Flora and Friends ABC by Molly Idle

An alphabet of birds. Old friends and new. A few surprises. 

Thoughts: Such a delightful and sursprising alphabet book. I love the unexpected foldout pages and the use of letters together. Flora and Friends ABC will be a lovely addition to a bird themed storytime. I might even try an ABC bird activity with the kids and see what birds they come up with. Pair with Bring on the Birds by Susan Stockdale, Plume by Isabelle Simler, Today at the Bluebird Cafe: A Branchful of Birds by Deborah Ruddell, Beautiful Birds by Jean Roussen, or Bird Show by Susan Stockdale. 

Don't miss the other Flora books! 

• Flora and the Flamingo 
• Flora and the Penguin 
• Flora and the Peacocks
• Flora and the Ostrich 
• Flora and the Chicks 
• Flora and Friends Colors

Themes: Alphabet, Birds 

(Chronicle Books, 2023.)

Odd Birds: Meet Nature's Weirdest Flock by Laura Gehl

Look inside for the oddest birds you'll ever encounter! 

Thoughts: Gorgeous, vibrant illustrations paired with simple text make this larger board book perfect for sharing in storytime. Here are the birds: Magnificent Frigatebird, Blue-Footed Booby, Shoebill Stork, Ostrich, Hoatzin, Oilbird, California Condor, and Burrowing Owl. My favorite illustrations are  the Oilbird and the Burrowing Owl. I love the additional facts included at the end of the books. 

Pair with Bring on the Birds by Susan Stockdale, Beautiful Birds by Jean Roussen, and Bird Show by Susan Stockdale. 

Themes: Birds 

(Illustrated by Gareth Lucas. Abrams Appleseed, 2022.)

Jungle Night by Sandra Boynton

It's nighttime in the jungle and all the animals are sleeping. Can you hear them? 

Thoughts: I love books that feature animals sounds. I think these animal sleeping sounds are unique. I know kids will love hearing the sounds and trying to imitate them. Pair with Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss and I'm a Frog! by Mo Willems. 

Download narration by Keith Boynton and a soundtrack featuring Yo-Yo Ma here. 

Themes: Night, Jungle, Animal Sounds 

(Workman Publishing, 2020.)

Woodland Dance! by Sandra Boynton

The moon comes up and the woodland animals come out to dance. 

Thoughts: Woodland Dance is great read-aloud. The illustrations are colorful and the animals depicted are endearing. I love the cadence of the words when read aloud. This could be a new classic. As always I'd love if Sandra Boynton's board books were slightly larger to make them easier to see when I use them in storytime. 

Themes: Forest Animals, Dance, Night 

(Workman Publishing, 2021.)

The Crayons' Board Books

All written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. 

The Crayons' Book of Numbers (Grosset & Dunlap, 2016.)

Counting with the Crayons! Features Purple, Green, Yellow, Orange, Beige, Pink, Blue, Red, Black, and Gray. Readers can count and identify colors in this board book. There's also many opportunities for creativity. Why not color a crocodile like Green Crayon? 

The Crayons' Book of Colors (Grosset & Dunlap, 2016.)

Can you name the Crayons' colors and what you might color with them? Features Red, Purple, Beige, Gray, White, Black, Green, Yellow, Orange, Blue, Pink, and Peach. Again there are opportunities for creativity within the book. Let's color use Pink Crayon to color a monster! 

The Crayons' Book of Feelings (Grosset & Dunlap, 2021.)

Explore feelings with the Crayons! Features the following feelings: Happy, Sad, Excited, Invisible, Scared, Grumpy, Brave, and Curious. Features Orange, Beige, Brown, White, Gray, Purple, Pea Green, and Peach. A great book for introducing feelings or emotions to the youngest children. 

Rainbows in Bloom: Discovering Colors with Flowers by Taylor Darroch Putnam & Michael Putman

Learn about colors through beautiful photographs of flowers. Seek and find items on every page. Once you know your colors, learn some flower names, too. 

Thoughts: Color books for the youngest children are nothing new. Colors are one of the concepts toddlers and preschoolers learn. Rainbows in Bloom is something new. Visually stunning with beautiful photographs of colorful flowers. The text invites readers to explore the flower collages on the foldout pages. I love the inclusion of the flower names throughout the book. The age group this book is aimed at (2-5) is notoriously inquisitive. I'm sure there are kids that the answer "It's a flower." won't satisfy their curiosity. This is a larger board book with foldout pages so I think I could easily use it for storytime especially if my group is small. Rainbows in Bloom will also be great for one-on-one sharing.

Themes: Colors, Flowers, Spring 

(Review copy provided by publisher. Phaidon, 2021.)

Mr. Lion's New Hair! by Britta Teckentrup

 

Mr. Lion has twigs and leaves in his mane. His friend Monkey wants to give him a new hairdo. What will suit Mr. Lion best? 

Thoughts: Hilarious! I can't wait to use this board book in storytime. I'm glad it's slightly larger than the average board book size. The cutout is a simple concept but so effective. The illustrations are colorful and effective. I love all the different hairstyles and Monkey's expressions. 

Themes: Lions, Jungle Animals, Hair

(Twirl, 2021.)

Peek-A-Mood by Giuliano Ferri

Play peek-a-boo with monkeys in this book to discover what their faces look like when they're feeling different emotions. 

Thoughts: I have a toddler nephew and he often struggles to accurately express his emotions. I can't wait to share this book with him. Peek-A-Mood engages readers on multiple levels. The charming illustrations that are soft-colored, expressive, and realistic. I firmly believe everyone (adults included) enjoy lift the flap books. The mirror on the last page adds an interactive element to the story. This will be a nice addition to an emotions storytime. 

Themes: Emotions, Monkeys, Interactive

(Review copy provided by the publisher. Mine Edition, 2020.)