love a view of “sun and sea.”

   In the days that follow this first escape, Dovey leaves the cell regularly to bring his beloved other things that will make their cell more pleasant. Soon the cell contains the moon and some stars, an apple tree, a pond, and a haystack. Lovey and Dovey are “pretty snug” in their cell.

   Then the robbers are released into a cold, gray, and damp world. If only they were back in their cell.

   This warm and delightfully unique picture book will give readers a delightful respite from the everyday world. Not only is the story quite charming, but the illustrations are sprinkled with clever little vignettes that children will enjoy looking at.