In our second installment of our library haul flash reviews, I review 4 picture books and 1 board book we checked out at the library. Honestly, Marian picked all but one of these out. She frequently goes wild at the library, grabbing books and running to the front door with them, giggling all the way. I’m seriously not kidding! I’ve started just checking them out, if I can distract her long enough to do so, and not bothering to look at them until we’re home, because this girl is a full on toddler now. *weep*
Most of these are new because we happened to be standing by the “new to the library” shelf when she started grabbing and running.
Goldi Rocks & the Three Bears by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Beth Coulton, Illustrated by Nate Wragg: Okay, so this is the only book I planned to check out, and we already had it on hold. Jen recommended it to me after I’d recommended Corey Rosen Schwatz to her and she realized I hadn’t read this one yet. I LOVE Corey Rosen Schwartz’s rhyme schemes. They really get stuck in my head, and this book is delightful from start to finish. I’m going to have to collect all his books for our personal library.
Maya Papaya and Her Amigos Play Dress-Up by Susan Middleton Elya, Illustrated by Maria Mola: This book suffered a bit from being read right after Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears. It’s also a rhyming book, but the rhymes aren’t nearly as good. Rhyming is hard! But the book makes up for it in diversity, and it contains lots of Spanish words, which is awesome. At first I could follow along, but by the end, I was having trouble picking up on all the words! Side note: Where is Maya acquiring all these exotic animals? Anyway, I would recommend this for dual language learners.
Little Fox in the Snow by Jonathan London, Illustrated by Daniel Miyares. Honestly, I didn’t much like this book. A hungry fox eats a mouse and a rabbit, lusts after a vixen, and after a wolverine attacks him, hides. I can’t imagine this book being fun for kids. And some of the metaphors are so overdone: “Hunger draws you like a bow”; “Wolverine’s eyes flare up like struck matches.” Writing-wise, not the book for us, but the pictures are lovely.
Jack (Not Jackie)Â by Erica Silverman, pictures by Holly Hatam: Let me say that I love that my library has enough diverse books that Marian can randomly grab a pile and they always contain at least a couple diverse books. This is such an important book about gender identity. The sibling relationship is so real and refreshing. It is a bit long, and we had to read it in several installments. This is the perfect book for 6-10 year-olds, who aren’t quite ready for I Am Jazz by Jazz Jennings (although apparently there’s a picture book of that now!). I really loved the story and the suggested reading in the back. Highly recommend.
Sharing Time (Toddler Tools)Â by Elizabeth Verdick, Illustrated by Marieka Heilen: This is the only board book of the bunch, and part of the Toddler Tools series. We both love it! It’s about how to share, and using share words. This will be an excellent book to have around when Marian is a little older. I’m going to check out the whole series. It also has diverse characters. Marian says “please” a lot lately, and she enjoyed saying “please” when I prompted her for sharing words.