Logan and I recently read “Claude: The True Story of a White Alligator.” We learned about albinism in nature and Claude’s life at the California Academy of Sciences. Click here for more information about Claude.
BOOK DETAILS // CLAUDE: THE TRUE STORY OF A WHITE ALLIGATOR by Emma Bland Smith, illustrated by Jennifer Potter // Published: August 4, 2020 // Hardcover, 32 pages // Little Bigfoot
AN EBOOK COPY OF THIS BOOK WAS GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
OUR CHALLENGE // Read together August 5, 2020 // Book #32 in our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge
Rating: 5 / 5 coffee beans
A few weeks ago, thanks to Emma Bland Smith’s recently published non-fiction children’s book, Logan and I were introduced to Claude the White Alligator! This book is a great introduction to Claude, his history and biological significance, and also serves as a great explanation of albinism in nature. Claude is the star of the show in this delightfully illustrated book, and any child (and adult) will be curious to learn more about this unique animal. His biological vulnerability and contribution to science will prompt discussions of how we can best protect endangered and vulnerable species and give them a second chance to thrive. Although he’s not living in a natural environment, he’s lived a long life so far and probably has many more years ahead of him because humans are caring for him and others like him in a secure environment. We thought the book deserved 5/5 coffee beans and hope to revisit this book again when we can enjoy a physical copy. Highly recommend!
We’ll leave you with a picture of the real Claude, below:
Steinhart Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences. Photos by Kathryn Whitney. Copyright- California Academy of Sciences, all rights reserved.
Hope your August is rounding out well, folks! Stay tuned for more reviews.
Logan and I recently read “Why Are You So Quiet?” by Jaclyn Desforges, art by Risa Hugo. Our copy was generously provided by NetGalley.
BOOK DETAILS // WHY ARE YOU SO QUIET? by Jaclyn Desforges, art by Risa Hugo // Expected Publication Date: September 8, 2020 // Hardcover, 32 pages // Annick Press //
AN EBOOK COPY OF THIS BOOK WAS GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
Logan and I recently enjoyed an ebook copy of “Why Are You So Quiet?” by Jaclyn Desforges, with art by Risa Hugo. This book is slated for publication by Annick Press in September 2020, so we were fortunate to have early access to the book via NetGalley.
The story of Myra Louise reminded me very much of my own childhood, as I was known as “the quiet one” (and still am to a large degree). Although I was never teased or bullied because of my bookish introversion, I know people were thinking “Does she even know how to talk?” My physical presence was “forgotten” many times because I was too busy observing and listening to the people around me instead of talking and interacting with them. In other words, this is probably one of the most relatable children’s books I’ve ever read.
Myra Louise and I know the pain of having to explain to others why we prefer books to people, and silence to talking. Introverts like us can provide a very simple answer to the annoying question “Why are you so quiet?” It’s nothing earth-shattering, yet the extroverts among us are often confounded by the simple truth: the world is much too loud — and life seems to make more sense when we are listening, not talking. Not to mention how much more we can learn about the world around us when we get quiet for a while.
Overall, Logan and I enjoyed the book, the message, and the beautiful illustrations; however, we couldn’t rate the book higher than 3 stars for at least two reasons. One, we felt the limitations of the ebook format hampered our experience of the book. The artwork is one of the better elements of this title, and it just wasn’t as easy to view and inspect it in ebook format. If we had a physical copy, we are sure we would rate the book one star higher. (Of course, this is no fault of the title itself, it’s just the only option we had at the moment and it does impact our review).
Two, we felt there could have been more time devoted to Myra Louise’s listening machine adventures. The concept of a young child being an inventor is pretty unique and the story just fell a little flat in places. This is not a major complaint, but sometimes children’s books seem a little too short, and I think this one could have been expanded by at least a few pages. Again, a good experience, and we are grateful for the chance to read the book months before publication. We hope to read it someday in print because ebook format wasn’t satisfactory for this title.
It’s a great book for children who might be self-conscious about their quiet personalities, or for children who are trying to understand their more introverted peers. It also serves as a talking point to encourage being comfortable in our own skin — no matter what the world expects of us.
Logan and I finally made it to this 1986 classic a few weeks ago. The story was beautiful, the illustrations “classic” in every sense of the word, and of course, we’ll always remember that cover with the toddler making a complete mess in the bathroom. For the heartbreaking story behind the book, click here.“Love You Forever” is Logan-Approved!
