Review: DOTTIE DOLPHIN PLAYS HIDE-AND-SEEK (Maurice Pledger)

My entire family is pretty animal crazy and this boardbook from Maurice Pledger would have found shelf space in any of my siblings homes.

THE STORY:  Dottie Dolphin is swimming around the reef looking for her siblings.  And all sorts of beautiful reef creatures like a Lionfish and turtle give her clues or tell her that they aren't dolphins.

WHAT I LOVE about this book are the brilliant colors and all the animals and objects that there are to point-at and name.  There are sponges, seaweed, and coral; also seahorses, lionfish, turtles, a giant clam, seagulls, frigate birds, and a clownfish and so much more.  In fact, I don't know the names of all the critters.

CONSTRUCTION
-- The pages and cover and sturdy.
-- The front cover has a patch of silky, but textured, fabric where little ones will be able to 'pet' Dottie Dolphin.
-- Not every page has a pull-down tab.  There are four in total.  Plus the last page has fold out which makes it 3 panels wide.
-- The tabs are not the thick cardboard kind, but the heavily plasticized sort.  In fact, all of the pages are very shiny and I would think be water resistant.


WHAT I REALLY THINK:  This would be an excellent book to share with little ones after they are past the 'animal basics'.  (You know, once they know dog/cat/horse/chicken).

Children who have seen the Nemo movie will like finding the clownfish.  And Adults will be able to point at the animals and help children exercise their memories in recalling during subsequent readings what they've been taught. 

This is just a great little boardbook. 

Pam~


DOTTIE DOLPHIN PLAYS HIDE-AND-SEEK
by Maurice Pledger

Reading Information:
Page Count:  16
no reading information available
--other reviews available
-- amazon
~review copy

You might also want to check out these boardbooks:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Review: PING-PING PANDA'S BAMBOO JOURNEY
Review: BUNNIES NEAR AND FAR
Review: POTS AND PANS
Review: DOG NUMBER 1, DOG NUMBER 10
----------------------------------------------------------------

Review: PING-PING PANDA'S BAMBOO JOURNEY (Maurice Pledger)

A follow up book to PING-PING PANDA (ISBN13: 9781571455789), this boardbook, BAMBOO JOURNEY, is adorable.

THE STORY is about the search for the next meal.  Ping-Ping just finishes with her delicious bamboo snack when she discovers that she is still hungry.  Because all of the bamboo is gone where she is she sets out on a journey that leads her see many animal friends.

WHAT I LOVE about this book are the brilliant colors and the appealing way that the animals are drawn.  In addition, there is the opportunity to point-at and name creatures that aren't normally in boardbooks.

Besides Ping-Ping there is a cute red panda named Rusty. There's also Becky Bluebird, Polly Pika, Katie Kingfisher and Hanna Hummingbird who join the search. Other animals include a variety of butterflies, dragon flies, beetles and birds. 

Adults like me will have lots to talk about, and children will love the bright colors and animals.

CONSTRUCTION
-- The pages and cover and sturdy.
-- The front cover has a patch of fur where little ones will be able to 'pet' Ping-Ping.
-- Not every page has a pull-down tab. There are four in total. Plus the last page has fold out which makes it 3 panels wide.
-- The tabs have a cut-out to help lift the edge but the first time through adults may have to get the tabs started.

Pam~


PING-PING PANDA'S BAMBOO JOURNEY
by Maurice Pledger

Reading Information:
Page Count:  16
no reading information available
--other reviews available
-- amazon
~review copy

You might also want to check out these boardbooks:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Review: DOTTIE DOLPHIN PLAYS HIDE-AND-SEEK
Review: BUNNIES NEAR AND FAR
Review: POTS AND PANS
Review: DOG NUMBER 1, DOG NUMBER 10
----------------------------------------------------------------

Review: I LOVE YOU, BLANKIE

4.67 Stars from 6 GoodReaders

I had a turtle. Tommy Turtle that was my nighttime buddy when I was little.  My neighbor Karisa though had a blankie and she took it everywhere.  And I have to admit that when we played it was very convenient.  Blankies can be capes, you see, or rocket ships or places for picnics. Even boats.

