Book Buds Kidlit Reviews

Everything but the kitchen sink

My Mommy's Tote
by P.H. Hanson
Workman Publishing

Mommy's totes are always black holes for keys, lipsticks, stray paper clips, dogearred photos and whatnot. I'm not sure that a cardboard version can compete with the real thing, but Hanson has fun with it, and at least this version doesn't leak cookie crumbs or ink.

Part board book and part toy, it comes with the standard warning about small parts, not for children under 3, etc. But the sturdy cardboard construction should withstand mauling by eager toddlers. Each "page" or fold in the tote holds items you'd typically find, like a wallet or cell phone, and some surprises, like a wounded teddy bear or stray stiletto shoe. The text heaps praise on Mommy and daughter, or provides a humorous aside:

My Mommy says 'always put your best foot forward."
Maybe that's why she has so many shoes.

Flaps open within flaps making peaking fun and keeps the surprises coming, though with all the loving plaudits for Mommy, it may feel as much like a big, slurpy kiss for Mother's Day as a treat for the kids.

Rating: *\*\*\

And one big "amen"

Count My Blessings: 1 through 10

by Salina Yoon

One of the zillion cool things about blogging is getting acquainted with some of the authors, who otherwise wouldn't know me if I stole their pens at a book signing.

I've had a warm correspondence with Salina Yoon, who creates novelty books -- unusual and eye-catching board books, often with lots shimmer and glitter for happy little hands. Both her Easter and Hanukkah books earned high marks on this site.

She's now aimed her colorful magic to everyday blessings in a counting book. A teddy bear says his nightly prayers for his family and favorite toys: one house, two parents, three friends, etc.:

Bless my friends both old and new.
Bless my pets, so dear to me too.

The pictures are awash in vivid primary colors, with lots of fun purples especially, but I miss all the shiny stuff. That's okay, it's simple and sweet and makes something abstract -- praying to an invisible deity -- concrete by counting things that are real to the child.

Rating: *\*\*\

To market, to market

A Day at the Market

by Sara Anderson

Sometimes you know a place so well, you memorize it like a song in your heart. Such is Anderson's obvious feel for Seattle's Pike Place Market, where she's lived and shopped and created for 25 years.

Open this dazzling book and plunge into the bustling farmer's market, where vendors hawk and customers scurry and even a hobo dumpster dives. Color explodes off pages of cut paper, with windows that offer peeps into other pages and crowded new vistas.

It's a joy to discover so worthwhile a book from a smaller publisher (Handprint Books), particularly when this came to me once again via the L.A. Times' slush pile. I've been trying to convince those smart, sensible folks to let me review kidlit for the Book Review, but, alas, they lack space in their storied pages. Their loss!

I've visited this national treasure only once, as a special treat for my 40th birthday. Our pixelated photos can't do justice to what Anderson captures with rhyming text that rips along in a syncopated approximation of street noises and market chatter:

Bakers baking,
heaven lingers ...
Plain or frosted?
Cinnamon fingers.

In a word: Yummy.

Rating: *\*\*\

This robot malfunctions

Rusty Robot and Charlie Monkey

by Jo Rigg and Simon Mugford

Reviewed by Brett Levy of DadTalk

Which came first, the gimmick or the story idea? Sometimes it’s hard to tell, but there is no mystery when it comes to Rusty Robot and Charlie Monkey, which are part of the Funny Faces series by Priddy Books.

The two big holes carved out of the book – with googly eyes on the inside back page – are not the worst of it. Nor the touch-and-feel pages that would interest a 1-year-old instead of the targeted over-3 market. No, it’s the loud, stupid noises that blast the reader when the last page is opened. (Fortunately, the sound device was broken on Charlie Monkey.)

Even the blocky drawings seem right out of a marketer’s little book of tricks. The result is art and poetry seemingly produced by committee:

This busy little robot
Is cleaning up the house.
Look behind you Dusty,
It’s a tiny robot mouse.

Or how about this from Charlie Monkey?

Swimming in the river,
Flashing toothy smiles,
Are Daddy Croc and Junior,
The snappy crocodiles.

Despite my reservations, the bright colors are sure to entice some young children and even trigger imaginations. And while I quickly slam Rusty Robot shut as soon as I hear the loud buzzing, some kids will love it.

My suggestion: if your kids must have books from the Funny Faces series, don’t forget to pick up a set of earplugs from the adjacent drug store.

Rating: *\

Got your goose

Gossie and Friends

by Olivia Dunrea

Oooh ... flaps. We love flaps around here. Little fingers can't wait to lift them and see what's underneath. Hey, wait 'til I read it first, 'kay?

Gossie's a goose from a board book series, and this is her flap book where she hides, plays with friends, counts, etc. It pretends to be educational, but we all know flap books aren't about becoming geniuses. They're about fun! And, uh, crying hysterically when the flaps tear.

The yellow goslings remind me of bathroom decor you can buy at Target, but rendering everything in watercolor (outlined in black ink) somehow makes it artier. It's in an extra-big size too, making it harder to lose and easier for those tiny paws to grab onto.

Rating: *\*\

Please don't eat the pages

Fast Food

by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers

Dog Food

I've complained about this before:  I just cannot get my scallions, peppers and cukes to pose this nicely for the camera. I don't know how these guys do it.

I bruise a banana, it looks like a bruised banana, not a dog or a canoe. I cannot entice mushrooms to hold hands and smile. It would never occur to me that black-eyed peas make for some eerily expressive eyes, or how to manipulate broccoli into the pampered tufts of a poodle.

These guys do not need my help selling their books, which teach kids shapes, colors and counting using carved fruits and vegetables. Dog Food features dogs (wouldn't you know it) and lots of canine puns, while Fast Food depicts modes of transportation, such as an eggplant train or a squash school bus with smiley radish faces peering out.

I guess we'd better not tell the folks at People for the Ethical Rights of Vegetables. This could constitute veggie abuse.

I really have nothing else to add, except perhaps some balsamic dressing.

Rating: *\*\*\*\ 

Other books by these authors that we've reviewed:
Food for Thought

Hungry for more

Dinosaurs

by Benedicte Guettier

Hmmm ... there seems to be something missing, like someone took a giant bite. Open the book and ... ah, I see, it's a big hole in the middle! Where a little person's face goes! Aw, cute.

So, basically, what you have is a page after page of hungry dinosaurs arguing over what to eat, and each looks suspiciously like your own offspring. So when you get to Tyrannosaurus, who wants to eat the other dinosaurs, it should induce a few giggles instead of lip-quivering terror. 

Or you can always explain that this is an import from Belgium, and those durn furriners will eat just about anything.

Kidding!

Though my monsterling prefers PB&J's with the crusts cut off, thank you very much. ROAR!

Rating: *\*\

All Tuckered out

Ho, ho, ho, Tucker!

by Leslie McGuirk

The latest in a series of Tucker books for young children, this tome features the mischievous dog infatuated with all that is Christmas. He dreams of doggie presents, he frolics among the decorations and burns his nose on freshly-baked cookies. Later Christmas Eve, his bright red nose catches the attention of a certain jolly old elf, who whisks him off for more adventures.

This book has bright illustrations but beyond that I found it unexciting and predictable. It's written for a very young audience, though, and that simpleness in art and writing seems to appeal to the very young. A nice book, but just that. There are more inspiring holiday books out there.

Note: reviewed by Dawn Mena

Rating: *\

Eight sparkly pages

My First Menorah

by Salina Yoon

Think of this book as the Jewish equivalent of a stocking stuffer: just a little something to tuck away as a surprise gift for someone still too young to play with matches. No danger of setting their clothes on fire with this one, as Yoon playfully pointed out to me in her cover note.

Each page has a glittery candle, and as you turn the pages, the Menorah adds another sparkly flame for each of the holiday's eight nights, plus the "shammash" helper candle in the middle. It lights correctly -- from right to left -- requiring a clever layout with text on the right, the Menorah on the left.

The text's a tad repetitive, with the word "celebrate" overused, but this is a minor quibble. The book's still a charming and simple way to teach about one of Judaism's most famous symbols. 

Rating: *\*\

Bing goes boing

Bing Make Music

by Ted Dewan

An impish bunny and his stuffed doggy, Flop, jingle, shake and bang out rhythms on household items, until Bing gets carried away and bashes in poor Music Box. Then they sing instead of smash. The action unfolds in sparse onomatopoeia that repeats and takes on added stress and bolder type as Bing gets wilder.

A few adults who’ve read it object to the choppy cadence and lack of a storyline, but I found that to be its key charm, especially to a toddler’s eager ears.

Note: This is part of a series of Bing books.

Rating: *\*\*\