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You Are My Pumpkin. Joyce Wan. 2016. Scholastic. 14 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: You are my happy, smiley Pumpkin. My sugary, sweet Candy Corn.

Premise/plot: You Are My Pumpkin is a board book for parents to read to their little ones. Joyce Wan has a handful of board books that are just perfect for this youngest age group. (My personal favorite is You Are My Cupcake. You Are My Cupcake is without a doubt my favorite, favorite, favorite board book of all time.)

My thoughts: I liked this one. It isn't quite as magical as You Are My Cupcake. But it is good. Is it Halloween themed? Maybe. There's mention of candy corn, ghosts, bats, and monsters. But there's also mention of cute little kitties and pumpkins. There's something cozy-sweet about the book not at all scary.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10



© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Hooray for Hat. Brian Won. 2016. HMH. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: When Elephant woke up he was very grumpy. The doorbell rang. Elephant stomped down the stairs. "Go away! I'm Grumpy!"

Premise/plot: Elephant was very, very grumpy until the unwrapping of a present. The gift? A hat. But not just any hat! A super-super-crazy hat that goes a long, long way in lifting one's grumps! This Elephant learns throughout the book. Elephant first visits Zebra--who is GRUMPY--and then Turtle--who is GRUMPY--and then Owl--who is GRUMPY--and then Lion--who is GRUMPY--and then Giraffe....

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. I loved all the crankiness. I loved how the giving--or sharing--of a hat, and, perhaps most importantly the support of friends who understand and relate--can make such a big difference. It was cute and funny. (Not all cute books are funny. Not all funny books are cute.)

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Mustache Baby. Bridget Heos. 2016. HMH. 36 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: When Baby Billy was born, his family noticed something odd: He had a mustache.

Premise/plot: His parents anxiously wait to see if Baby Billy's mustache will turn out to be a "good-guy" mustache or a "bad guy" mustache. Readers see "Baby Billy" through his toddler years. And in fact, while most of the time his mustache is a good-guy mustache, there are SOME days when it is in fact, quite the opposite. "But a funny thing happened. As Billy got bigger...his mustache grew and curled up at the ends."

My favorite scene is probably when he robs a train: "A train robber so heartless that he even stole the tracks." The expression on his face is PRICELESS.

My thoughts: I loved this one. I wished I'd known about it when it first came out in 2013. I don't know how I missed such a great book. It is now available in board book format.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Cityblock. Christopher Franceschelli. 2016. Harry N. Abrams. 96 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Big city, on-the-go city! How will we get around?

Premise/plot: Cityblock is a board book that celebrates New York City. The first part focuses on how to get around. The second part focuses on what to do. The third part focuses on FOOD.

My thoughts: I loved this one. I loved the actual pages: the die-cut format of some of the pages, the way the pages unfold, the bulky size and shape of it. The text itself is great because of the rhythm and rhyme nature of it. The illustrations are bright and colorful. Dare I say it's a board book that goes beyond its 'toddler and preschooler' audience?!

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews