Ages 3-5

Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle

LEAP INTO ANOTHER MOLLY IDLE TALE
AS FLORA TAKES TO THE ICE

flora_thepenguin_cvr.jpgIllustrator, Molly Idle, is a 2014 Caldecott Honor recipient for her wordless picture book, Flora and the Flamingo. She’s brought Flora back by popular demand, but this time Flora has traded her pink bathing suit for a blue snow suit, and her pink flamingo dance partner has been replaced by a new blue penguin friend.

In Flora and the Penguin, an exquisitely illustrated lift the flap book, (Chronicle Books, October 2014, $16.99, Ages 3-5) Idle makes the saying, “A picture speaks a thousand words” very clear, as there is no text. Parents, don’t worry, although the book leaves room for conversation, there is plenty told through the beautiful illustrations done in shades of soft blues, yellows, and of course, white. The characters’​​​ body language and facial expressions are priceless, and at times comical.

Friendships can be tricky to navigate. Especially when they’re on ice! Flora and Penguin glide and twirl together gracefully, until the penguin takes a dive beneath the surface and comes up with a fishy gift for his friend. Misunderstandings ensue, and their friendship suffers a cool chill, when Flora throws the fish back into the icy pond. When Flora sees how unhappy this has made her friend, she comes up with a solution which involves team work, and creates a grand finale for the book.

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Interior artwork from Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle, Chronicle Books ©2014.

This is a must-have book on your toddlers shelf!

If you’re in the area, why not come meet Molly Idle who will be signing her books on October 2nd at Once Upon a Time Bookstore in Montrose, CA.? The event begins at 7p.m.

– Reviewed by MaryAnne Locher

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R is for Robot: A Noisy Alphabet by Adam F. Watkins

R is for Robot: A Noisy Alphabet by Adam F. Watkins is reviewed by MaryAnne Locher.

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A is for author Adam
B is for brilliant book
C is for colorful characters
D is for delightful debut

R is for Robot: A Noisy Alphabet by Adam F. Watkins, (Price Stern Sloan 2014, $16.99, Ages 3-5), takes us from A to Z with the help of some very noisy robots. Watkins has combined his, and many children’s, love of robots, the alphabet, and zany sounds, to create a wonderfully fresh alphabet book.

Children will enjoy making the silly sounds from Ahoogah to Grrrr, Hisss to Puff, and Quack (yes, there’s a flying robot duck) to Zap, while enjoying Watkins’ brightly colored robots and their amusing antics. Robots of all shapes and sizes, ages and capabilities, join together to put together the alphabet. This book will interest even the most reluctant reader. Learning the alphabet has never been such a cacophony of noises, or so much fun! Parents will sing L- La La La for how quickly their children learn the alphabet.

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Knuckleball Ned by R.A. Dickey with Michael Karounos & illustrated by Tim Bowers

Knuckleball Ned is reviewed by MaryAnne Locher.

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Knuckleball Ned by R.A. Dickey with Michael Karounos and illustrated by Tim Bowers, Dial Books for Young Readers, 2014.

What do you get when a Cy Young award-winning pitcher, best-selling author, father of four, and children’s literacy advocate teams up with a seasoned illustrator? A home run!

Knuckleball Ned by R.A. Dickey with Michael Karounos and illustrated by Tim Bowers (Dial Books for Young Readers, $17.99, Ages 3-5), tackles the always timely, tough subjects of bullying and self-acceptance in a way that preschoolers will relate to and understand. Bower’s colorful illustrations done in acrylic paint, opaque washes, and finished off with airbrushing achieve the rounded heads of the characters and lend humor to a serious subject.

The first day of school is about to start and Ned is nervous about making friends. You see, Ned has wobbled “for as long as he could remember.” He’s off to a bumpy start as he jiggle-joggles down the aisle of the bus, knocking into all the other balls. Sammy the Softball, by far the largest ball, offers Ned a seat and the two become fast friends.

