Linda Ashman (1)

William and his animal friends, whose story began in author Linda Ashman and illustrator Chuck Groenink's William's Winter Nap, return in this second picture-book romp, this time welcoming a special guest, whose arrival marks the coming of spring. The rhyming narrative here begins: "On a quiet morning, / sleepy and still, / William looks out on / a moss-covered hill. / He hears a faint and distant tune, / and says, "My friend will be here soon. / It's been a long and wintry wait - / we need show more a cake to celebrate!" Soon the young boy is enlisting snoozing friend after snoozing friend to prepare...

A fun, read-aloud text is paired with bright, appealing artwork in William Wakes Up, which more than lives up to its predecessor in terms of story-time appeal. There are echoes here of the story of The Little Red Hen, although here the friends all eventually do contribute, when roused to the task by William. Even Raccoon, who resists to the last, is given the chance to redeem himself, and included in the party, rather than being punished. Recommended to readers who enjoyed William's Winter Nap, and to those looking for engaging new children's stories about welcoming spring. show less

Having suffered through many an insipid book for very young babies, I was so pleased to find this creative and humorous update to the lullaby “Rock-a-Bye Baby.”

The story starts like the conventional lullaby, with the baby in a cradle in a treetop, but quickly gets much more interesting. The baby, blown from the cradle by the wind, drops into a nest. It is nudged from the nest by a bird, and falls onto the back of a pig, which takes the baby for a ride. The baby is thrown, and rolls into show more a warm soft sheep. The adventures of the baby continue all through a farm. Then we follow the baby as it crawls into a boat that starts to float. The moon sees what is happening, and calls on a hawk to bring the baby home, into his mother’s arms.

The story is enhanced significantly by the mixed-media art of award-winning Simona Mulazzani. She adds many whimsical details that parents can point out to babies, including trees with faces and a sheep with a fleece full of flowers.

Evaluation: This book will almost make you want to have a baby, so you have an audience for this delightful story! show less

William heads to bed in this wonderfully rhythmic rhyme of a bedtime tale, just settling in for a long winter's nap when he is disturbed by the tapping of a cold squirrel, hoping to join him inside in the warmth. Inviting the woodland creature in, William sets in motion a series of similar requests, eventually finding himself playing host to a variety of animal bedfellows. But is there room for one more, if that one is a bear...?

With an entertaining read-aloud text - "In a house on a hill / show more that's tall and steep, / there's a boy named William / who's ready to sleep. / He drinks his cocoa, climbs in bed. / He fluffs his pillow beneath his head, / then burrows down for a nice long nap... / but wakes to the sound of a TAP, TAP, TAP" - from author Linda Ashman and cute, colorful artwork by Chuck Groenink, William's Winter Nap would make for a wonderfully cozy bedtime tale, especially in winter! The cumulative structure here is reminiscent of any number of folktales and children's songs, particularly those about fitting just one more (and then one more!) in a bed. Recommended to anyone looking for engaging new bedtime tales, particularly those told in rhyme and/or having a wintry setting. show less

"Little Baby Buttercup, / how I love to scoop you up. / Scoop you up and hold you near. / Kiss your little baby ear." And so begins this heartwarming read-aloud picture-book for younger children, one which follows a mother and daughter through the day's activities, from gardening to visiting the park, and everything in between. Addressed to Buttercup, and told from the perspective of the mother, the narrative here offers reassurance and love.

As someone who is always recommending rhyming show more stories to the parents of very young children - I often find that even when incapable of understanding every word, babies and toddlers respond well to a rhyming text, because its musicality, when read aloud, keeps them involved - I found the text of Little Baby Buttercup to be fun and engaging, with an underlying message of happy home life and mother-daughter love that was immensely appealing. The artwork, done in ink and then digitally enhanced by You Byun, is colorful and cute, adding to the sense of sunny pleasure already to be found in the text. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories in rhyme, or for reassurance tales in general. show less