A Lion is a Lion by Polly Dunbar

-
A Lion is a Lion by Polly Dunbar
Review Copy from Candlewick Press
Story: If a lion makes himself dapper by putting on a coat and a hat and carries an umbrella while skipping down the street singing, "Hoobie-doobie-do," should you invite him in?  A brother and sister face this challenge when a seemingly friendly lion comes calling. Dunbar's gently rhyming text carries the story along as the siblings entertain and enjoy the lion - until they learn that . . . a lion really is a lion.
Pictures: I absolutely adore Dunbar's illustration style and have reviewed three other books illustrated, and often written, by her. Her illustrations of children have a sweetness to them that feels a bit British-y (maybe it's the stripped tights) and wonderful expressiveness, despite the black dots for eyes. Dunbar's animals are also filled with energy and emotion and playfulness, even when roaring.
Why Read? Why Buy?: Read A Lion is a Lion because it's just plain fun. Little listeners will be delighted by the story and the building tension. And they will definitely love it when the tables turn and the siblings tell the lion, "No!" and get him to behave - and leave. Buy this book if your have or work with preschool age children or younger, or are a fan of marvelously illustrated picture books.

Once last adorable image by Dunbar...



Popular posts from this blog

Fox + Chick: The Sleepover and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier

-
Image
Fox + Chick : The Sleepover and Other Stories  by Sergio Ruzzier Review Copy from Chronicle Books Friends. Opposites. Inhabitants of a pastel-hued, water color world that is vaguely surreal, Fox and Chick are back for a third installment of their inviting, if curious, easy-to-read stories. In "The Sleepover," "The Hammer," and "The Surprise," Chick's odd logic is once again upending Fox's life. Happily, Fox responds with patience and even wisdom at times. To these unforgettable characters and luminous illustrations, Ruzzier brings a sublime simplicity that makes this series perfect for emerging readers, adding books with character and intelligence to the often dull world of beginning reader books. If you aren't familiar with this delightful duo, definitely check out my reviews of the first two books (links below) where I put the greatness of Ruzzier's work into historical ( Frog & Toad ) context. Then check out ALL of Ruzzier's p
Read more

Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Felicita Sala

-
Image
Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Felicita Sala Review Copy from Abrams Kids I picture-walked Be a Tree! three times before I actually read the words. Felicita Sala's illustrations for Maria Gianferrari's poetic text are mesmerizingly immersive and richly colorful within a palette of earth tones. Throughout the text, Gianferrari, who shares her inspiration for this book in the author's note ( Peter Wohleben's The Hidden Life of Trees ), gently maintains the human connection to trees and the connections (and communications) trees share with each other.  Be a Tree!  begins exuberantly, inviting the reader to "Be a tree! Stand tall. Stretch your branches to the sun. Let your roots curl, coil in the soil to ground you." From your spine/trunk to your skin/bark and your heart/pith, the words carry you inward and then zoom outward and up to the canopy and ultimately, the forest. "You are one of many trees," and our roots "twine with fung
Read more

Reading Levels: A Quick Guide to Determining if a Book Is Right for Your Reader

-
Image
While I wrote an article titled Reading Levels: How I Assign Reading Levels to Books, How the Publishers Do It and How You Can Help Your Reader Find the Right Book at the Right Time that discusses how reading levels are determined by professionals and amateurs like myself, there is more on this subject to discuss. Determining the reading level of a book from the children's section is never easy, mostly because there are several different standardized methods of determining reading levels. Add to this the fact that knowing their children's reading level is most often the only tool a parent is armed with when exploring the bookstore, library, website, etc, and the job becomes even more difficult. While I think that knowing a child's reading level is a very valuable tool if your child is reading below grade level, I think that it is a secondary consideration when finding books for children reading above, especially well above, grade level because, in most cases, content app
Read more