Category: Picture Books for Kids

Book Review: Armadillo Rodeo

Age Range: 5-8
Author/Illustrator:  Jan Brett 
Puffin Books
New York
1995
ISBN: 9780142401255
List Price: $6.99 (amazon.com)

Bo the armadillo has a tendency to wander off, which is exactly what he does despite his mom telling him to stay close.  When he spots a bright red armadillo he thinks is a new friend, it’s too much temptation.  Bo takes off after the new friend …which turns out to be Harmony Jean’s new cowboy boots!  Luckily, Bo’s mom has doggedly pursued Bo all day long and finds him in time to bring him home safely.

This book is not new, but it was quick to become a favorite at our house.  And despite it being by a very popular picture book author and illustrator, I have found that not as many people have heard of it as I would expect.  My kids love the western theme and illustrations.  It also has the bonus of highlighting an animal not frequently found in other books (with some fun facts about armadillos, too!).  As with other Jan Brett books, the panel illustrations add even more to the story and are worth a pause to point out and discuss with lap readers.  Though it seems that Bo doesn’t get in nearly enough trouble for wandering off (kind of like Curious George seems to get off easy most of the time), I love that the mom armadillo patiently looks for him all day. 

Buy it on Amazon here. 

Buy it on Barnes and Noble here. 

Book Review: Green Lantern: An Origin Story

Age Range: 3+
Author: Matthew K. Manning
Illustrator: Luciano Vecchio
Stone Arch Books
2015
ISBN: 978-1434297341
List Price: $4.95 (amazon.com)

One of four DC Super Heroes Origins books, the story of how Hal Jordan becomes sector 2814’s Green Lantern.  

G was more than excited when he managed to secure this one at his weekly school library trip.  This book does a great job of providing the background story for one of the DC comic super heroes for young readers interested in that type of thing.  The story is action-packed (no surprise – it is a super hero book), and is written in a way that is ideal for lap readers or new readers.  What I especially found noteworthy about this book was the reading discussion guide at the end.  It was really fun to go through the questions with G.  It definitely makes me want to check out the other books in the series (which cover Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman).

This is a fun choice for kids starting to be interested in super heroes.

Buy it on Amazon here. 

Buy it on Barnes and Noble here.

Book Review: I Can Run

Age Range: 0-5
Author: Murray Head
Holiday House, Inc.
2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3831-0
List Price: $13.79 (amazon.com)

An I Like To Read­^® book, I Can Run uses simple sentences and photographs to tell just what this clever little squirrel can do.

This is a very short, but perfect book for new readers.  The short sentences with repetition (I can run, I can hop, etc.) are helpful for building confidence.  Despite the simple nature, this book manages to bring in humor and heart.  The squirrel even has a run-in with a hawk.  The reader finds it is very good this squirrel can run! The photographs of the squirrel are quite adorable as well.  Not only did this book give my son the good feeling of having read a book by himself (one of his first!), but also had us laughing together. 

This is an excellent pick for a new reader.  Younger siblings will also likely enjoy the simple story and detailed photographs.

Buy it on Amazon here.  

Buy it on Barnes and Noble here.

Book Review: Dinosaur Thunder

Age Range: 3-5
Author:  Marion Dane Bauer
Illustrator: Margaret Chodos-Irvine
Scholastic Press
New York
2012
ISBN: 978-0-590-45296-0
List Price: $11.31 (amazon.com)

A storm is coming!  Big brother Chad isn’t scared; he’s doing a dance.  But little brother Brannon is terrified.  One by one, the family tries to tell Brannon not to worry by tell him the thunder storm is nothing but cats purring, angels bowling, or clouds crashing.  But none of these helps Brannon until his big brother gives it a try.

This is such a cute family story.  The illustrations show a delightfully cozy family picture: parents, grandparents, and two brothers hanging out in a living room as a storm rolls in.  Most kids can relate to being afraid of a thunderstorm at some point.  And most parents know it is not always the easiest task to calm those little ones down when they are scared.  I loved that while all the adults tried to help little Brannon, it was ultimately the big brother who knew just what to say.  It has a great message about family, but perhaps especially about the special understanding between siblings.

The illustrations are bright and cartoonish, and quite unique.  The book advises that they were “created using a variety of printmaking techniques and nontraditional materials, including textured wallpaper, vinyl fabric, plastic lace, and pencil erasers”.

This is a wonderful choice for anyone with kiddos who don’t like thunderstorms…but perhaps do like dinosaurs.