When The Foul Ball Gang, a trio of rough and tumble bullies, cause nothing but trouble for Ned and his friends, Mrs. Pitch, their teacher, has her hands full juggling all the different types of balls in her classroom. Everyone seems to know what kind of ball they are, except for Ned. Besides Sammy, there are Fletcher and Fiona Fastball, Connie Curveball, and Ned, who has been cruelly dubbed a knucklehead by The Foul Ball Gang. When The Foul Ball Gang steals Connie’s shoes and tosses them high into a tree, all her friends attempt to help get the shoes down – unsuccessfully. All but Ned, that is. Sammy launches Ned off a seesaw and he sails seamlessly through the branches where he retrieves Connie’s shoes.

“Ned! I know about balls like you,” cried Connie. “You’re a knuckleball!”

Ned decides he loves being a knuckleball, especially when it allows him to save the day and be a hero.

This Tee Ball and Baseball season, why not pick up a copy of Knuckleball Ned? You’ll certainly score points with your little ones who perhaps will be entering school for the first time in the fall, discovering who they are and where they’ll fit in.

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MADELINE BY LUDWIG BEMELMANS CELEBRATES 75 YEARS

IN AN OLD HOUSE IN PARIS THAT WAS COVERED IN VINES …

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Madeline 75th Anniversary Edition by Ludwig Bemelmans, Penguin Young Readers, 2014.

I’m thrilled to highlight the 75th Anniversary Edition of Madeline (Penguin, $25, Ages 3-5) by Ludwig Bemelmans. This slip-cased special edition includes a pop-up spread of Paris featuring a panoramic view with the Eiffel Tower, a familiar landmark, just behind Miss Clavel and “twelve little girls in two straight lines …”

You’re familiar with Madeline, I presume – the adorable, spunky redhead with the yellow wide-brimmed hat? Have you held onto your old copies from when you were a child? Did you also save your Madeline doll or puppet? Was it memories of Madeline that made you first want to visit Paris?

As a reviewer, I was happy to receive a press kit filled with tons of fun facts about both Madeline that I’m eager to share with you.

The Top 5 Things You May Not Have Known About Madeline
(courtesy of www.Penguin.com/Madeline)

1. Madeline is not an orphan – the old house covered in vines is a boarding school!

2. Madeline is an American by birth and a citizen of the world.

3. Madeline’s last name is Fogg.

4. Madeline gets her red hair from her mother, as seen in Madeline’s Christmas.

5. Madeline’s family owns a ranch in Texas, as learned in Madeline in America.

With over 14 million books sold worldwide, it’s no wonder Madeline remains as popular today as when she first arrived on the scene. And I have a feeling this anniversary might spark an interest in some longtime Madeline fans revisiting this beloved classic series.  Penguin makes it easy. In addition to this celebratory edition, Penguin’s also published A Madeline Treasury, which features all the classic Madeline adventures in one must-have volume; and a reissue of Bemelmans: The Life and Art of Madeline’s Creator by John Bemelmans Marciano, Ludwig Bemelmans’ grandson and author of the new Madeline titles.

And if all of this isn’t wonderful enough, an exhibit at The New York Historical Society coincides with this 75th anniversary. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA has organized Madeline in New York: The Art of Ludwig Bemelmans, the first exhibit devoted to the artist in more than 50 years! Make your plans accordingly as this rare treat will be on display from July 4 – October 13, 2014 before it heads back to Amherst.

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pop-up spread from Madeline 75th Anniversary Edition by Ludwig Bemelmans, Penguin Young Readers, 2014.

Check out this link to see artist JTMorrow’s blog post that includes lots of great images and details about working on the special pop-up spread along with the art director, Denise Cronin, and paper engineer, Michael Caputo.

 

– Ronna Mandel

 

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Here Comes The Easter Cat by Deborah Underwood

HERE COMES THE EASTER CAT
BY DEBORAH UNDERWOOD WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY CLAUDIA RUEDA
& REVIEWED BY MARYANNE LOCHER.

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Here Comes The Easter Cat by Deborah Underwood with illustrations by Claudia Rueda, Dial Books for Young Readers, 2014.

Just in time for Easter, a sweet picture book with a salty twist. Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail … Oh! Wait! That’s not a bunny, it’s a cat, and he’s not hopping, he’s … riding a motorcycle?

In Here Comes the Easter Cat by Deborah Underwood with artwork by Claudia Rueda, (Dial Books for Young Readers, $16.99, Ages 3-5), a clever cat plots to take over Easter. Cat decides he’ll give out chocolate bunnies, gets a sparkly outfit, and a fast motorcycle. Now all he wants, more than anything, is a nap. When he finds out that the Easter Bunny doesn’t get a nap, he’s questioning if he can handle the job. But when a tired Easter Bunny delivers a chocolate egg to Cat himself, Cat has his most brilliant idea of all.

From page one, Claudia Rueda easily pulled me in with her delightful drawings of the fat cat who communicates (using picket signs and his ever-changing facial expressions) with Underwood’s unseen narrator. Cat owners will love this book whether they have a child or not. Parents will appreciate this book if they have a child who is dealing with jealousy issues. Most of all, though, children will simply adore the humorous ideas and antics of the cat. I won’t spoil the book for you, but Underwood’s fantastic ending left me thinking there might be another book on the way.  Well, at least I can hope to see more of Cat.

 

 

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Extraordinary Jane by Hannah E. Harrison

Extraordinary Jane, a new picture book
written and illustrated by Hannah E. Harrison,
is reviewed by Ronna Mandel.

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Extraordinary Jane written and illustrated
by Hannah E. Harrison,
Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin, © 2014.

Kids will fall in love with Jane, a circus dog, and the most adorable and extraordinary character in Harrison’s new picture book, Extraordinary Jane (Dial, $16.99, Ages 3-5). Jane might be a mutt although she reminded me of a little fluffy, white Maltese my family once rescued. But that really doesn’t matter because what Jane definitely is is lovable, precious, friendly and loyal. And while these qualities make her so very special, Jane clearly doesn’t realize these things about herself.

The book opens with a spread of antique-style circus posters, none of which show Jane. From these first illustrations readers know they’re in for a treat with Harrison’s warm, inviting and detailed artwork. Parents will love the opportunity to scour each page for the fine details Harrison’s included so they can point them out to younger children. Older kids may find them on their own. Written with few words, the story is still easily understood and helped along by the circus characters’ many expressions and emotions which say so much.

“She wasn’t graceful like her mother [who rides atop a galloping horse], or mighty like her father.” We see the daddy dog lifting a humongous elephant while Jane struggles to pull a pail of water nearby. Jane has to cover her ears when her daring brothers are blasted out of circus cannons and, fearful of heights, Jane could never attempt to traverse the tightrope like her sisters.

“Jane was just Jane.” And just being Jane meant being loved by all the circus members despite an array of things she was unable to do (and humorously conveyed in Harrison’s illustrations). My favorite image is of Jane looking down from the trapeze as “She tried to find her special talent.” She does not look happy in the least!

Everyone knew what was good about her, especially the Ringmaster and ultimately, Jane.  This ideal read-aloud book is great for story time, bedtime and any time a parent wants to reinforce the message to their child about how they should celebrate themselves. I’m looking forward to Harrison’s next book because if it’s half as good as Extraordinary Jane, it will still be super.

If you enjoy Harrison’s artwork, click here to read our review about another book she illustrated called Just Like You.

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Round is a Tortilla by Roseanne Greenfield Thong

Roseanne Greenfield Thong's Round is a Tortilla book cover
Round is a Tortilla, A Book of Shapes by Roseanne Greenfield Thong with illustrations by John Parra, Chronicle Books, 2013.

Round is a Tortilla, A Book of Shapes (Chronicle Books, $16.99, Ages 3-5) by Roseanne Greenfield Thong with illustrations by John Parra, is reviewed by Ronna Mandel.

