Misti Kenison

The Tiny Traveler: France, A Book of Colors &
The Tiny Traveler: Egypt, A Book of Shapes
Written and illustrated by Misti Kenison
(Sky Pony Press; $5.95, Ages 0-2)

I love to travel, in fact my whole family does, and I can’t think of a better bug to catch than the travel bug. So, when I read about Misti Kenison’s new board book series introducing shapes and colors through foreign destinations, I had to check them out. What a clever way to get the littlest members of your family thinking about faraway lands and all the delights in store when venturing abroad.

The Tiny Traveler: France, A Book of Colors  includes the Moulin Rouge and a dancer in a red dress, a purple rose window of a cathedral, three slices of cheese inside a baguette, a white Arc de Triomphe, a black beret, an orange sunset outside the Louvre, a finely manicured green garden that could be the Tuileries, a brown gargoyle decorating Notre Dame, and last but not least, the Eiffel Tower. It’s gray during the day but turns a sparkling blue at night. As you can see from the cover, the illustrations are colorful yet unembellished. Youngsters are given clues with each page color to help them recognize the word which is always in upper case. The best part, you don’t even need to know the famous landmarks to be able to give your child a taste of France and the colorful scenery on offer.

The Tiny Traveler: Egypt, A Book of Shapes  puts the famed Great Sphinx right into your toddler’s hands, but before that there are the pyramids. “The front of the pyramid is a TRIANGLE.” There’s an Egyptian mummy’s rectangular beard, a square on the camel’s rug which covers his hump, and of course, “The sphinx’s head is a HEXAGON.” Kenison’s found a jar to use for an oval shape, hieroglyphics indicating a cross (this example is a bit challenging), a star in a geometrically-patterned window, and a heart shape on the back of a beetle (scarab). Finishing up their shape tour of Egypt, children will see a spread with the sun, followed by the last spread of a crescent moon, both high above ancient minarets in magical looking day and nighttime settings. There is a bold geometric example of the shape on the text page opposite each monument or item described and it’s also outlined in the scene so finding it is easy.

The Tiny Traveler board books are a fun and different way to educate your toddlers about the basic concepts of colors and shapes all from the comforts of your favorite rocking chair. I have no doubt after sharing these books, parents will find their children looking for shapes and colors in all they encounter.

– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel