Wordless Picture Book: Treasure Bath

I love wordless picture books, and this one is a great example of the genre. After helping his mom bake a cake, a little boy is marched off to the bathtub for a scrub. He's rather despondent at first (not at all anxious to wash off the chocolate stains!) but the he sees that there are fish in his bath! And suddenly, the bath is the ocean, and he finds a map that leads him to a treasure chest.

Uh oh...just soap and shampoo in the chest. An octopus (mom?) grabs him, and scrubs him from top to toe. When he's released from the sea creature's grasp, he finds that he's back in the tub, clean and bright. Into pajamas, and then...cake!

Wordless picture books really give kids room to exercise their imagination. This one is rather simple (they could have done so much more with the pictures of the ocean and treasure!) but all the same, it's a great way to encourage kids to pretend.

Wordless Picture Book

Ages 3-5

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Picture Book: Itty Bitty

This is a sweet, light tale that will appeal to kids who love baby animals or tiny things. Itty Bitty is a tiny, tiny little dog. He is pleased when he finds a bone that he can chew on, and he gnaws it until he's made a nice little house!

The bone is a bit roomy, though, and Itty Bitty needs some furniture. This sparks a journey to the furniture department in town, where kids will recognize Itty Bitty's problem: everything is much too large!

Fortunately, the store has a Teeny Weeny Department, where Itty Bitty finds the perfect sofa, rug and table. His house furnished, Itty Bitty settles in with - you guessed it - a teeny tiny book!

Clear and attractive art is a selling point for this book, but mostly it's a cute story that will appeal to kids who are used to navigating an adult world.

Ages 2-4
Picture Book

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Picture Book: Moon Rabbit

This picture book tackles the unusual idea of *not* living happily ever after! little rabbit lives in the city, where she is very happy on her own. She has a favourite cafe, a nice place to stay, and she likes how the city has so many things to see and do. But sometimes, she wishes there was someone else, jsut like her, that she could be friends with.

Cue Brown Rabbit! When little white rabbit goes for a picnic in the country, she meets Brown Rabbit. Together they spend many happy days, playing and frolicking in the park. But one dark night, white rabbit is reminded of her beloved city when she sees the bright lights glowing in the distance. Nothing Brown Rabbit tries makes the little rabbit happy, so she decides to go back to the city; back to her home. I found this a little sad, but sure enough, little rabbit makes certain that her new friend will stay close...she invites him to visit her the very next day!

A touching tale about how friendship doesn't need to mean ownership, and one that emphasizes the importance of listening to our own feelings and preferences.

Picture book

Ages 3-6

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Picture Book: Crictor

This classic picturebook was out of print for several years, and we're very glad it's back! Crictor is the story of Madame Louise Boodot, a french schoolteacher who receives a surprising present from her Herpetologist son!

Of course, Crictor is a giant boa constrictor, and he becomes Madame's special friend and pet. Kids will love how Crictor goes to school with Madame, and learns how to make letters and numbers with his body! But there's a robber in town, and Crictor might just have to do something heroic to keep Madame safe.

This book makes a lovely tell-aloud tale, as well as being a fantastic picture book. A fun read for older kids too.

Picture book

Ages 3-7

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Picture Book: All Kinds of Families

This interesting concept book explains the idea that objects, animals and other things have families...just like we do! Using concrete examples and whimsical pictures, the authors shows how things can be grouped into families by use (forks, spoons knives), genealogy (human families), location (stuff in your fridge), and likeness (eggs in a carton). There are many fun examples, and the book's clever rhyming refrains reinforce the idea that human families are changed when someone is born. Here's an example:

As soon as you're born, you make a new grandma

or maybe a grandpa, that's what you might do,

You might make a cousin, you might be a cousin,

An uncle or aunt might be made just by you!

What a great way to start the explanation of how families are made, and why we call the people in our families (aunts, grandmas) special names! A useful and unique title.

Picture book

Ages 4-6

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