I think Sheryl Haft must have been a similar blankie lover in her life --perhaps it was her!\-- because the sweet darling in this boardbook uses his/her blankie as a ship, parachute, balloon and more.  

I thought the gentle colors and the sweet artwork by Jane Massey would appeal to little ones.  And hopefully the rhythm of the text and and the transition of the story from adventure to sleepy-time will work their magic and help your little one get ready for sleep.

Pam~


I LOVE YOU, BLANKIE
by Sheryl Haft
Jane Massey (Illustrator)

Reading Information:
Page Count:  22
no reading information currently available
--find at amazon 
--review copy

Review: COZY CLASSICS - THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER by Jack and Holman Wang

Have you seen these books by Jack and Holman Wang?

The pair are the author-artists behind an entire series of boardbooks that use adorable felt characters to retell classic stories such as TOM SAWYER, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, MOBY DICK, and more....

Yes, Board Books.

Now 'RETELL' is perhaps a bit of a misleading term because these books have virtually no text. The first page (above) might lead you to think that there's text, but that's not the case.

The entirety of the Cozy Classic's Tom Sawyer contains just a dozen words: Hide, Paint, Kiss, Cry, Play, Camp, Storm, Home, Cave, Lost, Out, and Gold.

This cute video gives you an idea of what the books contain and what you might do with them.

Here are a set of sample pages from Tom Sawyer.

I don't know whether this book will work for you and yours.  There is certainly no proof that children introduced to the classics in this way will be more interested in them as teens.  But the artwork is very engaging and I believe it's worth an experiment to see how your child reacts to the story and the book's presentation.  (go library!)

I CAN SEE...
-- I can see an adult refreshing their memory about the plot lines of these classics and then introducing the stories, in very simple terms, to their young children.

-- I can see using these books in a classroom setting with older children. The assignment being that they should try to sum up a different story in just 12 words, using the Cozy series as inspiration.

-- I can totally see giving a collection of these books as a gift to new or expecting parents.  

Pam~


COZY CLASSICS: TOM SAWYER
by Jack and Holman Wang

Reading Information:
Page Count: 24
reading information not applicable - 12 words

Here is a video of how the characters are made!

Review: ORANGE TRIANGLE FOX by Sarah Jones

ORANGE TRIANGLE FOX is a cute and intelligent little boardbook.

It features animals and shapes and colors so you can get a lot entertainment and education possibilities.

Animals covered are: hedgehog, owl, fox, frog, turtle, bird (Bluejay), bug.

Colors featured are: brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.

Shapes are: circle, square, triangle, star, semicircle, rectangle, heart.

Recommend because the artwork is sweet and there is so much to share.

Pam~


ORANGE TRIANGLE FOX
by Sarah Jones

Reading Information:
Page Count: 14
no reading information currently available 

✓ Check out these boardbooks too:

• BUNNIES NEAR AND FAR
• SPRINGTIME BABY
• I SAY, YOU SAY COLORS!
  

Review: BUNNIES NEAR AND FAR by Sarah Jones

1 bunny near
2 bunnies far
3 bunnies take a walk
4 in a car

BUNNIES NEAR AND FAR is a wonderful little boardbook. It has thick shiny pages that are rounded, and the text is large and simple. The artwork consists of cute bunnies in muted, calming tones.

These numbers are big enough for little fingers to trace. And please note
that the black at the edges is from my scanner.

There's humor in this book --in both the art and lyrics-- BUT what I really love is that Sarah Jones (author/artist) gives adults so many things to point out and discuss with little ones.

BUNNIES NEAR AND FAR can be read to older babies just for entertainment for the rhyme and cadence. But with Toddlers you can spend more time on the numbers; both counting the cute bunnies, and identifying the numeric symbols.  If you want to take it a step further, you can have your child trace the large numbers with their index finger --a practice used by some teachers to prepare children to write.

In addition, there are Contrasts in every set of pages.  Some like near-and-far, walk-and-ride, and up-and-down may be familiar.  But there are also those that are less common, like country-and-town, and sing (a song) and play (an instrument).