Buy it on Amazon here. 

Buy it on Barnes and Noble here.  

Book Review: Move Over, Rover!

Age Range: 1+
Author:  Karen Beaumont
Illustrator: Jane Dyer
Harcourt, Inc. 
Orlando
2006
ISBN: 978-0-15-201979-2
List Price: $11.92 (amazon.com)

Rover is happily snuggling in his doghouse on a rainy day, but he’s not alone for long.  Soon a whole crew of backyard animals are looking for a warm place to wait out the storm, until an unexpected guest sends them all running.

A Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winner from 2017, Move Over, Rover! is fun to read out loud and a perfect read for little ears.  The concept is somewhat familiar for children’s books– lots of animals joining one by one and crowding into a small space.  However, the setting and animals are unique and ones little ones may have seen in their own neighborhood.  Additionally, the repeated refrain that grows with each new animal is helpful for early literacy.  The animals and rhyming were appealing to my 3-year-old; and the repeated phrases tempting for me to let my kindergartener work out on his own.  

The illustrations (watercolor and liquid acrylic) are sweet and expertly depict a rainy fall day – they made me want to snuggle somewhere warm, too!

Buy it on Amazon here.

Buy it on Barnes and Noble here. 

Book Review: Born to Ride

Age Range: 5-8
Author:  Larissa Theule
Illustrator: Kelsey Garrity-Riley
Abrams Books for Young Readers 
New York
2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3412-0
List Price: $8.99 (amazon.com)

Louisa Belinda Bellflower wants to learn to ride a bike, but it is 1896 in New York, and girls are not supposed to ride bikes.  Regardless, she convinces her brother Joe to teach her how, borrows a pair of his trousers, and stubbornly puts herself to the task of learning to ride a bike.  Louisa Belinda sticks with it notwithstanding a slight fear that “bicycle face” could be a real thing and despite multiple falls.  In the end, Belinda inspires her mother to sew a pair of pants for herself and take up the bicycle along with her daughter.

I love that this book uses riding a bike, something kids in the target range are likely to be fascinated by, to teach about a period in history where women in the United States didn’t have as many opportunities as they do today.  The book also carries the message of persistence and getting up again after you fall, quite literally.  Not only that, but it portrays a wonderful example of a helpful and supportive, yet believable, sibling relationship. The story is simple and easy to follow.

The pictures were friendly and in a very cool way intertwined Louisa and Joe’s adventure with the backdrop of the women’s suffrage movement.  

Following the story, historical facts regarding history of bicycling and how it related to the woman’s suffrage movement were provided.  The historical pictures and photographs provided caught my son’s attention and had him asking me to read the details.  He’s five and said they were a little long, but were interesting.  His favorite part was the story and the way Belinda Louisa inspired her mom to ride a bike at the end.  However, the historical facts section did spark some discussion after reading.  Slightly older kids may get even more out of this section.

I’m kind of a stickler about situations where kids keep secrets from their parents in books, TV, and movies.  Louisa Belinda does state “she needn’t know” when her brother asks what their mother will say about her daughter learning to ride a bike.  However, the illustrations suggest that the mother is in fact very aware of her children’s activities, as does her decision to take up biking as well.  Kids may or may not pick up on that, however.

Buy it on Amazon here.

Buy it on Barnes and Noble here.  

Book Review: There’s a Spider in this Book!

Age Range: 3+
Author:  Claire Freedman
Illustrator: Mike Byrne
Macmillan Children’s Books
London
2018
ISBN: 978-1-5098-3078-7
List Price: $9.99 (amazon.com)

A cute little spider named Eric discloses all the intricacies of being a spider, including how it feels to be feared and chased.  He recounts his attempts at being friendly, shares what it is like to be a spider, offers himself as an ideal pet, all while hiding on each page of the book. 

This book found its way to our house from the tooth fairy who left it in exchange for a bottom front tooth!  The spider theme lends it to a festive Halloween read, but it certainly isn’t limited to that.  Eric the spider is exceptionally charming and likeable from the start.  Even as someone who doesn’t particularly like spiders inside my house (at least where I can see them), I have to say I found this spider very endearing.

In a light way, the book offers kids a chance to put themselves in the shoes of a creature that is sometimes feared or disliked.  Additionally, Eric can be found hiding on every page if the reader looks closely – which is a really fun way to keep the attention of even squirmy lap readers.  

Buy it on Amazon here. 

