Picture Book Month Book Review: THE LITTLE TIGER by Nicola Killen

Title: The Little Tiger (My Little Animal Friend series)

Author: Nicola Killen

Illustrator: Nicola Killen

Publisher/Year: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books/2023

Favorite Line from the Book: But then she remembered…she was a tiger!

Special Features: Die cuts and foil stamping

The ever-clever and always-curious Ollie is back in The Little Tiger. And this time, it’s her birthday! The Little Tiger is a super-sweet addition to Nicola Killen’s My Little Animal Friend series, which includes The Little Kitten, The Little Bear, and The Little Rabbit, as well as The Little Reindeer which earned a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. I’m smitten with these books as it’s clear that the author and little Ollie are animal lovers just like me!

With boundless energy and limitless imagination, Ollie, dressed in her brand-new tiger suit and grasping a big bunch of balloons, takes readers on a high-flying adventure over houses, trees, and fields to a forest. In a clearing, she meets seven animals–Elephant, Monkey, Sloth, Rhinoceros, Zebra, Bear, and Lion–and discovers a surprise party waiting just for her. Everyone plays games, blows bubbles, and enjoys a delicious birthday lunch. Then Ollie blows out the candles on her cake while her new friends sing Happy Birthday, before she floats back home on the breeze.

Gently told with humor and heart, The Little Tiger is a perfect bedtime tale. The endearing illustrations, done in a muted color palette, satisfyingly match the story’s tone. Die cuts and foil stamping on some of the pages adds a playful element and is a nice touch. This book would make a great birthday present or Christmas gift or even both if you’re celebrating Jesus’s birthday on December 25th! I will be!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my Picture Book Month book reviews. I plan to feature a couple more reviews next month. Keep an eye out! And thanks so much for following Frog on a Blog! Happy Holidays, everyone! ❤️

Picture Book Month Book Review: I’M TRYING TO LOVE GERMS by Bethany Barton

Title: I’m Trying to Love Germs

Author: Bethany Barton

Illustrator: Bethany Barton

Publisher/Year: Viking Books for Young Readers/2023

Favorite Line from the Book: And sometimes just appreciating how different something is can make you love it!

Can germs be cute? They can if they was drawn by Bethany Barton, the author and illustrator of I’m Trying to Love Germs, an informational fiction picture book that earned a starred review from School Library Journal! This fun book is the latest in Bethany’s popular I’m Trying to Love series, which includes I’m Trying to Love Spiders, I’m Trying to Love Garbage, I’m Trying to Love Rocks, and more.

Before I sat down to read this book, I was a tiny bit skeptical that I would like it. After all, it’s about germs. But the cover is so engaging–as are the covers of all of Bethany Barton’s books–so I kept an open mind. With easy-to-understand language and lots of humor in both text and art, I learned a ton about germs (a.k.a. in the scientific community as microbes or pathogens) and kids will, too, because books like this make learning fun!

In the story, a talking germ helps an unseen narrator (and readers) understand more about microbes and pathogens and develop an appreciation for these microscopic organisms. I’m Trying to Love Germs is chock-full of interesting scientific facts, such as humans have billions of helpful microbes in their bodies, and the four most common types of pathogens are bacterium, virus, fungus, and protozoan. You’ll discover doctors and scientists who work with germs, which germs make you sick, and how to avoid getting sick or how to get better if you do. More complicated scientific terms and concepts are simplified on each page, with pronunciation assistance included. Bonus back matter speaks to the importance of washing your hands so that you don’t spread germs to others.

As a good first introduction, teachers and parents may find this book useful in explaining illness or even the pandemic to children. With loads of delightful illustrations (done in ink, watercolor, and Photoshop) and even a few interactive elements, I’m Trying to Love Germs brings a potentially heavy STEM concept to life in a simple and humorous way, so much so that kids may just find germs fascinating!

