Picture Book

Show Me Happy by Kathryn Madeline Allen

SHOW ME HAPPY
Written by Kathryn Madeline Allen
Photographs by Eric Futran
(Albert Whitman & Company; $15.99, Ages 3-7)

ShowMeHappycvr

From the team that brought you A Kiss Means I Love You comes their latest, Show Me Happy. This photograph-rich, 24-page picture book with kids populating every page is the perfect introduction for little ones still learning “how to use their words.” Kids are picking up important early concepts and experiencing a range of emotions long before they have the language to express them so, by sharing books like Show Me Happy, we can help youngsters learn to communicate effectively.

Show Me Happy is actually more than just a book depicting emotions. With easy to interpret images that demonstrate actions such as a mom helping her son with measuring while cooking up a tasty treat (show me helping), an older boy handing a ball to a younger girl (show me giving), a little girl cutting the lawn with a toy mower (show me pushing), a boy cupping his mouth and yelling (show me NOISY), it’s a fun read-aloud with some subtle rhyme:

Show me pushing,
show me pulling,
show me sharing when we play.

Show me NOISY,
show me quiet,
show me putting things away.

This cheerful picture book would also be ideal to read with special needs children. Many kids on the Autism Spectrum, for example, may have difficulty identifying how they are feeling or what’s appropriate behavior in a certain situation. Furtran’s warm and inviting photos and Allen’s simple, upbeat text are both appealing and engaging. It sometimes feels as if the kids in the photos are smiling right at me! Books like Show Me Happy that are accessible to everyone, provide photographic examples that children can relate to making this picture book one your kids will certainly enjoy and one you’ll be happy to have on hand.

  • Reviewed by Ronna Mandel
Share this:

A New Look For Good Reads With Ronna


WE’VE CHANGED OUR LOOK!
KEEP CHECKING US OUT DURING CONSTRUCTION BECAUSE
THERE’S LOTS GOING ON.

Under Construction, but still blogging!
Under Construction, but still blogging!

We’re almost done cleaning up our site. It was truly a case of out with the old and in with the new, and long overdue! Thanks so much for your patience during our blog remodel. Please let us know what you think about our updated look.

The current blog tour is for Super Schnoz and the Gates of Smell along with an author signed book giveaway. Enter by clicking here now for your chance to win because that great opportunity ends this weekend.

Our next blog tour in conjunction with Peachtree Publishers begins on Friday, October 4th, so watch this space for more details about the surprise book review and giveaway. But in case you can’t wait, here’s a little preview:

Some other stops on the Peachtree Publishers Blog Tour & a chance to win a copy of the book!

Visit Blue Owl Reviews today to get a taste of what’s to come.

On Tuesday, check out Gidgets Bookworms and Maestra Amanda’s Bookshelf

Wednesday stop by the Peachtree blog for the giveaway contest!

Thursday’s the blog tour is on Kid Lit Reviews

and Friday it’s here at last: Good Reads with Ronna.

Share this:

Powerful Words from a Powerful Voice

NOTE: This review was originally posted on Jan. 17, 2012, but we felt it was fitting to repost to mark the 50th anniversary of MLK’s March on Washington.

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this special day in America, we take the time to think about the forward-thinking, visionary leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. His courage and wisdom are even more inspiring as time passes. That’s why I was thrilled to read My Uncle Martin’s Words for America ($19.95, Abrams Books, ages 5+). The author, Angelina Farris Watkins, PhD, is the niece of Martin Luther King, Jr.  (She is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA.)

My Uncle Martin’s Words for America is a wonderful summary of the highlights of this extraordinary leader’s journey to promote justice, freedom and equality for all Americans. Young readers are introduced to segregation, Jim Crow laws, King’s incarceration, protests, speeches and the events the led up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the back of the book you’ll find an excellent chart summarizing the protests MLK led, matched with the resulting changes in civil rights. There’s also a helpful glossary. I respect the fact that this book does not focus on the assassination, but rather on his philosophies and accomplishments.

