All Around Bustletown - Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall conceived and illustrated by Rotraut Susanne Berner

All Around Bustletown - Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall - are a series of delightful wordless giant-sized board books that follow the adventures of adults, children, animals, birds, and even objects as they go about their day.

The illustrations are charming, bright and colorful, elaborately detailed, and with the definite feeling of an old-fashioned German storybook, not surprising since they were originally published in Germany. In fact, in German, these would be called Wimmelbücher, wordless picture books of everyday scenes that are chockablock with details and each scene is connected to the others by the setting. In this case, that would be Bustletown. The detailed images that are just teeming with activity are why these books have been compared to Martin Handford's Where's Waldo books.

What I found to be really nice about these books is that there are recurring characters from book to book and each of the two page spreads give readers a cross-section view inside buildings that is reminiscent of the back of a dollhouse, and a panoramic view of what happening in the outdoor images. Each book follows the same format - starting from home (as you can see from the illustrations below) and then on to the city with stops at a farm and garage, then a small fish store and a large train station, turn the page and you arrive at a school under construction across the street from a cultural center, keep going and the center of town offers all kinds of stores and activities, this is followed by a visit to a department store for some shopping and finally a visit to a beautiful busy park. Of course, everything has a different look and feel to it thanks to the changing seasons. And yes, there is a kind of sequencing to the books. In the Winter book, the school is nothing more that a foundation. In the Spring and Summer books, readers can follow the progress of the school's construction, until the Fall when it finally opens.

And though the four All Around Bustletown books have a Where's Waldo feel to them, the books don't have a specific task attached to them, like finding a hidden object/Waldo in all the hustle and bustle. Instead, these books promote not only observational strategies, but also introduce young readers to story telling skills. And my kids had no trouble following the recurring characters. Cornelia Rémi, an expert on the Wimmelbuch, considers them to be a form of playing, an idea I particularly like. So, since we had all four books, we placed them on the floor in seasonal order, beginning with winter, like this (you can click them to make them bigger):

Conveniently, the back of each book highlights and names the main characters, so that each of my kids could choose a character to follow through each book and then each season, making up stories based on that was happening and what the character was doing along the way. What appeared to be chaos on each page began to become more ordered as they made up stories and gave purpose to each character. That was really a lot of lively fun and since there are more citizens in Bustletown than I have young readers, everyone got more than one character to story about.

All Around Bustletown - Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall has turned me into a big fan these wonderful interactive books. Each one has eight panoramic pages filled with activity and people, and reflecting the holidays of the seasons. And based on my experience, they are guaranteed to keep kids busy for quite a while. And at a time when many of us can't go out and about the way we used to, maybe a visit to Bustletown is just the ticket.

These books are recommended for readers age 4+
These books were gratefully received from Media Masters Publicity

Cornelia Rémy has written an excellent article on the Wimmelbuch that you can read HERE or in Emergent Literacy: Children's Books from 0 to 3, edited by Bettina Kümmerling-Melbauer, pp. 115-139.

A Board Book Roundup

Spring has arrived, and with it comes a whole crop of new board books for your youngest readers to enjoy.

When Your Llama Needs a Haircut by Susanna Leonard Hill,

illustrated by Daniel Wiseman

2018, Little Simon, 26 pages

Picture day is coming - and your llama is looking a little on the shaggy side. Time to give him a spiffy new haircut so he can look his best. But first you have to catch your llama, then you have to wash his hair and comb out all the tangles, and of course, he will complain. Once that is done, you have to decide on what style to give your llama, who sure is squirmy around those scissors...uh oh. Well, sometimes, you and your llama need a new picture day haircut. This delightful book will have your and your young readers chuckling at the antics of the llama who isn't really into getting his haircut - some young readers might even find a little of themselves in him. It is, of course, the perfect companion to the author's two earlier books, When Your Elephant Has the Sniffles and When Your Lion Needs a Bath.  

Guess Which Hand by Hans Wilhelm, 

illustrated by Ilaria Guarducci

2018, Chronicle Books, 10 pages 

Guess which hand is a game most young kids are familiar with simply because it is one of the earliest and simplest guessing games they learns. In this interactive book, young readers can guess what is in the hand, of a boy, in the paws of a puppy, under the ears of a pig, under two shells in the ocean, under the party hats of two monkeys, under the tails of two bunnies, under the wings of an owl, under the eggs of a hen, simply by turning the side wheel until an object appears on the page, then guessing where it is and lifting the flap to see if they are right. It's a fun book and a great way to teach the youngest readers the names of all the animals, insects, and objects included in the game.

