Picture Book Thursday: Animal Story Time

First of all, HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! Did you all remember to wear green? Even though it would make more sense for me to feature St. Patty's day books today, I don't have a bunch of those sitting around. So today's topic is: ANIMALS! :-)

Read to Tiger by S. J. Fore is a very cute story of a little boy trying to read a book. His tiger keeps interrupting by chomping his gum, impersonating a bear, practicing karate and more. It's not until the tiger realizes the little boy is reading a book about tigers that he becomes interested in the book. In the end, the little boy finally ends up reading his book to the tiger. This is a great picture book for young readers. There is much repetition and great pictures to help with more difficult words. A nice choice for an older sibling to read to a younger sibling. S. J. Fore previously published Tiger Can't Sleep which I'm sure is just as cute! We'll have to take a look at that one too.

I recently received a board book copy of Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle. This is a new-to-me title. I actually thought it was a newly published Carle book, but realized it's just a new edition. Mister Seahorse was originally published in 2004. A fun book for kids interested in sea life. Another repetitious story showing fish families. This one is unique because it focuses on seahorses, sticklebacks, tilapia, Kurtus nurseryfish, and more. All varieties where the father takes care of the eggs instead of the female. A great way to show the nurturing side of males. The book has acetate overlays on every other page featuring a hide-and-seek camouflage for the fish. As always the bright Carle illustrations are wonderful! I'm sure this would be a delight for toddlers through pre-K.

I've had Brown Rabbit in the City sitting on my shelf for awhile. And I'm happy to finally be able to review it. Such a sweet little tale! This is the sequel to the book Moon Rabbit. In Brown Rabbit in the City, he comes to visit his good friend Little Rabbit. Little Rabbit flits all over the city with Brown Rabbit in tow. They visit her favorite cafe, a tall building, crowded streets, an art gallery and the subway. It's all a little too much for Brown Rabbit and he goes off on his own. All of sudden, Little Rabbit realizes she was too busy showing her friend everything. They didn't really get to visit and enjoy the company of each other. She rushes off to find him and the two enjoy spending the next day together in the park dancing and playing music. A very sweet rabbit story if you're looking for an Easter gift that doesn't scream "Easter".

Source disclosure: I received unsolicited review copies of each of these books from Penguin Young Readers Group.