Children’s Books

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter

The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear (Kids Can Press, ISBN: 1-55337-828-8) tells a story about an owl and pussycat who wish to marry. They sail off together and, after a year and a day, come to a place where they buy a ring from a pig and are wedded by a turkey.

The Owl and the Pussycat has long been taught as a nonsense poem, but illustrator Stephane Jorisch brings new life and meaning to this well-loved poem. In the new interpretation, the owl is portrayed as a wealthy gentleman and the pussycat is shown as being from the "other side of the tracks." They fall in love and are forced to escape the prying, unapproving eyes of their rigid society so that they can be wed in a place that accepts them for who they are, without judgement.

Part of the Visions in Poetry series, The Owl and the Pussycat is a beautiful addition to a child's or adult's poetry collection. The hardbound book is illustrated throughout, letting Stephane Jorisch retell the story with his fascinating artwork.

The poem's new interpretation also lends itself well in classroom settings and can be used to open the door to discussing social norms, differences, and acceptance.

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter

To children, rain forests are fantastical, faraway places where Nature’s imagination has run wild. Strange and delightful animals hang from the trees, and there’s danger around every corner.

Who Lives Here? Rain Forest Animals by Deborah Hodge (Kids Can Press, ISBN 978-1-55453-041-0) gives young children, ages 4 to 7, an introduction to rain forest animals.

Kids will get to learn about some of the interesting creatures that live in the rain forest, such as the orangutan that swings through the trees with its powerful arms and the sloth that slowly travels from tree to tree in search of food.

There are also dangerous animals, such as the jaguar that hunts on ground, in trees, and in the water. Another predator is the emerald tree boa that hangs by its tail so that its head can quickly move to catch its prey.

Who Lives Here? Rain Forest Animals is a great rain forest introduction book for kids. It can be used in school settings to enhance a unit on rain forests or animals. At home, Who Lives Here? Rain Forest Animals is an enjoyable book that will get kids thinking about what lives in the rain forests and how each animal is connected with its environment.

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter

Ever wonder what life is like for dolphins? Ever try to act like a dolphin? Face to Face with Dolphins by Flip and Linda Nicklin (National Geographic, ISBN: 978-1-4263-0141-4) brings readers into the exciting world of dolphins.

Dolphins

In Face to Face with Dolphins, kids ages 9 to 12 will get to learn about all sorts of different kinds of dolphins, from bottlenose dolphins to orcas. Each page has at least one photograph of a dolphin, introducing kids to the differences and similarities between different species of dolphins. They’ll learn about how smart dolphins really are.

Activities

Learn about dolphin behavior through play-acting. Dolphin activities include learning how to swim like a dolphin, how to speak dolphin, and mimic how dolphins play.

Get Involved

The lives of dolphins depend upon people: children and adults. At the end of the book, kids learn how they can act responsibly and help save dolphins from the hazards of pollution.



Fun for Dolphin Lovers



Face to Face with Dolphins is a great picture book for kids who love to look at dolphins. However, I would recommend the book for younger children, ages 6 to 10, instead of the publisher recommended age group because the activities are too childish for some tweens. The text in this book is also of an introductory nature. If your child or student is looking for a more in-depth look at dolphins, Face to Face with Dolphins will not provide enough factual information for a research report.

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter

You can go through life without ever looking closely at the things that surround you. However, you'll be missing the beauty and wonder that surrounds you at every step. Looking Closely Through the Forest by Frank Serafini (Kids Can Press, ISBN: 1-55453-212-4) gets young children, ages 4 to 7, looking closely at the beauty of the forest.

At each step and turn, you might find colorful leaves, unusual mushrooms, or strange looking bugs. In Looking Closely Through the Forest, kids will first see each wonder as a closeup photo. They then take a guess at what the photo is showing. Turn the page, and the object of the closeup photograph is revealed along with facts about the item.

Children will get to learn about the sugar maple leaf, the sego lily, spotted toadstools, Aspen trees, the yellow-spotted millipede, turkey tail fungus, frost, pinecones, and green frogs.

The photographs by Frank Serafini are absolutely stunning and beckon the reader to venture out into the forest. The text that accompanies the photographs is equally interesting, with facts about the forest that even adults can enjoy.

Looking Closely Through the Forest makes a great book to read before or after a nature walk and it makes a good science book for young readers.

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter

When it comes to polar animals, such as polar bears and penguins, kids want to learn everything there is to know about them. There is just something so fascinating about these animals that rough it out in the cold that kids will actively seek to learn more about them and their environment.

Polar Animals

Who Lives Here? Polar Animals by Deborah Hodge (Kids Can Press, ISBN 978-1-55453-043-4) is an incredible learning experience for young children ages 4 to 7. Kids will learn about different kinds animals and how they live in their cold environment.

There’s the majestic emperor penguin with its waterproof feathers, the artic fox and its fur covered paw, and the lovable seal with its unique flippers. There’re also snowy owls, musk ox, beluga whales, polar bears, the walrus, and caribou.

Educational and Entertaining

For it’s targeted age group, Polar Animals has just the right amount of information about each animal. Kids get to see how each animals lives in its uniquely cold environment, whether it’s using its tail as a scarf or huddling for warmth. It’s easy to identify with each animal as it struggles to stay warm, care for its young, and hunts for green food under the snow, which is why this book is great for both teaching about animal habitats and reading for enjoyment.

