Pattan's Pumplin: A Traditional Flood Story from Southern India by Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Frané Lessac

Since fall is traditionally pumpkin season, I thought I would share a lovely folktale from India about an truly amazing pumpkin and a truly amazing flood.

A farmer named Pattan has some animals, rides about on elephants, and grows lots of vegetables and fruit on land that lay by a mighty river. When Pattan finds an ailing plant with beautiful yellow flowers, he decides replant it so he can care for it. One day, in among the yellow flowers, Pattan notices that a pumpkin has started to grow.

And grow and grow and grow. Soon, it was even larger than his elephant, and still it grew and grew and grew. 

Then one day, it begins to rain, and rain, and rain. Afraid the rain would wash away everything Pattan and his wife Kanni had, he makes a big decision. With the help of his wife and animals, he collects every seed and sapling from his plants. Then, Pattan harvests his enormous pumpkin, and along with help from his animals, they hollow it out. Meanwhile, his wife is busy filling sacks with grain, seeds, and herbs, that the animals then bring to the hollowed out pumpkin.

As the rain continues to pour down, and night falls, Patten, Kanni, and all the animals climb into the hollowed out pumpkin, the last stem holding the pumpkin in place is cut, and they are on their way. The rain pours down, the pumpkin bobbs along, and Kanni sings lullabies to the baby animals and birds. Until one day, the rain stopped and the sun comes out. The mighty pumpkin had saved them!

When I read Pattan’s Pumpkin to my kids, they loved it. In fact, we read it a lot. Chitra Sounder has written a timely, straightforward and fully accessible retelling of a traditional flood story that was handed down by the Irular tribe in Southern India. And as with all flood stories, there is a definite theme of harmony disrupted by nature, and harmony restored by nature with a definite message of hope, thanks to Pattan. And despite the threat to their lives and home, it was nice to see how Pattan, Kanni, the animals and birds all worked together to save themselves. 

My young readers also loved the folk art style illustrations, which both reflected and added to the storyline so well. They are done in a pleasing gouache palette of bold greens, blues, and of course oranges. 

Do read the Author’s Note at the front of the book giving more information about the origin of the Pattan story and its cultural roots.

Chitra has some wonderful Teaching Resources for Pattan's Pumpkin HERE as well as some fun facts about pumpkins HERE

Artist Frané Lessac has a fun pumpkin coloring sheet like the one below. An enlarged version can be downloaded HERE. 

This book is recommended for readers age 4+

This book was sent to me by the author, Chitra Soundar

Poetry Friday - A Hundred Scary Skeletons by Susan Kassabian

Well, the countdown to Halloween has begun, the costumes are decided upon, the trick-or-treat treats are in the house. We've read and re-read all the favorite Halloween stories and poems. All we need now is for the big day to arrive.

Meanwhile, I'd like to share this new poem that we have added to our collection:

It's from a book called Poems for Children by Susan Kassabian. Kassabian has written some very humorous poems for kids for this collection that moves through the seasons of the year.

It's Poetry Friday and Brenda at Friendly Fairy Tales has this weeks poetry roundup

Lola Levine and the Halloween Scream by Monica Brown, illustrated by Angela Dominguez

This is the 6th Lola Levine book (and my first), so fans already know all about her, but others new to the series may not. Indulge me while I introduce Lola. Lola is multiracial - her father is Jewish and her mother is a Peruvian Catholic. She has a younger brother named Ben, and her best friend is Josh Blot, the principal’s son. Lola and Josh are in second grade, and their teacher is named Ms. Garcia. Lola also keeps a diary - Dear Diario - with entries scattered throughout her stories.

In this book, it’s Halloween week and Lola couldn’t be more excited. She loves being scared and scaring other kids, especially her brother Ben. In school it’s a week of autumn fun. First, Ms. Garcia introduces the ways different cultures around the world celebrate autumn. Then, Lola’s class goes on a leaf gathering trip and everyone makes a leaf book with their findings. 

In the middle of the week, there is a trip to an apple orchard where kids get to pick their own apples. While there, the class learns about scarecrows, and Lola thinks maybe that is what she will be for Halloween. After all, she has been really wanting to wear a scary costume, but then, to Lola’s amazement, her friend Bella tells her she doesn’t like being scared by anything.  

