Great reference book for showcasing all kinds of bodies in a celebratory, non judgemental way. Probably a great one to have on a bookshelf for a kid tGreat reference book for showcasing all kinds of bodies in a celebratory, non judgemental way. Probably a great one to have on a bookshelf for a kid to look through at their leisure as they feel curious about bodies, as I remember being a kid, you'd never look as closely or ask all the questions you had in the moment of reading something like this. My 4.5 year old enjoyed how many bums you could see in the book!...more
This book felt effective to me as a way to start kids talking about race, without being dry or overwhelming in a way that makes it hard to keep attentThis book felt effective to me as a way to start kids talking about race, without being dry or overwhelming in a way that makes it hard to keep attention. It talks in brief about how white people a long time ago came up with ideas that different races were better than others, how that makes no sense, and the contemporary ways in which that leads to decisions and actions that aren't fair and aren't right. It encourages kids to stand up when they see racism happening and emphasizes that skin colour doesn't tell us anything about what a person can or can't do or does or doesn't like. My 4.5 year old was keen to read it, despite it not being a "storybook". I always worry that with books like this, that being explicit about ways in which people are stereotyped by race (for instance the example of one kid with darker skin always having to be the "bad guy") might backfire and just give kids ideas about more ways to be terrible to eachother, but my understanding is that that level of specificity is actually crucial and helpful to get kids to see these issues in their own lives, so hopefully that's the case!...more
This was a beautifully done book with incredible illustrations and information about all kinds of natural disasters. Seems like a really great referenThis was a beautifully done book with incredible illustrations and information about all kinds of natural disasters. Seems like a really great reference/story book for these kind of conversations, and especially useful for this generation of kids growing up with climate change front and centre. But I took it out of the library to read to me for year old who was like “what, this is scary and has no narrative”. So we’ll have to try it again later. ...more
This book is good in terms of representation of different kinds of kids in a thoughtful way, but long, and narratively not engaging as a read aloud. IThis book is good in terms of representation of different kinds of kids in a thoughtful way, but long, and narratively not engaging as a read aloud. I'm not sure exactly how this book is best meant to be used, maybe as a classroom exercise where different kids read one of the characters or something. Great for representation but not great for story, and you kind of need both if it's going to have an impact on kids. I think this book just tries to tackle too much....more
This one was a bit low on narrative for my 4 year old who only likes "talking books" (e.g. books with significant dialogue) which this was not. But I This one was a bit low on narrative for my 4 year old who only likes "talking books" (e.g. books with significant dialogue) which this was not. But I thought it was effective at communicating the how and why of protests, but more of an instructional/reference book. I think we'll return to it when she's a bit older, it would be most effective at school as a way to spark discussion....more
This was a sweet one that I got at the right moment for my 4.5 year old who has been really into learning her alphabet letters. She enjoyed the picturThis was a sweet one that I got at the right moment for my 4.5 year old who has been really into learning her alphabet letters. She enjoyed the pictures of girls from all around the world, and studying the map on the endpages, as well as yelling out if someone had a name she new or a name that started with the same letter as one of her classmates. Led to a very cute moment at the end when the book asks for the reader to introduce themselves where she said " My name is X and I like PLAYING!!!"
