Kid book review: Manny's Toolbox

Manny's Toolbox is a Disney book that comes with 7 small tool-shaped books that fit into the pages.

My husband gave home with this gem that he found in a local store for cheap. Handy Manny is a huge hit in our house, with both my son, and his parents.

The pages are foam, covered in cardboard. Each page features one of Manny's 7 tools. The tool itself is a small book that pops out of the page. It tells a little about that tool.

As soon as my son opened the book, he started saying "Anny Manny" over and over. Then popped out each book and piled them up. I can see this book getting lots of use here.

The idea for the book is very creative, and it is well executed. We will see how long the small tool books last, but for now, this is a great book. My only complaint is that when you pop the tools out, there is just a blank white spot. If there was a picture of the tool, then it won't be such a big deal when the little books are lost or destroyed. Without them, the main book is rather blank.

Rating: 5/5
Source: Bought for our son

Kid book review: Animal Babies Peek a Boo!

Animal Babies Peek a Boo! by Tim Bugbird is the second book in the Peek A Boo! series that we've read. This version was a definite hit.

My son is rapidly learning what sounds animals make, and their names. He can easily identify most of the animals in this book. When we find the kitten, he meows. When we find the puppy, he woofs. When we find the ducklings, he points to each one and says duck.

This is a lift-the-flap book, with some textures. Like the first one we read, I find the full page sized flaps too big, but they fit the book. The textured bits are too small, but they work.

Overall, this is a good book that could be better, but it's still a success in my house.

Rating: 4/5
Source: Local library

Kid book review: Lost and Found

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers is the first book my son has ever picked out himself from the library. It is a cute story about a boy who finds a lost penguin, and tries to return him to the South Pole.

My son has only let me read him the whole story once. He usually interrupts me to flip through the pictures faster than I can read. He loves the little penguin, and occasionally stops flipping to pet him.

The story is very heartwarming. The little boy is trying to do something good for the penguin, and in the end, learns a lesson about friendship.

Rating: 5/5
Source: Local Library

Kid book review: Where is Maisy's Panda?

Where is Maisy's Panda? by Lucy Cousins is the latest Maisy book my son and I have read. Past reviews will show this series is a huge with my son, and this volume is no exception.

In this volume, you are looking for Maisy's stuff animal Panda. You are taken on a voyage through the house to look in all kinds of hiding places. Unfortunately, there are all kinds of other animals hiding out. And Panda is in the last place you'd think to look... or is she?

Like the others in this series, the book is a great size to fit in my son's lap. And the flaps are small and shaped to fit the object you are looking in. My only complaint (my son's really) is that only one door on the cupboard opens. My son gets very frustrated trying to open the other side, where there is no flap.

Rating: 5/5
Source: Local Library

Kid book review: My First Library Sesame Street

My First Library Sesame Street collection is a set of 12 small board books in a handy carrying case. Each book features a Sesame Street character in a simple story.

The case was just as big a hit as the books were. It is a hardy construction with a clear plastic window in the front, and a magnetic closure. The whole edge is magnetic, so when it closes, it stays closed until it is intentionally opened.

The books are small, only 3-inches square. Just right for toddler hands to hold and read on their own.

Apparently, this is just one title in the My First Library set series. I will be sure to keep an eye out for other titles to add to my son's collection. Even if he outgrows the simple stories shortly, the case alone will be a huge hit.

Rating: 5/5
Source: Christmas gift for my son from family

Kid book review: Art for baby

Art for baby: high-contrast images by eleven contemporary artists to explore with your child is a book contained black and white art pictures. There is one per page. Some are literal and easy to identify, while some are more abstract.

Not only could you view the pictures in the book, there was a pocket in the back cover with copies of each picture that could be framed and hung on the wall. This is an interesting idea, and a great way to bring some art into the nursery.

My son was not interested at all. He did seem to like the duck picture, but skipped right past the abstract ones. We looked through it once, and then it migrated to the bottom of the pile.

Kid book review: Perfect pets peek a boo!

Perfect pets peek a boo! by Tim Bugbird is a combination lift-the-flap and textured book.

This is a combination hit and miss. The flaps are full page sized, so it's more like a fold-out page, which I don't enjoy as much. My son won't lift these types of flaps, he prefers me to do it, since it's like flipping the page.

The textured parts are cute, with some on the flaps, and some under the flaps. The bouncy ball was my son's favourite. Squishy if he pushed and squeaky if he scratched. Like fingernails on a chalkboard squeaky. Not a sound I enjoyed.

The story is cute. Each page has a short story about a different animal. There are 4-5 words higlighted and bigger, and one is the name of the animal hiding under the flap. The name is revealed when you see the animal. Cute idea, but my son didn't care for it. Just wanted to play with the textures.

Kid book review: Peter Rabbit, show me your ears

Peter Rabbit, show me your ears by Beatrix Potter is a touch and feel book about body parts. This is my son's favourite book for the week. He really loves this one, especially the page about Tom Kitten's icky sticky paws.

My only complaint is that the touch and feel parts are very small. I wish they were larger. Now I know that a nose is small, so it's hard to make it bigger, but that's still my wish.

There is a cute little 1-2 sentence story with each page, to go along with the pitcure. My son has no interest in the story though, just the textured parts.

Definitely a good addition to any Beatrix Potter collection.

Kid book review: Baby nose to baby toes

Baby nose to baby toes by Vicky Ceelen is an interesting board book that compares baby body parts to animal body parts. The left page shows the baby part, and right shows a corresponding animal body part.

It is pretty amazing how similar some of the comparisons are. Very cute.

I think my son has only looked at the book a few times. I thought it would be a big hit, since he loves pictures of babies, and is really into body parts. But the book has not struck a chord with him.

I still think it's a good book for little kids.

Kid book review: I like fruit

I like fruit by Lorena Siminovich is a texture book that emphasizes colours and fruit. Each page is about a specific colour, and what fruits are that colour. One of the fruits has a textured portion that kids can touch and feel.

This is a cute book with a great topic. My son liked the textured parts, but they are a bit small. It is very colourful and covers most of the well known fruits.

Not a huge success, but still a good book to try out.

Kid Book Review: Hop! Hop! Hop!

Hop! Hop! Hop! by Ann Whitford Paul is a cute little book about a little bunny who is trying to copy everything a big bunny does, but has trouble doing so. I thought the book was adorable with cute bunny characters, and a simple, repetitive storyline.

But my son wasn't interested. Apparently bunnies aren't his thing. But I think lots of youngsters would enjoy the book. I enjoyed reading it to him since there was a storyline, and a message about doing things your way.

Kid Book Review: Where does Maisy live?

Where does Maisy live? by Lucy Cousins is the second Maisy book that we've borrowed from the library. This one is just as big a hit as the first was.

This book has kids looking in various houses for Maisy. The houses include a hen house, a doghouse, and a pigpen.

The pictures are simple and colourful. The flaps are just the right size. Everything about this book is a hit with my son. Will definitely need to get another Maisy book next time.

Kid Book Review: Machines go to work

I'm not sure I can give a good review of Machines go to work by William Low. My son didn't even read through it once.

I don't think it had to do with the book content so much as the fact that it had a plastic cover on it. So he just wanted to play with that. And since I didn't want it pulling at it, it ended up going back to the library unread.

I did flip through it, and noticed that while it is classified as a lift-the-flap, the flaps are actually full-sized pages. It's more like a centrefold on every other page. With real paper pages.

I don't think the book would survive my son's handling.

Kid Book Review: Dads

Another lift-the-flap book we're read recently is Dads by David Bedford. This is a really cute book with large half-page flaps. It tells how dads can do different, and funny, things.

My son enjoyed it, especially the page with the monkey in colourful pants. I personally liked the lion sleeping page.

I did find the flaps were too big. They were a little difficult to open and close. Especially since the pages are paper, not boards, so I was concerned about rippage. But no rips were made. Probably because my son didn't want to lift the flaps himself, and while he would sit and read the book, he wouldn't pick it out of the pile himself.

Kid Book Review: National Geographic Little Kids and Chirp

National Geographic Little Kids is not really a book, it's a magazine. I decided to pick it up when we were in Chapters doing some Christmas shopping. My son loves animals, so I thought he'd enjoy it. I was right. We read 3 times in a row when we first got home.

The magazine is published every other month. This is the Nov/Dec edition. It features Ermines, and migrating animals. There are pictures of animals, with little short blurbs. There are a few pages with simple games and puzzles.

I was a little underwhelmed at how short it is, considering that it cost $6. An annual subscription costs about $25 in Canada. Cheaper in the US since it is an American publication.



I have been trying find a Canadian publication aimed at toddlers, but haven't really found much. There is Chirp, which is aimed at ages 3-6. But it is pretty pricey. At least in my opinion.

This publication looks cute. And it is a bit longer, but I think it is definitely a little too complicated for really young kids.

I think that based on the costs, we will just stick with library books. Or maybe an occasional edition of a regular National Geographic magazine. Same pictures, but a lot more volume.

Kid Book Review: Where is Maisy?

Where is Maisy? by Lucy Cousins is the first Maisy book we have read. It will not be the last. My son really liked it.

This is another lift-the-flap book, which are becoming huge hits in my house.

Our favourite page is the alligator in the boat. Which apparently makes a "rawr" noise. According to my son, who will go right to that page and open the flap and rawr repeatedly.

Very cute. Now to decide which Maisy book we should read next...

Kid Book Review: No potty! Yes, potty!

We have a potty, but haven't really tried very hard to start potty training. My son seems to know what it is. He enjoys sitting on it with his diaper on, and will sit with it off, but not for any length of time. We wanted him to get used to it before we really started any training. Part of our preparation has been potty books. I have been trying to bring home a book about potty training every once in a while.

No potty! Yes, potty! by Emily Bolam is our first potty book. It is aimed at boys, and is about a little boy who is learning who should use the potty.

A spoiler: animals aren't usually potty users. But they look cute in the book.

My son doesn't really seem interested in this book. We looked through it once or twice, but he has never picked it out of the pile. That's a shame, because I think it's cute.

There is a matching book that is aimed at girls. Definitely a neat idea to have co-ordinating stories with a main character that kids can identify with.

Kid Book Review: Peter Rabbit Sleepy Time

Since my son has recently developed a huge interest in lift-the-flap books, I have been borrowing quite a few from our local library, and trying to keep track of which ones he seems to like.

Peter Rabbit Sleepy Time by Beatrix Potter has been a huge hit! Each page has a flap within a flap, which is a neat idea. You open the first flap to see who is going to sleep, and then you use the second flap to cover them with a blanket.

My son really enjoys covering up the sleeping animals. He wants me to open the first flap, and then he holds the second flap and looks at me in anticipation, and gets very happy when I read "Cover him/her up." He then flips his flap and smooths it down over the animal. Very cute! And very fun!

My only complaint is that there are so few pages. I wish for just a few more. But other than that, this is an awesome book. And would probably make a great bedtime story, if my son liked reading at bedtime.

Kid Book Review: Dear Zoo

I thought I would add a few reviews of kids' books. Since I seem to be reading a lot more of them than adult books lately. I love that my son loves books!

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell is a big hit with my son. I may just buy this one for him since there is always a waiting list at the library.

My son loves lift-the-flap books, and this is one of his favourites. The story is sweet and fun, and the animals are adorable. His favourite page is the one pictured on the cover: the lion in the cage crate.

This page is obviously well loved by many kids, because the bars of the cage are held on with tape. An often-read library book in deed!

Definitely a great book for kids!