A Book Blogger's Diary

Chronicle Books, board book, 10p, ages Infant-3, Isbn-9780811879521 Children can't get enough of color, but making them learn the names of these beloved colors is another task. Which is why I'm always happy to introduce my kid to the world of colors with simple, yet fun and informative books like this one. This clever board book has pages of different colors. Each glossy colored page has a flap with a die-cut shape, lifting which reveals a brightly colored image of familiar things. For example, on a page covered with green lily pads, there's a lily pad shaped die-cut. Lifting that up reveals a green grinning frog underneath. Purple flowers are scattered across another page only to reveal purple butterflies underneath, while flying black bats populate another and lift up to reveal a witch flying on a broom. The charming die cuts along with the surprise that awaits beneath each, were the inspiration for many delighted squeals of surprise and laughter among my kids. My older k...

Chronicle Books, ages 5 and up, 42 cards in drawer box This fun and easy-to-play card game featuring Bob Barner's colorful and lively animal characters is sure to be a family favorite. Players try to gather as many of the same cards as possible to create sets of each animal, including panda bears, lions, elephants, and more! The oversized cards come in an elegant drawer box with a ribbon drawstring, making them durable for years to come. Cards are always fun to play with whether sheltering inside from blistering heat, traveling somewhere or just driving. I'm not comfortable with introducing my kids to the traditional card games, but these animal cards are just the right alternative. They feature 40 brightly colored images of various kids of animals on the oversized cards, plus 2 instruction cards. The rules of Rummy as to played by these cards is explained and all that remains is for the fun to begin. My kids proved to be bit young to understand how this game works, so in...

Chronicle Books, ages 5-10, 40p Hardcover, ISBN 9780811864794 The creators of the award-winning An Egg Is Quiet and A Seed Is Sleepy have teamed up again to create this gorgeous and informative introduction to the world of butterflies. From iridescent blue swallowtails and brilliant orange monarchs to the worlds tiniest butterfly (Western Pygmy Blue) and the largest (Queen Alexandra's Birdwing), an incredible variety of butterflies are celebrated here in all of their beauty and wonder. My kids love nothing more than to play outdoors and this inevitably leads to them asking me many many questions. Some like, "what butterfly is this?" I'm now better able to answer thanks to this book which I received for review recently from Chronicle Books. Along with beautiful pictures of butterflies plus their names, the book has a simple yet picturesque way of describing how a butterfly comes to be - from a simple egg to a caterpillar to a chrysalis, to finally emerging as a gorg...

Press Here :  Children's book, 56 p, Isbn-0811879542, Ages 4-8, Guided Reading Level: I, HC I continue to be amazed at the innovative books that are being published these days for children. Gone are the days of just blah-blah word stories, now there are books that invite you to step into their world and interact with them, just like another child would. A playmate who, as an added bonus, teaches only good things. And that's exactly how I found Hervé Tullet's Press Here , published and sent to me for review by Chronicle Books . Only this book exercises their imagination and involves a bit of physical activity as well - perfect for both the sit-still and can't-sit-still children! The concept of the book is deceptively simple. A series of dots invite kids into a world of fun and learning. On the very first page, perfectly white in color, a bright yellow dot (which looks very much like freshly painted one) is there with one word beneath it - Ready? On the next page, the sam...

I Can Do It Too!: Handprint Books By Karen Baicker Illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max 18 pp ; board book, full color throughout, ages 2-4 ISBN 9780811875608 This heartwarming story reminds us how satisfying it is to grow up surrounded by love. I Can Do It Too! affirms a little girl's growing independence as she, too, can begin to do all the things she sees her parents, relatives and neighbors do: pouring juice at breakfast, strumming a guitar, and even riding a bike! The simple cadence of text and direct-to-the-heart art result in a book as warm and generous as its message, providing reading pleasure for toddlers, older siblings, and the grown-ups who love them. My kid is in this exact same stage of life and believes himself capable of doing everything he sees us doing. He and I had fun reading this book. And naturally, everything the little girl in the book does, my son proclaimed he could do too. What warmed my heart was that he really can do all that stuff. Except the baking ...

Creature ABC Ages 4-8, 120 p, Chronicle Books, Isbn-0811869784 An elegant addition to any library, this deluxe alphabet book features 120 pages of Andrew Zuckerman's breathtaking wildlife photography. From alligator to zebra, each featured animal boasts two striking studio portraits against a clean white background, offering a unique up-close view of the animal kingdom. Readers can flip to a helpful glossary in the back for extra information. From the sleek beauty of a smiling hippo to the powerful majesty of a roaring lion, this gorgeous new book is both a stunning work of art and a ferociously fun way for young animal-lovers to learn their ABCs. The book is good. The glossy photos - the details in them as if the creatures were about to leap off the pages - were just perfect! I just wish all the letters were represented by the appropriate creature. Don't get me wrong - most of them are, but some aren't. Like N is for nocturnal creatures (which is more the category than an ...