The Wide-Mouthed Frog

Keith Faulkner (19965), 16 pages

Illustrated by Jonathan Lambert

Audience: toddlers, pre-K

Format: picture book

Follow along as a curious wide-mouthed frog asks what others eat while he enjoys his meal of choice -flies. Crunchy seeds, juicy berries, and slugs may suit others … but what do you suppose big green alligators eat? Well, they eat wide-mouthed frogs of course! Gulp, can do you guess what happens next?

This age-old tale is a child’s favorite and this particular edition has been produced as a pop-up book –making it a perfect choice for story-time! Children love both the hilarious narrative and the striking illustrations. What I like most is that this book features dynamic three-dimensional characters (the pop-outs are viewed vertically making the book easy to hold and ideal for sharing in a group … genius). Illustrator Jonathon Lambert has created a feast for the eyes, the colors are vibrant and the images sit against a nice amount of white space – so they are easy to see and work especially well with larger story-time groups. The final fold out makes quite an impression – making this book seem almost more like a performance.

Faulkner and Lambert team up again with a number of other publications including The Giraffe Who Cock-a-doodle-doo’d. Try this title too - you should have lots of fun reading and laughing out loud or pair The Wide-Mouthed Frog with a simple fingerplay and felt board of “Five Speckled Frogs”

Five green and speckled frogs sat on a hollow log,

Eating some most delicious bugs ... yum, yum! (rub belly)

One frog jumped in the pool where it was nice and cool,

Then there were four green and speckled frogs.

Continue with four, three, two, and one green and speckled frogs.

Reviewed by: Katharine Conn, MLIS

If you liked this book, you may like: The Giraffe Who Cock-a-doodle-doo’d by Keith Kaulkner, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, Hungry Monsters: A Pop-Up Book of Colors or I’m going to Eat You, A Spooky Pop-up Book by Matt Mitter

Other books by this author: Big Bugs, The long-nosed pig: A pop-up book, Where’s my Quack? A book of animal sounds, The Puzzled Penguin, The Monster Who Loved Books, The Big Yawn, and Tap! Tap! Tap!

Other books by this illustrator: Dotty the Ladybug Plays Hide-and-seek, Snuffle and the Egg, Hoppy the Cricket Jumps High and Low, and Phewee!

Beautiful Oops!

Barney Saltzberg (2010), 28 pages

Audience: all ages

Format: board book

Can you take a crumbled piece of paper and make it into a sheep’s coat? Can you turn a scrap piece of paper into something interesting? Why, yes you can! This book reminds everyone that mistakes are okay. In fact, making mistakes is a part of life – so why not celebrate them! Author and illustrator, Saltzberg delivers this message in a very creative and innovative way. Using a series of flaps, pop ups, and die cuts he produced a fun, interactive, and imaginative book that people (at any age) will appreciate. With some ingenuity, “Oops! A torn piece of paper” becomes a wide-smiling crocodile or watch as a little paint spill morphs into … a collection of purple puppies, a family of birds, even an elephant. Satlzberg proves that no matter the mistake, whether torn paper, a drip of paint, a stain, a hole, etc … it’s just a chance to make something unique and interesting. This board book is constructed well with durable, glossy pages … so that even young children can enjoy moving the pages and gain motor skills. Each interactive element is surprising and delightful for more details check out the publisher’s promotional video. It may just inspire you to get crafty and go make some mistakes of your own! With it’s movable parts, bright colors, and creative design-this book is both fun and functional and the authors message is timeless … mistakes provide an opportunity to be creative and imaginative and more importantly they are an opportunity to create something new … something beautiful!

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman, or The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Other books by this author: Kisses, Peekaboo Kisses, Crazy Hair Day, Star of the Week, Baby Animal Kisses, The Flying Garbanzos, and Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed?

Where’s Spot? The Original Lift-the-Flap Book

Eric Hill (1980), 24 pages

Audience: toddlers

Format: board book

A popular book for over thirty years … this book has become one of the classic mainstays of a child’s library. Hill combines large text, bright illustrations, and picture flaps making this story very interactive and engaging –an appealing storybook for pre-readers! As the title suggests Spot (the puppy) has gone missing. Children are encouraged to find Spot in a variety of locations (in the piano, under the stairs, under the bed, etc) by lifting up embedded picture flaps. This exploratory motion is great for kids as it helps keep them engaged in the story and follow along as the adult reads. This book is especially useful for toddlers who are developing motor skills; parents should welcome their child’s participation and ask them to lift the flaps. Hill has created an entire Spot series, which follows the pup through several adventures – examples include Spot Goes to the Farm or Spot’s First Easter. This original book is a great one to start with and one that young children will enjoy!

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Tails by Matthew Van Fleet, Peek-a-Moo! or Peek-a-Boooo! by Marie Torres Cimarusti

Other books by this author: Spot Goes to the Farm, Spot’s First Easter, Spot Loves His Daddy, Spot Loves His Mommy, Spot Goes to the Beach, Who’s There, Spot?

Peek-a-Who?

Nina Laden (2000), 10 pages

Audience: babies

Format: board book

Looking for a book to entertain your infant? Look no further. With bold graphic illustrations, creative cutouts, and rhythmic rhyme Laden's take on the classic peek-a-boo board book is the perfect read! Entertaining for both baby and adult; the short, quick rhymes are great for reading aloud, especially fun is the last line where the author writes …Peek-a-Who? … Peek-a-You ... appropriately ending with a foil mirror on the final page for the baby to look at! Published as a sturdy board book means it should hold up to the wear and tear of little hands. For additional reading, pair with In My Nest by Sara Gillingham or Owl Babies by Martin Waddell. Or try incorporating some games ... babies love playing the classic game of Peek-a-boo; play a round after reading to start teaching your baby basic motor skills.

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: In My Nest by Sara Gillingham

Other books by this author: Button Noses, Who Loves You Baby? and Ready, Set, Go!

What Rhymes with Eel? A word-picture flap book

Harriet Ziefert (1996), 16 pages

Illustrated by Rick Brown

Audience: babies, toddlers

Format: picture book

Children and parents will love this interactive picture book! By removing one letter in the word and replacing it –new words are formed. For instance, remove the “C” in Carrot and replace with “P” … what do you get? Parrot; a perfect tool to teach phonemic-isolation and segmentation plus the rhymes are easy to sound out, allowing children to hear the blending between the sounds.

Use this book in addition to ReadWriteThinks' Construct-A-Word game to boost phonemic awareness; for instance, participants can try finding all the "ig" or "an" words. Parents and educators can practice this technique on their own (just remember to speak slowly and elongate sounds) by asking kids what certain sounds words make, such as b/at (bat), l/ate (late), or s/and (sand), a great way to learn onset rhymes!

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Dear Zoo: A Lift the Flap Book by Rod Campbell

Other books by this author: Who said Moo? Lift the Flap Book and Where is My Friend? A Hide and Peek Book