If you've ever read any of my reviews of boardbooks, or books for really young children before, you'll know that I love books that are multipurpose. They need to be entertaining, but if they also teach some science or numbers or morals, they're going to be the kind of book that would end up on my own home shelves, and they are going to be books that I recommend.

In this regard I thought BUNNIES NEAR AND FAR was a very useful book. It's the first book that I've read from publisher Blue Manatee, and I have to say that I'm impressed by how much information they've managed to include in so few pages.

Consider this book Recommended.

Thank you Blue Manatee for the chance to find out about Sarah Jones.   I absolutely loved this book and ORANGE TRIANGLE FOX.

Pam~


BUNNIES NEAR AND FAR
by Sarah Jones

Reading Information:
Page Count: 14
no reading information currently available
--sample pages and reviews available

✓ Check out these boardbooks too:

• ORANGE TRIANGLE FOX
• POTS AND PANS
• SPRINGTIME BABY
• I SAY, YOU SAY COLORS!
  

Review: SPRINGTIME BABY by Elise Broach

SPRINGTIME BABY is a cute little book to share. The artwork is sweet and in soothing pastels, and the text is fun and makes for a good Read-aloud.

Rainbow baby
Look! The Sun!

Meadow baby
Ducklings run

I liked the detail that Cori Doerrfeld put in the art. When you read this to baby there are lots of things to point at and name. Dog, frog, duckies, birds and bees. Umbrellas, boots, coat, pillow and other things like flowers, clouds, mud, and rainbow.

SPRINGTIME BABY is a sweet little boardbook that seems well constructed. The pages are thick and glossy.  The flaps, if you can't tell from the photos, are the thin glossy sort that are glued down.  (I like those kind because they can be easily repaired.)

Pam~


SPRINGTIME BABY
(Baby Seasons)
by  Elise Broach
illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld 

Reading Information:
Page Count:  14
no reading information currently available
--sample pages and reviews available


Other Baby books from Elise and Cori are:

--Snowflake Baby
--Seashore Baby 
--Barnyard Baby

Review: I SAY, YOU SAY FEELINGS! by Ted Carpenter

I SAY, YOU SAY FEELINGS! is a nice little boardbook that takes a look at FEELINGS and what facial features and actions are associated with them. 

For example Happy, Grumpy, Silly, Sad, Excited, Sleepy, Hurt, and Love are shown.  And for Grumpy, the associated facial expression is Frown; while for Excited, it's Hurray!  (This is because the Walrus is excited about presents! And the hurray is from friends.)

Here are some sample pages.  (NOTE that my scanner isn't wide enough to fully capture the two-page spreads.)

(NOTE that my scanner isn't wide enough to fully capture the 2-page spread.)

Sometimes the focus is on 'reading' faces, and sometimes on actions that might accompany a mood or event.  ("I say hurt" is accompanied by 'OUCH!")

Ahh, poor hurt monkey

Having both facial expressions and actions gives adults a chance to broaden the discussion with little ones.

With the WE-SAY-OUCH pages, for example, I confirm that this is what do too. Then I ask the children what else we sometimes do when we have a boo-boo? Or I'll ask a question like how else we might tell when someone was grumpy.

~

The design for I SAY, YOU SAY FEELINGS! is a little different than other boardbooks.  For every scenario you get 4 pages.  The first two show the I SAY text and two pages of pictures.  After you flip the page (instead of lifting a flap) you get two more pages.

Note that the flip pages can swing out in different directions -- up, down, sideways.

Heavily plasticized, these pages should hold up to drool.  It's not clear to me at this point how they will hold up to heavy toddler use.

Pam~

I SAY, YOU SAY FEELINGS!
by Ted Carpenter

Reading Information:
no reading information currently available

You might also be interested in:

• a review of I SAY, YOU SAY COLORS!

• a review of ANIMALS IN UNDERWEAR ABC

• a review of THE I LOVE YOU BOOK

• a review of POTS and PANS

Review: ANIMALS IN UNDERWEAR ABC (from Todd Parr :)

ANIMALS IN UNDERWEAR ABC is a new book from the wonderful Todd Parr.   It features his signature drawing style and his usual eye-catching bright primary colors.

