110-113 Board Books by Fiona Watt

110. That's Not My Tiger. [Board book] Fiona Watt. Illustrated by Rachel Wells. 2010/2023. 10 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars]

First sentence: That's not my tiger. Its ears are too fluffy. That's not my tiger. Its paws are too smooth. That's not my tiger. Its tongue is too rough.

Premise/plot: One of the books in the THAT'S NOT MY....series by USBORNE. This one stars a tiger. Each spread features a touch-and-feel element for little ones to experience. The text--as you can see from my "first sentence" is predictable. (Which is not a bad quality for a board book for the youngest of readers). It is patterned. 

My thoughts: I have a weakness for touch and feel books. That does not mean I approach them without a critical eye. One of my pet peeves is when publishers try to pass off "shiny" as a texture to touch or feel. I enjoyed this one. The elements to touch (and feel) were good--for the most part. I think the tongue's rough texture could have been rougher if I'm being completely honest. The most satisfying texture to touch (and feel) was the BUMPY texture which represented the tiger's teeth.

111. That's Not My Lion. [Board book] Fiona Watt. 2001/2024. 10 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars]

First sentence: That's not my lion. Its ears are too soft. That's not my lion. Its paws are too rough. That's not my lion. Its tail is too fluffy.

Premise/plot: One of the books in the THAT'S NOT MY...series by USBORNE. This one stars a lion. Each spread features a touch-and-feel element for little ones to experience. The text--as you can see from my "first sentence" is predictable. (Which is not a bad quality for a board book for the youngest of readers). It is patterned. 

My thoughts: I have a weakness for touch and feel books. That does not mean I approach them without a critical eye. One of my pet peeves is when publishers try to pass off "shiny" as a texture to touch or feel. I enjoyed this one. The elements to touch (and feel) were good--for the most part. My least favorite texture to "touch" was the "shiny" teeth. Shiny is NOT a texture. My favorite texture to touch was the rough texture of the paws. 

112. That's Not My Teddy [Board book] Fiona Watt. Illustrated by Rachel Wells. 1999/2021/2024. 12 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars]

First sentence: That's not my teddy. Its nose is too soft. That's not my teddy. Its feet are too rough. That's not my teddy. Its patch is too squashy.

Premise/plot: One of the books in the THAT'S NOT MY....series by USBORNE. This one stars a teddy bear. Each spread features a touch-and-feel element for little ones to experience. The text--as you can see from my "first sentence" is predictable. (Which is not a bad quality for a board book for the youngest of readers). It is patterned. 

My thoughts: I have a weakness for touch and feel books. That does not mean I approach them without a critical eye. One of my pet peeves is when publishers try to pass off "shiny" as a texture to touch or feel. I enjoyed this one. The elements to touch (and feel) were good--for the most part.

This board book I'm rating five stars because ALL of the touch and feel elements were solidly good. There were many that I found appealing and fun. I enjoyed the rough feet of the Panda. If the book has a weakness, which I didn't really feel was a deal breaker for me, was the similarity between all of the textures. There were only two textures that offered differences--the "squashy" texture of the patch and the rough texture of the paws (of the Panda). The rest were just variations of "woolly, soft, fuzzy, and furry." Again, I loved all those textures so I didn't find it problematic for me.

 113. That's Not My Tractor... [Board book] Fiona Watt. 2001. 10 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars]

First sentence: That's not my tractor. Its trailer is too rough. That's not my tractor. Its wheels are too smooth. That's not my tractor. Its window is too shiny. 

Premise/plot: One of the books in the THAT'S NOT MY....series by USBORNE. This one stars a tractor. Each spread features a touch-and-feel element for little ones to experience. The text--as you can see from my "first sentence" is predictable. (Which is not a bad quality for a board book for the youngest of readers). It is patterned. 

My thoughts: I have a weakness for touch and feel books. That does not mean I approach them without a critical eye. One of my pet peeves is when publishers try to pass off "shiny" as a texture to touch or feel. I enjoyed this one. 

On the one hand this book has the widest variety of textures to those in the series that I've read. On the other hand, several of the textures were not textures at all. SHINY is not a texture you can feel. Neither is sparkly. Smooth is technically a texture--but more a lack of texture perhaps. This one offers "rough, lumpy, and bumpy." Now that I'm analyzing more closely--perhaps this one doesn't have the best variety. Three essentially smooth textures and three essentially bumpy textures. 

 

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Young Readers

109. The Blue Bowl

The Blue Bowl. Flo Leung. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book] [3 stars]

First sentence: Delicious smells waft from the kitchen. 

Premise/plot: A young boy, Max, loves to eat. He doesn't just love food from his own ethnic background--the food his parents and grandparents love, love, love to make. He likes all sorts of flavors. He is a little shy about voicing exactly what he wants for his special birthday dinner, but, all is well--mostly.

My thoughts: This one was okay. The book celebrates food, culture, and family. It is also a "birthday" themed picture book.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Young Readers

108. My Extraordinary Face

My Extraordinary Face: A Celebration of Differences. Marissa Suchyta and Samir Mardini. Illustrated by Violet Tobacco. 2024. 35 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [picture book]

First sentence: Every face is special. Your face is one of a kind. 

Premise/plot: This is an instructional--or perhaps motivational--picture book that celebrates facial differences with the mind to encourage young children [or siblings of those special-faced children] how to cope in a world that doesn't always celebrate or appreciate differences--particularly physical differences.

The illustrations show a [small] handful of special, extraordinary faces. These illustrations obviously don't cover any/all facial differences. [I don't find that problematic. Just stating the obvious]. 

