Pat the Bunny

Not only is this a quintessentially famous children’s toy book, but it holds a special place in my heart.  My mother’s best friend Pat gave me this book as a shower gift when I was pregnant with my daughter.  Pat has since dies from Alzheimer’s.  Every time I look at this book I think about her and smile.

Author/Illustrator: Dorothy Kunhardt
Publisher:  Simon and Schuster, originally Golden Books (1940)
Prices: Hardcover - $12.78, Plastic Comb - $6.41
Reading level: 1-3 Years
Interest level: Lower Grades and younger
Physical Characteristics: 5x5.6 inches, plastic comb, 20 pages.
ISBN: 978-0307120007
Genres: Toy Book, Touch and Feel 
Subjects:
Infants-Development
Rabbits
Parent and Infants
Touch and Feel

Annotation: The original interactive book.

Summary: Pat the Bunny is an interactive telling of some of the things Paul and Judy can do, as well as things the youngest reader can do.  This includes smelling flowers, touching daddy’s beard and patting the bunny. 

Evaluation: For over 75 years this has been one of baby’s first books.  The simple color scheme, large print and minimal texts are perfect for a baby lapsit reading experience.  The sensory elements, that Ms. Kunhardt was the first to incorporate in a child’s book, are great for toddlers who want to touch and feel everything. By touching the different textures in the book or by looking in the mirror in the book the youngest of all readers can have an interactive and inviting experience with reading.  Pat the Bunny is a must for anyone with a baby on board.

Similar Titles or Authors:
Pat the Cat Edith Kunhardt Davis
Pat the Puppy Edith Kunhardt Davis

Websites:
http://www.randomhousekids.com/brand/pat-the-bunny/

Awards and Recognitions:
One of the best-selling American children's book of all time
 
Professional Reviews:
OLA Quarterly

New York Times

All images (c) Dorothy Kundardt 

Falling Up

As a child I loved all things Shel Silverstein, and have been waiting on pins and needles to share his books of poetry with my daughter.  Recently my mother mailed me a box of books from my childhood bedroom, and this was one of them.

Author/Illustrator: Shel Silverstein
Publisher: Harper Collins (1996) 
Prices: Special Hardcover - $19.99
Reading level: Ages 6-10
Interest level: Middle Grades
Physical Characteristics: 7.2 x 9.5 inches, 171 pages,
ISBN: 9780060248031 
Genres: Poetry 
Subjects:
Humorous Poetry
American Poetry
Children’s Poetry

Annotation: A book of poems and drawings by the famed American poet Shel Silverstein.

Summary: Mr. Silverstein’s last book of poems before his death.  This book consists of 144 poems and illustrations done in Mr. Silverstein’s whimsical, surreal and childlike style.

Evaluation:  I have to say up front that this is not my favorite of Mr. Silverstein’s books of poetry, but I still enjoy it. I feel that his first two collections of poetry for children had more heart and soul, while these seem just silly.  That is not to knock silly, I think there is much merit to this book of poetry.  The familiar Silverstein illustrations and the nonsensical poems are very attractive to children.  My daughter and I love the illustrations and find them wonderful conversation starters, do to their incredible detail.  And the poetry itself lends itself to laughter and repeated reads.  I am looking forward to more reads of this book and in sharing Mr. Silverstein’s other work with my daughter.

Similar Titles or Authors:
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein 
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein 
Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss

Websites:
http://www.shelsilverstein.com/

http://www.harpercollins.com/9780060248024/falling-up

Awards and Recognitions:

ALA Booklist Editors' Choice

Parents' Choice Gold Award

Maine Student Book Award

Professional Reviews:
New York Times


Language Arts

Horn Book Magazine



All images (c) Shel Silverstein

Who was Laura Ingalls Wilder?

The Sacramento Public Library used 3M as one of their partners in digital books. I have the 3M app on my Ipad and used the category search features to find what children’s ebooks they had available to check out.  When I saw the book on Mrs. Wilder I wanted to read it, as I loved the show Little House on the Prairie when I was a child.

Author: Patricia Brennen Demuth

Illustrator: Tim Foley

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap: Penguin(2013) 

Prices: Library Binding - $12.59, Paperback - $4.44, ebook - $4.22

Reading level: Ages 8-12

Interest level: Middle Grades

Physical Characteristics: 5.2x7.6 inches, 112 pages, illustrations

Series: Who was…?

ISBN: 9780448467061

Genres: ebook, biography

Subjects:

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Pioneers

Little House on the Prairie

Famous children’s books authors

Annotation: The real life story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House books.

Summary:  This book traces the complete life of Laura Ingalls Wilder from birth to death.  It highlights all of the various homes and jobs she had as her father and then husband traveled West as homesteaders, until she ultimately settled in Missouri and wrote her Little House books

Evaluation: This is a good book for kids in elementary school looking to learn about the celebrated author Laura Ingalls Wilder.  It is not as thorough as some books about Mrs. Wilder written for adults, but it is perfect for the young reader.  While this ebook has no frills, it is just a straight digitized version of the print book it does have a good account of information and 80 maps and illustrations.  The book also includes a very helpful timeline of Mrs. Wilder’s life, boxes calling out specific terms from the period and bibliographical references.  This would be a very helpful book for a student doing a report on Mrs. Wilder on on the pioneer era in The United States.   

