Board book: I Love Old MacDonald's Farm

I Love Old MacDonald's Farm. Sandra Magsamen. 2018. Scholastic. 12 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O! And on his farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O! With a moo-moo here and a hug-hug there. Here a moo there a moo. Everywhere a hug-hug. Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!

Premise/plot: Sandra Magsamen's adaptation is VERY affectionate. All the animals take part in the song, but, the song became a lot more cuddly.

My thoughts: In this adaptation Magsamen has taken away some of the familiar words and added in nice cozy words: hugging, kissing, tickling, etc.

Songs are made to be adapted--freely adapted. Perhaps no song is more adaptable than the old classic Old MacDonald Had A Farm. Old MacDonald can have a LOT of different stuff on his farm depending on your child's interests of the moment. (Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O! And on that farm he had an ALLIGATOR, E-I-E-I-O! With an [snapping arm motion] bite, bite here and a bite, bite there, everywhere a bite, bite...etc.)

I liked this one.

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Board book: Beach Day

Beach Day. Karen Roosa. Illustrated by Maggie Smith. 2001/2018. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 30 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Waves roar,
Rush, and soar!
Rolling, crashing
To the shore.

Premise/plot: Beach Day was originally published as a hardcover picture book in 2001. It is newly reprinted in board book format. This board book CELEBRATES a fun day at the beach--a fun day OUTDOORS--and the celebration is ALL VERSE.

My thoughts: Those that know me know that I can be harsh when it comes to books written in rhyme. I have nothing but praise to offer for Karen Roosa's Beach Day. Her rhymes go above and beyond my expectations or standards. Lovely rhythm and rhyme throughout. Everything feels NATURAL and never forced.

Waves lapping,
Babies napping.
On the water
Sails are snapping.
Launch a boat,
Help Father float,
Build a castle
With a moat.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Little Robot Alone

Little Robot Alone. Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest. Illustrated by Matt Phelan. 2018. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Little Robot lived in a white house on a green hill by a blue pond.

Premise/plot: Little Robot is lonely. Can Little Robot make himself a friend so he won't be lonely?

My thoughts: I am sure there will be plenty of readers--of all ages--who will not overthink Little Robot Alone. I can at times overthink picture books. For example, who made Little Robot? Somebody had to have made him? Where is his creator? He is obviously self-aware and intelligent. He is contemplative. He has feelings. YET. He is a machine. He needs to charge his battery and take care of his tracks. SO WHY DOES HE EAT OATMEAL?! WHERE COULD THE OATMEAL POSSIBLY GO? DOES THIS MEAN THE LITTLE ROBOT USES THE BATHROOM? Once the questions started, I couldn't stop them.

The friend Little Robot creates is a Little Dog--a robotic dog. One of the first things Little Dog does is LICK his creator. How does a robot lick? And how does a robot feel the lick? The licking makes no sense whatsoever.

The book is supposed to be a book celebrating FRIENDSHIP. And also creativity, I think. I hope readers will be able to appreciate that simple message.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Ten Magic Butterflies

Ten Magic Butterflies. Danica McKellar. Illustrated by Jennifer Bricking. 2018. Random House.  40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Once upon a time, there were 10 flower friends. Were they always happy? Well that depends...

Premise/plot: Ten (talking) flowers become dissatisfied with their life and dream of flying like the fairies they see at night. One flower speaks up and asks the fairy for a bit of magic. The fairy grants the wish: the flower becomes a butterfly. One by one flowers ask and receive the same wish. But will they be happier as butterflies?

My thoughts: This book is ALL about the math. The story is ALL about introducing the math facts:
1+9=10, 2+8=10, 3+7=10, 4+6=10, 5+5=10, 6+4=10, 7+3=10, 8+2=10, 9+1=10. True, she speeds up the process after 5+5 by just saying "Yes, one by one they filled the sky as the sweet little fairy helped each to fly." But essentially this is about the different ways you can get to ten. TOLD IN RHYME.

Would I be more forgiving if it wasn't told in rhyme? Probably. You see, I am a stubborn person who believes that rhyme and rhythm should go together...always, no exception. You can have rhythm without rhyme perhaps. But without rhythm, your rhyme is missing something vital. It's a pretender. And this book lacks rhythm.

Text: 2 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 5 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Board book: Dr. Seuss's 100 First Words

Dr. Seuss's 100 First Words. Dr. Seuss Enterprises. 2018. Random House. 16 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Premise/plot: Dr. Seuss's 100 First Words is a board book word book for little ones. It is an over-sized board book with sixteen pages. Each page has a theme: wild animals, farm animals, mealtime, food, outside, home, myself, toys, colors, things that go, clothes, pets, bathtime and bedtime. Each page is full of words and Seuss's illustrations.

My thoughts: I liked this one. I liked the illustrations. (Some I loved!) I liked the bright, bold colors. I liked the sturdy pages. Little Cats A, B, and C star in this one. I do wish that all three cats appeared on each two-page spread. Often two of the cats appear. It may be completely ridiculous, but why must one be lonely? Why choose Little Cats A, B, and C instead of Thing 1 and Thing 2 if only two were ever going to appear at the same time?!

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers