Young Children - May 2008 - (Page 58) The Reading Chair Diane Greenseid Charlie and Lola’s Opposites, by Lauren Child. 2007. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick. 12 pp. ISBN 9780763635350. Ages birth to 4. Barner’s double-page illustrations were made with various cut, torn, and handmade papers of many colors. Bold art and lilting language will entreat readers to stroll through this animal opposites book again and again. Bear Feels Sick, by Karma Wilson. Illustrated by Jane Chapman. 2007. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. 32 pp. ISBN 9780689859854. Ages 3 to 6. Charlie and Lola’s Numbers, by Lauren Child. 2007. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick. 12 pp. ISBN 9780763635343. Ages birth to 4. These concept board books live up to their titles and deliver even more. Have you met Charlie and Lola? They’re edgy (see Charlie’s alligator outfit in Opposites) and occasionally obstinate (see Lola about to pop a moonsquirter, aka cherry tomato, in Numbers) but ultimately well intentioned (see Lola and a lion brushing their teeth in Numbers). Child’s method of marrying drawings with photographs is quite popular today, but she does it better than most, and her books are therefore a pleasure to browse. Numbers, the simpler of the two titles, offers a nice twist at the end. Opposites takes a difficult concept and makes it accessible for the youngest readers. Big Is Big (and little, little), by J. Patrick Lewis. Illustrated by Bob Barner. 2007. New York: Holiday House. 32 pp. ISBN 9780823419098. Ages 2 to 7. This fifth book in the Bear series is one of the best! When Bear falls ill, his animal friends do everything they can to help him feel better. They fetch water, cook broth, and apply a wet cloth. They “talk in whispers,” “walk on tippy toes,” and “sing lullabies” until “bear starts to doze.” With nurturing friends like these, who needs chicken soup? Bear feels better by the end of the book; but just when he’s ready to celebrate, he realizes that his friends are coming down with something. Luckily, Bear knows just what to do. Large, double-page spreads and upbeat rhyme make this a sure crowd-pleaser. Big Bug Surprise, by Julia Gran. 2007. New York: Scholastic. 32 pp. ISBN 9780439676090. Ages 3 to 7. One expects wit and personality from J. Patrick Lewis, but his jokes and language in this concept book are so unusual and fresh that they feel . . . well . . . delightfully unexpected. Each spread illustrates a concept, and after covering the basics—whether big and little or short and tall—Lewis adds a verbal treat: “Big is big and little, little / If you are somewhere in the middle. / Short is short and tall is tall / If that means anything at all./ Fat is fat and thin is thin. / Some curve out and some curve in.” ® Prunella is underappreciated. She knows just about every fact there is to know about insects, but no one has time to listen. “Not now,” say her parents. “Not now,” says her bus driver. “Not now,” says her teacher. Then a swarm of bees flies into the classroom through an open Isabel Baker, MAT, MLS, is president of The Book Vine for Children, a national company dedicated to getting good books into the hands of preschool children and their teachers. Isabel has worked as a children’s librarian and is currently a presenter on early literacy and book selection. Miriam Baker Schiffer, MFA, is a writer. This column is available online in Beyond the Journal, May 2008, at www.journal.naeyc.org/btj. 2, 3 58 Young Children • May 2008 http://www.journal.naeyc.org/btj
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