Do Monkeys Tweet? (Hardcover), by Melanie Walsh. Like the other books in this series, this one depicts various animals engaged in unusual (for them) activities, with a question posed to the reader. "Do horses bark?," "Do little mice purr?," etc. The answer (always, until the last page, a resounding, "no!") is answered on the following page, with the proper creature performing the activity. It's a short, simple book, with enough repetition to engage the toddler set.Excerpt:
"Do horses bark? / No, dogs do. Woof! Woof!"
Bookworm's interest at 22 months: He seemed a bit hesitant about that cover image of the monkey at first, but now he's read it a few times. He likes it, almost as much as the first in this series. He shouts out, "no!" each time he turns the page.
Parent's Peeve: Same issue of the cover not being in the book. (Cute how the monkey is hanging upside down on the back cover, though).
Do Donkeys Dance? (Hardcover), by Melanie Walsh. Same format as the other two books in the series. This one includes, among others, a hopping hippo, hanging cat, and leaping turtle.Excerpt:
"Can a ladybug stand on one leg? No, but a flamingo can."
Bookworm's interest at 22 months: He enjoys it, shouting out the usual "no." I struggle to slow him down to see if he's actually digesting what the question is. The last page asks, "Can you fly up in the sky?" and he always shouts, "no!" (can't say he's wrong about that), but the actual answer is "Yes! Bon voyage!" with an illustration of an airplane. So, after a few reads, he now yells "no!" and then, after he turns the page, "sneaky!" because it's sort of a trick question. :)
Parent's Peeve: If it's on the cover, it should be in the book. OK, I'll stop saying that now. Until the next review. Also, for an animal that hops, I think a bunny would have been better than a flea.
PUT SOMETHING IN
Draw a crazy picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a mumble-gumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
'Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That ain't been there before.
-Shel Silverstein
I'm all decked out in my I Read Banned Books Bracelet, and ready to start reading my son scathingly controversial books, like Where's Waldo? and A Light in the Attic (both of which have made lists of challenged books). I hope he copes. But, in addition to motivating me to seek out some of these challenged books and to give them a second look, Banned Books Week has also got me thinking about what it means to ban or censor a book, particularly when it relates to children. 
And Tango Makes Three (Hardcover), by Peter Parnell. This book tells the story of two penguins, Roy and Silo, who become a couple at a New York zoo. The author's note at the end explains, "All of the events in this story are true . . . After years of living side by side in the Central Park Zoo, they discovered each other in 1998 and they have been a couple ever since. Tango, their only chick, was born from an egg laid by another penguin couple named Betty and Porkey. That couple had often hatched their own eggs, but they had never been able to care for more than one at a time. In 2000, when Betty laid two fertile eggs, Rob Gramzay decided to give Roy, Silo, and one of those eggs a chance to become a family." The illustrations are lovely, as is the text. Of course, parents will understand the concept of homosexuality at play here, but for a young reader, the message is fairly subtle. "Two penguins in the penguin house were a little bit different. One was named Roy, and the other was named Silo. Roy and Silo were both boys. But they did everything together. / They bowed to each other. And walked together. They sang to each other. And swam together. Where ever Roy went, Silo went too."
For Pete's Sake (Hardcover), by Ellen Stoll Walsh. Pete is an alligator, but doesn't seem to realize it. He's hanging out with flamingoes, and all he can see are the many differences between himself and the birds. He wants to be pink, has two many feet, and not enough feathers. Although the flamingoes are very nice about it (about his four leggedness: "'You're lucky, Pete,' said the others. 'Two, and two extra. C'mon. Let's go wading."), it takes him running into some other alligators for him to realize his lesson. "'I'm different but the same,' he told the others. 'Well for Pete's sake, Pete,' they said. 'You always have been.'" A lovely tale about wanting to belong, the beauty of friendships with people different than yourself, and coming to accept your own uniqueness. The text per page is short; perfect for toddler attention spans.Excerpt:
"'I'm green,' said Pete. 'I want to be pink. Everyone else is.'"
Bookworm's interest at 22 months: Honestly, he's not really into it. I can't get him to sit still for it. I'm a little surprised, because he enjoys seeing flamingoes at the aviary. I'm going to keep trying. As always, I figure he might just be a little young for it. The illustrations (a cut paper collage style) don't vary all that much from page to page - the flamingoes and alligator partake in a few activities, but there isn't much in the way of background. I think this minimal amount of extras suits the simplicity of the story, but it also means that after he's seen the flamingo and alligator once, he's kind of ready to move on. I really do think he'll like this one when the text means more to him.
