Children's Book Reviews
Page One of TwoBy Nancy Littlejohn
Boats by Byron Barton
HarperFestival, May 1998.Board Book, 31 pages.
ISBN: 0694011657.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Boats is another example of a classic picture book being
reintroduced in the board book format making for both greater
durability and portability. Barton's books are classics not just
because they are still in print, but also because of their simple
yet artistic illustrations and their effective use of a few words
to tell a good story. Children love these books! In Boats we start
out on the water, move to a person rowing a rowboat, then a
sailboat (note the hilarious hair on the passenger) with the
rowboat in the background, then a motorboat speeding by with
the sailboat in the background. A fireboat comes along to put
out a fire while the speedboat rushes by the scene. A ferryboat
enters the picture while the fireboat is still working on the fire,
and then a fishing boat heads out to sea passing the ferryboat. A
cruise ship enters the harbor passing the fishing boat with its'
nets out. A tugboat comes along to help the cruise ship dock.
Workers load the ship and people go on board. Friends wave
good-bye, throw confetti and the cruise ship sails away
disappearing into the distance. This is an appropriate book
for children of many ages from young toddlers being read to
by adults to kindergartners or first graders who might
be able to read it themselves. Adults can talk about the
boats and point out how they are different from large to
small and from manpowered craft to giant ships with big
engines and lots of passengers. Children will enjoy spotting
the overlapping of the boats in the illustrations as well as
the intense, deep color Barton uses. There's a lot to
experience in this multi-layered book. Have fun pretending
you are one of the passengers out on the deep, blue sea.
--Nancy Littlejohn
How A Baby Grows by Nola Buck, Pictures by Pamela Paparone
HarperFestival, June 1998.Board Book, 14 pages.
ISBN: 0694008737.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Yeah! Another bright red cover to grab your baby's attention! Even
better, on this bright red cover there's a precious baby reaching
out to you and yours inviting you to open up this colorful board
book and come on in for some cozy fun together. Inside are lots
of darling multi-cultural babies doing things that babies do with
a delightful rhyming text accompanying their antics. Besides
babies, there are familiar objects that you can point out to
your little one or have him/her point out to you. Each page has
a different background color so everytime you turn one a new
look is presented. I loved the perfect details that parents
and babies will identify with like Cheerios all over the floor
around the high chair or the baby with one shoe off and one
shoe on. (Do babies ever have both shoes on at the same time?)
It's a great "starter" book with hours of potential reading
pleasure. Enjoy!
--Nancy Littlejohn
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Return to the August 1998 issue of The IWJ.
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