Review: You Can't Take A Balloon Into The Metropolitan Museum

By: Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Preiss Glasser

Dial Books for Young Readers; 1998; 37 pages

Picture Book; Wordless Book

Ages: 4 to 7

ISBN: 0-8037-2301-6

A girl is forced by a museum guard to leave her yellow balloon in his care while she tours the Metropolitan Museum. To his dismay, the balloon begins to fly away! The wordless picture book follows two narrative threads: the little girl's awe and wonder at the works of art, and the guard's desperate attempt to safely retrieve the errant balloon.

My Thoughts:
At first I was underwhelmed by this book. It was cute, and exposed children to fine art, but...meh. Then I showed it to one of my favorite 5 year olds...and he LOVED it. He is still in preschool, and appreciated having a book that HE could read to his mom. He told her the story while she looked at the pictures. Since the art is laid out in almost comic book format, I realized it was teaching him page awareness. He was having to follow the action from left to right, top to bottom. He was also learning sequencing, and narrative flow. It was amazing. All of a sudden I was looking at the book in a whole new light.

The art is absolutely enchanting. The pictures are lively, and packed with action. However, they are primarily black and white, with only the important and pertinant characters/action shown in color. The art at the Museum is actually the art at the museum spliced in. (There are photo reproductions of paintings and sculptures inset in the drawings.) My co-reviewer, the 5 year old, pointed out that the art the little girl is seeing actually mirrors the action that the balloon is doing...a painting of musicians precedes the balloon's encounter with a jazz band, a period wedding dress precede's the balloon's infiltration of a wedding party. (He is so observant!)

This book might not seem like much at first glance...but everytime I look at it I discover more gems tucked away in the illustrations. It is a feast for the eyes, and a book that actual children actually enjoy. (Which, in truth, is the best recommendation any children's material can receive!)

The Thoughts of Others:

Publisher's Weekly noticed all of the things that I had not. They truly enjoyed this book, and point out that "Glasser's drawings capture all the energy and charm of a captivating city."

Parent Council, a semi0-annual literary review that ceased publication in 2002, also reviewed the book in 2001. It was a very positive review. They note that it is a great introduction to art appreciation, helping children become familiar with pieces that make up Western Civilization's cultural canon. (Which reminded me of the Sesame Street episodes that introduced me to the Mona Lisa and other "great works.")

Review: Opposites

By: Sandra Boynton

Little Simon; 1984; unpaged

Board Book

Ages: 6 mos- 2 years

ISBN: 0-671-44903-6

Sandra Boynton's signature and classic animal drawings depict a variety of elementary opposite pairs such as whisper and shout; fast and slow; day and night; and hot and cold.

My Thoughts:

This is a good board book. The pictures accurately portray contrasting word pairs in simple and often humorous ways. The line drawings are enticing and graphic, while the colors, though pastel, are used in bold chunks. The text itself is very simple and formulaic, consisting of merely of the two opposite phrases. The font-type often reinforces the concept as well. "Heavy" is bold, while "light" is fine, for example. As far as textual interaction goes, babies can point to which part of the illustration is which. It is very appropriate to the board book format and the age group.

However, its appropriateness aside, this is not my favorite of Boynton's books. It is missing the joy of Moo, Baa, La La La or the endearing nature of But Not the Hippopotamus. As far as its purpose as a concept book goes, it teaches the opposites, but goes no further. There is nothing surprising or special. I wouldn't rush out to buy it for a friend, or go out of my way to acquire it for a library. There are other opposite books that do the same thing, only better. (Rainbow Fish Opposites, or Yummy Yucky.)Still, if you are wanting to complete a Boynton collection or merely looking for an additional concept book, it will meet your needs.

The Thoughts of Others:

Perhaps since the book has been around for a while, or perhaps because it is a board book, I was unable to find any editorial/critical reviews. However, I found a lot of reader reviews on Amazon and other sites..some negative, and some positive:

"I found this book to be one of the most confusing and complex series of illustrations for opposites--to date. I've got a very sharp little 16 mo. old and he was completely lost, which is not typical for him. "

"The major downside in this book is the words. They still flow nicely and rhyme without strain, but they lack some little charm that almost all of the other Boynton books have."

"A cute and happy book for toddlers and preschoolers, to help introduce simple concepts of up and down, heavy and light, day and night etc. Boynton's simple, clear and cheerful drawings always appeal to little people. Good for toddlers to kindergarten age." Please note that this reviewer recommends it for a non-board book age group!

Review: Binky

By: Leslie Patricelli

Candlewick Press; 2005; unpaged

Board book

Ages: 6 mos-2 years

ISBN: 0-7636-2364-4

This book features a baby who has lost his binky. He searches all over the house for it. He looks in the various places he has been, and checks with the members of his family. He works himself up into a state of distress before the binky is finally found and the problem resolved.

My Thoughts:

This board book is delightful, both for adults and for babies. The stylized drawings are spare but make a big impact. Bold black lines and brightly contrasting colors will hold a baby's interest, and be easy for them to see. (I particularly enjoyed the drawing of the baby's face through the fishbowl...and the fact that the baby is "anatomically correct.") The text is simple and predictable...with a repeated theme of "is it (somewhere)...no..."(The fact that baby makes daddy turn out his pockets and doggie open his mouth is endearing.) Also, the plot is one that babies will be familiar with: the loss of a precious item, and the relief when it is found. It teaches the reward of perseverance. Baby kept looking until his binky was found. I think that infants and toddlers deserve resolution to their stories. I appreciated that the binky was found... instead of mommy and daddy trying to explain to baby how to deal with the absence of it.

The Thoughts of Others:

School Library Journal, in a 2005 review, stated that Binky and it's companion book Blankie were "perfect selections for short attention spans." (School Library Journal, vol 51, issue 7, p80)

Publisher's Weekly reviewed Binky in 2005 as well, and praised the reassuring nature of the text and the alluring and colorful illustrations.

Review: Oops! A Diaper David Book

By: David Shannon

The Blue Sky Press; 2005; unpaged

Board Book

Ages: 6 mos - 2 years

ISBN: 0-439-68882-5

Popular character David is a baby in the author's series of board books. In Oops! readers learn David's first words such as eat, ball, and dog. The accompanying illustrations are depict a mischievous and impish infant in a lively and colorful manner.

My Thoughts:

I did not particularly care for this board book. The text is simple, uses terms that the babies are familiar with, and is appropriate for vocabulary building. However, the artwork, while colorful, is too messy for my taste. Also, the attempts at humor were neither constructive nor clever.

My main concern was with the actual situations used to illustrate the text. Call me old-fashioned, but I do not want to encourage children to misbehave. "Ball" shows David breaking a window. "Eat" shows him with partially chewed food in his mouth. "Dog" shows David's upturned lunch all over the family pet. I understand that babies and toddlers make mistakes, and that accidents are something that they can relate to. David doesn't seem to feel remorse...they are shown in a purposeful manner. I think that the topic can be covered in a way that does not glorify the problem. (Uh-Oh, Calico comes to mind.)

David is depicted as such a brat that the "heartwarming" picture for Mama is no longer believable or touching...the reader just feels relief on Mama's behalf that she finally gets a short break!

Thoughts of Others:

I found, literally, no critical reviews of this work. This leads me to think that perhaps board books are not very high on reviewers' priority lists. I did find some reader reviews on various websites. A lot of them were positive, although some readers agreed with me that the book encourages bad behavior, or was merely extremely annoying to them as adults. Oh well, to each his own.

Review: Winter Babies Wear Layers

By: Michelle Sinclair Colman

Illustrated By: Nathalie Dion

Tricycle Press; 2007; 20 pages

Board Book

Ages: 6 mos - 2 years

ISBN: 978-1582462097

Chic and multi-cultural babies enjoy various winter activities such as sledding, building snowmen, and snuggling. Whimsical trendy illustrations are accompanied by simple text in a repetitive format.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book. I actually loved the whole series, which includes Urban Babies Wear Black, Country Babies Wear Plaid, Beach Babies Wear Shades, and Eco Babies Wear Green. I liked this book best, since as a knitter I tend to suffocate the babies in my life in hats, scarves, and booties. However, rather than merely rhapsodizing about the book, I should probably tell you WHY it is so good.

First of all, the artwork is simple and accessible for children. There is neither too much, nor too little going on on the page. The main focus is on the babies themselves...and all babies like looking at other babies. The activities are things that babies can identify with, and even mimic in some instances. The text is simple, but clever and innovative. ("Winter babies are angels" cheekily captions a screaming infant in a snowbank. "Winter babies make friends" is alongside a baby building a snowman.)

I think parents will like it for its trendiness...both artistically and thematically. It is also, I think, a useful addition to the library since it is actually in line with early literacy skills and developmental levels.


The Thoughts of Others:

There were not, that I could see, a lot of "official" or "authoritative" reviews of this book.

I did find one from Looking Glass Review, which is an online children's book review journal. They thought that the book was "thoroughly warming."

There were also several reader reviews on Amazon and on a library blog...all of which were positive, referring to "spunky text" and "whimsy."

Storytime...SOLO!

I did my first solo storytime at the public library a couple of weeks ago. My trainer, Librarian Amy, filmed the performance. It differed from my previous experiences in that this was a storyTIME not a storyTELLING session. I had to incorporate more fingerplays, songs, and read from some actual books. She did not film the whole thing, but rather segments of it, which I have posted to the left.

The actual venue was the 11:15 Tuesday Lapsit. Lapsits, or babytimes as they are sometimes called, are geared at children 6 months old up to 2 1/2 years. Our attendance averages in the upper 30's to low 40's. I had around 40...babies. The 40 does NOT include the caregivers! That is a LOT of babies, a lot of kinetic energy, and a lot of noise.

I was not overly concerned about the number of attendees, since babies tend to be fairly non-judgmental. However, there were a lot of distractions, and the parents were not familiar with all of the songs I sang, so I ended up doing a couple solos.

The theme was sheep....and the line-up included:

Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
Sheep Asleep by Gloria Rothstein
"This is the Way..." traditional song
"Five White and Fluffy Sheep" traditional song

New Quarter, New Directions

Since I last posted here, there have been many changes.

The biggest change is that I now work at a public library in the greater San Francisco Bay area. This means that I now have many opportunities to interact with children through storytimes, readers advisory, and library programming. It also means that I am having to learn how to think on my feet and work with children from disparate economic, cultural, and educational backgrounds. I have been making notes of book titles and read-a-likes that are popular with our patronage...and trying to delve into them as much as possible.

I have also started another quarter of my UW Masters program. My courses include LIS 565: Children's Materials and LIS 567:Youth Services. Between the two courses, I will be generating annotated booklists, reviews, and book talks in addition to continuing with my storytelling and storytimes.

I invite all of you to join me on the next leg of our journey. The format of the blog will change slightly. In addition to posting new videos of various stories, I will also be posting more in-depth reviews, video book talks, and read-a-like lists. Eventually I hope to move all of this blogs content over to a comprehensive webpage...but we will see how that goes. In the mean time, sit back, kick up your feet, and enjoy a good tale!