Review: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle. 1992 (reprinting, second edition, 25^th anniversary edition, originally printed in 1967). 32 pgs. New York, NY: Henry Holt & Company. 9780805017441. Format reviewed: Hardcover.

Annotation: Children see a series of animals, each a different color, and their teacher.

Reaction: The beauty of Brown Bear is that the reader is told what they will see before they even see it. Once the page is turned, they see the animal and color, and this is reinforced with the text on the page. While there are some silly combinations- like a blue horse and a purple cat- children, especially my own, love reading this book over and over. This was the first book illustrated by Eric Carle, who established his unique style, which at the time was revolutionary.

Primary early literacy skills: Narrative skills. Brown Bear focuses on description, even before showing it. After a few reads, children will likely pick up the story themselves will enjoy reading it to adults.  

Recommended ages: 1 and up.

Tags/themes: Concept- color, Animals.  

Author site/additional titles: www.billmartinjr.com

Illustrator site/additional titles: www.eric-carle.com

Review: Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin

Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills. 2009. 22 pgs. New York, NY: Random House Children's Books. 9780375858130. Format review: Board Book.

Annotation: Duck and Goose see a friend with a pumpkin and look all over to find one of their own.  

Reaction: Duck and Goose decide to look in logs, under a leaf pile, in the water, and up an apple tree to find their own pumpkin. It’s not until their friend Thistle tells them to try the pumpkin patch until our two title characters figure out where to find their own pumpkin. Part of the larger, successful Duck & Goose series, the illustrations are soft and warm in color.

Primary early literacy skills: Narrative skills. The story is made for a call-out read with children: “Is a pumpkin in the log?” The pacing of the story, and the utter confusion of Duck & Goose, prompt children to predict what will happen next.

Recommended ages: 1 and up.

Tags/themes: Ducks, Geese, Autumn, Pumpkins, Searching.

Author site/additional titles: tadhills.com

Review: Mister Seahorse

Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle. 2004. 32 pgs. New York, NY: Penguin Group. 9780399242694. Format reviewed: Hardcover. Laura Ingalls Wilder Award Winner.

Annotation: Mister Seahorse swims through the ocean and meets many other sea-life fathers who are also taking care of their babies.

Reaction: What a great story for children to read with their fathers! Instead of reinforcing gender stereotypes, including the mother being the primary caregiver and the father being the lovable but incompetent parent, Mister Seahorse shows species of sea life where the male plays the dominant role in protecting eggs and the young. The illustrations, including the use of prints on transparent plastic to cover hiding animals, enhance the reading experience about the ocean. In a time where single parenting is at an all-time high, Mister Seahorse models positive father-child relationships as a normal part of nature. Great book!

Primary early literacy skills: Print Motivation. Although extensive use of vocabulary is used throughout, the story focuses on parent-child relationships, and how fathers take care of their children. It’s an interesting story with even more interesting illustrations. My children enjoy reading this again and again.

Recommended ages: 2 and up.

Tags/themes: Fathers, Seahorses, Sea life, Positive Male Role Models, the Ocean.

Author site/additional titles: www.eric-carle.com

Review: I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More!

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow. 2012. 30 pgs. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 9780547870359. Format reviewed: Board book.

Annotation: A small child loves to paint everything, and after a bath, decides to paint all over his body.

Reaction: The boy lives in a black and white, ink world, but the paint is vibrant colors of oil paint, making the impact of color even more prominent. The look of sheer joy as the boy paints himself is priceless, as he makes a giant mess- and masterpiece- of  different parts of his body. The rhythm of the story follows the folk tune “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More”.

Primary early literacy skills: Print Awareness. As the boy paints parts of his body, the parts are called out in very large type face, and the color of the font matches the color of the paint used on that part of the body.

Recommended ages: 2 and up.

Tags/themes: Painting, Art, Color, Parts of the Body.

Author site/additional titles: Click here.

Illustrator’s site/additional titles: www.catrow.com

Review: 10 Little Rubber Ducks

10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle. 2005. 36 pgs. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. 9780060740757. Format reviewed: Hardcover. Laura Ingalls Wilder Award Winner. 

Annotation: During a storm at sea, a box of rubber ducks is washed overboard. The drifting currents take each of the toys to very different locations.

Reaction: The story focuses on three major concepts- counting, opposites, and directions- after the toys are scattered. Using these two concepts, Carle is able to visually communicate the vastly different locations by using distinct animals and colors. By the time we find out what happened to the 10^th rubber duck, we are surprised that it is adopted by a family of real ducks!

Primary early literacy skills: Narrative skills. Although phonological awareness plays an active part in the storytelling, the narrative, and the use of the three major concepts drives the story forward. Carle’s easily identifiable animals and settings, matched with the sequence, make the plot at the heart of this concept book.

Recommended ages: 2 and up.

Tags/themes: Concept-Opposites, Concept-Directions, Concept-Counting, Ducks, Wildlife, Shipping, Oceans, Sea Life, Storms.

Author site/additional titles: www.eric-carle.com

Review: No Matter What

No Matter What by Debi Gliori. 2008. 24 pgs. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 9780152063436. Format reviewed: Board book.

Annotation: A young fox feels unloved, so his parent assures him that no matter how grumpy, squishy, scary he gets, its love for the small fox won’t break or fade away.

Reaction: Children all feel unloved or unappreciated at some point, and No Matter What allows children to ask their parents if they would still love them under the most awful and weird circumstances. We know the parent’s response, but a child will still be happily surprised by the consistency our responses. The illustrations of the foxes, combined with the rhyming narrative, demonstrated honest affection and love. A great read for parents and children at bedtime.

Primary early literacy skills: Print motivation. An easy read, with engaging illustrations, about a subject children enjoy- their parents love for them, no matter what.

Recommended ages: 3 and up.

Tags/themes: Love, Parent-Child Relationships, Foxes, Imagination, Emotions.

Author site/additional titles: www.debiglioribooks.com

Review: Do You Want to Be My Friend?

Do You Want to Be My Friend? by Eric Carle. 1988. 40 pgs. New York, NY: Penguin Group. 9780399215988. Format reviewed: Hardcover.

Annotation: A small mouse searches for a friend among many different animals.

Reaction: Eric Carle uses his illustrations- and what is not said- to tell the story of an unimposing character who just wants a friend. As the mouse moves across the pages, we see a tail of the next animal, which, turning the page, we find out what it is. However, none of the animals want to be friends! Throughout the book, a green stripe runs along the bottom, until, near the end, we see a coil, and realize it’s a snake. The mouse finds another mouse to be friends with, and they happily hide from the snake in a burrow.

Primary early literacy skills: Narrative skills. Reading the book will make very little sense without the use of narrative skills and dialogic reading. To enjoy the book, the use of narrative skills is required!

Recommended ages: 1 and up.

Tags/themes: Mice, friendship, strangers, wild animals, snakes.  

Author site/additional titles: www.eric-carle.com