Picture Book Month Book Review: RED & GREEN by Lois Ehlert

Title: Red & Green

Author: Lois Ehlert

Illustrator: Lois Ehlert

Publisher/Year: Beach Lane Books/2023

Special Features: Die-cut pages/flaps

Christmas is a mere 40 days away. How many of you have started your Christmas shopping? Or put up your holiday decorations? Maybe you prefer to wait until after Thanksgiving, at least? Or maybe you need a little help getting into the Christmas spirit this year? I get it. It’s been a rough year, and thinking about everything that’s going on in the world is overwhelming. But that’s exactly why we need books like Red & Green, a simple novelty picture book brimming with holiday cheer. This new classic is sure to put a smile on your face.

Excerpt from Lois Ehlert’s Red & Green:

It was a cold, wintry night, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring…except a small mouse!

Written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert and published posthumously, Red & Green features an adorable take on the traditional holiday poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (or A Visit from St. Nicholas) attributed to American writer Clement Clarke Moore. Red & Green is filled with Lois Ehlert’s signature style–bold, graphic, colorful, collaged images–and die-cuts or flaps appear on almost every page. Kids will love the fun and festive pictures of trees, wreaths, snowmen, snowflakes, mittens, and, of course, the little mouse. The story follows the mouse as he wanders the house on Christmas Eve, delighting in the sparkling tree and the moon glowing on a jolly snowman outside the window. He soon finds a plate of cookies and helps himself to a snack. Just as he’s about to settle down for the night (inside a mitten hung by the fireplace), a mysterious figure dressed in red appears and wonders who could have eaten his sweet treat.

**Image from *Red & Green* by Lois Ehlert**

A great gift for little readers and sure to be a new Christmas favorite, Lois Ehlert’s Red & Green will help put the Ho Ho Ho back in Happy Ho-lidays and, hopefully, a little Merry back into your life. Cheers!

Picture Book Month Book Review: OUR CLASS IS A COUNTRY by Andria W. Rosenbaum

Title: Our Class Is A Country

Author: Andria W. Rosenbaum

Illustrator: Dream Chen

Publisher/Year: Albert Whitman & Company/2023

Favorite Line from the Book: Our class is a country with no room for hate.

I believe wholeheartedly that the following expression, which I’m sure many of you have heard before, is true: The opposite of love isn’t hate. It’s fear. People are afraid of many things, including, but not limited to, things that are different or things we don’t understand. Sadly, fear is expressed in hateful ways.

I’m truly baffled that, in 2023, people still treat others with contempt, cruelty, and hostility instead of trying to learn more about each other or understand one another. My hope is that the majority of people in this country and around the world know that we don’t always have to agree with or be like others in order to treat them with kindness, respect, and love. Young children know this instinctively. They’re curious about other kids and interested in making friends. They don’t care about differences.

Today’s review features a lovely, rhyming picture book by Andria W. Rosenbaum that epitomizes the idea of treating others with love and kindness. Often, school-themed picture books are about a new student or the child’s first day of school, but I like that Our Class Is A Country turns that idea around. It’s the teacher who’s new, and the diverse group of enthusiastic classmates bands together to welcome her by sharing various activities and taking her through their day. They sing, eat, play, garden, work, and create happily together.

Andria’s text flows so effortlessly and is a pleasure to read. Illustrator Dream Chen’s art is colorful and fun and features a charming cast of diverse children, as you can see by the cover above. The pictures are a nice accompaniment to the words, and kids will be delighted by both. Here’s an excerpt from Our Class Is A Country:

We’re spices! We’re colors! We’re soup in a bowl.

Our class is a country with flavor and soul.

This book is a great choice for storytimes or read-alouds in schools, libraries, or at home. As a bonus, back matter offers different ways to say hello in languages other than English, reflecting eight of the kids depicted in the story. Just like the kids within welcome their new teacher with thoughtfulness and love, Our Class Is A Country encourages every reader to do the same for all those with whom we cross paths. And if everyone treated everyone else with kindness, love, and respect, instead of fear and hate, how amazing would that be?!

Picture Book Month Book Review: THE WELCOME HOME by Amy June Bates

Title: The Welcome Home

Author: Amy June Bates

Illustrator: Amy June Bates

Publisher/Year: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/2023

Favorite Line from the Book: There on their doorstep was a very soft, very waggy, very lick-your-face-play-fetch-roll-over-rub-its-belly-and-chase-its-tail sort of a thing.

This silly and heartwarming book, written and illustrated by Amy June Bates, is for animal lovers (like me) and anyone who wishes they could fill their home with lots of pets, big ones, small ones, ordinary ones, and rather unusual ones. Aardvark anyone? How about a buffalo? Or maybe a whale?

The Welcome Home is about a couple, Mr. and Ms. Gargleson-Bittle, who live together in a big house and feel that something is missing. So they get a pet and then another and then another and begin to fill the empty space in their home. They love all of their animals, from the snail to the panda to the orangutan to the octopus (and many more), but something is still missing, something very soft, very waggy, and very lick-your-face-play-fetch-roll-over-rub-its-belly-and-chase-its-tail-y. It’s a good thing they have room in their hearts for just one more to make their family complete.

The text of The Welcome Home is simple, but children will get a kick out of meeting each new animal as it’s introduced, names and all. The cover is colorful and eye catching, but I’m not as enthusiastic about the interior art. Some of the pages are a bit dark and cluttered, making the illustrations, which are done in colored pencil, hard to “read.” That said, I think kids will still find the pictures of happy, playful animals appealing and laugh-out-loud funny in this book that Kirkus Reviews called, in a starred review, an instant classic. After all, who wouldn’t like a donkey howling at the moon or a flock of ducklings nesting in their hair?

Yep, I’m an animal lover to the core. I adore spending time with my dog. I enjoy watching nature programs on TV. Visiting the zoo is one of my favorite pastimes, and I want to bring all of the animals home with me. I’d love to put an elephant in my backyard. But, alas, I’m pretty sure my town has restrictions against it. I wonder how they’d feel about a giraffe? Hmm…🤔

I guess most of us will have to settle for reading picture books about animals. And that’s great news because those are some of my favorite books! And kids love them too!

November Will Always Be Picture Book Month

Picture Book Month is an international literacy initiative founded by Dianne de Las Casas that celebrates the print picture book during the month of November. Many people in the kid lit community were fortunate to have known Dianne and considered her a friend. I didn’t know her personally, but what I knew of her, I admired. She was a multi-published author with a passion for picture books, so much so that she established Picture Book Month in 2011 along with fellow children’s book authors and illustrators Katie Davis, Elizabeth Dulemba, Tara Lazar, and Wendy Martin. Dianne continued to champion picture books until her untimely death in 2017.

When I first discovered the Picture Book Month celebration in 2012 (I think), I promptly subscribed to receive the daily posts and displayed the Picture Book Month Ambassador badge here on Frog on a Blog, not only in support of the initiative, but also, just like the authors and illustrators that were featured on the PBM site, I wanted to be an advocate of picture books and the many incredible things they represent. I wanted to answer the question “Why are picture books important?” (See the slideshow below for just a few of the answers.)

When I worked at my local public library, one of my favorite things to do was to create book displays, posters, and decorations for the children’s room during Picture Book Month. I put out bookmarks and coloring sheets for kids to take home. And each day of November, I put new picture books on display. I’ve since retired from my library assistant job, but my blog still serves as a place to share and celebrate picture books, which is why I still proudly display the Picture Book Month Ambassador badge to this day.

I post actual book reviews very seldom, preferring to share interviews and guest posts, but, in honor of Picture Book Month, I’m going to attempt to review several picture books throughout November. Keep an eye out for the posts. You may just find your next favorite book!

