Opposites Book Review

Opposites
Written by Xavier Deneux
Published by Chronicle Books, 2013
ISBN:978-1-4521-1725-6

The entire book is full of sets of opposites like outside and inside, small and big, and full and empty.

I loved this book! The colors were great, and there were even some touchable parts for little kids. This book was actually written in french in 2012, but was translated into english in 2013. This being said, there is one part at the end that the opposite of "one" is "lots." I probably would have used the word "many" but it could also be an issue of translation and that is why it seems off. The only other comment I have on this book is that the words are a little small. I would have preferred them to be bigger to make them easier to see.

I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars! Definitely one to keep in the classroom.

Bedtime for Chickies Review

Bedtime for Chickies

Written by Janee Trasler
Published by Harper Festival, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-06-227468-7

This book is about three little chicks who are avoiding bed time! They have plenty of excuses for why they cannot go to sleep yet, including being thirsty, needing a story, and even having to go potty.

This is a very cute, age appropriate book. On the back of the book it even gives a targeted age group (newborn-4). It is very short, and only has a few words on each page. It has a nice rhyme scheme as well. The illustrations are colorful and bright, just enough to keep the attention of a toddler. It is a good. book to read to a child right before they go to bed.

I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars! Definitely one I would suggest for parents and teachers. 

Big Red Barn Review

Big Red Barn

Written by Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrated by Felicia Bond
Published by Harper Festival, 1995
ISBN: 0-694-00624-6

Growing up, I always assumed all children's books were simple. I assumed there was no such thing as a "good board book" and a "bad board book" but after going through education classes I have realized that certain books are better than others when it comes to being developmentally appropriate for children. Big Red Barn, I do not think is developmentally appropriate for the age group it is targeting. Board books are for young children, like infants and toddlers. They are board books because they need to be sturdy for that age group! Infants and toddlers love to put things in their mouths and can be destructive at times. These board books should be short and colorful to keep the attention of these children.

Big Red Barn is about all the animals at a farm. This book goes over the whole day from morning to dusk to dark. The book includes the sounds the animals make and the colors of all the animals as well.

There are many positive things about the book including the illustrations, the use of animal sounds, and the descriptive words Brown uses. The problem with the book is that it is a little long and uses vocabulary that is way above the age level. Some of these words include, "bantam, clutch, and lowed."

I would give this book 2 out of 5 stars because there are some positive aspects in the book but at the same time, it is not the age appropriate for an infant or toddler.