New Individual Titles
Anon. Hello, World. Illus. by Aleksandra Szmidt. Flowerpot Press, 2019. [22p.] $7.99. 978-1-48671-559-6.
The word for “Hello” is shown in 14 different languages in this charming book. Each page shows the word and the pronunciation in a dialogue balloon above an animal in a country that uses the language. For example, a bear says “Bonjour” and a moose says “Hello,” both in Canada. A panda uses the greeting in Chinese, a camel in Arabic, and a wolf in Italian. The full color illustrations are warm and add details to help parents guess the country represented. The final page names all the animals, the greetings, and the language. A nice celebration of multilingualism.
Grover, Lorie Ann. I Love All of Me. Illus. by Carolina Buzio. Cartwheel/Scholastic, 2019. [20p.] $9.99. 978-1-338-28623-6.
In this padded board book, several toddlers representing various ethnicities celebrate body parts in a rhyming text: “I love my legs that run. I love my licky tongue.” The deeply saturated colors of the artwork, the subject, and the rhyme work well together for a self-esteem celebration. Great for baby storytime and for library circulation.
Higgins, Ryan T. Peek-a-Bruce. Disney Hyperion, 2019. [24p.] $7.99. 978-136802857-8.
In this first original board book based on the popular picture book character of a cranky bear named “Mother Bruce,” four goslings follow Bruce on his walk, and end up in a game of Hide and Seek. The full color artwork and the subtle narrative are a deft pairing and will appeal to a wide age range.
Light, Steve. Mama Tiger Tiger Cub. Candlewick, 2019. [16p.] $7.99. 978-1-5362-0677-7.
The words “Mama Tiger” appear on the left page of each spread, with a corresponding two words describing what she is seeing such as “Bright Sky” and “Slippery Fish.” There isn’t really a story, but the deeply colored figures on white backgrounds are eye-catching. A companion to Light’s Black Bird Yellow Sun (2018).
Matsuoka, Tatsuhide. Jump! Gecko, 2000/2019. [36p.] $12.99. 978-1-776572-31-1.
Several animals jump, accommpanied by “Boing!” and then a snail tries but doesn’t succeed in this humorous story with repetition. For the most part, each graphic-style depiction of the animal is set on a white background; many preschoolers will soon memorize the story and recite the text. Originally published in Japan, this is lots of fun!
Newman, Leslea. Baby’s Blessings. Illus. by Hiroe Nakata. Kar-Ben, 2019. [10p.] $5.99. 978-1-5415-2214-5.
A Jewish family celebrates the arrival of a new baby, complete with knit booties, challah, candles for the Sabbath meal, and a Tzedakah box for saving money to donate to the needy. The loose watercolor artwork and rhyming text are solid; if used with a general audience, the reader may need to explain some of the Jewish symbols and terms.
Wilhelm, Hans. Pigs in a Blanket. Illus. by Erica Salcedo. Chronicle, 2019. [14p.] $9.99. 978-1-4521-6451-9.
The cover has two attached heavy flaps that represent the blanket in this bedtime story; a magnet closes the sturdy flaps. The story concerns three pig siblings in clothing who go about their day from morning, school, play, to bedtime. The rhyming text and cartoonish artwork are well done and the “blanket” feature should hold up to library usage.
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