J’s First Christmas Gift

So, Christmas shopping was minimal around Casa de Jackson, but I did manage to scrounge up a few presents for he who has no idea it’s Christmas. Books. Lots of books.

We’ve got quite a few nice ones around already, and truckload of my own from when I was a little girl–but there’s a little problem.  Most of those books feature little blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girls, so there’s a definite need to supplement my own library.  Besides, I love buying books.

Here are a few:

Whose Knees are These?

“On each spread, viewers get a glimpse of the youngster in question. On the final spread, the book takes a vertical twist to show the whole, laughing child. The stories are sweet and simple, and children will enjoy bending knees or wiggling toes along with the protagonists. The illustrations were sketched in graphite and painted digitally; they are warm and lively with swirls of color and friendly animals looking on. The text refers to knees so brown and so strong and toes so brown and sweet. These titles will add welcome diversity to board-book collections.”

Look, Look!

“This sturdy board book, full of high-contrast black-and-white cut-paper art perfect for staring at, is just the thing for the eyes of the youngest babies. A few words in curving red type on each spread describe the scenes — a car races, a cat stretches, flowers bloom– and extend the book’s age appeal so that it will be fascinating to older babies, too.”

More More More

“From beneath the tickles, kisses, and unfettered affection showered on them by grownups, the children in Vera B. Williams’ Caldecott Honor Book cry out for “more more more!” The stars of three little love stories–toddlers with nicknames like “Little Pumpkin”–run giggling until they are scooped up by adoring adults to be swung around, kissed, and finally tucked into bed. Quirky watercolor drawings and colorful text feature multiethnic families, and young readers will rejoice in seeing the center of all the attention: the wiggly, chubby, irresistible toddlers.”

All Fall Down

“Each of these board books consists of four double-page illustrations with a brief rhyming action verse. Chubby little toddlers engaged in a variety of activities spill off the pages in lively arrangements. Close-up views show multi-ethnic babies playing, bathing, eating, swinging, sleeping, etc. The watercolors, in bright pastels with pencil outline, are clear and appealing on a white background. The primary disadvantage of this set is the oversize format (8 square). Tots will find these books hard to hold in their hands, and turning the pages will be frustrating.”

Are they any good?  Well, if anyone tells me they’re interested in a followup post, I’ll give you one in a few months after we’ve had some time to try them on for size and get little man over this little hump of resistence he’s been having.  They’ve all got good reviews, though, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.