Blogging from A-Z

Open This Little Book by Jesse Klausmeier and illustrated by Suzy Lee.

When I read Kathy’s review (BermudaOnion’s Weblog) of this book I was intrigued by how clever it looked, but wondered if it would be too old for my almost two and a half year old son.  Kathy was sweet enough to mail it to Gage so we could find out.  She is a very generous book blogger and if you are not reading her blog you should be.  Thanks, Kathy 🙂

This is a book within a book within a book…I wasn’t sure Gage would ‘get’ the concept.  The first time I tried to read it he lasted about 3 seconds before he closed the book and said ‘”don’t like it”.  I decided not to take this too seriously since this has been his phrase of choice for the last week or so.  So, last night before bed we tried again and he flipped through the book forward and then backward.  Now that we’ve gotten him to ‘like’ it I know that we will have more fun with it.

This book is the argument for traditional publishing.  The pages must be touched  and flipped to really experience the unique aspect of the story.  It’s very visual.  Not only is it the story of a ladybug, a frog, a rabbit, a bear, and a giant, it is also a tool to teach small ones about sizes and colors.  Gage does know his colors but sizes  are something we’re working on so this will be great for that.  I love the concept and the physical appeal of this novel kid’s book.  I do think it will be best loved by 3+.

Pansy at the Palace-A Beverly Hills Mystery, written by Cynthia Barnes and illustrated by Kim Weissenborn was sent to us by the publicist.

Pansy’s life blossoms when she is adopted from an animal shelter by a loving family and little girl named Avery. Swept into her new life at the Palace Hotel in Beverly Hills, this smart and courageous puppy saves the day by solving a mysterious theft. Pansy at the Palace celebrates the spirit of curiosity and exploration, and teaches us that no one is too small to make a difference in the lives of many!

32 pages casebound with jacket, full color published by Octobre Press (from PansyAtThePalace.com)

We went out to Buffalo Wild Wings (a great chain restaurant that does an excellent job with an allergy-free menu) last night and took Pansy with us.  Gage was less enamored with the book than I was only because I think it is just out of his age level at 2 and as much as I loved the illustrations he sometimes found them too busy, probably because it was just out of his range.  He did like the simpler illustrations and there was about the right amount of reading on the each page for him, so I can see us trying this agin in a month or two and having it be more fun for him.

Here’s what I loved.  The book itself is wonderfully done.  Hardcover with great dust jacket and the pages are thick with beautiful, colorful illustrations.

The story itself of a dog being rescued from a shelter is perfect for kids.  I think if you are going to go to a shelter to choose a dog or cat then this book would really teach your child what a great thing rescuing animals is and to feel great about having a rescue at home.  And what dog doesn’t want to be rescued and taken to live in luxury hotel in Beverly Hills?  It doesn’t hurt that Pansy is adorable and smart.

And there is a mystery involving stolen jewelry, so if you want to turn your young one into a mystery lover than this is a great place start.  I loved it.

Fun fact whenever I see Beverly Hills in a book I always fondly remember the one day I worked there many moons ago.  I made cold calls to businesses to try to get them to buy office supplies.  Every girl who was working there had to say that her name was Linda Black so that when you transferred them for the sale the manager didn’t have to think about who to say.  I had to take 2 buses to get there and then I had to say I was Linda Black all day long.  I didn’t go back for day two.  I’m glad that it worked out better for Pansy 🙂