MotherReader

Since I haven't been reviewing much, I don't get much to review. That's totally fine and in fact preferred as I don't want to waste anyone's review copies and I can get much of what I want at the library where I work. But occasionally a package comes my way, as with a little collection of 2014 boardbooks from Chronicle. Now I don't actively look for boardbooks or tend to review them, so let's call this a set of "reactions." Because it sounds less formal.

Creature
by Andrew Zuckerman
I received both Numbers and Colors from the set, which also includes Sounds and Baby Animals. I am familiar with Andrew Zuckerman's photography of animals, and I love the idea of bringing his work into young hands. My nagging complaint about the set is that I wanted the pictures bigger. Partly because the books are small, meaning the pictures get smaller still. But also because I don't think babies are as invested in the concept that Zuckerman's work highlights the animals with plenty of white space. They just want to see the green frog. But you know these kids are going to get books of colors and numbers anyway, so it's a great idea to enhance the experience for both child and parent reader with some artistry. That you'll get.

You Are My Baby
by Lorena Siminovich
I received both the Ocean and Garden from the set, which also includes Safari and Farm. Boardbooks are pretty basic, so when someone comes up with any new idea, it's worth a mention. These books have a smaller book embedded within, so that you can turn the pages of the little book - which focuses on the baby - separately from the larger book. While obviously related, you could read each "book" alone. (Big book: "You sing a happy song in our leafy tree." Little book: You are my baby, little hatchling.") The illustrations are cute, bright and friendly. I wonder how the book will hold up physically, but I also think it would be fun to share with a little reader.

Going to the Farmers' Market
by Stefan Page
I shouldn't fault the concept - at least it's something different - but it got a little eyeroll out of me. I certainly can't fault the illustrations, which are cool in a retro, Charley Harper way. (Now you can roll your eyes.) But the text misses the mark. Overall it covers from market to meal, but not as cohesively as it could have. Parts of it go for the "to market, to market" rhythm, but not all. Parts of it detail the foods, but not all. Maybe it seems picky, but I want a boardbook to have internal consistency, whether it's with story, rhythm, or learning concept. But hey, if you need a gift book for the hipster parents in your circle, this is perfect.

Daddy Wrong Legs
by Nina Laden
This is one of the books where you can turn the bottom pages separately to mix up the tops and legs of the creatures. I'm sure that lots of parents and kids love this idea. It. Freaks. Me. Out. I'll admit that I have a low creep-out threshold, but this is the kind of book that would have given me bad dreams. ("Daddy has spider legs!") But look, I like this author (see below) and her illustration style. So for those who like the concept of funny animals and people with the wrong legs, here's your book.

Peek-a-Zoo!
by Nina Laden
I consider myself an explorer of the new and different, but it was the most traditional boardbook of the bunch that won me over. Very simple in concept, with the words "Peek a" on one page facing a page with a hole through which you can guess at the animal behind. Thus the black and orange stripes turn to a tiger, where now "Peek a" is viewed through the hole and added the word "MEW!" So simple, but a nice twist on traditional Peek-a-boo. The whole thing ends with a mirrored page for "Peek a YOU, TOO!" The fun illustrations have a woodblock-print look to them, and feature lots of bright colors from a secondary pallate of purple, orange, turquoise and pink. Also a nice size for little hands. This is one I'll recommend to my library system, especially for mother/baby program kits.

Up Cat
by Hazel Hutchins, art by Fanny
Annick Press 2012
Here's a cute book for cat fans framing "up" in cat terms like, "Leap up." and "Up to no good." Featuring charming illustrations of one busy kitty, all your favorite feline traits are here: climbing in too-small boxes, licking front paws, and puffing up all fluffy. With colorful pages and a storyline of a day in the life of a kitty, it's one sweet board book.

Hamsters Holding Hands
by Kass Reich
Ocra Books 2012
The title alone has an awwww factor. In this counting book, hamsters frolic through a somewhat random collection of number concepts that seem to have little relation to each other than the rhymes. "Three hamsters with a pear. Four hamsters in the air." But it works, as the randomness gives it an appealing silliness. The cartoon hamsters are darling in all their activities.

My Bunny
illustrated by Jessie Ford
Abrams Appleseed 2012
With a clever concept, this is not just a board book, but also an introduction to puzzles. Each page features a statement about a bunny and the illustration has a puzzle piece that can be removed and placed back on the page. Taking out the four pieces and putting them together reveals the cover image. A fun idea for little readers, as long as those puzzle pieces get safely back in the book.

ABC Baby Me!
by Susan Katz, illustrated by Alicia Padron
Lots of babies get all the loving attention that little ones need, and in alphabetical order no less, from “Adore me” to “Zzzz, I’m fast asleep.” Along with the parents as caregivers, grandparents, siblings, and even pets are incorporated into the diverse families portrayed. The simple sentiments of caring and the lovely, gentle watercolor illustrations make this a wonderful reading choice for new parents. Hey, and perhaps the book can even serve as mini-checklist for those anxious mothers afraid they’ll miss a step: “Adore me. Bathe me. Cuddle me, too.” Done, done and done!

The Little Composter
by Jan Gerardi
I don’t know that there is interest in the idea of composting at the pre-preschool level, but if so then this book hits the mark. Lift-up flaps show what is left of fruits & veggies — like the cores and peels — and how they can be mixed with leaves, dirt, and worms to make healthy compost for gardens. It’s fun to see an actual new concept presented in a board book, so rare given the well-trodden territory, and the illustrations are engaging with simple patterns in the color blocks. The other book in the Teenie Greenies series of two is Eco People on the Go! It’s also a cute book, but I found myself wondering what made these people particularly Eco for jogging, hiking, and skating. I’d guess the point was to find other ways to get around other than driving, but none of those three are truly alternatives, but rather recreational activities in themselves. Unless maybe eco people do skate to the farmers market to pick up their arugula.

How Do Lions Say I Love You
by Diane Muldrow, illustrated by David Walker
Various animals express love to their children in the ways they know best, whether by howls or cuddles. The soft, sweet illustrations complement the simple rhyming couplets. Speaking of couples, some of the tender moments seemed to be shared by mates, but rest assured that is nothing like you may have seem on those wild animal shows. Though it could add a bit of humor by finishing this particular rhyme, “A hen says I love you to her chicks with a cluck / Swans mate for life ’cause...” Yeah, you want to know how it ends now, don’t you? All right, you win. The pages are online at Amazon.

Clackers: Monkey
by Luana Rinaldo
If this book holds up, than this is genius. Add a handle to a little board book and you’ve already got my interest as a baby mama... I mean, as a mom of a baby. But then you make those pages foam with drool-resistant paper, and thus softer and also less likely to dissolve in the chew marks of those old-school cardboard books. Nice. Plus the books are cute, with sweet illustrations and fun text. We’re not talking a classic here, but a nice little monkey tail... I mean, tale. And baby can hold the handle and wave the book around to make a clacking noise — hence the name Clackers. Is it a book? A toy? A durable teether? I won’t know for sure until I see how it holds up, so I’ll send it to a fellow blogger with an actual baby and get an updated report. For now, I’m a fan.

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: A Counting Nursey Rhyme
by Salina Yoon
This title comes from the “baby likes bright colors” theory. Lots of bright colors intensified by the white space on the number pages. Lively — and did I mention bright? — illustrations take us through the familiar rhyme, slowly revealing a circus scene. Cut-outs in the number pages show hints of what to expect. So, we see a color block with six stars, turn the page, and find the star-covered blanket on the back of the elephant. Nicely done. However, if you’re thinking ahead on the rhyme you can already see the plot problem ahead. Yeah, big fat hen. In a circus. So we can chalk this up as whimsy, surreal, or they’re-babies-and-won’t-care. Honestly, I can live with it, and the book is a fun take on an old rhyme. One question though — why make the “good fat hen” change? Seriously, if a word was going to be replaced there, wouldn’t fat have made a better candidate? I’m just asking.

Grandma Calls Me Gigglepie
by J.D. Lester, illustrations by Hiroe Nakata
Ah, you had me at Nakata. Love this illustrator. Here’s a board book that will be enjoyed by the reader as well as the read-to. Because yes, board books will be read by an adult to a baby, and there’s no reason that they shouldn’t hold some interest for the grown-ups. Filled with beautiful illustrations of animal pairs, this title celebrates the loving relationship of a grandma and child. Let’s not split hairs about the unlikely connection of grandmothers in the animal community. I’ve certainly never heard of the affectionate nature of snake families. But the message of love is nicely conveyed, along with tiny bits of information about the animals themselves. For instance the flamingo page says, “Grandma calls me Tricky Chick... hey, look! I’m on one leg!” Sweet sentiments and pretty pictures make this a brilliant board book.

ABC’s, by Charley Harper
I certainly don’t need a board book for my fourth and seventh graders, but I might have to buy this one anyway just for the artistic value. The lovely and interesting illustrations of Charley Harper are completely the point of this (mostly) animal ABC book. Alphabet book connoisseurs are probably wondering about “X,” and I’ll tell you that it is not “Ox.” Oh, the suspense.

Charlie and Lola’s Opposites, by Lauren Child
What can I say? I love Charlie and Lola. I love the original books. I love the show. I love the books based on the show. And now I love the board books written from the success of the show based on the original books. The books are very simple in text — big and small, many and few — but Child’s illustrations are wonderful.

Cat, by Jane Kemp, Clare Walters, and Linzi West
Dog, by Jane Kemp, Clare Walters, and Linzi West
It’s surprising that it took three people to produce books this simple in both words and pictures. I also think that the two books could have been smooshed together — maybe into one of those flip-over books — so you’d get more bang for your buck, because seven pages isn’t much book. That said, they are cute books about, respectively and most obviously, a cat and a dog. Fun, lively pictures.

After my call for help for Reading is Fundamental’s funding came a tidy email in my box, perfect for forwarding to five of my friends. Or fifty, but who’s counting? I still hope you — yes, YOU — will take a few minutes to let Congress know that reading is... well, fundamental.

As part of my email extravaganza, I got a reply from a good friend who had responded to my original call to action on my blog. She bounced the favor right back to me. She has a young baby and requested some board book suggestions. As it so happens, I had just seen some interesting almost-board books that came into my library. They don’t have the true density of board books, but are certainly sturdy enough for the occasional baby grab.

Fish, Swish! Splash, Dash! Counting Round and Round, by Suse MacDonald
Now that I type this title, I think I’ve heard this book mentioned before. Not surprising given that it is a step above your usual beginning thick-paged books. Fish, Swish! uses those thick pages to full advantage by filling them with cutouts that show through to the next page. So the lines we see on the two fish page — where the fish shape is cut out — become three eels at the turn of the page. At the turn of the next, the dots on the eels become the bubbles surrounding four fish. At the end of the book, you can turn it over and count back down again. The colors are bright and lively, and the book is lots of fun.

Gallop! by Rufus Butler Seder
It’s a scanimation picture book. Don’t know what that is? I’m not sure that I can explain it well enough, except to say that as you turn the pages the tabs connecting the pages make the picture in the page move. The horse gallops, the bird flies, the cat runs. It’s pretty freakin’ cool. I can see where these books — and I can only assume that there will be more — will be a big hit with babies. I didn’t actively try to tear it, but it looks fairly sturdy — certainly more so than pop-up books — because everything is well contained. You’d really have to work at it to pull these puppies apart. I’m sold and will be buying one for my 20-month-old niece, but I think they’d be even better for the under-18-month set, when it’s harder to get them to focus on a book at all. They won’t take their eyes of this one. Neither will you.

Global Babies, by the Global Fund for Children
I can only attribute my prior failure to review this board book to my own laziness, and I’m so sorry. It should be a required baby gift tucked among the tiny onesies and too-cute outfits. Global Babies shows pictures of babies around the world, each naming the country featured. The text is slight, but sweet, basically saying that babies everywhere are special, beautiful, and loved. The photographs are wonderful and the sentiment is important. And at the most basic level, babies love looking at pictures of other babies, so this book is bound to be a hit with the under-two set. If that weren’t enough, part of the proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to The Global Fund for Children.

There are lots of board books that are simply sturdier versions of the original book. These work best when the original story is a simple one. I particularly like the Eric Carle, Martin Waddell, and Jan Brett ones. All of the Sandra Boynton board books are funny and fantastic. I’m also a big fan of the Animal Babies series by Kingfisher (I’ve linked to the book with animals of towns and cities as a nod to NYC). Of course, Mo Willems has a set of Pigeon books that are unique to the board book format. How can I not recommend those?

Avoid any book that asks you to count with a consumer product like Cheerios, any book with the current hot cartoon character (and don’t blame yourself too much if some slip in, since it happens to the best of us), and any book large enough to be used as a bludgeon. (I hold out hope that publishers will stop making these huge board books that defeat the purpose of being easy to read to a lap baby.) Know that you’ll end up with a few loser books by accident, read them, and move on to find a favorite to add to your collection. Even if some of them are embarrassing to admit are favorites.