217-220. Board Book Parade

217. Big Kids No Everything. Wednesday Kirwan. 2023. [April] 36 pages. [Source: Library] [Board book]

First sentence: Big kids NO everything. There are small nos, and there are big nos. Loud nos. And quiet nos. 

Premise/plot: This book celebrates toddlerhood?! Full of puns surrounding the word "no" (no/know). The point it is celebrating is that saying no is a big step to growing up. The scenes capture all the relatable everyday moments of life. The NO of not wanting to wear [particular] pants. The NO of a hangry tantrum. The NO of not wanting to take a bath. My favorite NO however is the "timid no" of a girl surrounded by squirrels after her snack. 

My thoughts: The text is super-simple. It is the illustrations that carry the story--in my opinion. It is the illustrations that provide context, context, and more context. The text cannot stand alone, again this is just my opinion. Is no something to be celebrated? Maybe. Maybe not. Is it a reality for many/most? Probably. Definitely. Whether it is celebrated by parents or not, I think there are recognizable and relatable moments captured in the art. 

Super-sensitive readers [aka monitors] should know there is cartoon nudity (nothing is seen) on one of the spreads. A little toddler [girl, presumably] is running AWAY from a bathtub.

 I really enjoyed this one!

218. Baby Animals First Sounds. Alexandra Claire. 2023. [February] 20 pages. [Source: Library] [Board book]

First sentence: Chirp. Hummingbirds ask for lunch with a "Chirp, Chirp" sound. "Please feed us soon, 'til our tummies grow round." BAA. Two lambs in the field are sister and brother. They say "Baa, baa" when they talk to each other."

Premise/plot: This board book features some familiar animals (pigs, cows, sheep) alongside more unique animals (hummingbirds, mice, snakes). It isn't exclusively farm animals either. 

My thoughts: This one is written in rhyme. It features some photographs of animals. It's basic. 

219. My First Book of Fruit. Fred Wolter. 2023 [March] 20 pages. [Source: Library] [Board book]

First sentence: Apple. There are more than 7,500 different kinds of apples in the world. Banana. A small bunch of bananas is called a hand of bananas! A single banana is called a finger. 

Premise/plot: Concept book about fruit that is filled with I-didn't-know-that-facts. For example, did you know that wood from the pear tree is often used to make musical instruments??????

My thoughts: I didn't know I needed this book. But every spread had a fun, often new-to-me fact. (Though not all facts were new to me.) I liked the simple text and the super bold illustrations. It's also a fun shape. 

220. My First Book of Veggies. Fred Wolter. 2023. [March] 20 pages. [Source: Library] [Board book]

First sentence: Carrot. Carrots can be orange, black, purple, red, white, or yellow. Purple broccoli. Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family, just like cauliflower and Brussels sprouts! 

Premise/plot: Concept book about vegetables that is filled with facts. Did you know that the number of rows on a corn cob is always an even number?!?!?! 

My thoughts: I was familiar with most of these facts about vegetables. But I also fell in love with the illustrations of the vegetables. I never thought vegetables could be cute and adorable. Loved that they included mushrooms. (Even though as the book points out, mushrooms are not technically vegetables.)

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers