Review: Pete the Cat: Pete’s Big Lunch

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Pete the Cat: Pete's Big Lunch coverTitle: Pete the Cat: Pete’s Big Lunch
Author/Illustrator: James Dean
Publisher: Harper Collins, $3.99
Publication Date: 2013
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780062110695
For ages: 4-8
Type: Picture Book

When you’re eyes are bigger than your belly, read Pete the Cat: Pete’s Big Lunch. Pete the Cat is very hungry, so he’s going to make the grooviest sandwich ever. This groovy sandwich will have fish, tomatoes, carrots, eggs, bananas, pickles and topped with mayo. As the sandwich grows, Pete the Cat wonders who will help him eat the sandwich. So, Pete invites his friends over and they devour the sandwich together.

This is part of the “I Can Read” series and geared towards children ages 4 and up. I read this book for toddler storytime and the concepts were easy enough for them to understand. Each child took their turn yelling out what Pete was going to eat next. The pictures are easy enough for children to understand and the overall theme of sharing is explored. The Pete the Cat series is always enjoyable for storytime and is highly recommended for any storytime program.

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Review: I Dare You Not to Yawn

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i dare you not to yawn coverTitle: I Dare You Not to Yawn
Author/Illustrator: Helene Boudreau and Serge Bloch
Publisher: Candlewick Press, $18 CND
Publication Date: 2013
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780763650704
For ages: 3-5
Type: Picture Book

When bedtime nears, do not yawn. Your eyes may water. Your chin will quiver. But, a yawn can lead you to bed. And, who wants to go to bed early? So, don’t think of your cuddly blanket or baby orangutans stretching their arms out for a hug. Don’t think of Baa Baa Black Sheep or any other nursery rhyme. Avoid opening your mouth, curling your tongue back, stretching your arms out wide and letting out a big, big yawn.

I don’t think I’ve read this story without yawning and your kids will probably yawn too. I read this story during our weekly bedtime stories program. The story reads like a cautionary tale: if you yawn, you will have to go to bed. Who wants to go to bed early? I had kids who were squirming with their hands over their mouths. The pictures are simple, but expressive. The character’s big eyes are wide enough to tell the story.  I would recommend this book for bedtime stories program, otherwise, during regular storytime its quite trivial.

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Developing Programs With Picture Books

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Coming up with programming ideas sometimes can be a challenge – especially when you’re on a time crunch. Children’s librarians will often ask me how and where I come up with my ideas. I try to develop programs that have a literacy component as well as a craft or activity. Remember, you want to INCREASE circulation with every program. A child should always bring home a book when they attend your program. Make that your goal. Here’s one of my tricks.

  1. Go to your picture book section of your library. Pull out four or five children’s books and read them.
  2. Identify some of the themes in the book. Who are the characters? Are they animals? People?
  3. Identify the moral of the story.
  4. Then begin developing your program with what you have. (You can search on Pinterest for activities)

Here’s an example:

Book Cover of Extra Yarn

How to create programs through literacy and picture books

I picked out the book Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett & John Klassan. Extra Yarn is about a story about a young girl named Annabelle. Annabelle finds a box of yarn and decides to bring colour into her world. She knits herself a colourful sweater. She had extra yarn so she knit one for her dog too. When she finishes that, she has extra yarn. In fact, she has extra yarn to knit her entire town a sweater. Yet, the box of yarn still has yet to be emptied.

Themes

  • Sharing
  • Recycling
  • Community (Bringing people together)
  • Bullying/kindness
  • Connections
  • Change – adding colour
  • Creativity
  • Community Transformations

Moral of the Story

  • Kindness and generosity cannot be bought
  • It’s okay to be different
  • Above all else, be kind
  • With a little creativity and a steady hand, you can brighten the entire world

Program Ideas

  • All Ages: Have the children make a card for someone. It can be to a friend that they hurt or bullied, or it could be a card to someone that has hurt them
  • All Ages: Make a community “quilt” out of paper. Have the kids draw a picture on a square of something that makes them unique. Display the quilt in the library afterwards
  • Older Children: Ask them to write a letter to the mayor or councillor in their town/city. Ask them to write about one thing that they are going to do for the community.

Those are just some of many that can come from one picture book. Give it a try!

 

Review: I Spy on the Farm

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i spy on the farmTitle: I Spy on the Farm
Author/Illustrator: Edward Gibbs
Publisher: Candlewick Press, $17 CND
Publication Date: 2013
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780763664312
For ages: 2-3
Type: Picture Book

I spy with my little eye…

Each page is a guessing game when you look through the keyhole to spy on the barnyard animals. Use the clues on each page to guess what animal is coming next!

Controlling the wiggles is hard to do when you have a storytime filled with toddlers. This book is particularly engaging because children love farm animals. Engage the children by asking them what each sound makes and having them guess what each animal is coming up next. This is the third book in Edward Gibb’s “I Spy” series and perhaps the best suiting for storytime. His other two books I Spy with My Little Eye and I Spy on the Sea choose complicated creatures and items too difficult for younger children to guess. This book is a good balance for fun and interaction.

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Review: Little Beauty

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little beautyTitle: Little Beauty
Author/Illustrator: Anthony Brown
Publisher: Candlewick, $19 CND
Publication Date: 2008
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0763639594
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book
The story begins with a gorilla that communicates only with sign language. He has everything he ever wanted, except the gorilla is lonely. One day, the gorilla signed to his keepers: I want a friend. The keepers give the gorilla a kitten named Beauty. Beauty and the gorilla do everything together! One day, gorilla gets very angry while watching a program on television and smashes it. The keepers threaten to take Beauty away from gorilla – until Beauty steps in and takes the blame for the damage. And the two live happily ever after.

The story is geared towards children three years of age and older; however, I read this book to a group of two year olds and they were glued to the book. The pictures are simple and engaging. I even had a little girl recognize that Beauty and the gorilla’s faces are embedded in some of the rose images. Although I would recommend this book for a friendship storytime theme, I do not like the idea of promoting the theme of “lying for a friend.” Little Beauty does tug on the heart strings of adults. A must have for a library collection.

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