A Troop of Kangaroos: A Book of Animal Group Names by Lis Mundorff

A Troop of Kangaroos is a collective noun/animal group name books for the youngest readers and listeners. It features nine animals with six bonus animals at the end of the book. 

Thoughts: I've always been a fan of animal group names or collective nouns. To borrow a phrase from Anne Shirley, there's so much "scope for imagination" in collective nouns both for writing and drawing. I love that A Troop of Kangaroos is for the younger kids. The illustrations are colorful and detailed. There's so much to look at on the two-page spreads throughout the books. An easy writing and/or art activity would be to ask the kids to write a story or draw a picture of one of the bonus animal group names (hummingbirds, giraffes, wombats, narwhals, coyotes, and raccoons). The kids could also seek out other animal group names and write/draw about one that strikes their fancy. I highlighted collective nouns/animal group names during my summer program because the topic fit in so well with the CSLP theme of "Tails and Tales." You could pair A Troop of Kangaroos with An Ambush of Tigers: A Wild Gathering of Collective Nouns by Betsy R. Rosenthal, A Curious Menagerie by Carin Berger, or A Tower of Giraffes: Animals in Groups by Anna Wright for a fun lesson on animal group names. 

Themes: Animals, Collective Nouns, Elementary 

(Feiwel and Friends, 2021.)

Maybe... by Chris Haughton

Three little monkeys alone in a tree. The big monkey warned them not to go to the mango tree. There are tigers down there. But maybe...

Thoughts: Who know one little word could lead to such trouble? I know my storytime kids will enjoy looking for the tiger on all the pages. The illustrations are full color and saturated with bold, bright colors. I love the monkeys' faces and how the tigers are depicted. I'm getting definite Peter Rabbit vibes from the storyline. Pair Maybe... with Oh, No! by Candace Fleming and Fear the Bunny by Richard T. Morris. 

Themes: Monkeys, Jungle, Fruit 

 (Candlewick, 2021.) 

See the Dog: Three Stories About a Cat by David LaRochelle

Remember Dog from See the Cat: Three Stories about a Dog? Well, he's finally getting his own book. Wait a minute! That's a cat not a dog. Oh, I see. Cat's filling in for Dog. Sadly, the story was written for a dog not a cat. Will Cat survive all these doggish activities? 

Thoughts: Too funny! It was a joy to read the sequel to See the Cat. The text is short enough so I can use the book in storytime, but I'm also looking forward to sharing this See the Dog with first and second graders. The illustrations are bright and colorful. I like that several two-page spread illustrations are included to emphasize parts of the story. This is book two of a planned three book series. I can't wait to see what happens next. 

The author's website has a writing activity and a mixup activity to go along with the book. 

Themes: Dogs, Cats, Humorous Books, Elementary 

 (Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. Candlewick Press, 2021.)

Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover) by Helen Yoon

Wolf has a plan. He'll disguise himself as a sheep and once the sheep believe he's a sheep--dinnertime! But, wait. What if in the process of pretending to be a sheep, Wolf grows fond of the sheep? Will he still eat them? 

Thoughts: Too funny! I like how Wolf's plan ultimately backfires and he gains something more than dinner. The mixed media illustrations are colorful and engaging. I love both Wolf's and the sheep's facial expressions. This will be a fun book to use during storytime. Pair with Brenda Is a Sheep by Morag Hood and Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman. 

Themes: Wolves, Sheep, Disguises

(Candlewick, 2021.)

Norman Didn't Do It! (Yes, He Did.) by Ryan T. Higgins

Norman the Porcupine has a best friend. His best friend is Mildred the Tree. Things are great until one day another tree starts growing near Mildred. What's a porcupine to do? He has to save his friendship with Mildred. Hilarity ensues as Norman reflects on what friendship is. 

Thoughts: Ryan T. Higgins never disappoints! This book is funny and thoughtful. It made me think just like Norman does about what friendship is and what it means to be a friend. I enjoyed the combination of text/narration and speech bubbles. The illustrations are colorful and detailed. I think Norman Didn't Do It would pair well with Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller. 

Themes: Porcupines, Trees, Forest Animals, Friendship 

 (Disney Hyperion, 2021.)

The Bruce Swap by Ryan T. Higgins

Through a mix-up with the mail, neither Bruce, the geese, or the mice know that Bruce's fun cousin Kevin is coming for a visit. The geese and mice also don't know that Bruce has gone fishing. The geese and mice are always wishing Bruce were more fun. That is, at least, until they spend the day with Kevin thinking he's Bruce. 

Thoughts: The Bruce books are some of my favorites. The Bruce Swap was great. All the characters are their usual selves with the exception of Kevin who is a brand new character. It's fun seeing how the geese and mice react to Kevin AKA Smiling, Fun Bruce. I love sharing the Bruce books with first and second graders when I visit the local schools. They are also fun for storytime. 

Themes: Bears, Bruce, Forest

Find activity sheets from the publisher here! 

Don't miss the other Bruce Books! 

• Mother Bruce
• Hotel Bruce 
• Be Quiet! 
• Bruce's Big Move 
• Santa Bruce 
• 1 Grumpy Bruce 
• Bruce's Big Fun Day
• Bruce's Big Storm 
• Peek-a-Bruce
• Spring Stinks
• Thanks for Nothing! 

 (Disney Hyperion, 2021.)

Snakes in Space by Kathryn Dennis

The snakes are off on a new adventure. This time they're taking a rocket into space. 

Thoughts: Simple text along with bright, colorful illustrations make Snakes in Space a great book to share with toddlers and preschoolers both one-on-one or in a storytime setting. Using two popular topics, snakes and outer space, make this book even more appealing to children. 

Themes: Snakes, Outer Space 

Don't miss the other books! 

Snakes on a Train

Snakes on the Job

Get an activity kit for Snakes on a Train for the publisher here. 

(Feiwel and Friends, 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.)

A Day So Gray by Marie Lamba

Two friends out for a walk on a wintry day disagree about the colors that surround them. Is gray just gray? 

Thoughts: Such a fun book that explores the many colors of winter. I love the optimistic friend's descriptions of the colors and the pessimistic friend's disgruntled responses. The illustrations are bright and colorful. My favorite is the cover illustration. Pair with Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman, Cozy by Jan Brett, Bear is Awake! by Hannah E. Harrison, Winter is Here by Kevin Henkes, and "Menu for a Gray Day" from The Popcorn Astronauts and Other Biteable Rhymes by Deborah Ruddell. 

Download a Winter Scavenger Hunt for the Family here. 

Themes: Winter, Colors, Friendship

(Illustrated by Alea Marley. Clarion Books, 2019.)