Lola really doesn’t understand Bella’s feelings, but she is getting more and more excited about the costume parade on Friday now that she knows what she wants to be. It’s a great parade, especially since leashed pets can be part of it.  Afterwards, on Friday afternoon, sad that Halloweek is over in school, but looking forward to trick-or-treating on Sunday with Josh and Bella, Lola decides to surprise them with a scary joke as they leave school. But when the joke backfires, Lola learns an important lesson about listening to and respecting what her friend told her about not liking to be scared. Now, can Lola fix her mistake in time to still go trick-or-treating with Josh and Bella? Or will they still be mad at her? Can Lola come up with a way to tell them she's sorry?

This is a nice chapter book and a great addition for fans of series books like Ivy and Bean or Junie B. Jones. Lola is a well-meaning 7 year old, but still has a few things to learn (as do all these young protagonists). The problems they have or the situations they find themselves in, like learning to respect the feelings of other kids, are so relatable to that age group when excitement and enthusiasm can lead to some pretty keyed-up behavior and a few mistakes. 

Maybe this is a spoiler:

Lola’s parents are great - they’re understand and really there for Lola and Ben, involved in their children’s lives at home and at school. But when they take most of Lola and Ben’s Halloween candy, then hide it and sneak eat it - that just wasn’t right. When they caught, the candy was all thrown away. Why couldn’t they put it away, and take some out on special occasions to enjoy as a family? 

If you want to learn more about Lola and her friends and family, an Educator’s Guide chock full of learning activities is available from the publisher, Little, Brown. It only covers the first two Lola Levine books, but can easily be tweaked for any book in the series.

This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

It's Monday! What are you reading? Halloween Favorites - A Picture Book Roundup

It's hard to believe it is almost Halloween, again. We have been busy reading some old and new favorite picture books to celebrate the day and would like to share some of them with you.

The Pomegranate Witch by Denise Doyen, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
Chronicle Books, 2017, 40 pages, age 5+
I have wonderful memories of fall - of roller skating and eating pomegranates when we stopped for a rest, so I can totally understand why the kids in this small town would want to get some of the red juicy fruit from the legendary old pomegranate tree. The only problem is the tree is haunted by an old, mean witch. Then, five friends decide to storm the tree, but ,alas, their efforts are thwarted by the witch. Four kids retreated, but one snuck up to the tree, plucked off a juicy pomegranate, and shared it with his friends. Luckily, on Halloween, when the witch is away, her kind, friendly sister welcomed the kids with cider and treats - and that’s no trick. But, wait, could the witch and the kind sister be one and the same?  A close reading will generate lots of speculation. And don’t forget to think Halloween costume.

Since my young readers have asked to be read this again and again, I can say with certainty that this is really a delightful Halloween story that will not disappoint. Doyen tells her story in a rhyme that never falters, and Wheeler’s the India ink and watercolor illustrations have just the right amount of eeriness to them so little ones won’t get scared (and yes, we did enjoy a few pomegranates, inspired by this story).

  

Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin
Atheneum BFYR, 2013, 40 pages, age 4+

It’s Halloween and Farmer Brown doesn’t like it. He puts out a bowl of candy on the porch, locks up the house and puts out a “Do Not Disturb” sign, then he goes to bed. Little does he know that while the animals in his barn love Halloween and are having a party, a dark, spooky creature is heading towards Farmer Brown’s house. When Farmer Brown hears a tap, tap, tapping on the front door, he opens it and sees the bowl of candy is gone. But there’s a note on the door, and there’s lots of noise coming from the barn. What could his barnyard animals be up to on Halloween night? A big surprise for Farmer Brown? 

This is a fun Halloween book, especially for kids who might be a little nervous about all the costumes, and decorations associated with it. The text is lighthearted, with repetitious sound words adding to the spookiness throughout the story. Lewin’s watercolor illustrations, in the colors of Halloween, along with her goofy costumed animals add to the fun of Farmer Brown’s big surprise at the end.  

Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat by Sue Lowell Gallion, illustrated by Joyce Wan
Beach Lane Books, 2017, 40 pages, age 3+

Now that Pug and Pig are best friends, it’s time to think about going trick-or-treating together. Pug and Pig’s costumes make them look like skeletons. They fit nice and tightly, which makes Pig. Pig even likes the mask so no one will know who he is. But Pug is not at all happy with the tight fit of his costume, or his mask - no one will know who he is. Can these siblings find a way for both Pug and Pig to be happy? Umm…looks like Pug has an idea.

