Jennifer Sattler

My colleague, who does most of our toddler and younger storytimes, has really loved several of Jennifer Sattler's picture books. She's going to be thrilled when I reveal my new discovery to her - board books! How did I not know she had made board books?

This latest title features a group of delightfully silly birds, some counting, and a lot of mess.

The story begins with a wordless, rainy day spread. The long-legged, yellow-spotted blue bird of the cover peers into the picture. Turn the page show more and enthusiastic splashing in the puddles makes "1 dirty birdie." One by one the birds join the count: painting, exploring, digging, and snacking. Then the five dirty birdies get a bath, dry off... and one birdie catches sight of a butterfly fluttering across a puddle. Dirty birdies are back! The final spread includes searching and counting questions like "How many spots are on the first dirty birdie?"

Sattler's cheerful pictures are detailed enough to make looking for colors, spots, and textures interesting but not so detailed that they confuse toddlers. The book is a sturdy rectangle, about 6x4 inches.

Verdict: A delightful choice for a toddler storytime, if your group is small enough to enjoy it. Otherwise recommend it to all your parents and caregivers who have their own "dirty birdies" at home!

ISBN: 9781585363896; Published February 2018 by Sleeping Bear Press; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library show less

There are two reasons I like this book. The first reason is the characters were well-developed. Chick was tired of being a chicken. He had read a "The Adventures of Wonder Pug," numerous times and dreamed of being a Pug. When Chick meets a real-life Pug, he is in awe. The Pug ends up being nothing like Wonder Pug, relaxing all day, but Chick still finds everything the Pug does to be amazing. For instance, the Pug was sleeping and Chick insisted that "he must be saving his energy for his next show more adventure." This is a simple, yet classic character development. Chick is proven to be optimistic and enthusiastic, while the Pug is proven to be lazy and boring. Despite the Pug being different than expected, Chick still stays true to his spunky self. The second reason I like this book is the simple language. The plot of the story is very simple, and the language fits this perfectly. For instance, each page has no more than three short sentences. Chick also makes casual remarks, such as, "'Go get 'em, Tiger!...'" The lack of complex language does not take away from the book, but simply fits the story. The big idea of the story is that you create your own destiny; looking up to someone is okay, but in the end, being yourself is the best option. show less

The illustrations in this book were gorgeous. I also thought they did a great job showing how wobbly the little dodo felt on his feet. I loved the relationship between mama dodo and baby dodo and the gorgeous view at the end.

Cute book about a flamingo that wanted to experiment eating different things to turn different colors. There's a fairly subtle set of interpretations that could be read into the book about experimentation, fitting in, "no place like home", etc. Or just enjoy it for the wacky illustrations.