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Showing posts with label Adam Rex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adam Rex. Show all posts

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Children's Books: Comical Introduction to Numbers, Days of the Week and...Fruit



Book Details:

Order! Order! by Nigel Tetley
Illustrated by: Simon Goodway
Published: Jan 11, 2018
Published by Matador (imprint of Troubador)
Softcover picture book: 54 pages
For children ages 2-5
Content rating: G

Book Description:

Teaches a key mathematical theme for Early Years Numeracy through both imaginative and entertaining text and pictures. Not a typical Maths book – engaging for children up to 5 years. Ideal for teachers and parents to read with children.

The book features four variations on the mathematical theme of sequence, which together introduce young readers to the first ten ordinal numbers, the first five cardinal numbers and the seven days of the week. Imaginative and with funny texts, this brilliantly illustrated book will educate young children without them even realising it.

From the Great Penguin Race; a week of Animal Antics; to the tragedy of Little Lucy Ladybird, and finally, the ingenuity of an original action finger rhyme, children will be both enthralled and informed by these well told stories.

My Review:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I've now read several books by Nigel Tetley who makes use of humour, rhyme and the animal kingdom to teach valuable lessons without sounding preachy. Instead, I've found all of Tetley's books fun and creative, including Order!Order!

In this chapter book, the author tackles numerical sequence, such as first, second, third, with the help of ten penguins in a race. In the second chapter, we learn the days of the week through the funny antics of animals with names such as Greedy Gertie Goat or Silly Sally Snake. In the third chapter, it's back to numerical sequence with rhyming storytelling, and finally, we have a cute rhyme about handy fingers. I love the play on words.

Order! Order! is an intelligent book that is for young children, yet uses a vast vocabulary of words. It's educational, fun, creative and includes pastel-colored illustrations that are simple and age-appropriate. This book is ideal in the classroom setting or the home library.



Buy the Book:

About the Author:



Since qualifying as a Religious Studies teacher in 1989, Nigel Tetley has worked in a variety of schools, spanning middle and secondary age groups in both the State and independent sectors. At the beginning of his teaching career, he also spent a year in Greece teaching English as a second language. In 2001, he started writing children's poetry at the suggestion of a colleague. Since then he has also written the texts for three carols: 'Alchemy,' 'Snow,' and 'The Way of Paradox.' (Encore Publications, 2006.)





Book Details:

Nothing Rhymes With Orange by Adam Rex
Published: Aug 1, 2017
Published by Chronicle Books
Hardcover picture book: 48 pages
For children ages 4-8
Content rating: G

Book Description:

A perfect laugh-out-loud, read-aloud from New York Times bestselling author Adam Rex!

We all know nothing rhymes with orange, but how does that make Orange feel? Well, left out, obviously!

When a fruit parade gets together to sing a song about how wonderful they are—and the song happens to rhyme—Orange can’t help but feel like it’s impossible to ever fit in. But when one particularly intuitive Apple notices how Orange is feeling, the entire English language begins to become a bit more inclusive.

Beloved author-illustrator Adam Rex has created a hilarious yet poignant parable about feeling left out, celebrating difference, and the irrefutable fact that nothing rhymes with orange.

My Review:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

This is the second children's book I've read by Adam Rex and once again it stands out! This rhyming book celebrates fruit and how good they are. Orange appears in every page corner with a little comment, wanting to be a part of all the fun that the other fruits are having. He's feeling left out and is visibly upset until the popular apple notices.

I thought this book was vibrant, colorful, and unique. It's funny for kids but hilarious for adults. The orange's comments are smart. They just cracked me up. Although he was left out until the end, he really is the star of the book. The illustrations are made with pics of real fruit that have faces drawn on them with a black marker. I loved it! If my kids were still young I would have taken fruit and drawn faces on them and paraded the fruit while reading the book.



Children not only get to learn different fruit, like quince and honeydew, but they also get to learn about different emotions and feelings. The faces drawn on the orange and the other fruit display sadness, disappointment, exasperation, anger, happiness, and more. The text can also be turned into a song. Some pages are bursting with color and some are on a stark white background that really made the fruit stand out.

This book will appeal to children of all ages and lovers of fruit, especially oranges! Great for kids 3 to 100. This book is a winner.


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About the Author and Illustrator:

Adam Rex has written several books for young readers including the New York Times–bestselling Frankenstein makes a Sandwich and The True Meaning of Smekday. His picture book School's First Day of School earned seven starred reviews and was a New York Times Bestseller. He lives now with his wife and son in Tucson.

Adam Rex's celebrated picture book Nothing Rhymes With Orange came about in an unusual way. In this video, Adam explains his top tips for getting a picture book published with a delicious end. Funny!





Disclosure: Thanks to the authors and publicists for sending me these book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Children's Books: Love in Relationships

During the first week of May it was Children's Book Week where I features some kidlit. I wanted to highlight another three beautiful books, this time with the theme of relationships. My review follows each book's description.




Book Details:

XO, OX: A Love Story by Adam Rex
Illustrated by: Scott Campbell
Published: Jan 3, 2017
Published by Roaring Brook Press
Hardcover picture book: 40 pages
For children ages 4-8
Content rating: G

Book Description:

Dear Gazelle,

For some time now I have wanted to write a letter to say how much I admire you. You are so graceful and fine. Even when you are running from tigers you are like a ballerina who is running away from tigers.

I think that what I'm trying to say is that I love you.

XO,
OX


And so begins an epic, if initially unrequited, love affair between a graceful gazelle and a clumsy, hapless ox. Romance will never be the same.

