Pluk van de Petteflet

Pluk van de Petteflet
by Annie M.G. Schmidt and illustrated by Fiep Westendorp

In a small red crane truck Pluk, a little boy, drives through the city to find a new house to live.... in his search he meets all sorts of very interesting people and animals ... one day he arrives at the 'Petteflet' a high rise where he experiences all sorts of adventures ... the book is so much fun, Annie M.G. Schmidt is just the best in writing hilarious stories for children ... what also made the book so incredible for me were the fabulous detailed illustrations by Fiep Westendorp ... I can still look at them for hours and they make me so happy!

..Annie M.G. Schmidt..
..Fiep Westendorp..
..the book is available here..

Lotje

Lotje (= Brave Charlotte)
by Anu Stohner and Henrike Wilson

Please meet one of my son's favorite sheep in our house ... Lotje ... when we got this book as a gift when Lode was born I never would expected him to be so font of sheep, not only does he have three exact same sheep a his cuddle friends he also considers this book as one of favorites to 'look' at and little did I know ... today I discovered that this book has won the New York Times Best Illustrated Books Award ... the book is about a very brave sheep called Charlotte or we call her Lotje in the Netherlands ...Lotje is different than all the other sheep  and that makes the story very interesting of course ...

She is contantly exploring the world around and doing unusual things for a sheep, like climbing up trees, sitting on the top of a big rock, jump in a pool and wandering near the dangerous road....but when danger strikes, only Lotje is brave enough to go for help and save the day...the message in the book is about stand ing out from the crowd and not being afraid to follow your dreams.

My two year old son is very attracted by the book, but when we sit down and I start reading the story to him, he just wants to flip through the book, his concentration level for the story is not so high, so I guess he has to be a bit older to fully understand what the story is about and therefore I would recommend this gorgeous book as of 3 years old...and for all parent who just love scrolling to beautiful illustrated books.

..the book is available here..

Halibut Jackson

Halibut Jackson
Written by David Lucas

This week I (Wendi) would like to introduce you to someone my daughter and I both love. Meet Halibut Jackson. Halibut Jackson is shy. He’s so painfully shy that he sews suits for himself that allow him to blend into the background everywhere he goes. He’s perfectly content to live his life hidden from everyone else – until he gets an invitation to a party at the palace. He’s always wanted to see the palace, so he makes a special suit of silver and gold that will allow him to blend in to the luxurious background. Too bad it’s a garden party! Poor Halibut Jackson! Everyone notices him – but everyone loves him and they all want him to make them splendid suits like his. By the end of the book the still-shy Halibut Jackson has his own shop full of fabulous work and the many people who love it (and him) and his shyness doesn’t keep him isolated any more.

The hand-drawn, fanciful illustrations are lovely and appeal to both adults and kids. I especially like the way the black outlines bleed just a bit into the paper. It makes me want to know what kind of pen David Lucas draws with. Kids have a great time trying to spot Halibut in the library, at the park, and at the market – and don’t be surprised if they request a Halibut Jackson-style coat of their own.

..Halibut Jackson is available here..
..Wendi Gratz website..

{Thanks Wendi}

Henry Hikes to Fitchburg

Henry Hikes to Fitchburg
Written and illustrated by D.B. Johnson

I (Wendi) bought this book - before my daughter was born - because I loved the art and the message. The book is based on a brief passage in *Walden* by Henry David Thoreau, in which Henry challenges a friend to see who can get to Fitchburg faster. Henry will walk. His friend will work to earn enough money to take the train. The resulting story is a delightful picture of how they each spent their day. The art is beautiful - and clever.

Each two page spread shows what Henry and his friend are doing at any given moment, and there's always a parallel. Henry's friend pulls weeds. Henry picks ferns and flowers to press. Henry's friend cleans a chicken coop. Henry finds a bird's nest in the grass. When my daughter was old enough she loved finding the (sometimes very subtle) parallels in each spread.

As I said, I bought this book for myself as an adult - but I was thrilled when it became one of my daughter's favorite books as well. She loves the puzzle aspect to the illustrations, but she also loves the many kid-friendly details in the art. She likes to find the little animals - sometimes camouflaged - who appear in nearly every outdoor scene. She always, ALWAYS laughs at Henry's friend's big bottom sticking out of the chicken coop, and the panicky expression on the hen's face. She was the one to spot the chicken poop dropped on the hat of Henry's friend - and the cow patties in the pasture. Children will always find the poop in any picture, and I've never seen anyone render it as stylishly as D.B. Johnson.

So. . . beautiful, sophisticated, kid-friendly art and a subtle message about taking time to enjoy the journey of life. This is one of those rare picture books that is just as appealing to adults as it is to children.

..the book is available here..
..D.B. Johnson's website.. (yes - he sells prints of his work)

..Wendi Gratz website..

More Henry books by D.B. Johnson...
*Henry Climbs a Mountain     *Henry Works     *Henry builds a Cabin

{Many Thanks to Wendi for writing this review}

The Story of the Little Mole

...Yep, a new feature here on B:Kids...children book reviews by me...since my little boy was born my fascination for children books have grown even more...I really enjoy reading a book for him and especially watching the beautiful illustrations together...and I would like to share my ideas with you about the books he and I read, but I will also try to review books about art, decorating, crafts and books for older ages all for children of course...and by 'a review' I mean...i only give you my thoughts about the book, no harsh critism or theories, because I'm totally not an expert only a mom and booklover...I'll try to have a review every two weeks on a Friday, today I'm changing B:Kids schedule for this week a bit...you probably have missed Arounna's craft project yesterday, well due to some computer problems Arounna couldn't get the images to me...so a new craft project will be up tomorrow and today I give you my first review:
The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business By Werner Holzwarth, Wolf Erlbruch

..click here for this review..
..the book is available here..