This is a great story about how simple problem solving can avoid disappointments and possible meltdowns, showing young readers how effective a compromise can be. Wan’s simple illustrations really capture the emotions each pig feels, and she even manages to depict movement as Pug runs out the doggy door after coming up with his idea. A lovely second book for new and old fans of Pug & Pig, and anyone who like a gentle Halloween tale.  
You can download a Pug & Pig Halloween Party Kit HERE
You can also download a Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat Teacher's Guide HERE 

Zip! Zoom! On A Broom by Teri Sloat, illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet
Little, Brown BFYR, 2017, 40 pages, age 4+

“One goes zip./Two go zoom./Three witches glide from room to room.”  Readers count the 10 witches all throughout the house, busy doing witchy stuff. But when all 10 witches decide to ride together on a broomstick, it’s a little too crowded and a little too heavy: “Ten take off, packed too tight./Ten witches bicker, start to fight.” One by one the witches begin to fall: “Nine witches squabble, squirm for room./ One topples from the plunging broom.” But don’t worry, in the end, all are fine

I thought this was a jolly counting book as it doesn’t feel like learning to count to ten so much as a story that just happens to involve numbers 1-10. Bonnet’s india ink and watercolor illustrations are a bit dark, but are also chockablock with all the images a kid could want in one book á la Halloween, and they will spend lots of time going over the pages to see what’s there. 

I Want to Be in a Scary Story by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Jean Jullien
Candlewick Press, 2017, 32 pages, age 3+

A little purple monster tells an unseen author that he wants to be in a scary story. The only problem is that every time the author begins a story, it’s too scary for little purple monster. The dark and scary forest, the spooky house, witch inside the spooky house, the ghost inside the spooky house all prove to be too much for little purple monster. Maybe it would be better if little purple monster were in a funny story about a tweet-weeny monkey and his friend - a ginormous monkey. Scared, the little monster runs off, but in the end, he’s the guy in a scary story who get the last laugh. And, yes, little purple monster wants to be in another story the next day. 

Julien’s bold ink and digitally colored illustrations done in a palette of Halloween colors add lots of scary ambience to the story. Though the word Halloween is no where to be found, this is a perfect story to read around that time, but it works year round, too.

The Scariest Book Ever written and illustrated by Bob Shea
Disney-Hyperion, 2017, 40 pages, age 4+

A fearful ghost invites the reader to explore the dark scary woods outside his house, but conveniently spills some orange juice on himself and tells the reader to go without him. The woods turn out to be colorful trees full of woodland creatures preparing for a spooky costume party, and there are crafts and cupcakes. Ghost thinks the reader is pulling his leg whenever there is a report about what’s happening in the woods. Can Ghost be convinced that the woods are scary in time to go to the party? 

This is another fun, not just for Halloween book. The conversation is one-sided, with Ghost making all kinds of misinterpretations about what’s going on, but that will surely invite young readers to turn this into an interactive story. Shea’s illustrations alternate between light pastels in the woods to dark and spooky oranges, blues, yellows, and black in the house - just the opposite of what kids would expect. A fun book that may help kids overcome their own Halloween-type fears.

Behind the Mask written and illustrated by Yangsook Choi
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006, 40 pages, age 5+

When young Kimin can’t decide what to be for Halloween, his mother suggests he look through his grandfathers belonging. Inside one of the suitcases, he finds a mask that he recognizes - he had been frightened when he had seen his grandfather wearing it as a young boy, but now he realizes his grandfather was a professional Korean dancer and the masks were part of his dances. Kimin decides to honor his grandfather’s memory by wearing the mask and robe that once had scared him. Trick or treating with his friends is a real success, but Kimin receives a real treat when a note to him from his grandfather is discovered. Be sure to read the Author’s Note about Talchum, or traditional Korean mask dancing.

This is a nice Halloween story that shows how our immigrant heritage can become part of our American cultural traditions without losing any of its meaning or importance. And Choi’s softly painted illustrations add much to the atmosphere of this beautiful intergenerational story.  

Keeping the Halloween theme going, we are planning on reading Lola Levine and the Halloween Scream by Monica Brown and some Edgar Allen Poe.

What are you reading this week?