I have read and reviewed countless children’s picture books, and only a few of them really stand out as momentous as far as the quality of the illustrations; this book is indeed one of them. To simply say that the Coretta Scott King award-winning illustrator, Eric Velasquez, is extremely talented is just not enough. Not often does one come across illustrations so realistic, vibrant and beautiful as these. He paints with oils on watercolor paper, and it is a glorious combination. Just take a look at the jacket cover – front and back – and you’ll have no choice but to open this book and take it all in. It’s obvious that Eric Velasquez has a calling in life, and he answers that call each every time he paints a picture. Oh how I’d love to have one of his paintings on my wall at home!

Once you read this book, I think you’ll agree that it should be on the bookshelf in every elementary school classroom in America. (There’s a second title, too, Uncle Martin’s Big Heart, written and illustrated by the same author and artist as this book.)

Read my interview with illustrator Eric Velasquez.

This book is reviewed by Debbie Glade.

P.S. As I wrote this review, there was a woman on my local news station at an MLK parade in Miami being interviewed about this holiday. She said, “What Martin Luther King, Jr. did was not just for black people, but for all people.” I could not have summed up his achievements any better than that.

Share this:

Lucy Cousins’ Latest: PECK, PECK, PECK

In Peck, Peck, Peck no holes are barred!

PECK, PECK, PECK (Candlewick Press, $15.99, ages  2-5 ) by Lucy Cousins, best known for her super popular and successful Maisy series, has written and illustrated an adorable picture you should get, get, get! My 12-year-old son picked it up (it’s hard not to be attracted to the bright yellow cover with actual die-cut holes) and, after reading it, announced, “Very cute! Kids’ll love this.”

Lucy Cousins' Peck, Peck, Peck

This 32-page hardcover book, with its bold graphics and signature bright Cousins’ colors, is so much fun and it’s easy to see how much time was devoted to getting the locations of the holes on every page just right so as not to ruin the next page. The rhyme is simple and catchy that little kids will certainly want to chime in. To start, the little red-headed woodpecker says,

“Today my daddy
Said to me,
“‘It’s time you learned
to peck a tree.'”

And so the pecking begins … first a tree, (with kudos from Dad for a hole superbly pecked) … then onto a fence, a big blue door then into the house for more pecking galore.  The humor is not lost when the little woodpecker practices his newfound skills on an armchair, a teddy bear, and a book called Jane Eyre!! The variety of items that receive holes is hysterical. Nothing seems to have escaped the bird’s beak.

Besides all the rhymes, children will thoroughly enjoy the tons of holes everywhere that they can poke while having one last silly fest before settling down for bed.  Even the story’s little birdie is beat and decides to return to his nest.  Thank goodness that when Daddy plants some goodnight kisses on his little bird’s head, only lots of love and pride, but no holes, accompany them!

– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

Share this:

The King of Little Things by Bil Lepp

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

THE KING OF LITTLE THINGS

(Peachtree, $16.95, ages 4-8)

Not Your Mother’s Monarch

by Bil Lepp with illustrations by David T. Wenzel
by Bil Lepp
with illustrations by
David T. Wenzel

At first glance I thought that, with its fancy gold lettering, this was a holiday book. But it’s even better. It’s a picture book page turner! Yep, and for good reason. Author Bil Lepp and illustrator David T. Wenzel have created a book for all seasons that is certain to appeal to a lot of kids with its strong story and superb artwork.

Lepp has woven a tale so engaging that children may even read the story so quickly to discover the ending that they miss Wenzel’s wonderful illustrations. Not to worry. This is a book well worth going back over again and again, first to carefully study and enjoy each picture’s small details then again to look out for items readers are asked to seek out at the book’s end. What a terrific idea making this an inviting interactive experience for both parents and kids.

Have you ever read this African proverb below? It’s just a hint of what this new children’s book is all about:

If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito.

The King of Little Things is not your mother’s monarch. In his realm he reigns over candle holders, corks and sleeping dogs; lanterns, lizards, wheels and cogs. How many kings find joy in the simple pleasure of admiring a butterfly’s wing? This royal majesty much prefers peanuts or a pocket watch to the riches most kings desire. He does not long for conquering the world. Instead he chooses to cherish life’s tiniest treasures along with “a cozy house and a loving queen.”

But alas, in a distant kingdom lives King Normous, a power hungry hulk of a person determined to conquer all kingdoms big and small. Imagine the King of Little Things finding out the greedy galloping Goliath (better known as King Normous) is on his way to rid the world of all things little, the foremost being The King of Little Things himself! Well our hero has a plan to stop the evil enemy with an entitlement complex and it’s not just clever, it’s downright fantastic. But I don’t want to spoil the ending. Suffice it to say that the world’s littlest things who “loved their king,” do whatever it takes to save him from being annihilated by this monster of a sovereign. There’s alliteration and rhyming galore mixed with humor and some important lessons to take away from this top notch tale.

– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

Check out these other great sites for more reviews on this blog tour!

 
Share this:

Follow Your Heart

DorothyI’m so glad I recently broadened my book review horizons to include titles by Spanish publisher, Cuento de Luz, as I have enjoyed each and every title I’ve read so far. This publisher’s books deliver powerful messages in delightfully subtle ways.

Dorothy: A Different Kind of Friend ($16.95, Cuento de Luz, Ages 5-7) by Roberto Aliaga presents readers with a story about an unidentifiable furry animal girl who befriends a not-so-popular girl in town, named Dorothy. Dorothy is big, clumsy and very different than the others. The bully girls in town all hang out together and tease the protagonist when she hangs out with Dorothy, saying very cruel and hurtful things about her. Will those harsh words be enough to make the protagonist drop Dorothy as a friend? Read the book and you will find out for yourself.

There are so many children’s books about being bullied that it is impossible to keep up with all of them. But what sets this book apart is that the characters are unique and the message is delivered in muted tones, leaving the reader with a lot to think about. The illustrations by Mar Blanco are both colorful and adorable, highlighting the uniqueness of the characters. In the end, we must all follow our hearts, no matter what others tell us to do, and Dorothy: A Different Kind of Friend shows us the way.

– Reviewed by Debbie Glade

Share this:

Brave and Mighty Little Chick

Follow my blog with Bloglovin
tlc tour hostChick-o-Saurus-RexGood Reads With Ronna is excited to be part of the Chick-O-Saurus Rex  (Simon & Schuster, $16.99, ages 4-8) blog tour. This new picture book is a collaboration by husband and wife team Lenore and Daniel Jennewein.

If you saw a tree house you’d want to go in, wouldn’t you? Well so did Little Chick. The only problem was the bullies, Little Donkey, Little Pig and Little Sheep, keeping him out. They announced, “This is a club for the brave and mighty. First you have to prove you belong.” Not exactly a warm and welcoming requirement to place on poultry.

Chick-O-Saurus RexBut Little Chick was up for the challenge despite the mean behavior of the taunting trio. While other chickens might have been discouraged, Little Chick persevered. He wondered if somewhere in his family tree there might be proof of a brave and mighty chicken and posed this question to Father Rooster. Together they perused a family album for hints of bravery and might in their lineage.

When a photo shows Grandpa Rooster unearthing an ancestor’s fossil (yes, fossil), Little Chick is eager to pursue this clue. Could our Little Chick be a descendant of dinos? Several weeks pass before a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton is dug up proving Little Chick’s mighty heritage. He takes off for the tree house to share his discovery, but finds the bullies being preyed upon by a hungry wolf. With a scary battle-cry of “Cock-A-Doodle-Dooo!,” and a frightening fossil clutched in his fist, Little Chick chases the wolf away, is proclaimed a hero and permanently changes the bullies’ opinion of one so small.

Lenore and Daniel Jennewein
Lenore and Daniel Jennewein

This winning book is infused with subtle humor (perhaps adults will have to explain the chicken-dance craze reference to youngsters, but the picture of Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandpa crossing the road should be easier to catch) and adorable illustrations that make it mighty good human entertainment.

– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

Share this:

Back to School With Eerdmans

Ready and Waiting For YouHere in L.A. many schools have already begun, but there are plenty around the state and country that don’t begin until close to or after Labor Day. READY AND WAITING FOR YOU written by Judi Moreillon with art by Catherine Stock (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, $17.00, ages 4-7) is an ideal picture book to share with youngsters this time of year as they change gears from lazy summer daze to busy school days. As families head to the stores to purchase school clothing, stationary supplies and books, consider adding READY AND WAITING FOR YOU to the list. It’s designed as a warm welcome back to school and the school year for kids just beginning school or those starting in a new school.

Every other page pulls open to reveal more of Stock’s bright and cheery, cut paper illustrations that correspond to Moreillon’s text. I love the repetition of the phrase, “We’re ready and waiting for you.” It’s calming yet upbeat. And the way the story moves from the various personnel involved in school works wonderfully. Children will meet a bus driver, crossing guards, the principal, the school secretary, attendance clerk, nurse, librarian, computer technician, gym, art and music teachers. Also included are the cafeteria cooks and food workers (aka lunch ladies), playground monitors, custodians and parent volunteers. Best of all there’s the classroom teacher and all the other pupils, and “everyone’s waiting for you!” Now parents, doesn’t that make you wish that you, too, were going back to school?

– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

Click here to read what author/librarian Judi Moreillon has to say about writing this picture book.

Share this:

It’s Another Great Summer Giveaway!

SummerGiveAway_Banner

Welcome to the Albert Whitman & Company blog tour and giveaway for summer.

Good Reads With Ronna is proud to be included in this 2013 summer tour and giveaway. We’re also very excited to offer one lucky winner a copy of When I Feel Worried signed by author Cornelia Spelman (Albert Whitman & Company, $15.99, ages 3-6) with illustrations by Kathy Parkinson. Just follow the instructions below to be entered in the giveaway and good luck! But first, here’s a little something about the book.

938H

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
We all get worried,  but age and experience give us coping skills. So learning how to deal with this uncomfortable feeling  from a young age is very important.  When I Feel Worried, the latest in the acclaimed The Way I Feel series, focuses on an adorable but nervous Guinea pig who needs lots of reassurance that everything will be okay. In 24 brightly illustrated pages, children will read about ways to cope with worrisome feelings and how to feel empathy for a friend who might be worried, too. Parents will be able to use the picture book as a way to open the discussion about worry and anxiety when they sense their child might be experiencing the very same feelings.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
The giveaway begins today, Friday, August 2nd and runs through Sunday, August 18th ’til midnight. A winner will be selected via Random.org and notified on Monday, August 19th. Send your name and address to Good Reads With Ronna by clicking here. Be sure to write Albert Whitman Giveaway in the subject. For an extra entry, please LIKE our Facebook page by clicking here. Find our rules page here.

Be sure to stop by all the other participating great websites listed below by August 4th for a chance to win one of the following titles from Albert Whitman & Company and happy touring. Visit Albert Whitman’s website, too, because they’ll be giving away more books in their newsletter!

A Wild Day with Dad signed by Sean Callahan; The Bear Hug signed by Sean Callahan; A Father’s Day Thank You signed by Janet Nolan

The St. Patrick’s Day Shillelagh signed by Sean Callahan; Snowy, Blowy Winter signed by Bob Raczka; The Year Comes Round signed by Sid Farrar

The No-Dogs Allowed Rule signed by Kashmira Sheth; Being Henry David signed by Cal Armistead; When I Feel Worried by Cornelia Spelman

The Book Cellar

Michelle and Leslie’s Book Picks

Miss O’s Library Land

Young Adult Books – What We’re Reading Now

Green Bean Teen Queen

A Musing Mommy 

The Book Muncher

Carol’s Corner

The Children’s Book Review

Mission to Read

The Compulsive Reader

Wee Share 

Shelf Employed 

The Mod Podge Bookshelf

The Book Monsters

Confessions of a Readaholic

Fire and Ice

The Book Rat

There’s a Book

McBookWords

Crazed Mind

Tattooed Books

 

Share this:

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).

9780803738584H

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

Share this:

It’s A Firefly Night Picture Book Giveaway!

ItsAFireflyNight_CVRWe’re excited to be giving away two copies of this marvelous book reviewed by Debbie Glade and perfect for summer!

Enter now by clicking here and you may be one of two lucky winners to receive a copy of IT’S A FIREFLY NIGHT by Dianne Ochiltree. Remember to write FIREFLY in the subject line and please give your name and address in the email.  The giveaway ends midnight on June 17, 2013. For full contest rules click here. Good luck!

What child (or adult for that matter) doesn’t love fireflies? After all, they are the first sign that summer has truly arrived. It’s a Firefly Night ($12.99, Blue Apple Books, Ages 3-6) is a beautiful picture book that celebrates every child’s rite of passage into the warmest season of the year.

The concise flowing, rhyming prose by Dianne Ochiltree offers the youngest readers insight into the story of a little girl and her dog who are out in the yard with a jar, chasing, capturing and releasing fireflies back into the air. Just reading the book will make you want to get out into the fresh air with your family. In the back of the book is a spread with factual information about fireflies. Did you know that fireflies are beetles?

“Flickering quicker,
they sparkle and shine.
I love catching fireflies,
but they are not mine.”

FireflyNight

What makes this book standout are the vivid collage illustrations by Betsy Snyder. The colors are both deep and brilliant, depicting the most magical night sky you could ever imagine. It’s a Firefly Night is a great way to kickoff summer with your kids. Just be prepared to get out in the yard with them chasing those glittery sparklers as soon as they appear.

Share this:

Planting a Seed

HoldaSeedWarm weather days are upon us, school’s just about out for summer, and it’s that time of year when many kids can get excited about gardening. If You Hold a Seed ($16.95, Running Press Kids, Ages 3 and up) is a picture book with few words, yet it conveys a big message. The story is all about planting a tree seed and waiting for it to grow through every kind of weather during the year.

The beauty of this book is in its simplicity as well as its unique illustrations. When I first looked at the book, I wondered how writer and artist Elly MacKay managed to capture light so realistically. I learned on her website that she creates her pictures by employing a most innovative process. She uses plastic paper so she can stretch it, layer it and use it to catch light. She then places her illustrations in a handmade box of sorts, held with wires, so she can shine light through the images at different angles to get the look she wants. With the use of tissue paper and layers of color, the illustrations have remarkable depth.

Reading this charming book with your children will get them excited about summer and will make them want to plant their own seeds and climb a tree. They may even be inspired to paint some unusual pictures of their own.

– Reviewed by Debbie Glade

Share this:

Simply, Superbly Staake

I’d heard the buzz about Bluebird by Bob Staake, but deliberately steered clear of reading anything before I laid eyes on my own copy. I didn’t want a single word to influence my opinion of a book that was 10 years in the making. Then my review copy arrived and I dove in. Certain to be an award-winner, Bluebird (Schwartz & Wade, $17.99, ages 4-8) is everything I hoped it would be and more.

cover

This emotion-packed picture book touched me the same way the 1956 film The Red Balloon did. I felt my eyes well with tears just like when I first watched the French classic as an elementary school girl in the late 60s. I’ve carried that movie with me over four decades and am confident Bluebird will have that kind of effect on children. Its moving message will stay with readers. Plus, reading this book feels so much more intimate and individual than watching a film and the artwork simply soars. Yes, it’s a book that has wings because as you read it and watch colors and tones change with the illustrations, your spirit lifts along with Bluebird and the boy he befriends. And though I said “read it,” it’s actually a wordless picture book with a most wonderful voice, one that shouts love and understanding. Great art can do that. Here are some of Staake’s Bluebird character studies:

bluebirdcharacterstudies

Friends come in all shapes and sizes and so do bullies. There are several bullies who torment a young boy at the beginning of the school year. He feels alone and ostracized until Bluebird appears and makes it hard not to notice his friendly gestures. Set in Manhattan, the different frames of the story depict the nameless boy and his new pal spending a great afternoon together playing and then sailing a boat in Central Park as new friendships are forged.

