Tubby

Tubby. Leslie Patricelli. 2010. September 2010. Candlewick Press. 28 pages.

Tubby time!
I'm naked!
Wheeee!
In I go.
Splash!

I love Leslie Patricelli. I do. I just love, love, love her series of board books (and picture books)! Tubby is one of her newest board books. The baby may be familiar to you if you're familiar with some of her earlier books. (I recently reviewed her Baby Book Tower which featured four books starring this oh-so-adorable baby!)

While this baby doesn't love everything about taking a bath--not fond of rinsing the shampoo out--the baby finds much to love, to enjoy at 'tubby time.'

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

The 39 Clues: The Viper's Nest

The Viper's Nest. (The 39 Clues #7). Peter Lerangis. 2010. Scholastic. 190 pages.

Amy Cahill didn't believe in omens. But black snow was falling, the earth was rumbling beneath her feet, her brother was meowing, and her uncle Alistair was prancing on the beach in pink pajamas. She had to admit, the signs were not promising.

Viper's Nest is probably my least favorite of the seven 39 Clues books which I've read. (The first six in the series are: The Maze of Bones, One False Note, The Sword Thief, Beyond the Grave, The Black Circle, and In Too Deep.) The series stars the brother-sister team of Dan and Amy Cahill. (Amy being the older, and Dan being the one with the incredible photographic memory.) Both children are part of the world-wide search for the thirty-nine clues. They're doing well, so far. They've been able to survive quite a few dangerous challenges. They've outwitted a few of their opponents. They've been surprised by the actions of some of the members of their own 'family' both past and present.

This adventure, for the most part, takes place in South Africa.

If you like action, adventure, and mystery these books may satisfy. I'm hoping to enjoy the rest of the series more than this one!


© Becky Laney of Young Readers

In the Wild

In the Wild. David Elliott. Illustrated by Holly Meade. 2010. Candlewick Press. 32 pages.

I really enjoyed David Elliott's On the Farm. Once again, Elliott poems are paired with Holly Meade's beautiful woodcut and watercolor illustrations.

The animals featured in this poetry book include: the lion, the elephant, the giraffe, the zebra, the rhinoceros, the sloth, the jaguar, the panda, the tiger, the orangutan, the kangaroo, the buffalo, the wolf, and the polar bear. While I didn't love all the poems equally--there were a few I didn't like at all--for the most part I just loved this one. My favorite poems are the ones about the elephant and the tiger. Why? Because both made me think!

Big, yet moves
with grace.
Powerful, yet delicate
as lace.

As to color, plain--
an ordinary gray.
But once we start to look,
we cannot look away.

When peaceful, silent;
When angry, loud.

Who would have guessed
the Elephant
is so much like a cloud?

I would definitely recommend both On the Farm and In the Wild.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Pig-a-Boo

Pig-a-Boo! A Farmyard Peekaboo Book. Dorothea DePrisco. Illustrated by Treesha Runnells. 2009. Simon & Schuster. 14 pages.

I went to the farm, and what did I see?
Oink-a-boo!
A big chubby pig looking at me!

I went to the barnyard, and what did I see?
Neigh-a-boo!
A happy horse looking at me!

I thought Pig-a-Boo was very cute and very fun! It has touch-and-feel elements and a flap on each spread. It's predictable and repetitive--as it should be for this age! It's a fun story that I found appealing. Perhaps a book you wouldn't mind reading aloud a dozen times in a row!

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Have You Ever Tickled A Tiger

Have You Ever Tickled A Tiger? Betsy E. Snyder. 2009. Random House. 14 pages.

Have you ever poked a penguin?
Daddy's tum is soft and stout--
A cozy spot for hiding out!

Have you ever nudged a hedgehog?
She's cute and sharp and kind of prickly.
Touch her--is your finger tickly?

I enjoyed this touch-and-feel board book by Betsy Snyder. It includes several animals with touch-and-feel elements: a walrus, an octopus, a tiger, a hedgehog, an armadillo, a penguin, an ostrich. I especially enjoyed the ostrich, the hedgehog, and the walrus. Those textures aren't as common in touch-and-feel books--like the soft fur of so many others.


© Becky Laney of Young Readers