Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Sorry for the on-again-off-again post schedule here recently. It's the end of the year and I've so many books I want to sneak in before we ring in the new year that I simply had to take a ME break. That's right. I had no specific obligation scheduled, so I picked a book up off my shelf and started reading. Currently, I'm in the middle of a Susan Mallery novel (SO SO GOOD!), but I'll talk about that one more another day. Today's post is today's post and I think we best get to it...right? Right!
We're going back to a feature I started, stopped, started, stopped, and well, am attempting to start once again. It's Storybook Sunday (or Saturday, but probably Sunday) and will obviously feature Storybooks or Picture Books as I do review quite a few. Before you start anything about how I'm obviously not in the target audience age range, let me tell you this...it takes A LOT of imagination and childlike wonder to take on a Picture Book and I for one never want to lose that part of me. Besides, so many are oh-so-CUTE with illustrations to match, I couldn't possibly ignore them! Anyway, getting back to things we started. *ahem*
Today's spotlight falls on not ONE book but THREE books, and seeing as they all center around one thing, I'm calling it "all about the love". Hey, it may be the holiday season but love knows no season, nor should it, thus this is a perfectly timed post to share. ^_^ Ready or not, here comes today's bookish trio...
by
Giles Andreae
Illustrated by
Emma Dodd
9781484734070
Disney Hyperion
If the title doesn't give away the content, the adoring look on the woman's face as she holds the little boy with the gingerbread man would. This little gem is all about a boy's adoration for his grandmother as well as hers for him. The images and rhyme share the tender sweetness of the familial bonds while also eliciting chuckles from time to time. How so? Well, we've got grandma sharing pictures with her friends one moment, and decked out in pirate garb the next...not that I blame her because really, how else do you play pirates? Then, of course, we have the ending, where a little known secret shared between grandmother's comes to light...also probably the reason behind why it's so easy to say yes to all the sugary sweets requested during the course of a day that ends back at home versus grandmother's house! A touching tale for the holiday, or any day, that's meant to be shared...
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by
Caroline B. Cooney
Illustrated by
Tim Warnes
9780310754732
Zonderkidz
This is a book that gives readers as well as those being read to the chance to interact and play a role in the story, all while making their way a few steps closer to dreamland. It shares the bedtime routine of a mother and son as she gets ready to tuck him in for the night with a great big bear hug...but wait. Bears aren't the only ones that comfort their young or cuddle up before bed...are they? No way...as we're about to find out in vivid color with adorable images to boot! Each turn of the page reveals how yet another animal hugs their offspring, and gives the narrator the opportunity to mimic the sounds or actions that accompany it. My favorite? Well, outside of the mommy and me hug, the puppy was cute, the cat was sweet, but the bear stole the show...especially at book's end. Definitely destined to become a favorite for nighttime jaunts through storyland...
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by
Emma Chichester Clark
9780399546662
Nancy Paulsen Books
Plum is the Special One at home and boy does she know it! Her parents attention belongs to her and her alone...until one day, it doesn't. What's a pup to do when she thinks she's no longer special? Hopefully growl and bare it but Plum has other ideas up her non-existent sleeves.
This one I was up in the air about. I mean, I love animals and dogs are superstars in my household, but little Plum (pictured on the cover) was so concerned with being out-loved (as in loved less than the new cat) that she was pretty harsh to little Binky! I could take it if the kitty had been over aggressive and tried to take over, but all she wanted was a home, a friend, and a family. *sniff sniff* In the end, little Plum comes to understand that just because they added to their family, it doesn't mean she has lost any of their love...a valuable lesson for siblings when the arrival of a new brother or sister is eminent.
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Special thanks to the Cassie at Disney Hyperion, Katie at Penguin Young Readers Group, and Liane at Zonderkidz for the copies for review. (THANKS GUYS!) These titles have all recently celebrated book birthdays and so are available now on local bookstore shelves and online retailers of your choosing. Be sure to add them to your wish list, or pick up a copy for that special kiddo in your life this holiday season!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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