Monday, June 29, 2009

Picture Book: Little Beauty


Based on a true story, this picture book tells a simple tale of a captive gorilla who asks his keepers for a friend. They bring him Beauty, a tiny kitten who loves the gorilla as much as he loves her. A sweet tale of empathy and friendship that will charm readers, despite it's short length.
Picture book
Ages 2-5
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Wordless Picture Book: Wave



Wordless picture books provide excellent support for beginning and pre-readers. They encourage kids to use their own storytelling skills, and act as a springboard for conversations between parent and child. They often use sophistocated visual design standards, and are just plain fun to look at!

Wave is the story of a young girl and the waves on the beach. As we all have done, she threatens the receding wave, then flees from the crash of the incoming wave after it. She plays in the sand, is chased by seagulls, and in the end, leaves the beach with her mother.

A simple, fun wordless book, great for younger kids.

Wordless picture book

Ages 1-4

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Picture Book: One Boy



One Boy is a fantastic new picturebook by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. It's die cut pages reveal an image with simple supporting text on one side; when you turn the page, the die cutout changes the text to tell you more about the picture that is revealed.

For example, One Boy becomes All Alone on the next page. Four Monkeys turn into Held the Key. Not only is this a fantastic early literacy support, it's also a great counting book! Clear, cartoonlike pictures will appeal to babies right through preschoolers, and early readers will really benefit from the playful text features. A great choice!

Picture Book

Ages 3-7

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Picture Book With CD: I Got Two Dogs


Kids will love this fun picturebook about two exuberant dogs, complete with catchy CD tune! Listen to it once, and you'll be singing along as dogs Fanny and Blue chase squirrels, get belly rubs, and shake mud all over EVERYTHING!
Picture Book with CD
Ages 2-6
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Picture Book: Katie Loves the Kittens



If you're a dog lover, this adorable picture book will have you sitting up and begging for more. Katie is sooooo excited when Sara Ann brings home three cute little kittens. She's so excited that she just can't help herself! Whenever she sees them, she howls with glee, and runs over to play with them. But the kittens are very tiny, and they're terrified of poor Katie.

Katie finally learns that she must moderate her excitement if she wants the kittens to trust her; a happy ending for all. The best part of this book is the spot-on illustration. Those who love dogs will recognize several classic behaviours: the unstoppably wagging tail, the embarassed curl-up on the dog pillow, and the head-off-the-dog-bed exhausted sleep. The pictures of the kittens are equally funny, and author/illustrator John Himmelman captures the ninja-kitten position perfectly as the kittens fly through the air after Katie's indiscretions.

Picture Book

Ages 3-6

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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Picture Book: Never Talk To Strangers


I love the illustrations in this book; they look like they're straight out of the sixties, with their curly lines and textured wallpapers. The message is just as good, and perhaps a bit more timeless!
In funny, rhyming verse, this book exhorts children to ignore and avoid strangers who try to get their attention. For example:
"If you are hanging from a trapeze/ and up sneaks a camel with bony knees,/ remember this rule, if you please -/Never talk to strangers!"
The other pages are just as fun, with grouchy bears knocking at your door, spotted leopards leaping in a store, rhinoceri waiting for a bus, and bees riding their bikes. All these weird and wonderful animals are rebuffed with the refrain, "Never Talk to Strangers!"
The best part of this book, however, is its second half. In the later pages, kids are given examples of when talking to a stranger is perfectly ok. If your father introduces you to a kangaroo, or your teacher introduces you to a llama, they're not strangers...because your father/teacher knows her! A fun book with a great message.
Picture Book
Ages 3-6
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Picture Book: Big Kicks



Biggie Bear is a quiet bear who plays jazz, collects stamps, and enjoys time alone. One day, the town soccer team knocks on his door; they want to recruit him for the team, sure that his size will give him a competetive advantage!

It turns out that Biggie Bear is not the next David Beckham. As the book puts it, "Maybe being big and being good at soccer are not the same". But everyone has their special talent, and it turns out that Biggie is a rock-star party thrower. When his team wins the game (courtesy of an accidental header from Biggie) they decide that their large friend definitely belongs on the soccer field...as the chief cheerleader, from the sidelines!


Picture Book

Ages 4-6

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Picture Book: Night of the Moon



This gentle Ramadan story is full of beautiful illustrations and information about the important Muslim holiday. Told from the point of view of a little girl, Ramadan is a magical time of fasting, family, feasts and traditions.

Perfect as a read-aloud for kids who want to know more about Ramadan, Eid, and Chaand Raat, this book is aimed at elementary kids who are interested in holiday and traditions around the world.

Picture Book

Ages 5-10

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Picture Book: Big Rabbit's Bad Mood


Everybody's had one. A bad mood...one that follows you around, and sticks like glue. Big Rabbit's bad mood is a hairy, rabbit sized guy that cheerfully follows him around everywhere he goes. It does annoying things, like tap on the desk, or flick the light switches. It even eats the houseplants and the CD player when Big Rabbit tries to cheer himself up with some music!
Finally, Big Rabbit tries making a path of arrows to show the Bad Mood the door. He's so busy making and moving and doing that he doesn't notice the bad mood disappear! To top things off, all of Big Rabbit's friends show up at his door, ready to celebrate.
I thought that it could have been made more clear that a bad mood can be dispelled on your own; many kids will connect the birthday party and presents with the bad mood's departure. But the whimsical pictures and cute text are so delightful that i'm inclined to forgive this book any weaknesses! Definitely a great readaloud for anyone who's ever had one of THOSE moods.
Picture Book
Ages 3-6
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Picture Book: The Doghouse


Author Jan Thomas has done it again, with this hilariously tongue-in-cheek picture book. Mouse, Cow, Duck and Pig are playing ball in a sunny field when their ball rolls staight into THE DOGHOUSE! Mouse proceeds to volunteer his friends for retrieval duty, and the tension builds as, one by one, they don't come out. What's going on in there, anyway? Can Mouse swallow his fear and find out?
The text is very, very minimal, making this a perfect choice for beginning readers. A wonderful readaloud for kids who are old enough to get the interplay between the text and pictures; kids will be howling with laughter when the spooky words are juxtaposed with the silly, slapstick pictures. A short, fun read!
Picture book
Ages 3-5
Click here to check out the Port Moody Public Library's catalogue!