Adam Rex's hilarious, sweet, and at times heartbreaking letters between a hopelessly romantic ox and a conceited, beautiful gazelle are paired perfectly with Scott Campbell's joyful illustrations to bring you a romance for the ages.


Buy the Book:




My Review:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I was so touched by this book. Ox is in love with Gazelle and so he writes her love letters. Gazelle's life is filled with admirers and she is conceited and unkind in her replies to Ox, brushing him off. However, Ox is undeterred and filled with so much optimism. He replies to her rudeness with honest, kind and guileless statements that it finally cracks her cold and selfish ego. Honestly, this book really made me think, and Ox won me over.

The watercolor and colored pencil illustrations are charming, suited for a book with a classical, old-fashioned feel. Ox looks like a farmer with his overalls and Gazelle looks like a graceful, 1920s movie star. I read through this book several times and even showed my husband who also thought it charming.

I think young readers will enjoy this story told exclusively through letters about Ox who chose to see the good in Gazelle and who, despite her faults, loved her. When I read some of the reviews on Goodreads I was surprised to see that readers either loved it or hated it, viewing it more as a stalker story, which, again surprised me. I'm one of those who loved it. It seems to be controversial, but I guess it all depends on how you view it.




About the Author and Illustrator:

Adam Rex has written several books for young readers including the New York Times–bestselling Frankenstein makes a Sandwich and The True Meaning of Smekday. His picture book School's First Day of School earned seven starred reviews and was a New York Times Bestseller. He lives now with his wife and son in Tucson.

Scott Campbell is a maker of paintings, illustrations, comics, kid's books, and video games. He studied illustration at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, focusing on comic and children’s book illustration. He is the author/illustrator of Hug Machine. XO, OX is Scott's first book for Roaring Brook Press.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Book Details:

Hug it Out by Louis Thomas
Published: Jan 3, 2017
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Hardcover picture book: 40 pages
For children ages 3-6
Content rating: G

Book Description:

A fresh, funny take on sibling rivalry and conflict resolution, as two sparring siblings are forced to "hug it out."

Mom has had enough of Woody and Annie's incessant fighting. When her pleas for sharing and apologizing are ignored, she demands they "hug it out." At first, the warring siblings are confused. Hugging? But after a long afternoon of forced embraces, the brother and sister decide to call a truce to avoid yet another icky hug. However it doesn't take long for them to miss that newfound closeness. And soon they're looking for something to fight about so they can hug it out once more!

Adults will delight in a new solution to conflict, while kids will enjoy yelling "HUG IT OUT!" at each familiar situation. With subversive humor and smart, eye-catching illustrations, Louis Thomas's debut is a cheeky tribute to sibling rivalry and (cuddly) compromise.


Buy the Book:



My Review:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

Woody and Annie are siblings (they could pass for twins, actually) who play together. But as is common among young children, they end up fighting. Their exasperated mother finally tells them to "hug it out" every time they fight. After doing this time after time, they finally settle down, but the hugging has grown on them and they realize they like it.

This was a cute and funny take on sibling rivalry and how to resolve conflict. I can see it being a solution for young children 3-5 who readily hug when asked to say sorry. This is an unusual punishment which I think will delight young children and make them laugh. The author who is also the illustrator, uses simple but effective drawings and watercolor illustrations that emphasizes facial expressions. I especially liked the cat's facial expressions. He is in almost all the scenes and looks like his name could be Figaro.

This is a great book for children who have siblings or for a teacher / educator to read to her preschoolers. Any child would be able to relate and the message that conflicts are resolved together is a good one.




About the Author:

Louis Thomas graduated from Gobelins, Paris, and Calarts, Los Angeles, in 2012. He then worked full-time in Californian animation studios before returning to France. Louis currently lives and works with his cat, Pipo, in his art studio, which can be found between the Pantheon and the Luxembourg Gardens of Paris, France.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Illustrated by Eda Kaban
Published: February 28, 2017
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Hardcover picture book: 32 pages
For children ages 2-6
Content rating: G

Book Description:

Being a big brother is a BIG job.
There’s lots to show your little brother . . .
Trains . . .
Planes . . .
How to be a dinosaur.

There are games to play and adventures to be had. And if trouble comes, it’s big brother to the rescue because there’s no better friend than a brother.

My Review:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

This is the perfect book for a boy who becomes a big brother. With few words it conveys how proud the boy is to have a baby brother who will look up to him, learn from him and play with him. There is a scene where the boy sees himself as the superhero coming to the rescue when his baby brother is crying and needs his pacifier. And another where he shows affection by kissing his brother's toesies.

Truly, this is a charming and heartwarming book. It's ideal when parents want to prepare their child for the birth of another one. It can also be good for those children who are jealous of the extra attention given to the new baby. It empowers a big brother and helps him to establish his role and to ease the big change of another child in the family.

The illustrations are charming and make good use of earth-tone colors. They suit the theme of the book.



About the Author:

Alexandra Penfold is the author of Eat, Sleep, Poop!, illustrated by Jane Massey, and the co-author of New York à la Cart: Recipes & Stories from the Big Apple’s Best Food Trucks. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and sons.

Eda Kaban is an illustrator of children’s books, including Old MacDonald Had a Truck written by Steve Goetz. Her work can be seen in print and galleries from San Francisco to New York. She was born and raised in Turkey and currently lives in San Francisco, California, with her husband.


Disclosure: Thanks to Raincoast Books for sending me these book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

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