The wonderful folks at Macmillan sent over all of the lovely children's books pictured above, and with the holidays being over, we've finally had time to sit down with our little ones and read these beautiful books. Below, you'll find both Katie and Aubrey's thoughts on Hooray for Hoppy, Won Ton and Chopstick, and Power Down, Little Robot, as well as our own impressions of each title.
Title: Hooray for Hoppy!Author/Illustrator: Tim Hopgood
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
Source: ARC from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
When Hoppy the rabbit wakes up on the first day of spring, he discovers a world full of wonderful things. He uses all five senses to sniff the fresh air, listen to the birds sing, taste the fresh grass, watch the lambs in the meadow, and touch the warm ground. Illustrated in bright, bold collage, this story about seasonal change and sensory perception makes a warm and cozy readaloud.
Katie: Hoppy likes Spring and this book was about the five senses. I liked the pictures. They were detailed and colorful. I liked the last page where Hoppy sees all his friends after he stomped as hard as he could.
Jen: Hooray for Hoppy! was bright and colorful and educational...all things I expect from a children's book. However, I think it was a little below Katie's reading level and knowledge base. I usually try to request books in her age range -- 6-7 years, 1st grade -- but I see that this book is actually rated for 2-4 years of age. Oops. She still enjoyed it and read the entire thing to me in about two minutes. :)
Aubrey: I liked when he hopped out and said his nose was cold. I liked seeing all the bunny's together playing at the end.
April: Aubrey and I really liked this one. We could definitely relate to poor Hoppy stepping out into the cold everyday. We laughed together and talked about how we wish we could just hop back to bed in the morning and sleep till Spring. Let me tell you, it was -1 degrees this morning on my way to work... boo.. Spring can't come soon enough.
Title: Won Ton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in HaikuAuthor/Illustrator: Lee Wardlaw/Eugene Yelchin
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: March 17, 2015
Source: ARC from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Won Ton has a happy life with his Boy, until…
Ears perk. Fur prickles.
Belly low, I creep…peek…FREEZE!
My eyes full of Doom.
A new puppy arrives, and nothing will be the same. Told entirely in haiku and with plenty of catitude, the story of how Won Ton faces down the enemy is a fresh and funny twist on a familiar rivalry.
Katie: I didn't really understand it, but I liked that after a little while the cat and dog liked each other. I liked when the cat and the pup snuggled together and the pup was a good pillow.
Jen: We haven't gone over haiku yet and I don't think they're even close to broaching the subject at school yet, so this one went a little over Katie's head in terms of how the story was told. But she got the gist of the story overall. She preferred when I read to her, but she enjoyed looking at the pictures and seeing the antics of the cat and dog as they got to know one another and become buddies.
Aubrey: I liked it because the kitty cat was all mad and that was funny. It was nice that they become friends at the end.
April: This one was pretty neat. I don't think I will ever understand Haiku poems. I never got them right in school when we had to write them. I liked that it made this story different, and I was able to explain to Aubrey that it was written in poems. She's always so inquisitive about stuff. Plus the story was pretty cute.
Title: Power Down, Little RobotAuthor/Illustrator: Anna Staniszewski/Tim Zeltner
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: March 3, 2015
Source: ARC from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
It’s time to power down for the night, but Little Robot isn’t ready! He quickly opens his stalling program. Luckily, Mom Unit knows exactly how to get him into his sleep module.From a debut picture book author and the illustrator of Little Boo, this funny twist on a familiar nighttime routine will click with bedtime avoidance experts everywhere.
Katie: The robot never wanted to go to sleep...kinda like me. :) I think it was a pretty book and a good bedtime story. I thought the little robot was cute compared to his mom.
Jen: We both enjoyed reading this one, I think, because we can both relate to it. Bedtime is always a battle, even when Katie is zonked, but there are nights like the one depicted in this story where she'll fight tooth and nail to keep from going to sleep. I think some of the language in this book was a bit hard for Katie to understand because it tended to be on the technical/robotic side, but she's probably closer to understanding that jargon than I was at her age. We've come a long way since then! :P Overall, it was a really cute story and probably our favorite in the bunch. Definitely a perfect bedtime story.
Aubrey: I thought it was so funny that the robot would not power down, and he kept giving him mom trouble about going to sleep. This was my favorite.
April: I have to agree with Aubrey, this was my favorite too. It's funny, because I've never had a problem with Aubrey going to bed. She's always the one to tell me she's tired. She really enjoyed watching the robot give him mom a hard time though. What I liked most about this one was the play on words. I loved when he said he wasn't tired because he was only on yellow. It made me think of all the times I probably should have plugged my phone in, but played with it till it was completely dead.
Happy reading! :D
these all look totally adorable. I can check out Horray for Hoppy for Finn. Its closer to his age. Although he doesn't sit still long enough if there are too many words. I love cover to the robot book. so pretty and colorful. thanks for sharing your thoughts guys.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had known about this blog when I was teaching at a preschool! I would have loved to get my hands on the Hoppy book!!
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