It's basically just what you think it will be, but does a good job of it, with engaging illustrations, good variety of powerful adjectives to describe all the girls and no weird stereotypical stuff that you can often see in these types of books....more
This one was good but a bit more of a classroom read than a storybook. My 4.5 year old enjoyed it after we set up our little free library, and it woulThis one was good but a bit more of a classroom read than a storybook. My 4.5 year old enjoyed it after we set up our little free library, and it would be a great way to get kids interested in libraries and other types of community sharing projects. ...more
This one was a bit too heavy. Great illustrations that made sharks seem cute and approachable, but I wasn't expecting the middle to be like "Total ExtThis one was a bit too heavy. Great illustrations that made sharks seem cute and approachable, but I wasn't expecting the middle to be like "Total Extinction of the Human Race!" I remember things like that really freaking me out as a kid, so I definitely did a gloss over of the text for my 4.5 year old. Better as a school book I think than a read at home, because it's mostly about extinctions rather than about sharks themselves (which is fair, given the title) so a bit serious for a storytime....more
This actually did a pretty good job of explaining a complex biological concept (the microbiome) in a kid friendly way. Would be great in a classroom aThis actually did a pretty good job of explaining a complex biological concept (the microbiome) in a kid friendly way. Would be great in a classroom as it's engaging and colourful and links to lots of potential questions and activities. But also worked pretty well for a storytime and would have gotten my 4.5 year old engaged enough in a discussion around food, had I taken the initiative to do so!...more
This was a great one, with that creative approach of having simple text you can read to a child and more detailed text about all the different types oThis was a great one, with that creative approach of having simple text you can read to a child and more detailed text about all the different types of tea enjoyed around the world. Definitely a great reference one that made me curious to try lots of other kinds of tea, without essentializing or exoticizing different countries for the way they enjoy tea. For a reference book, it's fun and adaptable. Unfortunately, my 3.5 year old, for all she loves tea, is not into these kind of nonfiction books these days, so it wasn't a hit over here....more
Ugh, as many other reviewers have pointed out this book could have been 4 stars on concept alone but they blew it right on the second page. Much like Ugh, as many other reviewers have pointed out this book could have been 4 stars on concept alone but they blew it right on the second page. Much like the threat meant of slavery in the book A Fine Dessert, this book ignorantly chose to engage with indigenous communities because it suited the narrative and then completely twisted reality so as not to “go there” about colonization and eradication of native communities. If you aren’t interested or willing to tackle the terrible realities of that time, do not set a book then and describe the boy and his family as having “moved away”. Either make your oak tree 175 years old or do the work to engage with history in good faith. As Debbie points out downthread (in a review that, unlike this book, I can heartily recommend) when called out on this the publishers response was pretty much “this isn’t a book about indigenous history”. Not good enough. I want the publishers to see that this kind of euro-centric storytelling tanks reviews and, more importantly is a disservice to children, specifically indigenous children whose histories and cultures are erased by this kind of inconsiderate laziness...more
My three year old LOVED "I hear a pickle" when she was younger, which is a very similar book, so I grabbed this one from the library. She enjoyed it tMy three year old LOVED "I hear a pickle" when she was younger, which is a very similar book, so I grabbed this one from the library. She enjoyed it too, and it was nice to go through the different seasons in this style. It wasn't quite as strong (or perhaps age appropriate) as I hear a pickle, but a cute read in the spirit of what we call "people books" non-stories with lots of different, diverse people doing stuff. We also got a cute family moment where my three year old said "do I have to wear a coat" in the morning and my wife went through a whole thing of checking the weather and starting to negotiate with her until I pointed out she was just asking for the book. ...more
This book completely appeals to my sensibilities of like, showing the everyday in someone's life, having a seasonal element and a representation of vaThis book completely appeals to my sensibilities of like, showing the everyday in someone's life, having a seasonal element and a representation of various traditions, and being a bit too long but still just somehow working for me. This shows all of these things in the life of a young Japanese girl living in Tokyo, right down to the illustrations of the different foods she eats at different times of year. I wish somehow that something with this degree of intimacy could be available for places around the world, but it comes from it being this specific author sharing about her specific circumstances.
My three year old seemed to enjoy it well enough, but it's of course intended for an older audience - will definitely pick it up again when she's older though....more
This is lovely in terms of illustration, but I got it out at the wrong time for my 3.5 year old. She's not really into these kind of reference/informaThis is lovely in terms of illustration, but I got it out at the wrong time for my 3.5 year old. She's not really into these kind of reference/informative stories in the way she used to be, and is all about dialogue these days so this was not well received.
Reminds me a lot of The Hundred Year Barn in terms of pacing and energy (and also being set on a farm) but has a seasonal piece that is interesting. I feel like this is one of those books that is good for school, in that it's much more engaging than a reference book on the topic would be, but it struggles a bit as a read-aloud because of not enough flow and a lot of words. But will return to it again at a later age....more
I loved this one - my 3.5 year old did not as she's only into books with lots of dialogue at the moment. But I love Sophie Blackall's illustrations anI loved this one - my 3.5 year old did not as she's only into books with lots of dialogue at the moment. But I love Sophie Blackall's illustrations and I love these sort of reference about the way the world is books. And I thought the premise was great in terms of explaining to an alien everything you are likely to see on earth. There was one page which depicts war with some blood but otherwise not too gory, so just a flag there.
But I can't give it five stars because my kid, who is ostensibly who I'm doing these reviews on behalf of, was not a fan. ...more
This book was very simple, but very well done in terms of showing the water cycle and states of water in a way that doesn't read like a science-y or nThis book was very simple, but very well done in terms of showing the water cycle and states of water in a way that doesn't read like a science-y or non-fiction story. It's not riveting, but it held the attention of my 3 year old well, and held my attention too (honestly, I kept being like, oh YEAH, that's water too - sneaky water! Ice rinks, fog, steam, it covers everything with bright and engaging illustrations and then end notes for older kids. Though the end notes are great too, because the illustrations are engaging for little ones, but the words go deeper if needed. Well done at finding the balance between reference and story!...more
I enjoyed this one, and so did my 3 year old, although maybe mostly because she shares a name with one of the characters. But it's fun to see kids runI enjoyed this one, and so did my 3 year old, although maybe mostly because she shares a name with one of the characters. But it's fun to see kids running through the forest and exploring on their own terms, with no bad consequences. Love the line "at first we run like MANIACS" because it's so true to how kids start out on a hike!
A kind of unique book that you can read through as a story, as a reference book to types of plants, or dip into the endnotes to learn a lot more about the forest. I appreciated each of the kids having a "thing" that was theirs, drawing, writing, or wilderness knowhow. A cute friendship and a book that can help get kids excited to go outdoors and explore! Beautiful illustrations too!...more
Nice book for introducing lots of different animals and the similarities and differences between them. Cute engaging illustrations give an opening to Nice book for introducing lots of different animals and the similarities and differences between them. Cute engaging illustrations give an opening to talk about the natural world and an easy way to discuss things like evolution, and why vastly different animals look the way they do. Nice to include lots of endangered animals to prompt discussion but without being something that makes the scariness of them being endangered front and centre - allows for more interest than fear. Would recommend for those learning about animals, but it’s just not enough my cup of the to get a 4. My 2.5 year old enjoyed it, but wasn’t overly enthused. ...more
This is a cool book for getting a young kid to engage with art without feeling like you are being forcing it. My 2 year old liked looking through thisThis is a cool book for getting a young kid to engage with art without feeling like you are being forcing it. My 2 year old liked looking through this book and asking/answering questions about the different pictures. She REALLY loved the picture of the lemons, and pretending to eat them all up. Made me interested in others in the series, as it helps to develop the way you'd ideally want to go through a gallery with a kid - what's this, what's that, which do you like, etc....more
This kept getting recommended to me by goodreads and I was like "how good can a book about the airport possibly be??" but this book is great! It managThis kept getting recommended to me by goodreads and I was like "how good can a book about the airport possibly be??" but this book is great! It manages to go through the whole process of traveling through the airport, as far as including vocab like "jetway" and "cargo hold" in a way that held my two year old's attention and had her asking for the book again and again. The drawings are sweet and the sort of comic book style keeps the book really dynamic even though there is a lot of exposition. Reminded me a bit of Thyra Heder's Fraidyzoo in style. Would definitely recommend for anyone wanting to explain air travel, but great as a regular read too!...more
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