BOOK DETAILS // LOVE YOU FOREVER by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Sheila McGraw // 1986 // Paperback, 32 pages // Firefly Books
Logan and I finally made it to this 1986 classic a few weeks ago. I doubt there are many people who haven’t at least heard of this children’s book. A paperback copy was gifted to Logan recently and we couldn’t wait to read this special story of a mother’s undying love for her child. This was guaranteed to be an extremely emotional read (we knew this before reading it); when I did some research and discovered the heartbreaking personal story behind the book and song (“I’ll love you forever / I’ll like you for always / As long as I’m living / My baby you’ll be”), it tugged at the heart strings even more.
We read this book with Mimi, who shared memories of having experienced it decades ago. She remembered the book from when I, Mama, was a little girl in grade school and my teacher read it during a parent-child Mother’s Day event. Mimi said my teacher warned everyone beforehand that she would try very hard not to break down and cry while reading it.
Yes, it’s one of those books.
One of those books where you’re looking around the room, asking “Who’s chopping onions?”
But that’s no surprise, because we expect any story about a mother’s love for her child (a son) to be heartfelt and sentimental. We were a little concerned about the part where the little old lady climbs up a ladder into the upstairs bedroom of her grown son! We understand that the book is simply making a point of how much this woman loves her dear child, but we thought that was a mite eccentric. I don’t know too many grannies climbing ladders, do you?
The story was beautiful, the illustrations “classic” in every sense of the word, and of course, we’ll always remember that cover with the toddler making a complete mess in the bathroom.
If you don’t know about this book, I have to ask: which rock have you been hiding under? And if you just remembered this book, why don’t you grab a copy and experience it again? It’s probably still one of the sweetest stories you’ve ever read. The book has been deemed a little “over-the-top” or strange to some people, and I can see where they’re coming from. And it’s heartbreaking when you learn the story’s origins. But we think it’s still one of the sweetest and most unforgettable stories of the last half-century.
Logan and I read another great book about strong family relationships with “Hair Love” by Matthew A. Cherry and illustrator Vashti Harrison. The story was simple and powerful, as the best stories tend to be.
Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry Illustrated by Vashti Harrison 2019 Hardcover, 32 pages Kokila
Read together April 29, 2020 Rating: 4 / 5 ⭐️ Book #26 in our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge
Logan and I read another great book about strong family relationships with “Hair Love” by Matthew A. Cherry and illustrator Vashti Harrison. The story was simple and powerful, as the best stories tend to be.
Adorable main character Zuri is a bright and shining little girl excited to spend quality time with her daddy while her mommy is out for the day. But it’s not just an ordinary day; it’s the perfect day to design the prettiest hairstyle!
That would be an ordinary undertaking for another little girl, but Zuri has wild and untamed hair. It kinks and coils and generally misbehaves, impervious to the comb and brush and always needing special care and attention. For this important mission, Zuri needs her Daddy’s help.
Lucky for Zuri, her daddy is hard-working and determined to give his daughter the best style. But managing Zuri’s hair is not for the faint of heart and even Daddy struggles to get it just right. Much time is spent in front of the bathroom mirror to give her a hairstyle that brings out her unique beauty.
Images courtesy of the publisher (Kokila) and cloudLibrary; my photo arrangement in Pic Collage
Eventually, the desired hairstyle is achieved and it’s all thanks to Daddy’s enthusiasm and hard work. He loves his little girl and it’s obvious how much he wants to make her happy. The beautifully-detailed illustrations by Harrison show the love between the two in cheerful spreads of color.
When mommy comes home at the end of the day, she hugs her little girl and compliments daddy’s handiwork. A memorable line at the end of the book: “My hair is Mommy, Daddy and me. It’s hair love.”
This is one of the sweetest family stories we’ve read so far. We enjoyed every page, and we think you will too! Highly recommend 🌺
BONUS: Watch the heartwarming Oscar- winning short film “Hair Love” from Sony Pictures Animation. Is someone chopping onions in this room, or what?
This Usborne Beginners Series book is a great children’s introduction to the exciting world of kittens and cats. It’s a detailed book, heavy on the science and biology of the feline species, but still elementary enough for little people. We enjoyed it and rated it 5 stars.
Cats Usborne Beginners Series by Anna Milbourne, designed by Michelle Lawrence 2006 Hardcover, 32 pages Usborne Books
Read together April 25, 2020 Rating: 5 / 5 ⭐️ Book #25 in our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge
This Usborne book is a great children’s introduction to the exciting world of kittens and cats. It’s a detailed book, heavy on the science and biology of the feline species, but still elementary enough for little people. (Note: At almost 8 months, Logan is definitely not the target audience for this title — or most of the titles we read — so it is much more appropriate for an older child).
The book is interesting and full of facts, and I read some things that I didn’t know about cats, even as a cat owner. The graphics include both photographs and artwork and fill out the book in a streamlined way. It’s a good primer for cat newbies and lovers alike, or for anyone eager to learn something new about their feline friends. We will revisit this one when Logan is older, maybe about 4-5.5 / 5 ⭐️ for being richly informative and entertaining.
Another book review on the way. Continue to stay well and healthy, friends 🌼
Mimi sat down to read me another book recently; the book was from Mama’s childhood collection and it was well-worn and deeply loved. The book was called “The Friendly Duck” and it was another good one.
The Friendly Duck by Gina Ingoglia Illustrated by Deborah Borgo 1989 Paperback, 24 pages Western Pub. Co.
Read together March 23, 2020 Rating: 4 / 5 ⭐️ Book #24 in our “1000 Books Before Kindergarten” challenge
Mimi sat down to read me another book recently; the book was from Mama’s childhood collection and it was well-worn and deeply loved. The book was called “The Friendly Duck” and it was another good one.
It was about a little boy who lives in a farmhouse and a cute little golden-colored duck who glides in the pond behind the house. Every day, the boy comes out to visit the friendly duck and give him bread and attention. The duck is always happy to see him, and looks forward to his daily visits.
But one day, the little boy doesn’t come out, so the duck makes his first journey across the farm and inside the farmhouse to find the boy. After a quick tour of the farm, the brave duck climbs the stairs to the boy’s bedroom and finds his friend in bed, sick with a cold. The boy is delighted that the friendly duck came to see him for a change.
The friendly duck showed the little boy how much he missed him and how willing he was to see his friend. It’s a quick, pleasant book about friendship.
We loved the illustrations and enjoyed the story; it was also special to read another book that belonged to my Mommy and now belongs to me.
A scenario any child can relate to, this super-short and simple book is appropriate for the youngest of children and shows how hard a little dinosaur will fight bedtime. Spoiler alert: bedtime eventually wins.
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea 2008 Hardcover Board Book, 40 pages Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Read together February 20, 2020 Rating: 2 / 5 ⭐️ Book #21 in our “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” challenge
A quick little board book about a red dinosaur who doesn’t want to go to bed. A scenario any child can relate to, this super-short and simple book is appropriate for the youngest of children and shows how hard a little dinosaur will fight bedtime — although it will conquer him in the end. We gave it 2 stars because it’s such a simple, elementary reading experience and we’re striving for more. This book, part of the Dinosaur Vs. series, is cute but not great.
Spring has almost sprung! More titles coming soon!!
Originally published in Portugal, “The Finger and the Nose” tells an amusing tale of extreme nose-picking and a child’s (forced) mission to evict her troublesome friend from his nose-home. You’ve never read anything like it!!
The Finger and the Nose by Paula Merlan Gomez (illustrator) 2019 Hardcover, 44 pages NubeOcho
Read together February 2, 2020 Rating: 3 / 5 ⭐️ Book #19 in our “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” challenge
Little One’s Book Review: Sophie has a little problem…that’s quickly turning into a big problem. She loves picking her nose; a common enough habit for most children, Sophie has taken her picking to the next level. She loves picking her nose so much that she has named her nose-picking finger Tom, and he’s become a rather close friend.
One day, she looks in the mirror and notices that her nose is getting bigger; she compares it to a large radish. It has beyond doubled in size and the growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Her parents told her this would happen if she didn’t stop letting Tom the Finger in her nose to root around all the time. Of course, Sophie didn’t believe them but now she thinks there might be something to it.
Sophie has made a nice home in her nose for Tom the Finger and he’s starting to explore and expand every day. That’s why her poor nose is getting bigger; Tom is upgrading his habitat!! Upon closer inspection, he’s got quite a nice place to live in Sophie’s nostril: he enjoys a large living room where he reads books, among other nice amenities.
If Sophie wishes her nose to return to normal non-radish size, she’ll have to stop her constant nose-picking and Tom will have to help out. Eventually, she figures out a way to occupy Tom in other pursuits. Things go back to normal when he behaves as properly as Sophie’s other fingers.
Mama’s Book Review: This is a cute book about a rather unsavory habit that many children will relate to and chuckle at while reading the story. I’m willing to bet that both children and adults have not encountered any subject matter quite like it in a children’s book, although the idea (plot) is pretty unique.
Originally published in Portugal, “The Finger and the Nose” tells an amusing tale of extreme nose-picking and a child’s (forced) mission to evict her troublesome friend from his nose-home. You’ve never read anything like it!! The artwork isn’t really a draw for us but it actually matches the story perfectly.
The artwork and the ick factor (which is a bit over the top) are why we rated it 3 / 5 ⭐️ However, we think the “grossness” won’t bother young children too much, as they pride themselves on this kind of behavior sometimes. And the book is perfect for a nice laugh.
Can you believe it’s almost the end of February?! We’ll be back soon with more reviews; marching toward March (and Spring).
Mama and I read this book a few weeks ago and thought it was pretty good. The story taught a lesson about listening to your mother and not jumping on the bed. It’s a hard rule to follow for many children, as we learn from the main character.
A Big Bed for Little Snow by Grace Lin 2019 Hardcover, 40 pages Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Read together February 2, 2020 Rating: 3 / 5 ⭐️ Book #18 in our “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” challenge
Mama and I read this book a few weeks ago and thought it was pretty good. The story was a little bland but the illustrations were incredibly beautiful; the artwork was the biggest draw for us, and although we’re not sure, the medium might have been watercolor. The story taught a lesson about listening to your mother and not jumping on the bed. It’s a hard rule to follow for many children, as we learn from the main character.
A little boy named Little Snow has a very special new bed to sleep in during the winter: a big blue bed made out of soft feathers. His mother gave him the bed and warned him to take care of it and sleep carefully in it. Beds ARE just for sleeping, right? Ordinarily that’s true, but Little Snow has discovered how bouncy his new bed is and he can’t resist jumping up and down on it!
Each night during the winter, Little Snow gets ready for bed, and his mother thinks he’s going to just SLEEP in his bed. The sneaky boy waits for his mother to leave before he does his naughty little deed of jumping on his big blue feather bed. He has such a great time jumping up and down and seeing how high he can soar; the fun seems endless.
Unfortunately, to his mother’s chagrin and quiet amusement, she knows exactly what Little Snow is up to each night and she tells him he’s being a naughty boy and he’s going to ruin his wonderful new bed. But Little Snow just can’t help himself; when he should be sleeping, he’s bouncing up and down on his bed like it’s a trampoline!
Soon enough, Little Snow’s bed starts to lose its feathers and go flat. However, his mother isn’t upset with him; it’s the end of the winter season and it’s time to store the bed away. Now that the feathers have all escaped the bed, it’s much easier to do so. Little Snow knows he’ll jump to his heart’s content on the big blue feather bed again next season, and he’s already looking forward to it. (We’re pretty sure his mother knows his plans as well.)
This is another cute book by author Susie Linn about the important difference between hearing and listening. We read it with Mimi and learned that gossip ruins the day — at least it does for Squirrel!
Squirrel’s Secret by Susie Linn 2019 Board Book Little Hippo
Read together (with Mimi) January 24, 2020 Rating: 4 / 5 ⭐️ Book #17 in our “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” challenge
Little One’s Book Review: This is another cute book by author Susie Linn about the important difference between hearing and listening. Squirrel has a dilemma: he has a big secret to tell his forest friends and he’s so excited to share it with them. The problem is, nobody will actually LISTEN to what he’s saying! They are each too busy going about their day to pay attention to his words.
By the time the news passes down the line from animal to animal, a completely different message from what Squirrel said is circulating throughout the forest. Now it’s up to him to make the rounds to correct the skewed secret, one forest friend at a time. It’s not easy, but eventually Squirrel fixes the communication problem and things are back to normal — and he’s super-tired for his efforts!!
“Why won’t my forest friends just open their ears and LISTEN?!” 😂
This is a non-rhyming book that teaches us that we should not gossip and spread information that might not be true, lest we contribute to the daily chaos and confusion surrounding us all. Life is hard enough without miscommunication, folks. Just ask Squirrel!
As with the first book we read by this author, we loved the story and illustrations; we appreciated the moral behind the story and feel that it teaches a good lesson about learning to listen.
Baby Stole My Book 