The book addresses some scenarios in which a child with an extraordinary face--to use the book's language--might be stared at or questioned. What do you do in that situation? 

Quoting from the book, "gather up all the love and care and kindness inside you. Let it fill your entire chest. Now blow it all out into an enormous bubble around you. Your bubble blocks the stares. Inside the bubble, you are powerful. Let's practice blowing up your bubble. Take a deep breath in and let it all the way out. In here, you are safe. Now think about three things that make you proud. Think of those amazing things and keep your head up high. Stand up tall. Fill your bubble with pride..."

The book also encourages young ones to create a plan for handling these situations and rehearsing what to do, what to say, how to react. Practice. Practice. Practice until you're comfortable and confident talking about what makes your face special, different, unique, extraordinary. 

The book concludes with some tips for adults. One tip, for example, is to talk openly with your young child about his/her difference(s). To be proactive in talking about the encounters he/she may experience in the future. Another suggestion--which I'm not sure I'm 100% supportive of--is having parents talk with teachers about having discussions with the whole class to explain a student's differences.

My thoughts: I honestly don't know how to feel about this one. My expectations were high because I do think the topic/subject is important. This isn't a picture story book. This is more a motivational pamphlet in picture book form. Again, not a bad thing. 

It does seem a bit 'new thought' to me. Which may not be problematic for 99% of potential readers. But Christians readers may want to read this before hand before reading aloud and sharing with little ones. I do think the Christian perspective would be different.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Young Readers

107. Big Bear and Little Bear Go Fishing

107. Big Bear and Little Bear Go Fishing. Amy Hest. Illustrated by Erin Stead. 2024. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book] [3 stars]

First sentence: One day Big Bear says to Little Bear, I'm just in the mood for fishing. Me too, says Little Bear. Just in the mood. Big Bear and Little Bear pull on baggy blue pants for fishing. And boots. They stuff their feet into tall black boots. Their coats are yellow with pockets and hoods. Now they are ready for fishing. Almost.

Premise/plot: Big Bear and Little Bear spend the day fishing. But how much of the day is spent getting ready to fish versus actually fishing? Will these two catch any fish? 

My thoughts: This is a quiet book about a parent and child--aka Big Bear and Little Bear--spending quality time together doing an activity (fishing) that they both enjoy. There is an element of anticipation as the narration repeats the word "Almost...." There is always one more thing that needs to be done before the fishing can begin. 

I liked this one well enough. I wouldn't have minded if they caught a fish, however, it's a simple, quiet book where not much happens and that is okay too.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Young Readers

106. Plum to the Rescue

Plum to the Rescue Matt Phelan. 2024. 128 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [early chapter book]

First sentence: Ah, springtime. Is there any finer season? And spring is at its very finest at the Athensville Zoo. On this particular Saturday, the air was sweet, the flower beds were in bloom, and everyone had two words on their minds: Zoo babies!

Premise/plot: Plum returns in a new early chapter book. This one has Plum in charge of the new baby peacocks--peachicks. Is Plum up to the task? Maybe. Maybe not. Will there be TROUBLE when the Bickle brats [twins] visit the zoo? Will Plum face his most difficult challenge yet? Definitely.

My thoughts: This one gives off TOY STORY vibes. There is plenty of action and "peril" in the plot. Though I can't say that I was scared enough to believe that the actual worst case scenario could/would happen. I still had faith in a happy ending, but, Plum does face peril. 

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Young Readers

105. Schnozzer & Tatertoes Take a Hike

Schnozzer & Tatertoes #1: Take a Hike. Rick Stromoski. 2023. 144 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars]

First sentence: Go, baby, Go! Faster! Faster! You can do it!

Premise/plot: Two dogs--Schnozzer and Tatertoes--go on an adventure in Rick Stromoski's graphic novel for young readers. It is a graphic novel early chapter book. The dogs set off to find Tatertoes' mother, but they don't know the way--not even slightly. As a result of being lost (and somewhat unintelligent in a supposed-to-be-lovable way), the two experience some misadventures along the way.

My thoughts: I wanted to love this one more than I actually did. I'd be curious how children respond/react to this one. I think it could very well be appealing to the target audience. The book is undoubtedly silly. As an adult, I found the silliness to be over-the-top to the point of being ridiculous. However, maybe kids would not find the silliness to be too much. Reading is so subjective.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Young Readers

104. Sketty and Meatball

Sketty and Meatball. Sarah Weeks. Illustrated by Alex Willmore. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [I Can Read Level 1] [5/5 Stars]

First sentence: Sketty and Meatball do everything together. They play together. They bark together. 

Premise/plot: Sketty and Meatball are the super cute, adorable stars of this I Can Read Level 1 early reader. These two dogs love to do everything together. They are always asking one another, Are you thinking the same thing I'm thinking??? The answer is almost always yes. In this adventure, these two are looking for something "new" to do. They end up at a DOG SHOW. 

My thoughts: This one was SUPER fun and enjoyable. It was a great early reader. I liked the repetitiveness of the catch phrases, the predictability of the plot, the fun characters. There is a balancing that must be done in early readers--the balance between being simple, basic, structured, written with the intent to be read by a certain age and skill level WHILE being entertaining and appealing enough that young readers WANT to keep turning the pages. 

I read the digital library book of this one that came with audio. I did read it on my own without turning the audio on. I did reread the story with the audio on so I could listen to it as well. The audio added some nice touches in regards to special effects.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Young Readers