Apples and Oranges: Going Bananas with Pairs – Book Review

Word association takes on a whole new level in Sara Pinto’s picture book. At the beginning, the reader is immediately faced with the question, “How are an apple and an orange alike?” When the page is turned, the obvious answer isn’t given; instead the reader will enjoy seeing that the answer is, “They both don’t wear glasses.”

Some other pairs Pinto puts together to get your little one thinking: spoon and fork; rabbit and armadillo; starfish and octopus; and mug and teacup.

My personal favorite: trousers and underpants…”they both don’t make good hats.”

The artwork is creative and silly. Your child will love seeing a cupcake scuba dive and a book going out for sushi. It’s so fun to read!

Yum Yum Dim Sum– Book Review

Author Amy Wilson Sanger creatively introduces your little one to the delicious Chinese custom of dim sum.

The rolling cart is introduced immediately and offers many authentic dishes, from dau fu to spring rolls. If you are unsure of what some of the culinary delights are there is a glossary at the back of the board book (it is educational and fun for the adults too)!

Sanger uses rhyming text that is catchy and amusing. Her illustrations are unique – using textiles, paper and crafts to tell her story.

As dim sum means “a bit of heart”, this book does a wonderful job showing the different foods that touch the heart of the foodie partaking in this Chinese cuisine.

Press Here – Book Review

As a series of commands are presented on each page, this unique book allows children to use their imaginations.

Starting with a single yellow dot, the reader creates more dots, changes colors, increases sizes, shifts the dots from left to right, shakes the dots all over the pages, and even turns the “lights” off.

Although a one-dimensional book, it is completely interactive from start to finish.

Press Here is written and illustrated by French author Hervé Tullet.  Don’t let the cover fool you; Tullet’s simplicity creates such wonder and imagination.  Your child will want to read it over and over again.

Larry Gets Lost in Chicago – Book Review

Larry Gets Lost in Chicago is a light-hearted story of a dog (Larry) that tags along on an adventure with his owner’s family. The book begins by introducing Larry and his owner (Pete…a little boy) taking the Metra into the city.

The family walks around the Magnificent Mile, grabs a Chicago-style hotdog at Navy Pier, and waits for a train on the platform. As the family enters a train, Larry gets distracted and does not get on it. As the train leaves, Larry boards a different one in hopes to find his family.

Major Chicago landmarks are presented in a colorful and unique way. Larry looks for Pete at Wrigley Field, while Pete looks for Larry at US Cellular Field. Pete ends up at the John Hancock Center at the same time that Larry is in the Willis Tower.

As the story unfolds, you also get to read about (in caption form) what the Chicago icons are all about.  And, yes, Larry does eventually find his friend.

Author Michael Mullin uses a poetic pen to tell this series. Other places Larry gets lost in: San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles.

I Like Vegetables – Book Review

Carrots, peas, corn, and pumpkin are the veggies highlighted in Lorena Siminovich’s board book.

I Like Vegetables teaches toddlers about colors, counting, opposites, shapes and textures. Each veggie is illustrated on two pages, allowing for your little one to focus on the produce at hand.

The objects are drawn in different angles and sizes. You see peas in their shell and out of their shell. You see two whole pumpkins and one sliced open. There are many shapes that can be identified, both on the veggies and in the background artwork.

The book closes with an empty picnic basket on one page and a full one (of vegetables, of course) on the other. Although a quick read you could spend a good amount of time on all that this book has to offer.