ANIMALS IN UNDERWEAR ABC is done in that new boardbook style Little Brown is using. [Thank you LB for the review copy!!!]  You don't so much lift a flap, as lift an entire page. I saw one recent book where the pages open up in different directions -- up, down, sideways. This book however only opens by lifting the page up and I have to say that I like that better. (I don't have to 'learn' which way the pages swing--LOL.)

The focus of this book is animals and the alphabet. As you can see from the sample pages the text is good sized.  Which I think makes it easier for reader and readee.

And if you're wondering what X is? Well, it's an Extra-large pig--in underwear, of course.

Cute book to share. Bright and colorful.  I think the colors Todd uses keeps the attention of small fry so you can practice those letters.

Pam~


ANIMALS IN UNDERWEAR ABC
by Todd Parr
Page Count: 16
no reading information

You might also be interested in:

• a review of I SAY, YOU SAY COLORS!

• a review of I SAY, YOU SAY FEELINGS!

• a review of THE I LOVE YOU BOOK

• a review of POTS and PANS

Review: I SAY, YOU SAY COLORS! by Ted Carpenter

I SAY, YOU SAY COLORS! is the first book in Ted Carpenter's series that I've seen.  It's adorable.  

The artwork is bright and cheerful and I love the format which has the adult saying, 'I say this' followed by 'you say' a color. For example, the following two pictures are the first ones you see for the color RED.

After you unfold the flap here's what you and your little reader will see.  (Yes the flap flips up!)

Besides being fun to shout out Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Black-and-White, there's also an opportunity to name plants, animals and objects.  There are critters like the cute little racoons, zebras, bunnies and more.  And objects such as the sun, apples, pumpkins, a helicopter, a kite, and more.  And one can count objects as well.

The last scenario, by the way, is for all the colors.

I say colors, you say... RAINBOW!

This is a nice little boardbook.  The pages are highly plasticized, and the flaps fold out in different directions.  (That took a little getting used to ;)  

Pam~

I SAY, YOU SAY COLORS! 

by Ted Carpenter

Reading Information:

no reading information currently available

You might also be interested in:

• a review of I SAY, YOU SAY COLORS!

• a review of I SAY, YOU SAY FEELINGS!

• a review of ANIMALS IN UNDERWEAR ABC

• a review of THE I LOVE YOU BOOK

• a review of POTS and PANS

Review: THE I LOVE YOU BOOK (boardbook) by Todd Parr

4.19 Stars from 131 GoodReaders

I love you when you give me kisses.
I love you when you need hugs...
Most of all, I love you just the way you are.

THE I LOVE YOU BOOK was first published in a BIG book format back in 2009.  It was an immediate hit with little ones and adults, and now, FINALLY, it's been published as a boardbook.

The theme of the book is unconditional love.  And you'll see two pages take up a sub-theme, like I love you when you are scared.  And I love you when you are brave.

For more of my mom praise you can check out this review of the original publication -- here.

In this post I think I'll stick with showing some sample pages and describing what the actual boardbook is like.

 

THE I LOVE YOU BOOK boardbook is the standard square boardbook size. If you look at the bookcover you can see a yellow framed heart.  The heart itself is soft and squishy to the touch.  (The squishy part is polyurethane foam covered by plastic. I-personally don't know of any one who's allergic to poly-foam, but I mention it just in case.)

The artwork inside the book is totally Todd Parr.  Which is to say it's all done in extremely bright cheerful colors . The pages are slick, and importantly, they are thick and sturdy.  (I don't know about you, but my boy was rough on boardbooks.  I would think this would would hold up fine.)

The only downside I found was that there are two pages with dark purple backgrounds and this makes it a little difficult for my old eyes to make out the text. 

But truly an adorable boardbook version of Todd Parr's I LOVE YOU BOOK. I just love the theme of unconditional love.  Because that's how we are. We love our darlings whether they have stinkie poopie pants, or are struggling with their algebra.

