202. This Is The First Book I Will Read To You. Francesco Sedita. Illustrated by Magenta Fox. 2023. [May] 32 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book]
First sentence: This is the first book I will read to you, my sweet child. After we take our bath, I'll put you in your softest pajamas. And wrap you in your blanket. You'll wiggle your feet and squirm as I hold you. And I'll be nervous--to share this moment that only you and I will be a part of. You might not want to listen at first. Maybe you'll want to be doing something else. But then we'll find our way together.
Premise/plot: A father reads a book to his baby. It is written in second person, directly to the baby--child.
My thoughts: It is a sweet, sensitive. It isn't trying to be funny--just sincere. It stars a father--not a mother. The only two we meet in the book are father and child (baby). There are folks in picture frames, but no details given. (Nor should there have to be.)
I'm torn. Part of me is trying to restrain from overthinking a single page. The other part is finding it difficult not to overthink. For example, all the MANY positions the dad is in that would make me actual reading from a book difficult. When you've got a tiny one still needing swaddling, it's probably not best to walk around reading a book. How will you turn pages with just one hand free? And while I'm sure that plenty of the spreads are more metaphorical than literal--a father goes from walking into a nursery with a wooden floor to being outside in the woods--the scene where he's walking up hill reading the book while cradling the baby in his other arm--it just seems hazardous with all the trees about. Again, I know it's imaginative and creative--not literal.
But I think the sweetness, the tenderness, the emotional journey of this one outweighs even my overthinking.
203. Something's Wrong: A Bear, A Hare, and Some Underwear. Jory John. Illustrated by Erin Kraan. 2021. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book]
First sentence: "Let's see...I ate my breakfast. I wrote in my journal. I watered my plant. I took my bath. I tried on the gift from my grandma. And I combed my fur. Hmm. So why do I still feel like I'm forgetting something? Something's wrong!"
Premise/plot: Jeff (the bear) feels something is WRONG. As he walks through the woods/forest, he's even more certain. All the animals are looking at him strangely. He needs a friend, his good friend, his best friend, Anders (the hare), to tell him the truth! Will Anders come through and prove he's the best friend a bear could have?
My thoughts: This one is text-heavy but definitely humorous. Also a great example of getting exactly what is promised. The cover lets you know exactly what to expect.
204. Bing! Bang! Chugga! Beep! Bill Martin Jr. Michael Sampson. Illustrated by Nathalie Beauvois. 2023. [April] 32 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book]
First sentence: This old car,
it is blue,
yellow, red, and purple too.
With a bing, bang,
Chugga, beep,
Bouncing here and there,
This old car goes everywhere.
Premise/plot: I couldn't find anywhere on the jacket copy that it's meant to be song to "This Old Man," but I think it is meant to be. The jacket copy just says "singsong" story. What you see is exactly what you get. A car (and toy-car) themed rhyming song to share with little ones at home and at school.
My thoughts: Bill Martin Jr. died in 2004. I don't know exactly how/where these new books are coming from--cowritten with Michael Sampson, but I'm not exactly complaining. I think this one--like so many other classics--fits right in in a pre-K, kindergarten, first grade environment. Or at home, of course. Or the library. I do think you'll probably want to practice singing this one before you have an audience. But I think it is possible to get the rhythm right with a practice-run first.
© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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