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s Monday! What are you reading? - from Picture Books to YA is a kid lit focused meme just like the original and is hosted weekly by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. The purpose is the same: to recap what you have read and/or reviewed and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. Twitter: #IMWAYR 

Poetry Friday: October - Author Unknown

It hasn't felt much like fall lately, with the warm temperatures we have been having, but yesterday we went and picked out some mums and pumpkins in preparation for Halloween. Then I remembered this poem I have used in the classroom and in home schooling and I thought I would share it, even though the leaves are still clinging mightily to the trees here in NYC.

I hope you enjoy this poem as much as my students did.

It's Poetry Friday and Leigh Anne at A Day in the Life has this week's roundup.

You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

You Bring the Distant Near is a family story told in three parts, each covering a different time in the lives of five women.

Part One begins with a move. After living in Ghana and then London for a number of years, Rajeev Das gets a job in New York and moves his family, wife Ranee, daughters Tara and Sonia, into an apartment in Flushing, Queens. Though her daughters adjust to life in Flushing, Ranee is distrustful of the black kids who live in the neighborhood and wants to move. After a year in Queens, they move into a house in Ridgeford, New Jersey. 

Renee tries to hold on the some customary Bengali traditions, but her daughters quickly assimilate to life as Americans. Tara, the eldest daughter, wants to study theater, while Sonia’s interests lie more towards feminism and politics, aware of their parents desire for them to keep at least some of their Bengali cultural. 

Part Two begins after the tragic death of Rajeev. The Das family suddenly finds themselves at odds with each other, yet each painfully missing Rajeev. In high school, Sonia wins an all expenses paid trip to Paris, happy to get away from home. Fellow African American student Lou Johnson, handsome and friendly, has also won a spot on the trip, and although the two have always been at odds with each other in New Jersey, they quickly become friends in Paris. After college, Sonia and Lou marry, causing Ranee to completely stop speaking to Sonia.

Meanwhile, Tara pursues an acting career, while also being pursued by Amit Sen, a successful Bengali man. After refusing several marriage proposals because Amit had been picked for her by her parents, Tara finally says yes on a trip to India to spread her fathers ashes in the Ganges, and a visit to his childhood home. Tara continues with her acting career, becoming a famous actress/singer in India.

Part Three belongs to the daughters of Sonia and Tara. Chantel, or Shanti, has been raised in New York, living in Harlem with her parents, Lou and Sonia, and attending an exclusive private school on full scholarship. Anna, or Anu, has been living in Mumbai, and going school there. Now, though, she is in New York and in the same school as Shanti. Anu is not happy about the move. She is proud to be Bangali to the core, and considers Mumbai her real home. She has also inherited her grandmother's talent for sewing, even making and wearing her own salwar kameezes. 

You Bring the Distant Near is a compelling intergenerational story that is actually told more in a series of vignettes that sometimes skips over years, and yet, nothing is lost. Perkins has created five women, all seemingly so very different from each other and yet held together by their Bengali heritage, whether they embrace it or not. And it is a mark of Perkins talent as a writer that shows us the changes in each of these women over time and the events, both personal and public, that impact their lives. It is a slow, gentle novel, that more than once brought tears to my eyes.

The five female characters that Perkins has created are very well developed, truly finely tuned, but my personal favorite was Ranee. In Ranee, I saw my own father’s struggle to assimilate into American life while retaining his cultural identity. Ranee, like my dad, eventually finds the balance that works for her. And in that respect, Perkins has really captured the complexities of what being an immigrants means, as she explores the high cost and ways in which the Das family loses their cultural connections to their past and the ways in which they find redemption.

This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was an EARC received at NetGalley

FYI: The title of this book comes from a poem which is printed at the beginning of the book. It was written by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), an Indian poet who also figures into the story of the Das family frequently. Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, the first Asian to do so. You can find more of his beautiful poetry at the Poetry Foundation HERE

The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The War I Finally Won is a sequel to The War That Saved My Life.

When last we left our evacuees, Ada Smith and her younger brother Jaime, they had been taken away from Susan Smith (no relation), with whom they had been living after being evacuated from London, and brought back to London by their mother despite the constant bombing. Sure enough, one night during an air raid, they don’t make it to the shelter because of Ada’s severely clubbed foot, and in the midst of everything, Susan appears to take them back to her house in the countryside.

Now, with her club foot surgically corrected, thanks to the generosity of her best friend’s wealthy parents, Lord and Lady Thorton, Ada returns to the country with Susan and Jaime. And, since Susan’s house has been destroyed by a bomb, they will be living in a cottage on the Thorton estate. 