Round is a Tortilla has been chosen for the 2013-14 Macy’s Multicultural Collection of Children’s Literature!  

A great way for preschoolers to begin learning a foreign language is with picture books. They introduce new words in a simple, straightforward way making them fun to read with a parent and easy to remember, especially when presented in rhyme and coupled with shapes or colors. SoCal author Roseanne Greenfield Thong has done that so well with her picture books that she’s now written four in the series: Round is a Mooncake, Round is a Tortilla, Red is a Dragon, and the forthcoming Green is a Chile Pepper.

Thong does an impressive job incorporating circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, ovals and stars into scenes of daily life that could be here in the States or anywhere in Central America, places where Thong’s lived and taught English. Parra’s bright, cheerful, folksy illustrations complement every stanza making Round is a Tortilla an uplifting read-aloud.

“Rectangles are carts
with bells that chime
and cold paletas
in summertime.”

Paletas are ice pops and a little girl and boy character are about to enjoy them before they melt. They’re muy trio and muy delicious and writing about them just makes me want a cold and delicious popsicle, too! For triangles Thong’s described “Sandias (watermelon) chilled in tubs of ice, quesadillas by the slice …” She’s managed to rhyme what could have been difficult words, but everything flows beautifully. Some of the words in Round is a Tortilla are: abuela, campanas, huevos, masa and many more. Before moving onto the next shape, Thong always asks a question, “Square is a fountain from long ago. How many square things do you know?” so that parents or caregivers and children can discuss what’s been read, perhaps making a game out of searching for all the different shapes in the book, and maybe even in a child’s bedroom.  A helpful glossary of all the Spanish words in the book is included at the end.  I’m ready to learn colors now with Green is a Chile Pepper, the next book in the series which also happens to be just my speed.

RECOGNITION FOR ROUND IS A TORTILLA

Macy’s Multicultural Collection of Children’s Literature List, 2014 (Round is a Tortilla)

Georgia Book Award Nominee, 2013

Texas Library Association’s 2 x 2 List for 2014 (Round is a Tortilla)

 

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The Night Before My Birthday by Natasha Wing & Giveaway

Cover art for The Night Before My Birthday by Natasha Wing with illustrations by Amy Wummer.
The Night Before My Birthday by Natasha Wing with illustrations by Amy Wummer, Grosset & Dunlap, 2014.

We’re delighted to be part of Natasha Wing‘s blog tour for her new picture book The Night Before My Birthday (Grosset & Dunlap, $3.99, Ages 3-5). with illustrations by Amy Wummer. Wing’s written more than fifteen books in this popular series and at just $3.99 each, it’s easy and affordable to collect them all. I can even see giving a copy of the book instead of candy to each party guest. Parents will be pleased and kids will have something to enjoy long after the birthday has ended.

We’re also giving away two copies of the book. Winners will be selected by Random.org so email us by Friday, January 24th midnight PST to make sure you’re in the running. Like us on Facebook for an extra entry. Click here to submit your entry. Please be sure to write Night Before in the subject line and include your name and address in your email submission. Good luck!

So what’s the book about? Told in rhyme by a gender neutral narrator (readers can picture themselves as the main character!), The Night Before My Birthday is about the preparation leading up to a birthday celebration, and the joyous anticipation every youngster feels before his or her big day.

The invites were out. The streamers were strung.

The presents were wrapped. The banner was hung.

Natasha Wing, author of The Night Before series from Grosset & Dunlap
Natasha Wing, author of The Night Before My Birthday.

And in keeping with Clement Moore’s Night Before theme, Wing does an excellent job of incorporating infectious language like “visions of birthday gifts” dancing in the child’s head at bedtime, a clatter in the kitchen and a mad dash to the store for cartons of ice cream. Kids will love the adorable ginger tabby included in almost every illustration and will be surprised that it’s involved in a melty mishap that could cause chaos for the party. When what “to my wondering eyes should appear” well, I won’t say, but it’s a real treat.

Filled with humor, cheerful artwork and even a picture of a birthday cake with room to fill in a child’s age, The Night Before My Birthday may become a treasured birthday read and tradition for your child’s preschool years.

-Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

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The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson

Peter Rabbit’s Back for Christmas Thanks to Emma Thompson

cover art of The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit
The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson with illustrations by Eleanor Taylor, Frederick Warne, 2013.

The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Emma Thompson with illustrations by Eleanor Taylor (Frederick Warne & Co., $20, Ages 3-5) arrives just in time for Christmas and is reviewed by MaryAnne Locher.

Mr. and Mrs McGregor, Peter Rabbit, and Benjamin Bunny appear again in this story inspired by the original tales of Beatrix Potter, but this time a new character, William, appears.

After spoiling their mothers’ attempts at holiday baking, both Benjamin and Peter are sent on errands. They run into their friend, William, a turkey who is foolish enough to believe the special food and treatment he receives from the McGregors is due to his importance. Peter, having lost his father to one of Mrs. McGregor’s pies, and being the good friend he is, decides he must warn William that he is being fattened up for the McGregor’s Christmas dinner. William blanches at the thought, but the three friends, come up with a brilliant idea that leaves the old couple eating nothing but boiled potatoes and winter cabbage on Christmas day. The Rabbit family enjoys a delicious Christmas feast and Mrs. Rabbit even bakes a special barley-cake for William, whose feathers are still too puffed up to fit in the burrow.

I almost forgot I wasn’t reading Miss Potter’s words or enjoying her illustrations, this book was so exquisitely done. Eleanor Taylor’s sprinkling of woodland animals and barnyard critters in all the right places with just the right colors, provides not only beautiful pictures, but an opportunity for story building. This book is certain to ensure a Merry Christmas for all who read it!

If you’re an Emma Thompson fan, click here to read our previous review of her first Peter Rabbit picture book, The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit.

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Holiday Gift Guide – The Christmas Cat by Maryann MacDonald

Could a cat have become baby Jesus’s pet?
Find out in this engaging picture book perfect for Christmas.

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The Christmas Cat by Maryann MacDonald with illustrations by Amy June Bates, Dial Books for Young Readers, 2013.

You don’t have to celebrate Christmas to find something special about The Christmas Cat (Dial Books for Young Readers, $16.99, Ages 3-5) by Maryann MacDonald with illustrations by Amy June Bates. All that’s required to be swept back in time to the nativity is to love cats, crave an imaginative tale and desire dreamy artwork. “Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings of La Madonna del Gatto, which show Mary cuddling both the baby Jesus and a cat,” MacDonald has crafted a story that will captivate the hearts of little ones while introducing them to the nativity and the power of love bonding a baby to his pet.

On the night that Jesus was born he cried like every baby does. All the animals in the stable tried to quiet the infant, from cooing doves to lowing cows. Even the donkey brayed a lullaby to no avail. Joseph and Mary fretted, wondering how to settle the child. But it wasn’t until a tiny kitten made his way onto Mary’s lap and nuzzled baby Jesus’s neck and let out a “calm, contented purr” that the newborn’s crying began to wane. As time passed the two grew close and the kitten became a cat, always at Jesus’s side to help him fall asleep.

When an angel alerted Joseph that a jealous King Herod might harm this baby destined for greatness, Joseph knew he, Mary and young Jesus had to flee. In the rush to leave Bethlehem there was scant time to find Jesus’s beloved cat. “We can’t leave him behind!” cried Mary. She knew her baby would be inconsolable without his pet. Joseph and Mary tried to quietly cross the desert to Egypt to avoid Herod’s soldiers, but a screaming baby Jesus could bring harm to the three travelers. Nothing, not his mother’s warm, soft embrace nor the donkey’s “rocking gait” could lull him to sleep. But a clever cat had hidden in the side basket and baby Jesus’s wailing woke him up. With the crying now subsided, Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus and an adorable, devoted cat could safely make their way to Egypt. “Love had saved them.”