Since the world tragically lost Dianne de Las Casas, it has no doubt been difficult for another to pick up where she left off, and the Picture Book Month website was taken down. But it’s heartening to see libraries across the country (and, hopefully, the world) still celebrating PBM with programs, activities, and displays, both digital and physical. I’m sure other organizations, authors, bloggers, and more are promoting it too.

All of you reading this right now, join me in celebrating picture books this month. Check picture books out from your libraries. Read them with your kids. Share picture books you’ve read on social media. Leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. And buy your favorite author’s and illustrator’s books.

I love what school librarian Cynthia Zervos said about Picture Book Month on the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) blog in 2021: “Honestly, I celebrate picture books all year long, but November is a great time of year to reflect on all the beautiful picture books that were introduced to us this year.” So true!

November will always be Picture Book Month. ❤️

Why Picture Books Are Important

Today is the last day of Picture Book Month 2013. What better way to see the month out than with a post by DeWitt Community Library children’s librarian Jennifer Burke on why she believes picture books are important.

After you read Jennifer’s thoughts here on Frog on a Blog, check out her awesome blog Miss Jenny Reads at http://jennythelibrarian.blogspot.com.

Jennifer says she can go on and on about the importance of picture books. That means a lot coming from the chair of the Empire State Award Committee of the Youth Services Section of the New York Library Association.

Why Picture Books Are Important

by Jennifer Burke

Why are picture books important? What a question with many answers! I love picture books and using them in story times. Nothing makes me happier than sharing a picture book with a group of children and seeing them interact with the pictures and being read to. One important thing I’d like parents to know is that picture books aren’t just for “little kids”. There are a variety of picture books that can be enjoyed by children all the way up to high school! In my experience as a children’s librarian, some parents try to push their young child into chapter books too early, not understanding that picture books are a valuable tool in learning to read.

Picture books are generally a child’s first encounter with books and it introduces them to reading, even if they aren’t able to read yet. The pictures are a major part of the written story and they expose children to different styles of art, while also enhancing the story with visual cues, like the emotions on a character’s face. Interacting with the pictures while listening to the story helps a child become engaged in the reading process, and helps foster a love of reading.

From a librarian’s point of view, picture books are important because they are a tool in teaching parents early literacy skills they can do with their child to get them ready to read. Reading picture books is critical in children developing a sense of how words sound, what words mean, and what the letters of the alphabet look and sound like. While reading to a child, adults can talk to them in a way that encourages the child to engage in the story and understand what is being read to them.

Finally – and this is a personal perspective – picture books provide a sense of comfort. When I open up a picture book that I read as a child, wonderful memories of my grandfather and mom reading to me wash over me and I feel like I am returning home. Reading the same books as an adult brings me back to my childhood and I enjoy the book even more because I am experiencing those memories again. And that’s a wonderful feeling.

Thanks, Miss Jenny!

Picture Book Month

November is Picture Book Month. I love that there is a month dedicated to picture books! All month long, on the official Picture Book Month site http://picturebookmonth.com/, picture book authors and illustrators have shared their thoughts on “Why Picture Books Are Important”. I thought it would be fun to post my own thoughts on the subject right here on Frog on a Blog.

Why Picture Books Are Important

by Lauri Fortino

Between the covers of every picture book there is a world of wonder waiting to be discovered. It’s a world of color, imagination, and new friends. It’s also a starting point for literacy because a picture book has the magical ability to instill the love of books and reading in a child. Reading is something that many of us take for granted. But for those who struggle to read, it can mean the difference between success and missed opportunity or the difference between feeling accepted and feeling lost. If children are introduced to books and reading early on and throughout their growing-up years, I know that they will become strong readers. The best way to begin the journey toward literacy is by reading picture books. So parents, and grandparents, aunts, uncles, sisters, and brothers, read picture books with the children in your lives often. By doing so, you will help those children grow up to be successful, thriving adults who in turn will have the opportunity to introduce their children to the wonderful world of picture books.

The ability to read is the jump-off point from which all of life’s successes take flight.