Then word comes that Ada’s mother was killed in a bombing raid, and Ada finally begins to feel like maybe she actually isn’t the terrible person her mother always said she was. When Susan becomes their legal guardian, Jaime immediately begins to call her Mum, but Ada can’t bring herself to do that, and actually resents that Jaime could do it so easily. Calling Susan Mum would require a level of trust that she will always be there, and as Ada knows all too well, you just can’t count on that during a war.

When the government requisitions the Thorton manor for war use, the very formidable Lady Thorton moves in with Susan, Ada and Jaime. And when Ruth, a Jewish refugee from Germany is brought there by Lord Thorton to receive math instruction from Susan, so that she can eventually join him in his secret war work in Oxford, things really get tense. Ada and Jaime are convinced that Ruth is a spy, but Lady Thorton takes an immediate and intense dislike to Ruth, seeing her only as an enemy German, and the reason her son Jonathan had joined the RAF and put his life in danger.  

Ruth and Ada don’t hit is off, either, until they discover a mutual love for horses. But Lady Thorton refuses to let Ruth anywhere on the estate property, except the cottage, and especially the stables. When Susan gives her horse Butter to Ada as a Christmas gift, Ada lets Ruth ride her in secret and slowly the two girls develop a fragile friendship.

There is lots going on in The War I Finally Won, which I liked. War is a chaotic, confusing, demanding time and Bradley has really captured that. At the same time, the characters that appeared in The War That Saved My Life have the same feel to them, as they should, and even Jaime, whom I felt was a little thin as a character before, has become a more developed personality. 

The thing I found most interesting was the relationship between Susan and Ada. In the first book, it seems so clear cut, but now, Ada keeps Susan at an unexpected distance. Why? With her mother dead and gone (no, that is not a spoiler), I had expected that the three of them would form a nice, lasting family unit. But, ironically, it will take more loss, more sorrow and the realization that anything could really be gone in the blink of an eye for Ada to finally see the need to let herself trust more and that is the war she must finally win. 

The War I Finally Won is so more than just a satisfying coming of age sequel. While it explores the theme of trust, within that theme, it also explores the idea of how we define family. For those who haven’t read the first book, The War That Saved My Life, I would highly recommend doing so (though it isn’t necessary to enjoy this second book). 

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an EARC received from the publisher

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

This review of The War That Saved My Life was originally published on The Children's War in 2015. On October 11, 2017, the sequel The War I Finally Won will be available. I highly recommend both.

Born with a severely clubbed foot, Ada Smith, 10, has been kept imprisoned and abused by her Mam in a one room flat her whole life.  Mam sees her foot as a mark of shame and humiliation, and so Ada never learned to walk, scooting around on her bum as she waits on Mam and younger brother Jamie, 6.  Then one day, Ada decides to learn to walk, keeping at it despite all the pain and blood.

In 1939, when war comes to England, Ada is told that Jamie will be evacuated to the safety of the countryside, and she will remain in the flat - bombs or no.  But Mam doesn't know Ada's secret and when evacuation day arrives, she and Jamie take off for the train station together.  Eventually arriving at a small countryside village, all the children are selected by residents except Ada and Jamie, who are taken to the home of Susan Smith (no relation) and left in her care.

But Susan is depressed, mourning the death of her friend (though clearly more than friend), Becky.  The two women had lived there together for years and Susan had inherited the property.  The last thing she wanted now were two children to take care of.  And yet, she does.  She feeds Ada and Jamie, buys them new clothes and shoes to replace the dirty, raggy things they arrived in, and allows them to find their own way through a certain amount of benign neglect.

And Susan has a pony named Butter that Ada determines to learn how to ride and care for.  Soon, she is riding all over the village and surrounding area.  Susan has also taken Ada to a doctor about her foot, and she has been given crutches to help her walk.  But when Jamie begins school, Ada refuses to go not wanting to admit she can't read or do simple math.  Eventually Susan, who has a degree in math, figures it out and offers to teach her at home - an offer not very welcomed by Ada.  But why not?

Ada and Susan are two people carrying around a lot of physical and emotional baggage, thrown together by a war they don't really feel connected to and which at first doesn't feel quite as real as the personal war they are waging with themselves.  But gradually, they forge a relationship with each other and begin to feel like a family.  And then Mam shows up and takes the Ada and Jamie back to London, despite the bombing and Ada is forced to scoot around on her bum once again.

Now that they have seen another side of life, is it over for Ada, Jamie and even Susan?

What a powerful story The War That Saved My Life is.  It is everything that makes historical fiction so wonderfully satisfying.  There is lots of historical detail about London and the countryside in those early war days, including the rescue of British soldiers from Dunkirk (Susan's house is on coastal Kent, the closest point in England to Dunkirk). 

I thought that Susan and Ada were drawn well, with lots of depth to their personalities, but not Jamie so much.  He really felt like just a secondary character, mostly there for contrast and to move the story along in a believable way.  The shame Mam felt over Ada's foot is quite palpable, but also seemed to empower her with the ability to abuse her daughter, making her plain scary, though a rather one dimensional character at the same time.

One of the things I found interesting is that in the beginning Ada, the child, is such a strong, determined character, while Susan, the adult, was kind of weak and irresolute.  And yet, they have things to teach each other.  And to her credit, Bradley doesn't actually come out and directly let the reader know that Susan and Becky were partners, but its clearly there.

If your young readers loved Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian, they are sure to love The War That Saved My Life.  If they haven't discovered Good Night, Mr. Tom yet, perhaps it's time to introduce them to both of these fine books.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an ARC received from the publisher

It's Monday! What are you reading? We're reading board books!

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s Monday! What are you reading? - from Picture Books to YA is a kid lit focused meme just like the original and is hosted weekly by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. The purpose is the same: to recap what you have read and/or reviewed and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. Twitter: #IMWAYR 

We've been reading lots of board books and here is a roundup of some of the latest board books for the youngest readers that we read last week. 

Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Jen Corace
Chronicle Books, 2016, 28 pages, age 3+

Little Hoot loves to play with this forest friends. The only problem is that they always have to go to bed early, while Little Hoot must learn to stay up late, after all, he is an owl. Even as he begs to go to sleep, his parents insist he stay awake just more hour, then just 10 more minutes. Can Little Hoot do it? Rosenthal has taken the usual struggle of getting kids to bed on time and their attempts to put off bedtime and turned it around. Little Hoots predicament is sure to amuse all bedtime procrastinators.

Be sure to check out Little Hoot’s companion board books: Little Oink and Little Pea

Tubby/Bañito written and illustrated by Leslie Patricelli
Candlewick Press, 2017, 28 pages, age 3 months+ 

Leslie Patricelli’s Baby is back and it’s bath time. Read along in Spanish or English as Baby has some fun in the tub playing with bubbles, practicing swimming, counts duckies and toes, and getting washed. Then, wrapped in a clean, warm towel, washing as Daddy dries the bathroom before taking of naked. A fun addition to the favorite series.   

Be sure to check out these other Spanish/English companion baby board books including: Blankie/Mantita, Huggy Kissy/Abrazos y Besitos, Yummy Yucky/¡Ñam! ¡Puaj!, The Birthday Box/Mi Caja de Cumpleaños, Hop! Hop!/¡Salto! ¡Salto!, Boo!/¡Bu!, Fa La La/Tra-la-la

When Your Elephant Has the Sniffles by Susanna Leonard Hill, illustrated by Daniel Wiseman
Little Simon, 2017, 26 pages, age 2+

Here is some sage advice from an unnamed narrator for when your elephant has the sniffles: do whatever you can to try to prevent him from sneezing. You can put your elephant to bed, but be sure to hide anything in the room that may cause him to sneeze. If he gets bored being in bed, do whatever you can to keep in there and resting. If your elephant sneezes, you just might end up with the sniffles, too. This charming book is sure to make kids laugh as the little girl in it tries so hard to take care of her elephant - because sometimes a person with a bad cold can feel just like an elephant in the room.  Wiseman’s whimsical illustrations add much to the humor. Pair this book with

When Your Lion Needs a Bath by Susanna Leonard Hill, illustrated by Daniel Wiseman
Little Simon, 2017, 26 pages, age 2+

When your lion is smelly, it is definitely time to give it a bath. But lions don’t like water, so an unnamed narrator advises a young boy on the need to be pretty sneaky to get him in a tub. So the tub filled with bubbly water, lots of bath toys and try your best to trick your lion to get in the tub. Kids will no doubt laugh at the tricks and bribes used to finally get the lion bathed, but make sure all the doors in the house are closed, or uh-oh, you will have to start all over again. Kids are sure to recognize themselves in there two humor books, even if the tables are turned and the kids in the story become the caretakers. Wiseman’s illustrations are a playful here as in the companion book above. 

