Our eldest doesn't have much interest in board books anymore, unless he's showing one to our youngest, but when he saw Go, Bikes, Go! out on the table he was ready to put in his two cents as he enthusiastically said, "This looks like a fun book!"
After reading it three times consecutively with pleas for an encore, Go Bikes, Go! definitely wins the popular book award in our house at the moment. Unlike the shelves and shelves of board books focused on numbers, the alphabet, animals, or touch-and-feel in book stores, Go, Bikes, Go! is fresh in content, and subject matter, as it brings back memories of Go Dogs Go and Wacky Wednesday with its energetic tone, rhythmic text, buzzing illustrations, and unexpected twists.
We've all seen a fair number of bikes before but have you seen extra tall bikes, built-for-two bikes, bikes that swim, and bikes that fly? Have you seen bikes in costumes, bikes in shoes, and bikes that play kazoos? A book that not only highlights the joys of bike riding and being outdoors, Go, Bikes, Go! also illustrates how bike riding as a family and as a community builds lasting memories and friendships.
(A special thank you to Sasquatch Books for sending me a copy!)
Ocean Motions, written by Kate Endle & Caspar Babypants is another eye-catching read as the illustrations are made up of, "collages with hand-painted and printed papers, along with decorative papers from Japan and India. Each piece is cut, glued, and embellished by hand." With various sea life on every page, Ocean Motions presents children with animals such as waving walruses, sea otters opening oysters, river otters racing, jellies gently giggling, and sea turtles wiping and flipping, to name a few. With summer on the horizon, I could definitely see this being the perfect on-the-go beach companion.
Penguins on a Scooter is another one by Kate Endle & Caspar Babypants, and while I still enjoyed the collaged illustrations, I was less enthusiastic about the text. With statements such as "Nothing is cuter than a penguin on a scooter...nothing is as lucky as gold egg-laying ducky...nothing is as crazy as a zebra wearing daisies...etc.. I think that for some kids that kind of phrasing would bring about a lot of questions (which questions are always welcome! but how do you explain why "nothing is as pretty as a peacock in the city?") The ending however is very sweet as it ends with, "Nothing is as true as the love I have for you."
Thank you again to Sasquatch Books for generously sending me copies of these three lovely reads!
