Savannah's Summer Reading List -- Week 2 -- A Doodle Book and Board Book from Candlewick Press Books (Review)

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books by the publisher in order to write up an honest review.  The views shared are mine and mine alone.

 

 Buy now for only $6.29 from Amazon.

• Board book: 16 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; Brdbk Rep edition (April 9, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763659312
• ISBN-13: 978-0763659318
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches 

Synopsis:

"Introduce babies to the animal residents of a farm in a bright, graphic, nearly wordless board book that will grab their attention as it fosters developing visual skills. Each right-hand page features a simple white shape of a pig, sheep, dog, horse, goose, or cow against a vivid background, while the facing page features the same shape in a charming, folk-art-style pattern. "

My Thoughts:

Already proud owners of James Brown's other two books, "Ocean" and "Zoo," I couldn't wait to share his recent release "Farm" with my daughters.  Like the title suggests, this book introduces young children to all the different types of animals one would find on a farm.  From a pig, to a horse, and and even a dog, little ones will sit on the edge of their seat eagerly waiting for you to turn the page to see which animal is next.

What my girls loved most about this book is how each animal illustrated is raised on one page, so that they can rub the page and feel the outline of the animal.  And, on the opposite page, illustrated in bold colors, the animals appears like a kaleidoscope image, filling up the entire.  Savannah loved helping me count the number of each animal as we filled through the pages of this book. 

While there is not much of a story here, as the pages only have 1 word -- the type of animal -- on a page, parents can use this board book to introduce colors, numbers animals and so much more.  The first time I shared this book with the girls, I asked then what sound each animal made.  I couldn't believe how many sounds Savannah knew.  And, the ones she didn't, I taught her, and now she knows.  And, when this book is pulled from the shelf, the girls can either sit and enjoy flipping through the pages themselves and marveling at the different colorful farm animals, or snuggle up next to me, as we count, name colors and even made the different animals sounds.  This is definitely one of my favorite board books to share with them, as it can be used in a variety of ways to teach new things. :-)

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Buy now from Amazon for only $8.09.

• Age Range: 3 - 7 years
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (April 9, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763664901
• ISBN-13: 978-0763664909
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 0.4 x 11.4 inches

Synopsis:

"Can you help Maisy put spots on a leopard or stripes on a zebra? What patterns would you like to make inside the first letter of your name? Wouldn’t it be fun to finish a picture of an octupus, starting with just its head? What do you imagine Maisy sees in the ocean, and what if you finished the picture for her? There’re hours of fun -- and activities for everyone -- in this hands-on Maisy doodle-fest!

Creative Maisy fans, it’s time to make your mark! Take your crayons on a doodling adventure in this irresistible Maisy activity book created by Lucy Cousins!"

My Thoughts:

Let me start by saying that this doodle book has been a lifesaver on so many occasions.  From needy a fun, entertaining rainy day activity, to keeping the girls occupied when they have been sick and laid up on the coach, to even dining out at a restaurant and needing an activity to do to keep the girls busy while they wait for their food, this doodle book, along with bag of crayons, will provide hours of enjoyment for children of all ages. 

While the age recommendation for this book is ages 3-7 yrs. old, I can say that my 10 and 12 year old niece and nephew had a blast doodling and showing off their creative sides recently when they came to visit and saw Savannah and Arabella doodling with Maisy. :-)  I can't tell you how many "Maisy" books we own, from storybooks to sticker and pop up books, they are all so entertaining, and read time and again in our house.  But, this is the first time I saw a doodle book.  I am so glad I was able to receive a review copy, as I would have never imagined how much use it would get from my girls, including my 18 month old daughter, Arabella.

This doodle book is filled with many interactive activities -- from pointing out the letters in your name, to simply drawing whiskers on a rabbit, children will love completing each task only to see what is on the next page.  The pages of this doodle book are bright and colorful, which seems to keep my girls' attention.  And, the instructions are simply, with only one sentence, like "Put spots on these things..."  The simple instructions come in handy when you have young toddlers who don't have the patience to wait for Mommy or Daddy to read lengthy directions on what to do.  

Even though this book asks doodlers to do different things, doesn't mean that your children can divert and do what they want.  Savannah loves coloring in the different animals and objects that don't have color.  She even gave an octopus curly hair like her Daddy.  Silly girl! :-)  I could go on and on about the different doodling activities that fill the pages of this recent release, but I would suggest you pick up a copy for yourself, to share with your little one.  You, too, will be thanking yourself, once you see the use your children get out of it.  While my kid's don't doodle in the car, I can see this doodle book coming in handy for long summer car rides, to keep the "Are we there yet?" to a minimum. :-)

To learn more about these and other wonderful children's (includes ones for tweens and teens), head on over to the Candlewick Press website to browse their selection -- http://www.candlewick.com/.  We have never been disappointed with the titles I have received from Candlewick Press, and continue to purchase their titles time and again, as have my family and friends. :-)

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books by the publisher in order to write up an honest review.  The views shared are mine and mine alone.