Motor Mix: Flight by Emily Snape, illustrated by Rilla Alexander
Chronicle Books, 2017, 16 pages, age 3 months+

Young readers can mix and match things that fly in this interactive concept book. Young readers can go along with the kids, their friends, siblings, and even their pets for a ride on a rocket ship, an airplane, a lunar probe, a sea plane, and a hot air balloon. The left facing pages of the book show a stationary illustration of one of these machine, and the right side of the page, divided into three parts allows young readers to mix and match and make up their own, complete with sound words. A fun way for kids to to learn the names of things that fly, and to use their own imagination. With simple, block-like illustrations in bold colors diverse characters. Pair this book with 

Motor Mix: Emergency by Emily Snape, illustrated by Rilla Alexander
Chronicle Books, 2017, 16 pages, age 3 months+  

Here is the companion book to Motor Mix: Flight, though this one focuses on emergency vehicles, many of which even the youngest readers might be familiar with. Kids can go for a ride, with appropriate vehicle noises, on a firetruck, a highway patrol car, a snowplow, a tow truck, a ambulance, a lifeboat, and a helicopter. Or, they can invent their own, by flipping the divided parts of the right side page over the stationary illustration on the left facing page. This concept book offers a fun way for kids to learn the names of vehicles that help people, and is sure to generate questions about how they work. With simple, bold illustrations in bright colors and diverse characters. 

My Little Cities: San Francisco by Jennifer Adams, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
Chronicle Books, 2017, 22 pages, age 3 months+ 

Whether you are traveling to San Francisco or are already living there, this book is a charming way to introduce young readers to this exciting city. In very few words, Adams has managed to convey all the sights, sounds, and tastes that are to be found in San Francisco. From the Golden Gate Bridge and the twists and turns of Lombard Street to Chinatown and the sea lions at Fisherman’s Wharf, it is all there. Pizzoli’s simple, colorful illustrations includes not just the famous sights that everyone should see, but also reflects the diversity of the people who live there. 

My Little Cities: Paris by Jennifer Adams, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
Chronicle Books, 2017, 22 pages, age 3 months+

Ah, Paris, the city of lights and one of my favorite places. Once again, Adams and Pizzoli have  captured the heart and diversity of this beautiful city. From the Jardin des Plantes (or Botanical Garden), the famous Shakespeare and Co., to Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, it’s all there, including people riding bikes with those wonderful French baguettes in their baskets. Just as she have in all her My Little Cities books, Adams includes a list of all the sights included in the book, with a short description of all of them. 

Be sure to check out the previous companion books in this series: My Little Cities: New York and My Little Cities: London

Peek-a-Moo! written and illustrated by Nina Laden
Chronicle Books, 2017, 22 pages, age 3 months+

Babies and toddlers love to play peek-a-boo and this is a perfect book for that. Each left facing page has the words Peek-a and behind the right page cut out is the answer - all rhyming with you. The last Peek-a has a mirror, so young readers see themselves reflected and become part of the book. Peek-a-Moo perfectly captures that moment of anticipation between not knowing and discovering, so characteristic of the earlier books. Each book in this series focuses on a different place, and here it is a farm, so each answer relates to animals or vegetable found there. Laden’s illustrations are bright, energetic and often humorous. 

Peek-a-Moo! is the fifth book in this series, so be sure to check out these companion books: Peek-a-Who! Peek-a-Zoo! Peek-a-Boo! and Peek-a-Choo-Choo!

Flora and the Ostrich: An Opposites Book written and illustrated by Molly Idle
Chronicle Books, 2017, 20 pages, age 3 months+

Flora is back in a new board book and with a new friend. Flora and the Chicks was a counting book, in this companion book, Flora meets an ostrich with purple feathers that match her purple sunsuit, but that is were similarities end. When Flora says hello to the ostrich, he responds with good bye. Playing with the concept of opposites, Flora and her new friend gradually get together in friendship. Young readers learn about opposites with illustrations the perfectly illustrate the words used - among them - near/far, under/over, stop/go, and ending with apart/together. And once again, Idle has managed to include so much expression in facial and body language on pages that contain one word. Some of the pages have flaps the reveal a word opposite. A fun book for young readers and the perfect companion to Flora and the Chicks.

Enjoy! What are you reading?