Storytelling Math Board Books

 

Storytelling Math series by Grace Lin. Ages 1-3. Charlesbridge, 2020.
Digital review copies provided by publisher. 

• Circle! Sphere!
• The Last Marshmallow
• Up to My Knees!
• What Will Fit? 

These entries in the Storytelling Math board books series published by Charlesbridge Publishing are perfect books to add to a toddler's library. Each book reinforces a basic math concept, using a super simple story that's perfectly suited to its young child audience. At the end of each book, Lin describes the concept that the book is building and gives parents ideas for activities and conversations to continue the learning. I love the playful, childlike illustrations and the short, simple text that's tailored for a young child's short attention span. There's one book for each season: 

Circle! Sphere! explores shapes with children blowing bubbles together in summer. 

The Last Marshmallow introduces division with two friends sharing cocoa in winter. 

Up to My Knees looks at scale and measurement as a plant grows in spring. 

What Will Fit? plays with size at the farmer's market in autumn. 

These books would make excellent gifts for new babies, particularly in families where starting math skills early will be a priority. While I love series like Baby Loves Science and other more involved informational board books, which are all great for vocabulary and starting conversations, this one has text actually tailored to the board book crowd. Huzzah! And more, please.  

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My Hair

My Hair by Danielle Murrell Cox. Ages 0-3. Board book. HarperFestival, June 2020. Review copy provided by my local library. 

With playful rhyming text and simple pictures that portray African American children with a wide range of skin tones (including a child with vitiligo and children with freckles), this board book is a celebration of many different hairstyles. This is an affirming book to have on hand for African American families and a book that could be included in any toddler or preschool unit about all about me or human bodies. 

It gently sets boundaries ("My hair is mine / from curls to puffs / You can look / but please don't touch"). It includes lots of great vocabulary words, both hairstyle words (Bantu knots, braided, puffs) and non-hairstyle words (funky, snip, slay), making this board book a solid choice for early literacy storytimes. The trim size is a bit small for sharing with a group, but the pictures are simple and bold, so it could work. And add it to the growing list of board books that can help families who are not used to talking about race start a conversation with small children.

12 Days of Giving: Books for Dino Enthusiasts

Do you have a young dinosaur lover in your life? There are so many great books about dinosaurs - plenty for every age. Have a roaring good time with these!

Board books for babies and toddlers:

Dinosnores by Sandra Boynton (Workman, 2019). Sandra Boynton is the master of board books with her funny text and iconic illustrations. This bedtime story is a sure crowd pleaser for fans of her work and a great gift for toddler dinosaur enthusiasts.

Hello, World!: Dinosaurs by Jill McDonald (Doubleday, 2019). This winning board book series covers several popular nonfiction subjects for the very young... including dinosaurs! One thing I love about this board book is that it works for a range of ages, so buy it for itty bitties and it'll grow along with them as you can add in the additional facts presented in smaller font as kids' attention span increases.

Jane Foster's Dinosaurs by Jane Foster (little bee books, 2019). Jane Foster's another board book favorite of mine with her heavy lines and bold colors and designs. This one is super simple, each spread just pairing the name of a dinosaur (or other object like a volcano) with a picture.

Picture books for younger readers:

Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein (Candlewick, 2013). Dinah the dinosaur is brand new and trying everything out. But giving a kiss is not as easy as it seems. Dinah's just too rough, can she figure out how to give a kiss without chomping, stomping, or whomping? This is a fun and funny book with lots of fun-sounding words, great for phonological development!

Tiny T-Rex and the Impossible Hug by Jonathan Stutzman (Chronicle, 2019). Tiny T-Rex understandably has a hard time giving hugs. His arms just aren't suited to it. But it's not going to stop him from trying. This is a super cute book about a dinosaur that just wants to show his love for his friends.

We Are the Dinosaurs by Laurie Berkner, illustrated by Ben Clanton (Simon, 2017). Are you familiar with Laurie Berkner's super catchy and fun music? This picture book uses the lyrics to her song We Are the Dinosaurs with cartoony illustrations by Ben Clanton. Pair it with a CD or digital copy of The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band (or you can also listen to the song on her website).

