Can you ever have too many picture books? No you can not, particularly when you are reading these fun books for children.
Mine
Mine by Jeff Mack ($22.99, Raincoast Books, Chronicle Books) is the story of two mice, a rock and a never-ending battle about who said rock belongs to. There is only one word in the book, which makes for a different read as you have to look at the illustrations to see the progression of the battle, including each mouse’s attempt at claiming the rock for itself. The ending was fun.
Wade’s Wiggly Antlers
Wade’s Wiggly Antlers by Louise Bradford ($17.95, Kids Can Press) is about Wade, a little moose who is worried because his antlers are loose. He is so scared of loosing them that he doesn’t join his friends in doing all the things he loves. The book is super cute – not only the illustrations, but the story itself and provides a good reminder to everyone that change is guaranteed and you can either fight it or embrace it.
Lemony Snicket Goldfish Ghost
Lemony Snicket Goldfish Ghost by Lisa Brown ($24.99, Raincoast Books, Roaring Brook) is a bizarre book as I find many of Lemony Snicket’s children’s books are. This one is about a goldfish ghost born – and floating upside down – on the surface of the water in a bowl in a boy’s room. The goldfish ghost sets out to find a friend, floating over the neighbourhood and passing by people who don’t pay attention to ghosts, goldfish or otherwise. Much like Lemony Snicket’s The Dark, my eight-year-old son and I both thought the book odd, but we can’t help but want to read it again.
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Sometimes, the problem with board books is that they get, well, boring to read.
I suspect that may not be the case with Row, Row, Row Your Boat by David Ellwand ($20.99, Raincoast Books, Silver Dolphin Books).
First, there is lots to look at. Stuffed antique-looking bears are the stars of this book. The bears are rowing, obviously, but they are also fishing, avoiding crocodiles and sailing away from pirates. Second, apparently there are a lot more verses in Row, Row, Row Your Boat then I realized including sailing your boat to shore and not forgetting to roar when you see a lion. And finally, there is music. The tune to Row, Row, Row Your boat plays as soon as you push the button and stops after one verse. You can push the button again, to sing along to the next verse when you are ready.
Main Street Magic
Main Street Magic by Ingela P. Arrhenius ($23.99, Raincoast Books, Chronicle Kids), is one of the best flap books I have seen in a while.
First, there is a fair bit of reading in the book, which is always good for the parents who have to read the same stories over and over. Second, the paper craft illustrations are wonderful and really detailed. The flaps, too, are amazing, sometimes buried in places you wouldn’t expect to look and often three dimensional. I liked the variety of places you got to journey through including a bakery (one of my favourite pages), a fish market and a museum.
Dog Domino
Dog Domino (Raincoast Books, Lawrence King) is your typical domino game but with chihuahuas, dachshunds, dalmations, Labradors, poodles, pugs and German shepherds to help you match up and win.
The dominos themselves are a nice, thick stock with drawn pictures of dogs that kind of grow on you. The flip side, brightly coloured squares, are also nice and the come in a heavy-duty box, which makes it easy to transport the game.
A copy of these books were provided by Raincoast Books and Kids Can Press for honest review. The opinions are my own.
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