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter

Looking Closely Along the Shore by Frank Serafini (Kids Can Press, ISBN 978-1-55453-141-7) is a beautiful picture book that teaches young children to take a closer look at their surroundings.

Look and Learn

Author and photographer Frank Serafini invites young children, ages 4 to 7, to take a closer look at nature along the shore. The book features close-up pictures of things one might find along the shore and asks children to guess what it might be. Turn the page and the child discovers the answer. For each picture, children get to learn about what is in the photograph, how it lives, what it does, and how it got that way.

Children will learn about barnacles, crabs, palm trees, shells, and more.

Lots of Fun

Children love to play games and will love taking a guess at what each close-up photo looks like and discovering what it really is. The great part about this guessing game is that young kids are learning about nature and are encouraged to take a closer look at their surroundings.

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter

Filled with jokes, activities, and group games, Mother Goose Unplucked by Melanie Becker (Maple Tree Press, ISBN 1-897066-84-8) is perfect for home and school. Created for kids, ages 8 to 12, this book is a great way to beat those unbearable “I’m bored” days.

Games

Did you ever kiss a toad? Want to? While Mother Goose Unplucked is literally packed with indoor and outdoor games for groups of kids, my favorite game is "Kiss the Frog." There are two variations to the game, but my kids and I prefer to play it like Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Instead of pinning a tail, however, we plant a kiss on the frog. Each limb equals points. If you plant a kiss on the frog’s lips, you get a whopping 100 points.

Activities

Learn how to catch a dragon by making a thaumotrope, find your way through the Fairy Tale Forest by following the compass directions, and write a goofy fairy tale. The activities are fun and educational and are great for summer camps, outings, and school.

Perfect Activities Book

What I love most about Mother Goose Unplucked is that it’s perfect for when I have a large group of kids over at my house. The games are hilarious fun that both younger and older children can enjoy. It keeps everyone busy and laughing, as they chase the dragon’s tale or play "Down, Down, Down Under." You can’t get this much fun off a television screen!

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter

With words leaping off the page, Lickety-Split by Robert Heidbreder (Kids Can Press, ISBN 1-55337-710-9) is one book that will keep small children zooming with a newfound love for words. Kids, ages 3 to 7, will see the book’s character clinkity-clank a robot, go thumpity-thump with an elephant, and bouncity-boom in outer space.

All Action, All Words

The action and excitement of words leap off every page, making this a great book to read right before playtime or a trip to the playground. The book’s character is always up to something, whether it’s battling a Viking, wrestling a tornado, or walking a tightrope. The action is so intense that the reader wants to get up and zippity-zoom around the room.

Not a Bedtime Story

Lickety-Split is a must-have addition to any active child’s library. The fun with words will have a young child coming up with his own zany exclamations as he skips, zooms, and zips from one end of the yard to the next.

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter

Children, ages 4 to 7, will have their eyes glued to It’s Moving Day by Pamela Hickman (Kids Can Press, ISBN 978-1-55453-074-8). Illustrated with all sorts of energetic woodland animals, It’s Moving Day clearly gets kids excited about life inside, and outside, a little dirt burrow.

The Story

It’s springtime. A woodchuck climbs out of a burrow hidden beneath a tree. After a winter’s hibernation, the woodchuck leaves the burrow to find a new home closer to food.

A rabbit comes along and spots the empty burrow. It’s just the place she is looking for to raise her family. She makes a soft nest inside the burrow and raises five kits.

After the rabbits have grown and left home, the mother rabbit leaves the burrow to make a new home for the winter.

Along comes a salamander and crawls into the burrow. He is safe for the cold winter.

Spring comes again and the salamander moves on. A raccoon finds the burrow and makes a nest inside.

Over and over again, It’s Moving Day introduces new animals to the little burrow. Some animals use the burrow for hibernation and other animals use it for raising a family.

Charming and Energetic

It’s Moving Day is always on the go with one animal after another, moving into and out of the little burrow. Young children get to see how woodland animals live in their natural habitat as well as raise their young. This is the perfect book for reading to children before taking a walk in the woods to look for nests, burrows, and wildlife.

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter

Melanie Watt, author of Chester, has written and illustrated a new fun picture book. Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach (Kids Can Press, ISBN 978-1-55453-225-4) is written for small children, ages 4 to 8, and is perfect for group readings.

The story begins with Scaredy Squirrel who, as his name suggests, is scared of nearly everything. Since he is too scared to go to the real shore, he wants to make a safe beach to play in. He gathers together a blow up pool, a plastic pink flamingo, and a few other items to make his beach just the way he wants it.

Suddenly he realizes his homemade beach is missing something very important: the sound of the ocean. In a panic, Scaredy Squirrel makes a plan to sneak to the real ocean to capture the ocean’s sounds.

His plans for a quick sneak to the seashore are foiled when crowds of people show up at the beach. In a complete panic, Scaredy Squirrel plays dead, hoping that everyone will just go away. However, the people stay, and soon Scaredy Squirrel forgets all his fears and begins to play with the children.

Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach is a great book for parents and educators to read to children. The story’s moral is clear and it helps kids realize that some fears are silly and that the easiest way to work through a fear is to face it.