How to use this Page

My Barnyard!: A Read and Play Book!
Written by Betty Schwartz and Lynn Seresin
Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello
Cartwheel Books       6/30/2015
978-0-545-69077-5
10 pages      Age 3—5

My Dinosaurs!: A Read and Play Book
Written by Betty Schwartz and Lynn Seresin
Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello
Cartwheel Books       12/30/2014
978-0-545-69076-8
10 pages          Age 3—5

“A new novelty book featuring six large puzzle pieces that won’t get lost. Learn all about barnyard animals (and dinosaurs), as you match each animal piece to its appropriate spread.” [authors]

Review
My Barnyard will be loved by young children who are interested in animals—and what child is not? The rhyming text tells the story of each animal’s day, starting with the chickens and the sheep.

“CHICKENS ‘cluck’ as they go,
With their little chicks in tow.
SHEEP are fluffy and eat grass.
They say ‘baaaa!’ as their lambs pass.”

The name of each barnyard animal is capitalized and color-coded to match its cut-out and attached ribbon. I love the color-coded ribbons. What a nice addition to My Barnyard and a thoughtful hint for young children as they match each animal into its corresponding space. At the end of the story, the six animals meet up in the final spread. Little fingers will appreciate the colorful cardboard cutouts and the size of the book, which are a perfect fit for little hands. My Barnyard has thick, glossy pages that will stand up to sticky fingers—cleaning off quickly—and rough handling, as young children learn to turn pages.

Kids will squeal with delight at the sound of each animal’s call, be it the “baa” of the sheep or the “oink-oink” of the pig. The rhyming text is a joy to read and won’t get on a parent’s “last nerve” when read for the tenth time that morning. Having young children “speak” for the animals will increase the joy of this board book for the youngest of beginning readers. My Barnyard is a perfect complement to My Dinosaurs, the first in this board book in this series by the talented team of Betty Schwartz and Lynn Seresin.

In My Dinosaurs, six different dinosaurs, again with color-coded names and matching ribbons, fit their corresponding cutout spaces nicely. Four of the dinosaurs make-up the cover, just as three of the barnyard animals help make that cover come alive. My Dinosaurs has all the benefits of My Barnyard, as I hope each new book in this series will have. Young boys will especially love My Dinosaurs, but don’t count out the girls. The dinosaurs are realistically brought to life by artist John Bendall-Brunello, who also illustrated My Barnyard.

Young children and their parents will love this new Read and Play board book series from Cartwheel Books (an imprint of Scholastic). The books are realistically drawn and offer young children the opportunity to learn about animals as they listen to the stories and then place each animal in its correct environment. The rhyming text is expertly written in each book. Young children will want to go through these books on their own, “reading” the words—from memory or imagination—and having a blast with each turn of the page.

MY BARNYARD! A READ AND PLAY BOOK! and MY DINOSAUR! A READ AND PLAY BOOK! Text copyright © 2015 by Betty Schwartz and Lynn Seresin. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by John Bendall-Brunello. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Cartwheel Books (a Scholastic, Inc. imprint), New York, NY.

Purchase My Barnyard! at Amazon—Book Depository—IndieBound Books—Cartwheel Books.
Purchase My Dinosaurs! at Amazon—Book Depository—IndieBound Books—Cartwheel Books.

Learn more about My Barnyard! HERE.
Learn more about My Dinosaurs! HERE.

Meet the author, Betty Schwartz, at jacketflap:  http://www.jacketflap.com/betty-schwartz/16354
Meet the author, Lynn Seresin, at her twitter page:  https://twitter.com/lynnsere
Meet the illustrator, John Bendall-Brunello, at his website:  http://www.johnbendall-brunello.com/
Find more board books at the Cartwheel Books website:  http://www.scholastic.com/

Cartwheel Books is an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.

ALSO BY BETTY SCHWARTZ & LYNN SERESIN
Hop, Hop Bunny  (A Follow-Along Book)    (reviewed HERE)
Run, Run Piglet (A Follow-Along Book) 
Ten Playful Tigers  (A Back-and-Forth Counting Book)  (reviewed HERE)
Busy Little Dinosaurs  (A Back-and-Forth Alphabet Book)  (reviewed HERE)
You’re it, Little Red Fish  (A Back-and-Forth Colors Book)

.
Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

.
Full Disclosure: My Barnyard! A Read and Play Book! And My Dinosaur! A Read and Play Book!, by Betty Schwartz and Lynn Seresin & John Bendall-Brunello, and received from Cartwheel Books, (an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.), is in exchange NOT for a positive review, but for an HONEST review. The opinions expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Ten Playful Tigers: A Back-and-Forth Counting Book

Series: Back-and-Forth Books
Written by Beth Schwartz & Lynn Seresin
Illustrated by Luciana Navarro Powell
Capstone Young Readers     8/01/2015
978-1-62370-236-6
  22 pages       9″x8″      Age 1—4.

.
“One two three, how many tigers do you see? Count along as one little tiger turns into ten playful tigers (and their mama!). Then start again by counting the butterflies beginning with ten. Little hands and little eyes will delight to explore these sturdy interactive board books from front-to-back and back-to-front. Award-winning team Betty Schwartz and Lynn Seresin have created charming, tactile two-in-one experiences for the littlest learners” [back cover]

Review
Cute little tigers, with big wide eyes and long striped tails, will indeed charm little kids as they count from one to ten and then ten to one (actually, the butterflies begin with eleven, for the smart, observant, little kid). The tiger at number 1 simply walks into the tall grass with one butterfly trailing behind. Turn the page and there are two tigers, greeting one another. With each new turn of the thick and sturdy glossy pages, a new tiger joins in with its siblings. The tigers have a fun morning (or afternoon) doing all sorts of things that will energize young children: climb trees, play in the water, do tricks, play soccer, follow-the-tiger, tumble about, and roar with all the might of a little tiger. These playful tigers will definitely amuse young children.

After a rough and tumble morning (or afternoon), the ten tigers take a nap with mama, making Ten Playful Tigers the perfect bedtime story. Upon waking, kids can count the butterflies from ten (eleven) down to one and then blast off into the rest of their day. Kids will also like turning the pages with the die-cut holes and rubbing Mama-tiger’s orange and black striped fur. Counting from ten to one involves counting the number of holes containing butterflies—on the left side of the spread—and then adding in the one or two butterflies flying elsewhere on the half-spread. Large purple numbers guide kids as they count.

The oversized book may be too large for some little hands, but with help this should not be a hindrance. The illustrations are beautiful, fun, and lively. Even the butterflies change shape and color, seemingly having their own group fun. I especially love the spread with the, wait a minute . . . one, two three, FOUR roaring tigers. They each have four pointy teeth and one large mouth, which when opened wide, makes their nose and eyes seem to scrunch. Ten Playful Tigers is the perfect board book for young children learning how to count.

But wait, there’s more. Once you can count up to ten and then back down to one, it is time to leave the tigers and butterflies for a more ferocious beast—dinosaurs!   Keep reading->
.
.
TEN PLAYFUL TIGERS (A BACK-AND-FORTH BOOK). Text copyright © 2015 by Beth Schwartz & Lynn Seresin. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Luciana Navarro Powell. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Capstone, North Mankato, MN.

Purchase Ten Playful Tigers at Amazon—Book Depository—Capstone.

Learn more about Ten Playful Tigers HERE.
Meet the author, Beth Schwartz, her website:
Meet the author, Lynn Seresin, at her website:  bit.ly/LynnSeresin
Meet the illustrator, Luciana Navarro Powell, at her website:  http://www.lucianaillustration.com/
Find more picture books at the Capstone Young Readers website:  http://www.capstonepub.com/

Capstone Young Readers is an imprint of Capstone.

Other Back-and-Forth Books
Busy Little Dinosaurs (alphabet)   (reviewed here)
Puppies, Puppies, Everywhere! (opposites)
You’re it, Little Red Fish (colors)

PLUS – Hop, Hop, Bunny (reviewed here)
.
.
Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

Review section word count = 339

Busy Little Dinosaurs: A Back-and-Forth Alphabet Book

Series: Back-and-Forth Books
Written by Beth Schwartz & Lynn Seresin
Illustrated by Luciana Navarro Powell
Capstone Young Readers        8/01/2015
978-1-62370-234-2
22 pages        9″x8″       Age 1—4
.

“Busy little dinosaurs, as a rule, agree it’s fun to go to school! Follow dinosaurs through an alphabet of activities from A all the way to Zzzzzz. But wait—you’re not done! Go back to A and name the things that start with the letters along the way.” [back cover]

Review
Busy Little Dinosaurs will teach young children their ABCs in an unconventional manner. Each spread contains a four-line verse of rhyme and somewhere in that rhyme is a word with the letter or letters for that spread, going from A to Z. For example, the second spread is for the letters “Gg,” “Hh,” and “Ii.”

“Dinos gather together,
hang a flag from a tree,
and imagine they’re pirates,
that sail the high seas.”

At the top left of each spread, in various colors, are the next letters in the alphabet. It would be easy enough to learn the alphabet by learning the letters while ignoring each verse and illustration, but that would not be much fun. The dinosaurs are doing all sorts of imaginative activities, many of which young children could also enjoy. In the above verse, the orange dinosaur looks at a map while wearing a pirate’s hat. The green dinosaur wears glasses and is looks over a different type of map, while the third dinosaur peers through a telescope—“Land Ho!”

Young children will have loads of laughs learning the alphabet with Busy Little Dinosaurs. The colorful, sturdy pages are glossy and wipe off kid-gunk with ease. The “A” dinosaurs enter school with their backpacks and big smiles. Throughout the day, the dinosaurs have a tremendous amount of fun as they enjoy many activities: play instruments, exercise in gym class, play soccer, paint, eat lunch, read books, and take a nap. All make for a rather decent kindergarten day.

Once those dinosaurs awake, they can flip back through the pages and, well, this part is actually a little tricky.

“Now go back to the cutouts
for surprises and fun.
Guess the letter things start with
and then you are done!”

The first spread is now letter “Z,” and in the cutout is a picture of a zebra fish—the object begins with the letter Z. On spread “Y,” the cutout is over the orange body of the yawning dinosaur. This could be the word “yawning” beginning with the letter Y, though not an object. “Ww and Xx” opens to a bookworm or a worm reading—begins with the letter W. But then “Tt, Uu, Vv” opens on the color purple on the dinosaur’s nose. I cannot think of anything beginning with the letter t, u, or v for this “object.” The spreads repeat this pattern of object then body color until the child is back to the front off the book. I love the idea, but do not understand what object each color represents, especially if the letter of the object is one of the letters of the spread, though that was not specified. I can only imagine how difficult it would have been to get an object in one cutout for two spreads. This does give a child the chance to use his or her imagination when deciding what object the colors might represent to them. Unfortunately, as a back-and-forth book, Busy Little Dinosaurs works well going forward and half the time in reverse.

Despite this problem, Busy Little Dinosaurs is a fun, imaginative, interesting, and colorful learning experience for young kids. Learning the ABCs in this manner is more beneficial than simply reciting the alphabet repeatedly until learned. Rote learning is never as much fun as experiential learning. I would highly recommend Busy Little Dinosaurs for teaching young children their alphabet. I believe, learning in this manner—non-rote learning—helps kids learn faster and remember what they learned longer. Busy Little Dinosaurs will have young children excited to learn the alphabet—and that is the best way to learn.

BUSY LITTLE DINOSAURS (A BACK-AND-FORTH BOOK). Text copyright © 2015 by Beth Schwartz & Lynn Seresin. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Luciana Navarro Powell. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Capstone, North Mankato, MN.

Pre-order Busy Little Dinosaurs at Amazon—Book Depository—Capstone.

Learn more about Busy Little Dinosaurs HERE.
Meet the author, Beth Schwartz, her website:
Meet the author, Lynn Seresin, at her website: http://bit.ly/LynnSeresin
Meet the illustrator, Luciana Navarro Powell, at his/her website: http://www.lucianaillustration.com/
Find more picture books at the Capstone Young Readers website: http://www.capstonepub.com/

Capstone Young Readers is an imprint of Capstone.

Other Back-and-Forth Books
Puppies, Puppies, Everywhere! (opposites)
Ten Playful Tigers (counting)   (reviewed here)
You’re it, Little Red Fish (colors)

Plus – Hop, Hop Bunny (reviewed here)
.
.
Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

Review section word count = 603

IT’S (still) BOARD BOOK DAY!

Here are three new board books perfect for the littlest hands in your family. Each are made with thick, difficult to tear pages that will clean off everything from baby drool to grape jelly.

From Chronicle Books: Hop, Hop Bunny (A Follow-Along Book), by Betty Schwartz and Lynn Seresin, with illustrations by Neiko Ng.

“Bunny is secured to a sturdy ribbon as young readers help them hop through the die-cut holes to explore the garden. Where will she go? What will she see? Warm illustrations and a tactile, interactive adventure teach little ones hand-eye coordination and introduce them to reading fun.” [publisher]

Continue reading for review and a spread . . . HERE.

x

Also from Chronicle Books: On My Beach (Felt Finger Puppet Board Books) by Sarah Gillingham, with illustrations by Lorena Siminovich.

“Turn the colorful die-cut pages of this irresistible board book to discover just what makes little crab’s beach so cozy.” [publisher]

Continue reading for review and a spread . . . HERE.

x

And from yesterday:
From Blue Manatee Press: Black and White Nighty-Night by Sarah Jones.

“This unique concept book combines the ever-popular bedtime nursery rhyme with contemporary high-contrast illustrations, specifically designed with babies in mind. The youngest readers and their families will delight in the gentle story of an owl-saying goodnight to barnyard friends as they snuggle into bed. Bold black-and-white illustrations will capture babies’ interest, as the soothing rhymes lull them to sleep.”

Continue reading for review and a spread . . . HERE.
x
x
Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

x

x

Hop, Hop Bunny

Series: A Follow-Along Book
Written by Betty Schwartz & Lynn Seresin
Illustrated by Neiko Ng
Chronicle Books          3/01/2015
978-1-4521-2464-3
10 pages           7″ x 7”          Age 0—2
x
x
“Help bunny hop through the die-cut holes as she explores the garden. Where will she go? How many colors will she see? Warm illustrations and a playful adventure teach little ones hand-eye coordination and introduce them to reading fun. Punch out the piece and follow along!” [back cover]

Review
Before reading and hopping through the die-cut hole, Bunny must be released from his stationary spot on the cover. Adults, this is your first job. All done? Good. Let’s open the book and begin.

“Bunny likes to play in the garden.
“Hop, hip Bunny. Hop between the red flowers.”

Now help your little one help Bunny hop from his home in the tree stump through a garden of red roses—look out for the snail! Bunny continues to explore, hopping up and over rocks, under a green bush, and other garden spots along the way. Bunny never gives away where her journey will lead her, how long the adventure will last, or if she has a goal.

Not only will children continue developing hand-eye coordination, but they will also learn patience and concentration. To guide Bunny through each bunny-shaped die-cut hole, none of which line up with the hole before or after it, children must first lift the right-side page, then hop Bunny—paws on the ground, please—to her next destination. A sturdy ⅛th inch ribbon, strung through each hole and then embedded into the front and back covers, keeps Bunny from losing her way.

Hop, Hop Bunny’s digital illustrations are colorful and have delightful details. Each spread contains additional critters for children to find, identify, and count. Young children will enjoy the inclusive nature of Hop, Hop Bunny, and its companion Run, Run Piglet . Children will have Bunny repeating her journey until her paws ache and her tummy growls. A terrific activity-story that will increase a child’s interest in books and the many ways they entertain us.

Betty Schwartz and Lynn Seresin also collaborated on Ten Playful Tigers: A Back-and-Forth Counting Book (reviewed coming soon).

HOP, HOP BUNNY (A FOLLOW-ALONG BOOK). Text copyright © 2015 by Betty Schwartz & Lynn Seresin. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Neiko Ng. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.

Purchase Hop, Hop Bunny at Amazon—Book Depository—Chronicle Books.

Learn more about Hop, Hop Bunny HERE.
Meet the author, Betty Schwartz, at her website:  
Meet the author, Lynn Seresin, at linkedin:  http://bit.ly/LynnSeresin  
Meet the illustrator, Neiko Ng, at her website:  http://www.neikoart.com/
Find more Board Books at the Chronicle Books website:  http://www.chroniclebooks.com/

Follow-Along Books

Run, Run Piglet
978-1-4521-2467-4

x

x

x

x

x

Review Section: word count = 269

Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved
x
ftc