A great book to share.  And a good night time read.

Pam~


THE I LOVE YOU BOOK
by Todd Parr

Reading Information:
Page Count:  32
no reading information currently available
--sample pages and reviews available

•  The I LOVE YOU BOOK is also available as a large book -- 9.4 x 9.3 inches

FUNNY THANKSGIVING Books for Kids

This list features humorous Thanksgiving books for young children.

Get other types of books by perusing the Thanksgiving Book Index.

**all rating from GoodReads

Humorous

10 Fat Turkeys

by Tony Johnston
 Richard F. Deas (Illustrations)

3.72 avg rating — 193 ratings

"Looky!" says a silly turkey swinging from a vine. Gobble gobble wibble wobble. Whoops! Now there are nine. Girls and boys will gobble up this hilarious story about ten goofy turkeys and their silly antics: swinging from a vine, strutting on a boar, doing a noodle dance, and more.



TONY JOHNSTON is the award-winning author of more than seventy beloved children's books, including Ten Fat Turkeys.

Common Core Aligned
Reading Information:
Page Count: 32
no Accelerated reading information currently available
Lexile: NP
--sample pages and reviews available

Five Silly Turkeys
by Salina Yoon

3.68 avg rating — 63 ratings

This counting book is full of silly turkeys doing very silly things! From twirling on a dance floor to being chased by a bee to tanning in the sun.

Reading Information:
Page Count: 10
no reading information currently available
--sample pages and reviews available

The Turkey Ball

(Boardbook)
by David Steinberg
Liz Conrad (Illustrations)

3.30 avg rating — 20 ratings

This rollicking, rhyming boardbook chronicles an enchanted evening with a group of funny turkeys as they get ready for the social event of the season. Lyrical text and five colors of shiny foil on the cover add to the festivities.

Reading Information:
Page Count: 10
no reading information currently available
--sample pages and reviews available

Turkey Trouble
by Wendi J. Silvano
Lee Harper (Illustrator)

4.10 avg rating — 423 ratings

Turkey is in trouble. Bad trouble. The kind of trouble where it's almost Thanksgiving . . . and you're the main course. But Turkey has an idea--what if he doesn't look like a turkey? What if he looks like another animal instead?

After many hilarious attempts, Turkey comes up with the perfect disguise to make this Thanksgiving the best ever!

Reading Information:
Word Count: 429
Page count: 40
Accelerated Reader: 2.3 / points: 0.5
AR Quiz: 132908
--sample pages and other reviews available

Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey
by Herman Parish
Lynn Sweat (Illustrator)

3.64 avg rating — 117 ratings

Amelia Bedelia helps out with the school Thanksgiving play and the usual merriment follows. Longer than other Amelia Bedelia books.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 2,586
Page count: 64
Accelerated Reader:  3.2 / points: 0.5
AR Quiz: 126505
 Lexile: 460L 
--sample pages and other reviews available

'Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving
Scholastic
by Dave Pilkey

4.08 avg rating — 1,266 ratings

School children on a field trip to Mack Nugget's farm save the lives of eight turkeys in this poem based on "The Night Before Christmas."

Common Core Aligned
Reading Information:
Word Count: 485
Page count: 32
Accelerated Reading level: 4.0 / points: 0.5
AR quiz:  68884
Lexile: NP
--sample pages and other reviews available

A Plump and Perky Turkey
by Teresa Bateman
 Jeff Shelly (Illustrator)

4.09 avg rating — 183 ratings

Turkeys around Squawk Valley just don't jump into pots anymore -- they are way too smart for that. So the townspeople hatch a clever plan. They host a turkey-themed arts and crafts fair and lure a vain bird into town by advertising for an artist's model. Peter the Turkey, proud of his well-stuffed form, takes the bait but doesn't fall for the trap. Fun rhymes and illustrations.

The people in Squawk Valley
were downhearted and depressed.
Thanksgiving was approaching,
but without its special guest.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 646
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reading level: 4.2 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 132907
--sample pages and other reviews available

compiled by Pam
updated November 2014