Thursday, June 18, 2009

Picture Book Thursday

Today's Picture Book Thursday is all about two summer releases courtesy of Penguin Young Readers.

All of Baby: Nose to Toes by Victoria Adler (Pictures by Hiroe Nakata): This was a big hit with Lilah, and a lot of fun for me to read aloud--there are no awkward or dull ryhmes here. The rhyme scheme is energetic, the rhythm extremely readable ("Baby's got a nose, a neat little nose. Sniffs at a rose nose. Honks when it blows nose. Wrinkles when it goes nose--goes kerchoo."), and the formula is pleasantly predictable (each two-page spread deals with one body part and is followed with "Who loves baby's _____? Me! I do.") It also deals with a baby's favorite topic, body parts, and the gentle, colorful illustrations are very pleasing to the eye. This is a gorgeous book that will become a favorite for babies/toddlers and the adults who read to them.

Best Baby Ever by David Milgrim: I actually looked up the age range on this book to be sure it was intended for children. Not that it's inappropriate; it's simply that I was cracking up while Lilah's attention was wandering. This book follows baby's milestones through the parents' gushing to friends, relatives, strangers who stand still long enough. Among the antics of this young family: In their haste to find the camera to capture Baby's every amazing "first," the new parents let Baby wander right out the front door. The text is written in Dick and Jane style, which enhances the humor: "See Baby laugh. Laugh, Baby, Laugh. See Daddy jump up and down on one leg and cluck like a chicken to get more laughs." The book ends with the parents crying like babies as Baby, having reached so many other milestones, heads off to school. If you know a couple expecting their first baby, your shower gift shopping is over - they will love this book.

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