Simpson's Sheep Just Want to Sleep!

TITLE: Simpson's Sheep Just Want to Sleep!
AUTHOR: Bruce Arant
ILLUSTRATOR: Bruce Arant
PUBLISHER: Peter Pauper Press, Inc.
COPYRIGHT: 2017

''These stubborn sheep,'' the farmer sighs,
''won't open up their sleepy eyes.
But I know how to wake this crowd.
I'll make some noise and make it loud.''

This is a very cute book.  I love books with rhyming text.  This one has cute illustrations as well and I just love the way the book ends.  (I won't tell you what that is.)  The farmer tries many different noisy methods to wake his sleepy sheep.

I found this book at the library, and my little guy and I enjoyed reading it.  We read it several times.  This is appropriate for 1st/2nd graders.  

Noah, Noah, What Do You See?

TITLE: Noah, Noah, What Do You See?
AUTHOR:  Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson
ILLUSTRATOR: Melissa Iwai
PUBLISHER: Tommy Nelson
COPYRIGHT: 2017

About the book:
From the bestselling authors of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Chicka Chicka, 1, 2, 3

 Noah, Noah, what do you see? I see animals in the ark with me.

Moses sees the Red Sea part. Daniel sees lions in the den. Mary sees baby Jesus smiling at her.

Noah, Noah, What Do You See? introduces little ones to favorite Bible heroes from the Old and New Testaments. With colorful art from Melissa Iwai and the signature rhyming style of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, parents and children alike will love the classic storytelling of Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson.

Bill Martin Jr. didn’t learn to read until he reached college, yet he earned a doctorate in education from Northwestern University. He was one of the world’s foremost authors in literary education, as well as a million-selling author of books including Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? 

Michael Sampson, Ph.D., is a New York Times bestselling author of twenty-six books for young children, including Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 and The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry. Sampson is dean of the School of Education at St. John’s University in New York City and lives with his family on Long Island.

My thoughts:
As a teacher I have enjoyed Brown Bear, Brown Bear....book for many years.  So when I saw this book the title caught my eye.  I'd thought it would be the animals on the ark but was pleasantly surprised to find that each page is a different Bible hero...Adam, Noah, Jonah, Mary, Paul, and Zacchaeus to list a few!

I have already read it multiple times with my little boy (age 21 months) and he really likes it.  I asked him what is this book and he told me "Onah Onah."

We like the pictures and the rhythmic text.  I like that my little guy is being exposed to these Bible heroes with something related to what they did in the Bible.   I'm sure it is to be a favorite at your house too.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

Once I Was a Pollywog

TITLE: Once I Was a Pollywog
AUTHOR: Douglas Florian
ILLUSTRATOR: Barbara Bakos
PUBLISHER: Little Bee Books
COPYRIGHT: 2016

Once I was a pollywog,but now I am a frog.

Once I was a piglet,but now I am a hog.

Once I Was a Pollywog is a fun little board book by Douglas Florian and illustrated by Barbara Bakos.

This is a rhyming book that shows the animals as babies and then as the grown up animals they become.  At the end there is a baby boy.  The animal pictures are cute with the baby on one page and the grown up animal on the next.

My little guy has enjoyed me reading this book to him and likes to growl when we get to the bear page.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review. Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Would a Worm Go on a Walk?

Would a worm go on a walk, if you could lead him down the street? / Would he wear his tiny tennies, if he had four worm-sized feet?

TITLE: Would a Worm Go on a Walk?
AUTHOR:  Hannah C. Hall
ILLUSTRATOR: Bill Bolton
PUBLISHER: Worthy Kids
COPYRIGHT: 2016

Would a Worm Go on a Walk? is a brand new book out this week.  It is written by Hannah C. Hall and illustrated by Bill Bolton.

This book contains questions about different animals and what they would do.  The point is to show how they are each uniquely created by God. They don't do those things because that is not what God made them to do.  The same is true for us as humans too!  He made each of us with special qualities, unlike anyone else, and we have a special purpose and function here.

I absolutely loved this book!  It has such great pictures to go along with the wonderful message. Please consider adding this to your child's library.  It would be a great gift for you to pick up for a special child in your life.

You can visit the author's website here.

This book was provided to me by the publisher for the First Look Blog tour for my review.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Too Tall Houses

TITLE:  Too Tall Houses
AUTHOR:  Gianna Marino
ILLUSTRATOR:
PUBLISHER:  Viking
COPYRIGHT:  2012

Owl and Rabbit are friends who live beside each other.  Everything is fine until Rabbit's garden grows so tall that it blocks Owl's view of the forest.  This leads Owl to build a taller house.  Back and forth they go, building their houses taller and taller.

I enjoyed the beautiful illustrations in this book.  The warm colored scenes made such pretty backdrops for the actions of Owl and Rabbit.  This is a fun book on friendship.

The AR level for this book is 2.0.

You're Wearing That to School?!

TITLE:  You're Wearing That to School?!
AUTHOR:  Lynn Plourde
ILLUSTRATOR:  Sue Cornelison
PUBLISHER:  Disney Hyperion
COPYRIGHT:  2013

Penelope the hippo gets advice about beginning school from her little mouse friend Tiny.  He thinks she has all the wrong ideas about what to wear, what to take to show and tell, and more.  Will Penelope listen to Tiny's advice or do things her own way?

This is a fun book with cute characters to read at the beginning of the school year or to your child who is beginning school.

This is AR level 2.1.

Harold Finds a Voice

TITLE:  Harold Finds His Voice
AUTHOR:  Courtney Dicmas
ILLUSTRATOR:  Courtney Dicmas
PUBLISHER:  Child's Play Inc
COPYRIGHT:  2013

Harold is very good at imitating sounds.  He goes out into the world to find other sounds and is surprised by all the sounds he hears.  This makes Harold want to find out his own sound.  Will he like how he sounds?

This is a cute book with big, bright illustrations.  Young children will enjoy the various sounds that Harold finds.

What's on my Farm?

TITLE:  What's on my Farm?
AUTHOR:  Michael Worek
ILLUSTRATOR:
PUBLISHER:  Firefly Books
COPYRIGHT:  2013

Find out what you can find on a farm in this adorable children's book.

What I like about this book is that there are a lot of pages of pictures with one word/phrase per page about the picture.  Sometimes you find these picture books that only have a few pictures, and every farm book has the same 5 animals in it.  This one is different in that it has the regular animals and farm words but a lot of others as well.  It includes pictures of animals as well as foods grown on farms like grains, berries, and watermelon.

This would be a wonderful book for your young toddler to increase vocabulary.  The cover is puffy and thick; this is not a board book.

Rescue Bunnies

TITLE: Rescue Bunnies
AUTHOR:  Doreen Cronin
ILLUSTRATOR: Scott Menchin
PUBLISHER: Balzer + Bray
COPYRIGHT: 2010

Newbie is in training to be a Rescue Bunny.  She has passed her other tests...the Physical Fitness Test, Emergency Rescue Roping Test and Blind Taste Test.  Now she needs to pass the Field Test.  Will she be able to pass this test and succeed at being a Rescue Bunny?

This is a cute story, and I liked the illustrations.  This is a good story about team work, working together, cooperation, etc.  Young children will enjoy listening to this story about Newbie.

AR level of this book:  2.5

The One and Only Ivan

TITLE: The One and Only Ivan
AUTHOR:  Katherine Applegate
ILLUSTRATOR:  Patricia Castelao
PUBLISHER:  HarperCollins
COPYRIGHT:  2012

About the book:

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

My thoughts:
My son and I read this book together and both enjoyed it.  It is a sweet story of a gorilla who has lived in a mall for many years.  It is written from the gorilla's perspective which made it interesting to imagine his thoughts.  It is divided into short segments, all differing in length, and seem more like journal entries I thought. This is a story of friendship between animals, helping each other, and keeping your word.   

This is on the Texas Bluebonnet List.  

How Do You Know It's Spring?

TITLE:  How Do You Know It's Spring?
AUTHOR:  Ruth Owen
ILLUSTRATOR: 
PUBLISHER: Bearport
COPYRIGHT:  2012

Learn about the signs of spring with this educational book.  Included is information about new plants, buds, baby animals, and weather.

This is a well done book and would be great for the primary classroom library.  The photographs are wonderful and clearly labeled.  Special words in the text are done with bold print, and there is a page at the end called "Science Words" with these pictured and defined..  Another thing I liked was how various activities are included for kids to try.  One of these is to record the time it gets dark for a week.

It is for ages 5-8.  The AR reading level is 3.6.

Spring is Here

TITLE: Spring Is Here
AUTHOR:  Will Hillenbrand
ILLUSTRATOR: Will Hillenbrand
PUBLISHER: Holiday House
COPYRIGHT: 2011

Mole realizes that spring has arrived and does all he can to wake up Bear.  Bear just continues to snore.  Then he comes up with a great idea to wake him up!

