Archive for Board book

Stanley’s Colors

Written and Illustrated by William Bee

Stanley continues his adventures by exploring the world of color. Again, Stanley’s latest exploits are meant mostly for younger children, but the concepts are can also important for children old enough to read the simple text on their own. The theme centers around modes of transportation this time. Each two-page spread highlights one color and where it might appear in the real world. Stanley fixes his red car. He delivers flowers in an orange truck. He rides on his yellow motorcycle. Stanley and Little Woo ride in a green airplane. Stanley fishes from a blue motorboat. His choo choo train is purple. Their hot air balloon is pink. His earth-flattening steamroller is brown. The last very colorful spread combines all the colors, encouraging the reader to explore for colors and combinations. The simple illustrations help make it easier to look for the colors.
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  • Stanleys ColorsTitle: Stanley’s Color
  • Author/Illustrator: William Bee
  • Publisher: Peachtree Publishers, September 1, 2016
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Board Book, 20 pages
  • Grade Level: PreK to 1
  • Genre: Basic concepts
  • ISBN: 978-1-56145-948-3

Stanley’s Shapes

Written and Illustrated by William Bee

Stanley has been many places and done many jobs, but now he’s getting down to the nitty gritty. Although Stanley’s exploration of shapes is wonderful for younger children, he can also reinforce concepts for children old enough to read the simple text on their own. Each two-page spread highlights one shape and shows how it’s represented in the real world. Stanley and Little Woo’s suitcases are rectangles. Their tent is a triangle. Hattie’s window is a square. Bicycle wheels are circles. Kites are diamonds. Watermelons are ovals. A starfish is shaped like a star. Cars on a ride are semicircles. The last spread encourages the reader to find the jumbled shapes, which could easily extend to finding those shapes in the world around the reader. Bee’s simple illustrations provide a great and non-distracting backdrop to the idea of exploring simple shapes.

Order on Amazon

  • Stanleys ShapesTitle: Stanley’s Shapes
  • Author/Illustrator: William Bee
  • Publisher: Peachtree Publishers, September 1, 2016
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Board Book, 20 pages
  • Grade Level: PreK to 1
  • Genre: Basic concepts
  • ISBN: 978-1-56145-949-0

In the Wind

Written by Elizabeth Spurr
Illustrated by Manelle Oliphant

This is the first in a series for youngsters about the weather. The first thing kids think of related to wind is a kite and the fun they can have. In soft water colors, the reader sees a typical middle class neighborhood on a beautiful day. A little girl, along with her dog and mom, set out on a windy, sunny day for the park. We see her tie on the string and the tail as she begins to fly the kite. The trees show a stiff wind in the park. The kite swoops and loops until it catches in a tree, which horrifies the girl. She gets the kite loose, but the kite breaks free and the wind dies unexpectedly. The girl is obviously disappointed. The girl finds the kite again near home, and, with her mother’s help, she gets it down. But the wind will be back some day. Oliphant’s illustrations help the story along at every turn.

Kindergartners and first graders can practice their literacy skills through independent reading. This is also a fun read aloud for even younger kids.

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  • In the WindTitle: In the Wind
  • Author: Elizabeth Spurr
  • Illustrator: Manelle Oliphant
  • Published: Peachtree Publishers, 2016
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 22 pages
  • Grade Level: PreK to 2
  • Genre: Board book, Weather
  • ISBN: 978-1-56143-854-7