The Scary Book by Thierry Dedeiu (Children's Board Book Review)

 We received a copy of this board book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

The Scary Book
by Thierry Dedieu
Published by Prestel Junior
on September 15, 2020
Genre: Children's, Board Books
Length: 20 pages
Ages: 3 - 6 years

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Synopsis:
A perfect blend of silly and scary, this oversized lift-the-flap board book shows children what's hiding inside some creepy creatures!


Our Thoughts:

The Scary Book is perfect for kids that like scary, gross, and disturbing things! 

This is a fun and unique 'lift-the-flap' style board book that is full of spooky little surprises, such as the slimy innards of a frog or the dead victims of a hungry spider, and much more!

The bold colors and big text make this a great board book for little listeners and the extra big format and double-folded flaps make it all the more fun.

It's definitely an unconventional book but my little 'monster' loved how creepy it is and was full of questions about the critters and their lift-the-flap surprises.

There's also a few Halloween-themed surprises, such as a ghost, a skeleton, and a jack-o-lantern which makes this a great addition to any spooky-story shelves! 

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All Around Bustletown: Summer by Rotraut Susanne Berner (Children's Picture Book Review)

We received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review or mention. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Summer
(All Around Bustletown #3)
by Rotraut Susanne Berner
Published by Prestel Junior
on April 21, 2020
Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Seasons
Length: 14 pages
Ages: 2 - 5 years

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Synopsis:
It's summer and that means flowers, picnics, thunderstorms, and bike rides.
As kids pore over these oversized spreads, they will delight in identifying the same characters on each page as they walk, play, jog, and roller skate--from homes to parks to office buildings and rail stations. In the tradition of Richard Scarry and Where's Waldo, this book encourages kids to return again and again to these charming spreads. All kinds of summer activities come alive in these endearing drawings that provide endless entertainment and spark engaging conversations. 

Our Thoughts:
It's Summertime in Bustletown! 

Everyone is ready for summer in Bustletown! The townsfolk are busy bustling about, going to and fro, having junk sales and meeting friends, attending birthdays at the park, and more!

This is one in a fantastic seasonal board book quartet and is both a look-and-find and a create-a-story with tons of details to keep you busy exploring and conversing about what is going on for hours.

There's so much to do with these books!
They are quite unique with wordless pages filled with people and animals and locations. The very back of the book introduces some of the people and animals within the book and gives you a hint at what they are doing or where they are going so that you can follow them throughout the book. You are free to follow and narrate for any of the characters included and there's plenty of people, places, and little things to notice!

My five year old loves coming back to these books to explore them again and again. Each time, she seems to notice more and more.
I personally love that we can have time-consuming fun with these books but also real-world discussions.  We get to explore the inner workings of a town, the comings and goings of a diverse community, and even how a town can change and expand.
There's no end to the ways you can 'read' books like this!


Check out the rest of this seasonal series:

Spring, Fall, & Winter
 

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That's Good, That's Bad by Joan M. Lexau & Aliki (Children's Picture Book Review)

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

That's Good, That's Bad

Written by Joan M. Lexau
Illustrated by Aliki
Published by Prestel Junior
on March 24, 2020
(First published in 1963)

Genre: Children's, Picture Books
Length: 40 pages
Ages: 3 - 7 years

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Synopsis:
This vintage children's classic about the power of storytelling is filled with eye-catching new reproductions of Aliki's iconic illustrations. 

A boy is sitting on a rock in the jungle when a tiger approaches him. "Run!" says the tiger, "or I will eat you!" But the boy is too tired to run and in order to avoid being eaten, he tells the tiger a story. What follows is a thrilling tale that will captivate young readers just as thoroughly as it captivated the hungry tiger. Kids will enjoy waiting breathlessly for every flip of the page as the boy tells his story involving a rhinoceros and a crocodile. Originally published in 1963 and out of print for many years, this book by award-winning illustrator and author Aliki features fabulous vintage-style illustrations. This new edition preserves the vivid colors of the original book while introducing a new generation of young readers to a skillfully told story-within-a-story with a surprising and satisfying end.


Our Thoughts:

When Boy is approached by a grinning tiger that asks him why he doesn't run, Boy tells him a long and fascinating story about an angry rhino that he had just escaped. With each spin of the tale, the tiger listens raptly and declares, "That's good," and "That's bad!" Tiger discovers just how bad it is when the boy has finished his tale and the angry rhino appears!

This classic children's story, originally published in 1963, has recently been reprinted for young generations to discover and enjoy. It features the original artwork by Aliki in bright and vivid colors with lots of textured background fauna.