This book is appropriate for the primary grades.  It has a lot of descriptive verbs used I noticed as I read.  The pictures are colorful as well and young children will enjoy this fun tale.

Oink, Moo, Meow

TITLE: Oink, Moo, Meow
AUTHOR: 
ILLUSTRATOR:
PUBLISHER:  Sterling Children's Books
COPYRIGHT: 2012

In this board book you will find a variety of animal pictures along with the sounds they make.  What I liked about this particular book is that there was such a good variety of animals, many of them unique to these type of books in my opinion.  It isn't often I see a dove or a grasshopper in a book about animal noises. 

This is a great board book for infants-toddlers. 

Norman's Ark

TITLE:  Norman's Ark
AUTHOR:  Michael Foreman
ILLUSTRATOR: Michael Foreman
PUBLISHER: Tiger Tales
COPYRIGHT: 2006

Norman goes on vacation with his parents to a safari park.  One night they have a storm.  Animals begin showing up in pairs to his hut to find shelter from the storm.  So many animals come that they run out of room.  The animals make a huge mess of the hut and leave when the rain stops. 

This is a fun book to read to young children, appropriate for preschool--kindergarten age.

Police Cat

TITLE:  Police Cat
AUTHOR:  Enid Hinkes
ILLUSTRATOR:  Wendy Rasmussen
PUBLISHER:  Albert Whitman & Company
COPYRIGHT:  2005

A cat named Noodles is serious about keeping the city safe and chasing away the rats.  He would love to be a member of the police department, but cats are not allowed.  One day while chasing rats Noodles discovers    a fire caused by the rats chewing wires.  He alerts the family in the house about the danger.  Will Noodles get a place in the department or will he be overlooked again?

This is an enjoyable book.  It can see it being used in a unit on animals, community helpers, or even fire safety.

It's a Baby Skunk!

TITLE: Skunk!
AUTHOR: Kelly Doudna
ILLUSTRATOR: (various photographers)
PUBLISHER: ABDO Publishing Company
COPYRIGHT: 2008

We found this great little series of books at our local library. This one is called It's a Baby Skunk! Other books are about prairie dogs, hippopotamuses, and flying foxes to name a few. It provides great photographs of skunks and interesting facts.

We checked out several from this series, and I have found all of them to be enjoyable and educational. These would make a nice addition to a classroom library or school library.

The Perfect Gift

TITLE: The Perfect Gift
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Mary Newell Depalma
PUBLISHER: Arthur A. Levine Books
COPYRIGHT: 2010

Little Lori is proud to have found a big red strawberry that she can take to her grandmother. It is not an easy task though and she loses her special gift. She has some friends though that try to help her get it back but they do end up in some danger. I enjoyed the bright illustrations in this book. It would be appropriate for the primary aged library.

My son and I thought this was a cute story.

Mine, All Mine!

TITLE: Mine, All Mine!
AUTHOR: Claire Hawcock

ILLUSTRATOR: Chiara Pasqualotto

PUBLISHER: Boxer Books
COPYRIGHT: 2009

Little Squirrel finds a beautiful snowflake. He decides he doesn’t want to share his snowflake with anyone. He learns a lesson about sharing in this wonderful story. The illustrations are beautiful. Children will want to touch the sparkly, painted snowflake. I recommend this book for the primary school classroom library as well as your home library.

My son and I enjoyed this book together.

Ocean's Child

TITLE: Ocean's Child
AUTHOR: Christine Ford and Trish Holland
ILLUSTRATOR: David Diaz
PUBLISHER: Golden Book
COPYRIGHT: 2009

Ocean’s Child is written as a poem. It is about an Eskimo mother in a canoe with her child as they tell the animals of the ocean good night. Preschool through primary aged children will enjoy this book. The illustrations in this book were appealing to me because of the colors used and how well they went with the flow of the poem.

I found this to be a nice book to read. It would be a nice addition fir a classroom library to read in a unit on Alaska. It also makes a sweet bedtime story.

Tough Chicks

TITLE: Tough Chicks
AUTHOR: Cece Meng
ILLUSTRATOR: Melissa Suber
PUBLISHER: Clarion Books
COPYRIGHT: 2009

The three chicks Penny, Polly, and Molly are busy, touch little chicks. Some of the other animals on the farm think they are too loud and cause too much trouble. When a storm comes to the farm, will the chicks be able to show how useful they really are? The illustrations were exaggerated cartoon animals (for example, big round cows and sheep) which went along well with this story although I didn’t care much for the illustrations. Preschool through early elementary aged children will enjoy this book.

I recommend this book for an elementary school library.