BLUEBIRE Interior Art

The huge smiles on the kids’ faces and the light airy feeling of grays and blues on the pages convey a newfound happiness and joy. Then the grays darken as the boy runs into the bullies.

(A Staake sketch of the bullies in Central Park)

Sketch from Bluebird

What happens next as Bluebird tries to help his friend may temporarily derail little ones, but that’s really the point. Bluebird is a conversation starter about friendship, loyalty and bullying. It’s also about loss and the healing power of community. I’m glad we waited 10 years for this powerful tale to take flight.

For more information and a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the book, visit FlyBluebird.com.

-Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

Share this:

Because Amelia Smiled Picture Book Giveaway

61D-B9B8C2L._SL500_AA300_We reviewed Because Amelia Smiled ($16.99, Candlewick, ages 3-7) by David Ezra Stein several months ago and are now excited to be able to give away a copy of the book to two Good Reads With Ronna readers. Are you smiling yet?

In Because Amelia Smiled, Stein effortlessly takes readers on a world tour all because a little girl, Amelia, wore an infectious smile while skipping down the street. For details how to enter and for entire contest rules, please click here or scroll down all the way to the bottom of this page for partial info. The contest ends midnight on April 16, 2013 so don’t wait to enter and good luck!

As Stein says in his jacket flap, “The story of Amelia is bigger than anything that can fit in a book. It’s the story of how we are connected.”  I could not agree more. Perhaps you are as fascinated by the idea of six degrees of separation as I am and if so, you will love sharing this picture book with your children.

You may know Stein from his Caldecott Honor–winning Interrupting Chicken. Here again Stein’s art flows from page to page, person to person, country to country just the way  today’s technological tapestry has brought us all together seamlessly. So, rather than tell the entire story, I suggest you read Because Amelia Smiled  to learn what caused Amelia to grin in the first place and then find out how many people are positively affected by Amelia’s smile, including you! For more of our review, please click here.
0763641693.int.1

HOW TO ENTER:

  1. Beginning Monday, April 8 we’re offering two readers the chance to win a copy of Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein. Simply LIKE us on Facebook and also send us your name and contact info in an email to Ronna.L.Mandel@gmail.com by midnight Tuesday, April 16, 2013 and you’ll be entered to win a copy of this picture book. Remember to write SMILE in the subject line.
  2. The giveaway opportunity ends at midnight on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 and two winners will be randomly chosen on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. For an additional entry please follow us on Twitter @goodreadsronna too! If you don’t provide an email where you can be contacted your chance to win is forfeited.
 
Share this:

Batter Up!

Take me out to the ball game, please!!

9781623700003Say hello to Good Night Baseball ($14.95, Capstone Young Readers, ages 4-7), a new Sports Illustrated Kids picture book from prolific children’s book author Michael Dahl with illustrations by Christina Forshay.

As spring training kicks off, Good Night Baseball provides the perfect play by play to introduce young fans and potential fans to this beloved American sport.  I got excited reading the rhyming text in anticipation of my family’s annual outing to see our favorite minor league team, the Quakes, based in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Their home opener’s on April 4th. Be prepared for your kids to get in the mood for some serious snacking, too, when they see the tempting artwork. “We eat popcorn and hot dogs and hold drinks in our laps … with the names of our favorite teams bright on our caps.” Don’t forget the pretzels, peanuts and fries!

While the whole book is a lot of fun, my favorite part was when the little boy who is attending a ball game gets to go down on the field along with his dad and say, “Goodnight, diamond. Goodnight, grass. Goodnight, home plate where each runner ran past.”  Towards the end, in this quasi homage to Goodnight, Moon, Dahl’s book really shines as he describes the boy getting tired and ready to call it a night. We all know how exhausting watching a nine inning baseball game can be for youngsters and Forshay’s illustrations capture that mood with both the color changes on the last few pages and the look of pure contentment on the baseball fan’s sleepy face. Goodnight, baseball. Goodnight, baseball fan!

– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

Share this:
Load More
Back To Top
%d bloggers like this: