About Birds: A Guide for Children. By Cathryn Sill. Illustrated by John Sill. Peachtree Publishers, 1991 (paperback) (first published 1953). An absolutely gorgeous beginner-science guide to birds, with lush, realistic watercolors. This is non-fiction for the very young. There is one line of text per page, with an illustration to match, and a caption identifying the bird pictured: "Baby birds hatch from eggs [robin]. / Some birds build nests on the ground [Ovenbird]. / Some build in very high places [bald eagle]." At the end, an afterword reproduces each page as a thumbnail, with a few more facts about the bird. A wonderful storytime choice for a bird theme. (Also check out About Mammals and About Reptiles by the same husband-wife team.) Age range: 1-5. Fosters: Print awareness, vocabulary. Other categories: Animals, Outstanding artwork.
Bread, Bread, Bread. By Ann Morris.
Flamingos on the Roof. By Calef Brown. Houghton Mifflin, 2006 (hardcover). In the tradition of Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky, and accompanied by wonderful semi-abstract paintings by the author, here is a book of silly, funny poems that mix real with absurd and are sure to make kids both ponder and laugh. Sally: "Meet Medusa's sister Sally. / Oh, for goodness sake! / Instead of having hair, / she has a single lazy snake!" Worms: "The worm in the apple / likes mangos. The worm in the mango / likes likes yams. The worm in the beet / likes anything sweet, / especially jellies and jams." The rhymes roll off the tongue and make reading these out loud a pleasure. Even if children do not quite grasp every subltle joke, there is much here for almost every age to enjoy. Age range: 3-8. Fosters: Phonological awareness, vocabulary. Other categories: Poetry, outstanding artwork.
How Much Is a Million? By David M. Schwartz. Illustrated by Steven Kellogg. Morrow, 1985 (hardcover). Numbers, as they rise over a hundred, are a tricky concept for kids. With drawings that nicely illustrate what the words are trying to express ("If one million kids climbed onto one another's shoulders, they would be taller than the tallest buildings, higher than the highest mountains, and farther up than airplanes can fly"), this book makes a good effort at making sense of them. There is only about one sentence per page, and entertaining illustrations (featuring a magician and a hot-air balloon), so toddlers will enjoy the book, but preschoolers (and older children) will get more out of it. I especially like the section in which the book shows one hundred thousand stars spread over seven word-less pages, ending with, "There you have one hundred thousand stars. If we take this seven page journey ten times, we'll pass a million stars." What a concept! Age range: 3-8. Fosters: Vocabulary. Other categories: Concept.
I Am a Little Whale. By Francois Crozat. Barron's Educational Series, 1995 (small hardcover). A delightful installment in the "I Am a Little..." series, this one features a baby whale, just born, relating the daily goings-on in the life of blue whales. It has just a few sentences per page, and great big, realistic illustrations, ideal for very young children. It ends on a sweet note, making a connection between humans and the animal world. As the picture shows a whale-watching or fishing boat, the text concludes, "A boat sails by, but I am not afraid. People don't hunt us anymore. We will probably never meet, but I know you are my friend, too." This would work for either storytime or one-on-one. Age range: 1-4. Fosters: Vocabulary. Other categories: Animals.
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? By Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. Houghton Mifflin, 2003 (hardcover). Jenkins has built his career on fantastic books like this one. In this case, both the concept (showing a page of noses and having kids guess what animals they belong to) and the medium (beautiful cut-outs) are extremely engaging. After kids have tired of reading the main part of the book and guessing the animals (it becomes somewhat less engaging after the suspense is gone), they can dig their teeth into the in-depth facts about each animal, at the end. Likely too long for storytime, this is a great parent-child choice. Age range: 2-8. Fosters: Vocabulary. Other categories: Animals, outstanding artwork.
1 + 1 = 5 and Other Unlikely Additions. Although the illustrations are slightly cartoonish for my personal adult taste, they are admittedly colorful and fun, and perfectly complement the entirely original, smart, funny text of this intro ro math book. When does one plus one equal fourteen? When you've got eight legs on one octopus and six on one spider! Like A is for Salad (see pictures books), this is a clever through-the-back-door way of making kids think about a dry concept. Age range: 4-8. Fosters: ??? Other categories: Animals, Concept.