We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins (Disney-Hyperion, 2018). Especially perfect for kiddos who might be starting school or preschool in the near future, this funny picture book stars Penelope Rex on her first day of school. She is so excited to make new friends, if only she can stop gobbling them up! It's super funny and just as good for kids already in preschool or school.

What Kind of Car Does a T-Rex Drive? by Mark Lee, illustrated by Brian Biggs (Putnam, 2019). Ava and Mickey help their Uncle Otto sell cars to dinosaurs at his car lot, using their knowledge of the prehistoric lizards to make sales. But what kind of car can they sell to a T-Rex? This story is a great blend of dinos and things that go, perfect for fans of either (or both).

Books for older kids:

Dino Records by Jen Agresta (National Geographic Kids, 2017). This graphically appealing nonfiction books holds all the dinosaur record holders, from the biggest and the fastest to the weirdest and most notorious.

Dinosaurs, Dodos and Woolly Mammoths (My Weird School Fast Facts) by Dan Gutman (HarperCollins, 2018). From the author of the My Weird School series comes a series of nonfiction books giving facts about popular subjects. If you have young readers who are fans of Dan Gutman, you can't go wrong with this one.

Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time by James Gurney (Calla Editions, 2011). For readers who are more inclined to fiction, this fantasy series about an isolated island where shipwrecked humans have learned to live alongside a race of intelligent dinosaurs might just fit the bill.

Who Would Win? Tyrannosaurus Rex  Vs. Velociraptor by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Rob Bolster (Scholastic, 2016. The Who Would Win? series has been super popular at my library this year. Each book pits an animal against another animal to see who would win in a fight. This dinosaur volume is a sure bet with fans of the popular series.

What My NieceS are Into

My niece S just turned two and she is still SO INTO sharks. She has also increased her repertoire of words to include just about any sea creature you can imagine. She had the most amazing ocean-themed birthday cake for her party a few weeks ago:

Of course whenever I am reading reviews of board books or picture books I look for anything that she might like. I came across a new board book that looked super cute AND it was on super sale at Amazon, so I scooped it up and added another recent gorgeous board book that I had purchased for the library. 

Hello Humpback! by Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd (Harbour Publishing, 2017) is a gorgeous book featuring animals of the Pacific Northwest. The text is super simple and the illustrations are just so beautiful. It's a great book for talking about the pictures and naming different animals, including some that are rare to find in books like skate, halibut, and prawn. Roy Henry Vickers is a First Nations artist and this book truly celebrates the diverse life found on the West Coast. This would be a perfect gift for kids living in or visiting the Pacific Northwest or for any little ocean lover. 

Goodnight, Seahorse by Carly Allen-Fletcher (Muddy Books, 2018) is another gorgeous book about sea creatures. The text is very simple - each spread says goodnight to a different sea creature as seahorse heads to bed - but this one also includes some unusual words like wobbegong and lionfish that go beyond your typical book sea creatures. The back of the book identifies many of the background creatures found throughout the pictures and it would be fun to go back and search for them all. 

So, some new ocean books for my niece annnnnd I bought a book to welcome my new niece (!!!) due in September! 

We Sang You Home by Richard Van Camp, illustrated byJulie Flett (Orca, 2016). This has become one of my favorite new baby books to give. I touched on this one a little bit in a previous post, but I want to expand on that. This board book is written by a First Nations author and illustrator and features a family welcoming their new baby. The words are so affirming and perfect for reading to a new baby: 

We give you kisses to help you grow

And songs to let you know that you are loved

As we give you roots you give us wings

And through you we are born again

and so forth.... Just a beautiful message in a beautiful book that features a First Nations family but with a message that is so universal. 

I can't wait to welcome a new niece and find out what things she will be into as well! 

What My Niece is Into: Swimming!

We had the absolute pleasure of going on vacation with my family earlier this summer and my niece (almost 2) is so into SWIMMING! She's made huge strides (strokes?) even just since our vacation a month ago. When my brother brought her to our parents' condo for Father's Day she could swim the entire length of the pool by herself (floaties on, of course, but no help from Auntie Abby!).

So, when I saw this book had just come out in board book format, I knew we needed it for our collection:

Fruits in Suits by Jared Chapman (Abrams, board book edition June 2018). Jared Chapman wrote and illustrated one of my favorite SURE BET readalouds, Vegetables in Underwear, which works with a wide range of ages and is hilarious to all. This book is a similar concept - fruits in all kinds of swimsuits - and it's just as adorable. Swimsuits aren't quite as funny as underpants (nothing is, really), but there's the one fruit who doesn't get it and tries to go swimming in his business suit. And of course someone tries it in its birthday suit! With bright, funny illustrations and a swimming theme, it's just the thing my niece is into right now!

This one's also available as a picture book, which would be a better format for sharing with groups. Try this one in fruit or food themes storytimes, summer or swimming storytimes, or insert wherever you need something to elicit the giggles.

Review copy purchased by moi.

And two more recent swimming books, which are a little old for my niece right now (toddler attention span, dontchaknow), but are still awesome are:

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall (Candlewick Press, 2017). Jabari is so ready for the high dive this summer, but it turns out it's not quite as easy as he thinks it will be. It's... awfully high. Maybe he ought to do some more stretches first. And he needs to figure out what kind of awesome dive he's going to do... Or maybe he just needs some special encouragement from his dad. (Review copy provided by my local library!)

Saturday is Swimming Day by Hyewon Yum (Candlewick Press, 2018). Saturday is the day for her swim lessons, but one little girl has a stomachache. It turns out she always has a stomachache when it's time for swimming lessons, but one kind instructor's gentle encouragement can make all the difference. This is a great choice for kids who are reluctant to learn to swim or afraid of the water. (Review copy provided by my local library!)

What My Niece is Into: Sharks

Whenever I hear that my niece is into something, I immediately run out and buy her a few books about it if I can. Providing kids with books that fit their interests is a great way to encourage reading and help kids develop a love of reading. I already highlighted books you can sing, which I bought her for Christmas, and I think I'll try to make this a regular feature on my blog. 

Niece: S, age 18 months

Currently into: SHARKS.

S showed up with a beautifully scientifically correct stuffed shark at book club the other night (rows of teeth and everything!). My sister in law said that she's also got fish bath toys; sharks are big right now. I think it comes from the song Baby Shark, which maybe they sing at her daycare? Not sure. But my mission was clear: shark board books for a toddler (particularly I wanted to get her some science-based ones)! Here's what I came up with: 

Sharks by the American Museum of Natural History (Sterling Children's Books, 2017). This is my favorite of the ones I ordered. It has real photos and lots of information. Too much information for a toddler, but we can definitely talk about the pictures together and it shows lots of different types of sharks, so there's lots of great vocabulary. 

The inside is awesome: each shark spread gets its own die-cut page, so it looks really cool. I think S will have a lot of fun turning the pages and exploring this book. 

I Spy in the Ocean by Damon Burnard, illustrated by Julia Cairns. (Chronicle Books, 2001). This is a cute board book with a die-cut hole in each page to give a clue as to the new spread coming up in our game of eye-spy. Spelling out the word OCEAN, each letter features a different ocean animal: O is for Octopus, C is for Crab, and so forth. The game is probably a bit beyond my niece right now, but it's a nice introduction to the eye-spy game and I like the soft watercolor illustrations. Highlighting letters is a good way to build letter knowledge. 

My Little Golden Book About Sharks by Bonnie Bader, illustrated by Steph Laberis (Golden Books, 2016). This will definitely be one for the library for her to grow into. It has a lot of information, including naming the parts of a shark and showing a cutaway of a shark's skeleton. Some of the illustrations are kind of scary, which I think might be too much for her right now, but if she's interested in ocean animals in a few years she may be super into them. This one would be a good choice for early elementary kids who are interested in sharks. 

That's what my niece is currently into and what I just bought to add to her library. If you're looking for more picture books about sharks, check out my recent Shark Storytime for some ideas.