Fall Board Book Round-up, Part II

Fall Board Book Round-up, Part II

New Single Titles

Delporte, Corinne. The Little Prince: My Book of Feelings. CrackBoom! 08/2022. [20p.]. $12.95. 978-2-89802-355-2.

     Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s “Little Prince” character demonstrates various emotions, including joy, surprise, anger, love, fear, sadness, and calm. Each emotion is assigned a color, such as green for calm and yellow for joy, and the colors are highlighted on certain pages. Each spread has a page of text opposite a page with the Little Prince asking the readers about their emotions. The text is too long for a board book and most preschoolers will be unfamiliar with the Little Prince character, but this is useful for teaching social and emotional learning.

Edwards, Nicola. Night Night, Little Digger: A Touch and Feel Storybook. Illus. by Mateja Lukezic. Tiger Tales, 01/2022. [22p.] $12.99.

     Little machines are featured in this tactile oversized board book. The rhyming text describes these machines at bedtime after a hard day’s work, including a fork lift, mixer, dump truck, garbage truck, and others. The full color digital artwork is pleasant, but the tactile elements are not really necessary.

Meyok, Rosemary. I Can See You. Illus. by Michelle Simpson. Inhabit Media, 04/2022. [28p.] $12.95. 978-1-77227-420-2.

     Mothers describe their love for their babies in this oversized board book featuring the repeated phrase “my little sweetheart.” The brief text mentions each of the five senses, and the full color artwork depicts the indigenous Arctic people and setting. A great addition to the board book collection by a resident of Kugluktuk, Nunavut.

Weatherford, Carole Boston. Me and the Family Tree. Illus. by Ashleigh Corrin. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 10/2022. [24p.]. $7.99. 978-1728242491.

     Using a rhyming text and boldly colored graphic-style illustrations, this board book celebrates an extended African American family. The jaunty rhyme might encourage readers to share how they resemble relatives, emphasizing that each of us is an individual. The artwork does a nice job of showing family members with different shades of skin from light to darker brown, and different textures of hair, even though all those depicted are Black.

Board Book Editions of Picture Books

Heras, Theo. Baby Cakes. Illus. by Renne Benoit. Pajama Press. 2017/01/2022. $10.95. 978-1-77278-234-9.

     Sister and her toddler brother bake cupcakes in this brief story featuring characters with black hair and light brown skin. The full color artwork depicts a real-world situation with humor. Both the board and picture book editions will find an audience.

Murphy, Mary. Good Night Like This. Candlewick, 2016/05/2022. [28p.] $9.99. 978-1-5362-0903-7.

     Perfect for a small storytime, this bedtime story celebrates animal parent and child, and will inspire participation with its repeated phrases. The rhyming text is complimented by the deeply colored artwork. Every spread has a half-page that turns to reveal the parent lulling the child to sleep. A great adaptation of picture book to board book.

Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. Choo-Choo School. Illus. by Mike Yamada. Candlewick, 2020/07/2022. [30p.] $8.99. 978-1-5362-2407-8.

     Train cars go to school in this board edition of the rhyming picture book. The digital illustrations resemble animated cartoons, but the characters don’t have much charm. Stick with the original version.

Wheeler, Lisa. “My First Dino Sports” series. Illus. by Barry Gott. Carolrhoda, 09/2022. [10p. ]$7.99 each.

My First Dino-Football. 978-1-7284-4617-2.

My First Dino-Hockey. 978-1-7284-4616-5.

My First Dino-Basketball. 978-1-7284-4618-9.

     This sports-themed board book series is adapted from the picture book series, but shortened quite a bit. Animals in team uniforms are shown playing the sport in the title, with a brief rhyming text. The artwork is too detailed for babies and toddlers; stick with the original picture book versions for preschoolers.

 Penny Peck, San Jose State University iSchool