All Kinds of Kisses by Heather Swain, 

illustrated by Steven Henry

2017, Feiwel & Friends, 32 pages

There's nothing like a cuddle and a kiss from mom and dad, but how do other animals, birds, and even fish kiss their young? Eleven creatures are depicted on two page spreads, each with a different way kissing and showing affection to their young. There is a brief description of the each creatures mouth and why is it the way it is: "Red crossbill birds has twisted beaks to tweeze tines seeds out of cones" and ends with the question "How would a crossbill kiss?" This is the same pattern throughout the book. This is a nice introduction to these eleven different creatures, but, although each kind of kiss is described in rhythmic stanzas, they are a little uneven. Still, it is a fun board book, though maybe a little wordy for the youngest kids. And the boldly colored illustrations are a real compliment to the text.

Quack! by Joe Fitzpatrick,

illustrated by Paul Nicholls,

2018, Flowerpot Press, 20 pages

A duck goes out for a walk and meets a variety of animals - one elephant, two giraffes, three horses, fours pigs, five monkeys (that's right, those old jumping on the bed monkeys), six flamingos, seven grasshoppers, eight spiders, nine bluebirds, ten ducks. Each of the animals is engaged in an activity, and when the duck quacks, they ignore him. After all, they don't speak duck so they don't understand him. And yes, this is a counting book. Kids can spend time counting the different the different animals duck meets, and talking about why they are engaged in the activity they are doing. They will also enjoy the repeated refrain as the duck continues his walk -  "so the duck just kept waddling." It has a charming happy ending for the duck and takes they the book beyond the number 10. I found myself pleasantly surprised reading Quack! for the first time with some young readers, who asked to read it over and over. The illustrations are simply but sweet and really more the duck along nicely.  

I Sleep in a Big Bed written and illustrated by

Maria van Lieshout

2018, Chronicle Books, 24 pages

OK, I lied, this isn't really a board book, but it is perfect for the old board book set who are about to transition from crib to bed, and the anxiety the surrounds that milestone in their young lives. A young boy recalls how much he slept as a baby, and able to sleep a lot and anywhere - crib, car seat, floor, stroller. But now that he isn't a baby anymore, he sleeps in a big kid bed. At first, it took some getting  used. There were bedtime stories, kisses and hugs from mom and dad, then snuggling in with his lovey. But what happens when he wakes up in the middle of the night? Our narrator has some sage advice about handling that for his readers. This is a simple, but needed book. It can be read to young kids over and over to introduce and and help them acclimate to the change from crib to bed. The illustrations are simple but to the point, and done in blue, white, and brown, and outlined in thick black lines. You might want to check our Maria van Lieshout's other books about achieving milestones, such as Bye, Bye Binky, I Use the Potty, and No More Tantrums.

Little Truck written and illustrated by Taro Gomi

2018, Chronicle Books, 22 pages

A pink flatbed truck may be little but he sure likes to go fast as he starts off his day in the company of a bigger orange flatbed truck. It doesn't take long for little truck to past big truck, but when he reaches a steep hill, and begins to slow down, it's a good thing that big truck can help him and give him a push. But now sooner does he reach to top than little truck speeds up again, and heads right into a dark tunnel. Once again, big truck helps little truck out and then puts him onto his flatbed to take a very tired little truck home. This is a sweet, easy metaphoric story for kids (little truck) who are walking and trying out their first independent wanderings not too far from a parent (big truck), with a nice message that someone will always be there for them. The illustrations are Gomi simple - geometric shapes, dots and dashes with few colors. A nice reassuring book for young readers.

Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherri Duskey Rinker, 

illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

2018, Chronicle Books, 32 pages

As a train arrives at a station in the middle of the night, each crew worker knows exactly what to do to quickly load of the train's freight. Box cars, hoppers, tankers, reefer cars, gondolas, autoracks, well cars, flatbed cars, and the red caboose each have their own cargo to be loaded by a perfectly matched crew, for example, hoppers are loaded by kangaroos, tankers filled by elephants, turtles drive race cars onto the autorack. After everything is loaded, the crew all go to sleep in bed on the flatbed cars, while a giraffe serves as lookout in the caboose. Told in the same whimsical rhyme that was used in the successful Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, this is a fun, if long-for-a-board-book bedtime story that turns out to be a young kid's dream based on the train set by his bed. My brother was a model train lover from age 4, so a lot of what I read was familiar to me, but it nicely teaches kids the part of a train while entertaining them.

I end this board book roundup with two nice concept books.

Up, Down & Other Opposites with Ellsworth Kelly

written and illustrated by Ellsworth Kelly

2018, Phaidon Press, 30 pages

This board book is part of the publisher's series First Concepts with Fine Artists, described as an "innovative series of early-learning board books pairing the work of fine artists with basic concepts for toddlers." Using the paintings of contemporary artist Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015), this is a simple introduction to opposites. Kids will need some adult help at first for some of the opposites, like back and front of a paintings, or rough and smooth, but on the whole, opposites make sense and will help kids learn to identify different kinds of opposites. This is a very appealing book, most the examples of opposites are large and vibrantly colored. At times, the spare text addresses the readers directly to to encourage the reader to think more about the opposites shown.  This, like all the First Concepts with Fine Artists books, is a fun, easy, very playful way to learn basic concepts.

TouchThinkLearn: Wiggles written by Claire Zucchelli-Romer

2018, Chronicle Books, 26 pages

In this interactive book, young readers will explore and learn all about different tactile experiences. The book invites kids to let their fingers explore a variety of shapes and designs by tracing them, or they can count and play with dots, zigzags, and twirls. Kids are told what to do on each page, and there is a lot of repetition and use of onomatopeia throughout. The pages are a pastel blue with text in a white font (which I found too light), and the shapes are done in brightly fluorescent colored cutouts. These cutouts are an opportunity to develop fine motor skills and explore different perceptions, but when asked to use left and right hand simultaneously, it might be a challenge for younger kids. I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about parts of this book, though I think it is a fun way to learn.

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?

All I want for Christmas are...Board Books

This Christmas roundup of board books is just right for youngsters who are starting to understand what all the excitement, the songs,  the decorations and the endless toy commercials are all about.   Take some quiet time with your young readers and enjoy a few of these gentle stories. 

My First Christmas written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola

Grosset & Dunlap, 2008, 14 pages (Age 3+)

Whether it's really baby's first Christmas or simply the first time your young reader is really attuned to Christmas, this is a fun book that covers all the usual holiday activities.  From the welcoming wreath on the front door, to the Nativity scene (the reason for the season) on the mantel, and the stockings to be filled, to the candy and cookies to be enjoyed, kids will enjoy reading and exploring the simple watercolor illustrations in this book as they await the arrival of Santa Claus.  

Spot's Christmas written and illustrated by Eric Hill

Penguin Books, 2015, 14 pages (Age 3+)

It's Christmas and Spot is very busy getting ready for the big day.  He sings carols with his friends, helps his dad decorate the Christmas tree, makes some Christmas cards to give out, and even helps his mom bake some yummy Christmas cookies.  Before he knows it, it's Christmas morning, and Spot may not have seen Santa, but he knows he was there - his Christmas stocking is brimful full of treats.  Young readers will enjoy reading about Spot's Christmas even as they get ready for their own big day.

Can You See What I See? Christmas 
written and illustrated by Walter Wick

Cartwheel Books, 2015, 24 pages (Age 3+)

This is a nice search and find board book for preschoolers.  Young readers will have fun finding all the Christmas trinkets and toys located in each photograph.  One side of each two page spread has words and picture prompts for kids on one side to find on the page facing opposite it.  Wick uses the photographic images from his Can You See What I See? Night Before Christmas picture book.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Christmas 1 2 3 

written and illustrated by Eric Carle

Grosset & Dunlap, 2015, 18 pages (Age 3+)

Young  fans of The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book will have lots of Christmas fun learning how to count from 1 to 10 as they find the hungry caterpillar making its way over all kinds of holiday images.  All the images are done in Eric Carle's signature collage style using paint and tissue paper and kids will have fun from 1 Santa to 5 snowflakes to 10 presents.  But can they find the hungry caterpillar among all those presents?

Dream Snow written and illustrated by Eric Carle

Philomel Books, 2015, 22 pages (Age 3+)

Younger readers can finally have their own copy of this fun story now that it is a board book.  Learn to count to five along with a farmer who looks very much like Santa and who only has five animals - named one, two, three, four, five.  One night the farmer falls asleep, dreams about snow covering everything in white blanket (lift the snowy flap to see what's underneath).  He wakes up, realizes it is Christmas, pulls on his red coat, packs a big bag full of stuff and a wrapped box and can you guess what he does next?  Eric Carle's story is delightful and his paint and tissue paper collage illustrations add to the fun.

Christmas at Last! by Sam Hearn, illustrated by Penny Dann

Cartwheel Books, 2015, 16 pages (Age 3+)

It's finally Christmas and everyone in the Bear family has found just what they needed in their Christmas stocking - hat, scarf, mittens, buttons - except Baby Bear, who found a carrot.  What can he do with that?  Well, Daddy Bear has just the right festive idea.  Can you guess it?  This colorfully illustrated glittery book has pages shaped like Christmas stockings and is told in a rhyme bearing a striking similarity to The Night Before Christmas.