Much Ado About Maisy!

L.A. Parent’s graphic artist, Terresa Burgess takes a look at a bunch of books starring MAISY, her daughter Teagan’s favorite character.

This special post is dedicated to Maisy. Maisy is one of Teagan’s favorite characters from a book. Not a day goes by without reading at least one Maisy book. Maisy is fun, simple and I think Teagan can relate to that mouse’s experiences and emotions. They both love to explore, play and set out on adventures. Toddlers are influenced by their surroundings. They are sponges when it comes to what they see and what they hear. My husband and I feel that the Maisy series has a positive effect on Teagan’s reading and language skills. She recognizes many of the words she sees in the Maisy books in her daily reading. We also love how friendship is a theme throughout Maisy’s
books. Many of Maisy’s experiences are shared with her friends Charley, Eddie, Cyril and Tallulah, much like what Teagan shares with her new friendships.

Check out these titles by Lucy Cousins published by Candlewick Press:

Maisy’s Book Tower ($9.99, ages 2-5) features 4 small block books packaged in one tall box. These tiny and fun books include Maisy’s favorite animals, toys, clothes and things. The books are great for learning and associating words and pictures. The books stand up to the rough and tumble hands of our toddler. Once kids are done they can stack the books on top of each other like blocks. Teagan loved the books. These cute little books that are easy to carry and care for came in handy when my husband, Teagan and I went out
for dinner the other night. Have Maisy will travel. Maisy’s Book Tower is available this February 2010.

The following Maisy titles ($12.99, ages 2-5) all belong to the First
Experiences Book series:

In Maisy Goes to the Museum, Maisy spends the day exploring a museum. Visiting a museum is super quality time spent exposing kids to history, science, art, and Teagan’s favorite – dinosaurs! The last time we read this book Teagan counted the bones on the T-Rex.

In Maisy Goes to the Library, it’s book time! Maisy is on a quest for a book about fish. On her search she encounters her friends and their noisy library discoveries. Maisy loves her friends but she also enjoys quiet time. Libraries are a great place for kids of all ages to find a quiet spot and melt into a book. We don’t know if Teagan is ready for the library as of yet. Quiet is not a toddler vocabulary word! But she does like to say “shhhhh!”

The last title in my review belongs to A Maisy First Science Book series:

Toddlers are constantly on the go. Running, jumping, riding, always moving! Maisy’s Book of Things That Go ($12.99 , ages 3 and up) addresses a toddler’s curiosity of how things work. In this particular book we find out what makes a bike pedal. Teagan has been trying very hard to learn how to ride her tricycle. This series features paper engineering with pop-ups, pull-tabs, rotating wheels and other paper devices to show how things work. Teagan loves books that come alive. But I make sure that I supervise and monitor her as she handles these types of books. Sometimes she gets a little too excited and pulls the tabs too hard. This book is available May 2010.

All of the Maisy books are delightful and engaging. The story lines are fun and toddlers can relate to them. The illustrations are bright, colorful and I like how the books aren’t gender specific.

Learn more about Maisy, and Lucy Cousins at Maisy’s Fun Club where you’ll find crafts, downloadable coloring pages, games and more!