Hop Jump (Paperback), by Ellen Stoll Walsh. Betsy is a little bit different than the frogs around her. The other frogs go "Hop jump, hop jump. It's always the same." Betsy, on the other hand, takes her cue from some floating, twisting leaves, and decides to cut a rug (lilypad?) with some lovely movements of her own. "'It's called dancing,' she said." The other frogs are a bit taken aback, and tell Betsy that there is no room for dancing. Betsy goes and finds her own place to dance. The curious frogs follow her, and "before too long their feet began to move." Another wonderful tale about being unique, refusing to conform, and acceptance of others. My favorite part is the conclusion (see excerpt); no sour grapes for Betsy.Excerpt:
"Soon all the frogs were dancing. All but one. 'Hey, no room for hopping,' said the frogs. 'Oh yes, there's room,' said Betsy. 'For dancing and for hopping."
Bookworm's interest at 22 months: Again, I'm a bit perplexed at his lack of interest, because he loves frogs. If he starts to show an interest, I'll consider this one for our permanent collection. It's that cute.
The Everything Book (Hardcover), by Denise Fleming. This book truly has a little bit of "everything." Playful poems; word identification pages with body parts, pets, and foods; the seasons; the alphabet; counting; colors; shapes; emotions; and hidden ladybugs - all are introduced briefly. Fleming created the rich, colorful illustrations by pouring colored cotton fiber through hand-cut stencils. The result is beautiful - very visually appealing and kid-friendly.Excerpt:
"Two Little Blackbirds. Two little blackbirds Sitting on a hill. One was named Jack And one was named Jill. Fly away, Jack, Fly away, Jill, / Come back, Jack, / Come back, Jill. Two little blackbirds Sitting on a hill. - Anonymous"
Bookworm's interest at 22 months: We first received this book at 12 months, and he had no interest in it. I recently pulled it out again, and it definitely has a lot more appeal. Some of the pages (the poems, usually) still fail to grab him, but he enjoys word book type pages, as well as the counting, shapes, and alphabet sections. He probably likes 75% of the book now, and I am betting he'll grow into the other 25%. He loves doing hand motions for the poem I've excerpted above, after we saw it in the back of a Highlights magazine a few months ago.
Red Light, Green Light (Hardcover), by Anastasia Suen. If you're not paying close attention when this book begins, you might wonder why there are zoo animals in the intersection or (as my husband asked the first time he read it aloud) pencils in the road. But, all will become clear as you reach the conclusion of this sweet picture book. The brief text, which is perfect for toddlers just beginning to read picture books, narrates the action as a boy creates lively city scenes with plenty of fodder for transportation-loving toddlers. The idea of the boy creating the scene reminded me of the clever conclusion to Construction Countdown (quite a different book, which we own and love). Excerpt:
"Red light, stop. Green light, go. / Cars and trucks drive to and fro."
Bookworm's interest at 22 months: Of the three we read this week, I think this one captured his interest the most. The style of the colorful illustrations (by Ken Wilson-Max) seems suited for his young age. I think he enjoys it enough to consider purchasing our own copy, which I don't do very often these days.
Window Music (Hardcover), by Anastasia Suen. My husband and I at one time lived in different states, connected by a rail line. We spent A LOT of time on the train that year, and with all of its quirks, I'm a huge fan of this mode of transportation. "Window Music" is a lovely tribute to locomotive transport. The text is simple and sweet, following a young girl and her family from departure to destination, focusing in particular on all she sees out the window. I just peeked at the amazon.com listing for the book, and I'm going to borrow this description of Wade Zahares' illustrations, as summarized by the Publishers Weekly review: "In his first picture book, Zahares uses thickly applied paint and strong, geometric forms to create scenery that looks almost sculpted. A wave resembles a curl of plaster; a grape arbor is a tangle of thick wiry tendrils and bulging fruit; the train winds through the very peaks of conical snow-dripped mountains. The trip begins and ends in a docile, realistic station, but in between, the journey takes some surreal turns. This magical excursion is music with several movements, returning readers to a familiar theme in the final stanzas." Yes, what they said. I think my favorite part of the book is the conclusion, as night has fallen and the train pulls into the darkened station. I can just feel myself reaching for my suitcase, wrapping my coat around me a little tighter, and stepping onto the platform.Excerpt:
"train on the track clickety clack / behind the sign, cars in line/ street after street under our feet"
Bookworm's interest at 22 months: Once we got beyond just shouting "choo choo!" gleefully 14 times, he enjoyed this. I'm not 100% certain he's connecting the text to the illustrations (getting that the text is describing the train ride), so I'm going to work on that the next time we read it. The illustration style, which really is beautiful, doesn't necessarily lend itself to identifying items on every page (a favorite game of our son's and my trick for engaging him in a book), so he kind of breezes past the middle pages quickly.
Parent's Peeve: The book doesn't appear to be in print any longer, which is a shame, but if you like the sound of it or enjoy a copy from the library, there are plenty of used copies to be had on amazon.com.
Delivery (Hardcover), by Anastasia Suen. Like Window Music, Delivery is also illustrated by Wade Zahares. The book begins with early morning (gassing up of a delivery van) and ends at nightfall. In between, we see bicycles, airplanes, logging trucks, cement mixers, trains, and even oil pipes, all doing their part to complete deliveries.Excerpt:
"Boxes and cans come in trucks and vans / Unwrap it all for shelves on the wall"
Bookworm's interest at 22 months: Although the illustration style is the same as Window Music, there is more detail to the illustrations here, and every page contains a number of items (house, helicopter, tree, etc.) that pique his interest.
Parent's Peeve: Again, out of print, but plenty of used copies around.
Do Lions Live on Lily Pads? (Hardcover), by Melanie Walsh. Our little guy has decided quite determinatively that he will be a "yaya meow meow" (translation: yellow cat) for Halloween, and that Mama will be a black cat, and Dada a "roooooooar" (translation: lion). So when I spotted this playful book on the library shelves, I had to take it home with us. Very bright, simple illustrations of animals (in the wrong locations befitting their kind) pair with questions about their habitats. The book follows a pattern - see excerpt - until the last page. A fun, short book.Excerpt:
"Is this the nest of a goat? / No, it belongs to a bird. / Do crocodiles live in shells? / No, but snails do."
Bookworm's interest at 22 months: I lost count, but I believe we read it approximately 19 times in the first go. All while sitting next to a pile of 7 other new library books. He likes to say "nooooo" as we turn each page to answer the question. I'll be hunting down the other books by this author soon. They include "Do Pigs Have Stripes?," "Do Donkeys Dance?," and "Do Monkeys Tweet?" among others.
Parent's Peeve: I don't like that the lion on the cover isn't actually included in the text of the book. The title page has a picture of a frog, which obviously answers the questions on the front page, but there isn't any text saying that. Still, he didn't seem to mind one bit. He still refers to it as the "roooooar" book when he wants us to read it.
Chicky Chicky Chook Chook (Hardcover), by Cathy MacLennan. I spotted this book on the shelf, and thought the title just screamed "fun read-aloud!" It stars an unlikely trio of animals - chicks, bees, and cats - as they have their peaceful slumber interrupted by a rain storm. The text is all very sing-songy and silly ("Sticky, icky, chicky. Soggy, groggy moggy. Wet. Wet. Wet. / Crazy . . . dizzy . . . buzzer! How will we get DRY?"). If the excerpts appeal to you, you'll probably enjoy the book. The illustrations are fun - quite clear, colorful, and visually appealing as a whole. I wasn't as delighted with reading it aloud as I had hoped.Excerpt:
"Sunny, sunny, hot shine. Snuggle, snuggle, sleepy shine. Lazy . . . dozy. Snoozy . . . woooooozy."
Bookworm's interest at 22 months: He loves cats and bees, which both feature prominently in this book, but he didn't show much interest in it. I'll try a few more times, but I don't think it will become a favorite without some extra effort (for instance, maybe if I try singing the words as lyrics).
Hopefully this week you’ve been visiting a bunch of new book blogs and maybe noticing some things about them you’d like to try yourself. Or maybe you’ve just had some ideas for improvements to your blog you’d like to put into place or new ideas for content. But there’s also probably something you really love about your blog, too, something you’re really proud of. It’s time to show off! Tell us and this is really important, in 50 words or less what you love best about your blog! And then in 50 words or less where you want your blog to be by the next BBAW! Ready? GO!