Young readers will love the danger of telling a hungry tiger a fascinating story and the tiger's changing facial expressions throughout. The overall lesson of the story within a story will have kids thinking outside the box and ready to use their own quick wit! This children's book shares the true power of stories in a fun and interesting way! 

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All Around Bustletown: Spring by Rotraut Susanne Berner (Children's Picture Book Review)

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All Around Bustletown: Spring
by Rotraut Susanne Berner
Published by Prestel Junior

on November 12, 2019
(first published 2004)

Genre: Children's, Picture Book 
Length: 14 pages 
Ages: 2 - 5 years

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Synopsis:
It's springtime in this charming, busy town and there is a lot going on! A house gets a top-to-bottom spring cleaning and farm fields are being prepared for planting. People are shopping, commuting to work, constructing buildings, and meeting friends. If you look closer, you'll recognize the same characters appear on every page, each with their own story. There's Wilfred the jogger slipping on a banana peel and his friend Erica who comes to help him. Three cheerful nuns shop, chat, and share a snack at the cafe. A stork surveys all the activity from the sky while a mischievous fox scampers through the streets. In the tradition of Richard Scarry and Where's Waldo, this book encourages kids to return again and again to each spread, following along with the characters and inventing their own stories. They'll recognize parts of their own world, while also learning about the endless ways we live, work, and play in the spring.

Our Thoughts:

Spring has come to Bustletown and all of its inhabitants are eager to be outside! It's no wonder with all the beauty of blooming trees and fields of flowers. Some stroll, some run, some have a destination, and others enjoy the day and wander. From rural farmlands to the bustling town center, you can follow the many characters through the pages of this book and see all that is going on in Bustletown!

The All Around Bustletown quartet is a unique look-and-tell board book series that spans from season to season in one bustling little fictional town. These illustrated books are wordless but the back of the book prompts you to meet some of the people within the book and tells you what they are doing so you can follow their story throughout Bustletown! 

These books are quite unique, being a mixture of a look-and-find and a chance to create your own story kind of book depending on who you choose to focus on and follow throughout the pages. Both human and animal characters can be found with their own stories, sometimes crossing paths with the other characters. There's no end to the fun you can have with these books!

The illustration style is tons of fun with plenty of detail on each page to get lost in even if you aren't searching for or following the characters. There are cutaway buildings that give us a peek into all the inner workings of the homes and businesses, which reminds me of the old Richard Scarry books so much. There's also a lot of depth to each page, with plenty of characters and buildings in the forefront but if you look beyond, you will see a whole world progressing around this quaint little town!

This cute and original series will keep you and your children busy for hours. They are the kind of books that you can come back to time and time again and still find new little details to amaze and interest. This is a great introduction to the world around us, how it works, and the types of people in it as well! Even better, you can learn about the people of Bustletown throughout the four different seasons! 

Be sure to check out the entire series!

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All Around Bustletown: Winter by Rotraut Susanne Berner (Picture Book Review)

We received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

All Around Bustletown: Winter
by Rotraut Susanne Berner
Published by Prestel Junior
on September 3, 2019
Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Board Book
Length: 14 pages
Ages: 2 - 5 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | 
BookDepository

Synopsis:
Welcome to Bustletown! There's so much to see. So many places to go to. Explore the market square. Stop by the train station. Skate on the pond. Even in winter, people and animals go about their busy lives: Anne misses the bus again, Lena's parrot goes on a little trip, and someone lost their red wallet...

Our Thoughts:

Just one in a seasonal quartet, All Around Bustletown: Winter takes us on a journey throughout a cozy little town in winter, showing us a snowy day that turns the town white and all the people bustling about on their daily errands! 

All around Bustletown is a unique extra-large board book without words (except on signs around town) that can be both a story you create yourself with endless possibilities or a look-and-find! Or both! 

The very back of the book shows several characters that are featured in the illustrated pages (as shown in this photo), stating their names and what they are doing, which helps prompt you to search for and follow them throughout the pages. You can easily make up and/or continue stories for the many characters shown throughout the book.

There is no end to the detail in these illustrated pages! You can spend a great amount of time absorbed in each page looking at everything there is to see or you can move quickly through the book following the characters! 

One thing I love about these kinds of books is that you can 'read' it over and over and almost always find something new. There is so much to notice that you might have previously overlooked!

It's also a great interactive book for those kiddos that want to be part of the story rather than just listen to it! My daughter and I always have a fun time with these kinds of books and I've found that they keep her interest for much longer than a typical storybook so that's a big win from me!

More like this:

Bucketloads of Friends: A Look and Find Book by Mia Cassany & Miguel Bustos

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