Buy it on Barnes and Noble here.

Book Review: All the Awake Animals Are Almost Asleep

Age Range: 0+
Author:  Crescent Dragonwagon
Illustrator: David McPhail
Little, Brown and Company 
New York
2012
ISBN: 978-0-316-07045-4
List Price: $16.59 (barnesandnoble.com)

A little kid says he isn’t sleepy at bedtime (surprise!), so his mom proceeds to tell him how the animals settle down to sleep, A to Z.

As far as alphabet bedtime books goes, I really appreciated the originality of the animals included (some less common ones making an appearance such as bison, hedgehog, mole, and vole).  Also, the alliterations used for each letter and animal are really fun to read (to be fair, I love alliterations, and Cap’n Turbot for them).   They also have the effect of forcing some less common vocabulary for little ones with good effect.  For example, “Rabbit relaxes into restful repose dreaming of ripe red radishes”.  Even the title is an alliteration.

The illustrations (watercolor and ink) are calming and all depict sleepy, snuggly, animals which definitely has the desired effect as a bedtime story.  The use of cursive letters mixed in with the illustrations may be somewhat confusing for a kid who is starting to recognize letters, but also makes it unique.

My 3-year-old went back and back and back to this one for a stretch, and it seems to be a strong contender for kids who love animals.

Buy it on Amazon here.   

Buy it on Barnes and Noble here.

Book Review: Sloth Slept On

Age Range: 3+
Author:  Frann Preston Gannon
Sterling Children’s Books
New York
2015
ISBN: 978-1454916116
List Price: $9.48 (amazon.com)

Three kids happen upon a sloth sleeping in their tree while playing.  They don’t know what he is at first, so they do some research and their imagination comes alive.  The adult they check with is of minimal help, and unfortunately the kids miss some pretty clear signs that would have helped them solve their mystery.  Undaunted, they eventually successfully identify him as a sloth and try their best to help him out (with questionable, but humorous, results).

This book is a fun read and cute story.  Wouldn’t it be amazing to find a sloth in your tree?  This is an informative read for kids as it includes some interesting facts about sloths.  Added bonus of course is that the sleepy sloth is so cute.  Plus, sloths are simply charming; there is something about a mammal that doesn’t even have enough muscle mass to shiver to warm itself that is hard not to love.

The kids are overall resourceful in their efforts to uncover what this creature they have found is, though I do wish they would have had some more assistance from the grown-up who was too busy reading the paper to help much.  My kids and I do get a good laugh out of the fact that the kids miss the “missing: sloth” signs posted on many of the pages.  

Though not explicitly bedtime story, I loved that this book lends itself to an excellent transition to sleep for kids (“The End.  Ok, time to make like a sloth and go to sleep.”).  Perfect for nap and bedtime!

Buy it on Amazon here. 

Buy it on Barnes and Noble here.

Book Review: Let ‘Er Buck: George Fletcher, the People’s Champion

Age Range: 8-12
Author: Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Illustrator: Gordon C. James
Carolrhoda Books
Minneapolis
2019
ISBN: 978-1512498080
List Price: $13.36 (amazon.com)

The biography of George Fletcher is told with beautiful illustrations and excellent lessons for readers.  The book traces George Fletcher’s life from a young kid all the way to his famous saddle-bronc ride at the 1911 Pendleton Round-Up. George Fletcher was a cowboy and stellar bronc rider who eventually made it to the National Cowboy Hall of fame.  But as this biography shows, it wasn’t an easy road for him and he was met with challenges of racism and bigotry – which he overcame to become “the people’s champion” at that 1911 contest.

I loved this biography about a famous cowboy of whom I had not previously heard!  I enjoyed the cowboy jargon worked into the narration (“took to their ways like a wet kitten to warm brick”; “life at home was no bushel of peaches”).  This had me smiling throughout and helped pull the reader right into the setting of the story.  Additionally, George Fletcher’s life has a wonderful message about perseverance and finding something you love and doing it.  Though intended for older kids (8-12 probably target), my 5-year-old did enjoy this and was captivated by the idea of cowboys and bronc riding.  Even my 3-year-old sat still for a while for this one, likely thanks to all the pictures of horses.  It may have even led to a few laps around the family room on parent-horseback.

The illustrations are beautiful paintings and help bring the story and its complexity to life.  This is one I was happy to read over and over as requested by my kids (picking up something a little new each time I did).

Buy it on Amazon here. 

Buy it on Barnes and Noble here.