Similar Titles or Authors:

Any of the books in Wilder’s Little House series would be a good compliment to this biography.

Who is Malala Yousafzai by Dinah Brown

Websites:

http://brennan-demuth.com/books/who-was-laura-ingalls-wilder/

http://www.penguin.com/book/who-was-laura-ingalls-wilder-by-patricia-brennan-demuth/9780448467061

www.whowasbookseries.com

Professional Reviews:

None found

All images (c) Tim Foley 

 

Duh! Knights and Castles

One of my favorite blogs is coolmomtech and its sister site coolmompicks.  When they reviewed Duh Books and said, "The growing Duh! collection is full of great information, simple explanations, cool interactive graphics, and links to learn more” I decided to check one of the books out.  I ordered the knights and castles book, because I wanted to show my daughter what real castles are like, as opposed to the Disneyfied versions she sees on TV and in movies.

Author: Jule Lelieveld
Designer: Bas Verhoeven

Publisher: Patsboem! (2013)        

Prices: $3.99
Reading level: Ages 6-10
Interest level: Lower and Medium Grades
Physical Characteristics: Version 1.0, 18 pages
Series: Duh Books
Genres: ebook, non-fiction, textbook
Subjects:
Knights
Castles
Middle Ages

Annotation: A book especially designed for the Ipad with educational information about knights and castles.

Summary:  
Duh! Knights and Castles is an e-book for kids six years and up.  It was created especially for the iPad and contains movies, interactive pictures, sound effects and safe weblinks.  The ebook examines uses and layout of castles, the age of knights, battles and much more in regards to both castles and knights.

Evaluation: 
I really enjoyed this ebook and hope that Patsboem create more books in their Duh! Series.  As my daughter gets further along in elementary school and has to start write reports, doing research projects and creating show and tell type presentations I believe these books will really come in handy.   The best art about Duh! Knights and Castles was that the multi touch aspect makes reading it an interactive and highly engaging learning experience.  There are photos and illustrations to click on with sound effects, and additional pop ups of information specific to those pictures.  Another nice aspect to these books as that it doesn’t provide only information, there are also many questions asked for the reader to answer or research and many prompts to encourage further learning.  A wonderful feature is that harder vocabulary words specific to the time period are highlighted and defined when you click them.  This is a good way to keep younger readers ivolved, even if they do not know much about castles and knights and the relevant vocabulary.  I really liked this book and will be downloading more in the future.

Similar Titles or Authors:
Knights & Castles: 50 Hands-On Activities to Explore the Middle Ages by Avery Hart 
Duh! Horses
 
Castles and Knights by DK Publishing


Websites:
http://www.patsboemeducatief.nl/

http://duhbooks.com/

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/duh!-knights-and-
castles/id743894111?mt=13&ign-mpt=uo%3D4


Professional Reviews:
No peer reviewed reviews.  Only this blog post from coolmomtech.

All images © Poetsboem  

Llama Llama Red Pajama

This was the first children’s ebook I ever purchased.  I bought it about two years ago when my daughter was begging me at bedtime for a Llama Llama book that she had at her preschool.  She promised me she would go to sleep if she could just read that book and at 9:30pm I will buy almost anything to get my child to sleep.

Author/Illustrator: Anna Dewdney
Publisher: Penguin Group USA (20005)
Prices: $9.99
Reading level: 2-5 Years 
Interest level: Moderate 
Physical Characteristics: 19.4 MB, 40 pages
Series: Llama Llama…
ISBN: 9780670059836  
Genres: ebook, Read-along
Subjects:
Mother and Child
Seperation anxiety
Stories in rhyme
Bedtime

Annotation: A young llama has a hard time going to bed after his mother leaves his room.

Summary: 

Mama llama tucks her baby llama into bed and leaves the room, Baby Llama becomes scared as soon as mama leaves his room and goes downstairs.  He starts to cry softly for his mama to come back.  This then graduates into a full blown tantrum when mama doesn't come right back.  The tantrum draws mama back up the stairs where she explains to baby llama, that she sometimes has things to do after he is asleep and he needs to be quiet and patient until she comes back to check on him.  They kiss goodnight and baby llama falls asleep. 

Evaluation:
I feel about the Llama Llama books as I do about Caillou on PBS, I think they are both too whiny.  There are ways to show children that their fears, confusions, anger and other feelings are real and valid without making the characters so whiny.  That being said, my daughter loves these books and loves having them read to her and reading them herself.  And, when I can put aside my dislike of llama, I can accept that this book has a good message.  The illustrations are not exceptional or new, but the details in each picture are interesting.  I find myself paying more attention to the brush strokes than the words.  A positive about this book is the way Ms. Dewdney captures what nighttime feels-like in her painting.  A big negative for me is that the publishers and author do not utilize the digital platform.  The Ipad version is really not any different from the read along with CD version, or the print version that I can read to my daughter.  I wish that they would have incorporated more interactive features.  While I don’t love this book or the series, I guess there are worse books I could be asked to read to my daughter.

Similar Titles or Authors:
All the other Llama Llama books in the collection
Just Me and My Mom by Mercer Mayer
No Nap! Yes Nap! by Margie Palatini

Websites:
http://www.llamallamabook.com/

http://www.annadewdney.com/Annas_website/Home.html

Awards & Recognition:

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record book in 2011

New York Times #1

Scholastic Parent and Child “100 Greatest Books for Kids”

Professional Reviews:
School Library Journal

Kirkus

All images © Anna Dewdney

The Zoo

When looking for some books to read with my daughter on my Ipad I did some research on one of my favorite blogs, coolmomtech.com.  They did a glowing write up on a new take on the classic LadyBird series from the 1960’s, so I bought the app, and started reading with my daughter.

Author: M.E. Gagg
Illustrator: Barry Driscoll
Publisher: Penguin Books (2011)
First published in print in 1960 by Wills & Hepworth
Prices: $2.99
Reading level: 2-6
Interest level: Lower Grades
Physical Characteristics: Ipad App version 2.3, 72.8 MB, 32 pages
Series: LadyBird Classics Me Books
ISBN: 0721411754
Genres: ebook, Ipad App
Subjects:
Early Reader
Zoo

Annotation:
An early reader from the 1960’s about the zoo which has been updated for the Ipad.

Summary:  This book starts with a picture of a zoo, a master shot of all the animals.  It then goes on to introduce each animal individually.  The single sentences on the left side of the page match the pictures on the right side of the page.

Evaluation:  The LadyBird classic books have very simple illustrations and minimal matching text.  They have been duplicated for the Ipad with no modern updates to typeface, pictures, or cover.  Instead the newness comes from the smart use of technology. Each page has “hotspots” that you can touch to hear sound effects or a narrator reading the text.  If you don’t like the preprogrammed voices or sound effects then you can program it with your own hotspots, sound effects and narration. 
This book is great.  It can be used simply as a traditional book with the child or parent reading, it can be used with the built in narration as the child follows along or it can be totally customized.  The options make this book something that children will want to revisit.  And in reading the book repeatedly young emerging readers will learn and grow as readers.  I have to hide the Ipad at bedtime, so my daughter doesn’t stay up reading and recording the book.

Similar Titles or Authors:

The Farm by M.E. Gagg
Helping at Home by M.E. Gagg
Going to School by M.E. Gagg

Websites:
http://www.ladybird.co.uk/

Professional Reviews:
Kirkus

All images (c) Penguin Books

http://coolmomtech.com/2013/01/kindergarten-reading-app-for-kids/

Mission Santa Cruz

I went to the Sacramento Public Library to find some ebooks for children that are available for check out from home, or for reading from an in home computer or tablet device.  The series on California Missions drew my attention, especially the book on Mission Santa Cruz as it is the only Mission I have visited in person and I loved it.

Author: Kim Ostrow
Illustrator: 
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group (2004)
Prices: free from Sacramento County Public Library, Hardbound $22.70
Reading level: Grades 4
Interest level: Middle Grades
Physical Characteristics: Online, 64 pages.
Series: The Missions Of California
ISBN: 9780823958788
Genres: Textbook, Reference
Subjects:

Santa Cruz Mission -- History -- Juvenile literature.

Spanish mission buildings -- California -- Santa Cruz Region -- History -- Juvenile literature.

Franciscans -- California -- Santa Cruz Region -- History -- Juvenile literature.

Ohlone Indians -- Missions -- California -- Santa Cruz Region -- History -- Juvenile literature.

California -- History -- To 1846 -- Juvenile literature.

Annotation: The history of the Mission Santa Cruz from 1791 to today.

Summary:  This book traces the history of the Mission Santa Cruz from 1791 to today.  There are details about the original native peoples whom the Mission was built to convert, pirates, Catholicism in California and how the Mission is used today as a museum.

Evaluation:  I was very pleased to come across this title, and the series as a whole.  As a mother of a California school child, I will undoubtedly be helping her find resources in fourth grade for her Mission studies.  These online books from Rosen are a wonderful resource.  There accessibility from home 24/7 without need to wait in a digital line to check them out is great.  Every fourth grader needs books on Missions and there are not enough hardbound copies to go around, so this resource is much needed.  As for the content of the books, they are well done for the age group that the books are focused on.  The pages are clean and clear, with maps, photographs, illustrations and information about the Mission.

Similar Titles or Authors:
There is a whole series by The Rosen Publishing group on the California State Missions.

Monterey Bay Missions by Emily Abback

Websites:
The Rosen Publishing Group

Follett/Brytewave Reader


Professional Reviews:
No professional reviews online.  On the Rosen website they have a blurb from the San Diego Schools.

"Supports social studies curriculum in grades 4 to 5."




All images (c) Rosen Publishing