Day 157: Alphabet (and other fun books by Matthew Van Fleet)

We recently discovered Matthew Van Fleet's fabulous series of interactive books at my good friend Katie's house and my kids couldn't get enough of them.  Fortunately, our local library has several of his titles, so we decided to bring Alphabet home with us last week.  Believe me when I tell you that this book is full of flap-lifting, texture-feeling, scratch-n-sniffing, tab-pulling fun!  In fact, I can't even keep the book near me while I write this because my son keeps wanting to read it and explore each page!  Alphabet brings us from A to Z with an array of creatures and plants along the way, including several species that were completely new to us (such as uacaris, xenops, and zorillas. My son just came flapping over to me pretending to be an Io moth.  I love it!)  The back of the book features a list of extras to go back and find once you're done, as well, including 3 other creatures and one plant that begin with each letter of the alphabet.  The playful rhymes make it fun to read -- "Striped iguanas climb, spotted jaguars pounce.  Playful baby kangaroos -- bounce, bounce, bounce!" -- but most of all, kids will love all of the tactile components of the book.  My son's favorite is the sticky octopus.  The book is rather sturdy, but with so many flaps to lift and tabs to pull, you should probably expect to have to mend it from time to time.  Don't let that deter you from getting it, though.  The amount of fun your child will have with this book makes it too great to pass up.  I also love that Alphabet comes with an amazing fold-out lift-the-flaps poster (seen above) that my children absolutely love!  As with some of our other favorite books, this is one that grows along with your child and is appealing to a wide age range.  Babies will love feeling all of the fluffy tails, fuzzy coats, and bumpy scales, and older children will love learning about and looking for all of the animals and plants.  I can't wait to get this book someday, as it really is a must-have for our collection.  Be sure to check out some of Van Fleet's other titles, too, which are equally fun and fabulous:  Heads, Tails, Dog, and Cat, to name a few.  We hope you love them as much as we do!

Day 139: Press Here

I've heard a lot of great things about this book, but it has been out of the library every time we have gone recently so I never had a chance to read it.  This past week, we got a surprise package in the mail from my incredibly generous brother-in-law (who loves getting my kids new books -- lucky us!), with three fabulous new stories inside.  One of them was the newest Elephant and Piggie book, Listen to My Trumpet (which, like all Mo Willems books, in my opinion, is worth a read) but Press Here was in there, too!  We were so excited!  The package came just as I was leaving to pick my son up at preschool, but he read Listen to My Trumpet in the car on the way home and Press Here as soon as we got inside.  It was love at first read!  Press Here is absolutely brilliant, a playfully interactive delight of a book that is perfect for children of all ages.  As you open it up to the first page, you see nothing but a lone yellow dot in the middle of the page with the words, "Ready?"  Turn the page and the same yellow dot is there:  "Press here and turn the page." The pages that follow contain a variety of simple instructions that get kids pressing, shaking, tapping, turning, and tilting the pages while the dots change color and size and dance around the page.  Its playful, engaging, interactive nature is reminiscent of some of our other favorite books, The Monster at the End of This Book or Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!  This book is a little different, though, in that it's not the narration that invites the reader into the story but the simple directions along the way.  It's kind of like an app in book form, as ironic as that sounds.  Every time we have read this fabulously fun story, both of my children crowd around the book to press the dots, shake the pages, and giggle along as we go.  It is SO much fun!  I also love the way the book is constructed, with a thick cardboard cover and sturdy, glossy pages that are clearly designed for lots of handling and enthusiastic turning.  If you ever see this book at your library, snatch up it quickly and read it as soon as possible.  This is one book you'll soon want to have in your home library collection.  Thinking of what to get your little Valentine?  Press Here makes a great gift.  My children and I can certainly attest to that.