Could the legend of a kitty being born on the same night as Jesus possibly be true? You decide. I know Bates’s beautiful illustrations will stay with me long after Christmas ends and it will be hard to see a nativity scene and not search for a little kitty in a corner somewhere.

– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

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Max & Ruby’s Trick or Treat: A Coloring & Activity Book

Max & Ruby's Trick or Treat is full of fun activities to keep kids busy.
Max & Ruby’s Trick or Treat is full of fun activities to keep kids busy.

Max & Ruby’s Trick or Treat: A Coloring & Activity Book, (Grosset & Dunlap/Penguin Young Readers Group, $5.99, Ages 3-5) is reviewed by Rita Zobayan.

It’s Halloween and Max & Ruby are dressing up!

TV favorites (as seen on Nick Jr.), mischievous Max and his big sister Ruby, are getting ready for Halloween in Max & Ruby’s Trick or Treat, and we’re invited to join the fun. Help Max color and count his toys. Practice tracing theme words, such as candy, spider and pumpkin. Help Ruby match her costume apparel, and then complete her ensemble. Spot the differences as the bunnies’ beloved grandmother serves Halloween treats. Max is without his trick-or-treat bag! Guide him through the maze to retrieve it. This 16-page activity book is full of fun, including connect-the dots and pattern recognition activities. For added enjoyment, there are stickers and two press-out figures, one of Max and one of Ruby. Happy Halloween!

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Filbert the Good Little Fiend by Hiawyn Oram

Filbert the Good Little Fiend, (Candlewick Press, $15.99, ages 3-5) by Hiawyn Oram with illustrations by Jimmy Liao, is reviewed by Ronna Mandel.

SO GOOD HE’S BAD!

Filbert the Good Little FiendWhat are a FEROCIOUSLY fiendish Daddy Fiend and FIERCELY fiendish Mommy Fiend supposed to do when their little fiend, Filbert, is so good, so very, very good?

“He won’t say BOO to a goose,
MOO to a moose, or PANTS to an ant.
He’s no little fiend of mine!”

Filbert’s folks insisted he be gruesome and ghastly but it just wasn’t in him to behave like that. He couldn’t be “BOTHERSOME and BEASTLY.” He preferred kind words and caring to hollering and scaring and no one seemed to be happy about this including his teacher, Miss Fearsome-Frizz. Rather than get in a purple-paint fight in class, Filbert hid in the bathroom. This blatant lack of participation earned Filbert the Fearsome-Frizz’s ire so he was sent out to the Good Spot until he could learn to behave “like a proper little fiend.” Well as luck would have it, a little angel kicked out of Angel School crashed landed near the Good Spot where Filbert was relaxing.

Together the two figured out that by temporarily trading clothes and personalities they could give their parents and friends what they’d been asking for. And we all know that sometimes you have to be careful what you ask for. And then what?  In the case of Florinda the not-quite-perfect little angel and Filbert the not-so-fearsome little fiend, their point was cleverly made. The old Florinda and Filbert were welcomed back and accepted for who they were because as the saying goes, better the fiend you know!!

I like the idea of the role reversal portrayed by the main characters as a way for parents to start the conversation about celebrating individuality. I’d certainly recommend Oram’s story, with its alliteration and irony, to read-aloud for story time. Couple that with Liao’s glowing Autumn-hued artwork, a delightful color collision of Sendak meets Scheffler, and you’ve got a picture book perfect for every little monster you know.

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Simplicity in Numbers

OneGOrillaTake one look at this book cover and you’ll know why I couldn’t wait to open it up and read it. Look at that illustration! Plus I recently went to Miami Metro Zoo recently and observed gorillas for a while and was completely enamored as they were using sign language with the zookeeper. By the way, after that zoo visit I was compelled to find out why gorillas have that huge and strangely shaped head. The reason is that it needs to support their super-sized temporal muscles that are required to help them chew all the fibrous veggies they eat. They do not eat meat! Yet I digress …

One Gorilla: A Counting Book ($16.99, Candlewick Press, Ages 3-5) is simple, just like a counting book for wee ones should be. But it is also wonderful because the illustrations are extraordinary. Author/illustrator Anthony Browne, a recent Children’s Laureate in Great Britain, has penned and illustrated more than 40 books! His attention to detail makes these pictures worth lingering over for a really long time.

The book features 10 different primates, plus has a little bit of a clever ending. From the book jacket, colorful inside front and back covers to each and every page, it is a visual wonderland. Your little ones are sure to be motivated to learn how to count after reading One Gorilla. It may also invite you to open an initial discussion about evolution, if you so choose to do so.

– Reviewed by Debbie Glade

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  ©Photo by Debbie Glade

Feeding time at the Miami Zoo sure is entertaining. Look closely: this big guy has an orange in his mouth.

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Did She or Didn’t She?

A Handful of Lies

Betty Bunny Didn’t Do It, by Michael B. Kaplan with illustrations by Stéphane Jorisch, is the third in a series of picture books from Dial Books ($16.99, ages 3-5).

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I think a lot of parents know a child like Betty Bunny, funny, genuine, a real character at times but also still a little kid learning her way in the world, even if sometimes it’s the wrong way.

This story finds Betty trying to get out of trouble for breaking a lamp. While her three siblings know she was responsible, Betty claims, “I didn’t do it.” Then it hits her when her brother Bill asks who did. “The Tooth Fairy,” replies Betty, quite pleased she came up with such a good excuse.

It’s not long before Betty’s mom confronts her daughter about breaking the lamp. And Betty still denies having done it.

“Is that the honest truth?” asked her mother.

“No,” said Betty Bunny proudly, “it’s an honest lie.”

The lesson Betty learns about telling the truth is one her whole family jumps in on which is what I especially liked about this picture book. The brothers and sister share their two cents which is how it works in most families.  Betty Bunny Didn’t Do It provides a terrific starting point for parents to discuss honesty and the ramifications of crying wolf – if you always lie, when will people believe you?  The watercolor, pen and ink illustrations are full of expression and depict the family dynamic in a clear and colorful style certain to delight.

After Betty embraces honesty and tells her dad who has just returned from the gym that he smells, Betty’s dad also teaches her that while telling the truth is good, it’s important not to hurt someone’s feelings. For youngsters learning how to successfully navigate the world of social conventions and manners, lots of baby steps (or in Betty’s case – hops) are required and many mistakes will be made. This book helps by showing children great examples in a very humorous, relatable way.

– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

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What Makes Your Dad Happy?

What Makes My Dad Happy cover dad playing with childWHAT MAKES MY DAD HAPPY is a charming children’s book written by Tania Cox with illustrations by Lorette Broekstra from Allen & Unwin. Distributed in the U.S. by Trafalgar Square Publishing from IPG,  $11.99, Ages 3-5), this 24-page book will appeal to a broad audience since the dads depicted are from a wide range of ethnicities and abilities. I love that in addition to several Caucasian dads, a father in a wheelchair is shown along with an African-American dad, an older dad, and an Asian dad. Best of all, they’re having lots of fun and smiling loving smiles while interacting with their children.

Whether talking on the phone together, cooking, dancing, building, or playing in the park, dads are simply happy making memories while spending quality time with their kids. And kids just love making their daddies happy with all kinds of surprises. Presented in easy-to-read rhyme with a catchy refrain, “That’s what makes my dad happy, that’s what makes my dad happy,” the book is ideal for reading aloud. Celebrate those special daddy and daughter or son moments by making time to read together and reflect on the different relationships What Makes My Dad Happy conveys.  Plus, giving this book as a gift not just on Father’s Day, but year-round, is certain to make any dad very, very happy!

  • Reviewed by Ronna Mandel
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