Holly Jolly Kitty-Corn by Shannon Hale

It's not the holiday season yet...that will come quickly, though. Still, the book world is shifting into high gear to make sure Christmas present plans are in full swing long before the season begins. Today's read rings in with snowflakes and carols, I believe. At least, that's what the cover is telling me. It's also the 5th book in the series, and I did take a look at one of the earlier ones (Surprise! See, it can happen!)  You can head over here if you're curious. 

So, think about cool weather and fuzzy hats because we're going to dive into this read and take a peek.

HOLLY JOLLY KITTY-CORN

KITTY-CORN #5

by Shannon Hale

Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Abrams Books

Picture Book

48 pages

ages 4 to 8

COMING...

SEPTEMBER 23rd!!!

Bestselling Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn creators Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham are back with a festive kitty-corn tale, featuring Christmas decorations, gingerbread houses, one (almost) perfect tree—and the magic of true friendship

The best part of Christmas is the merry music! No, it’s the gingerbread! No, it’s definitely decorating the tree!

Kitty and Unicorn can’t wait to spend their first Christmas together! But try as they might, they can’t seem to agree on their favorite festivities. Will the magical best friends pull off the perfect Christmas, or will all their plans come tip-timber-crashing down?

The magical, bestselling team of Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham return with a cozy and heartwarming holiday story for kitty-corns everywhere.

Also Available in
Bubbly Beautiful Kitty-Corn
Party-Hearty Kitty-Corn
Pretty Perfect Kitty-Corn
Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn

Available in board
Kitty-Corn Things That Go
Kitty-Corn Parts of Us

GOODREADS     /     PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

Christmas atmosphere hits on every page with surprises and friendship, too.

Kitty and Unicorn are so happy to spend their first Christmas together. While everything seems to run great, at first, a little mishap leads to a disagreement. Kitty and Unicorn don't want anything to happen to their friendship, so both of them try their best to make the other one happy. But this might not work, either.

The cover already had me smiling with it's glittery, holiday shine. Add adorable Kitty and Unicorn, and the energy and holiday spirit is impossible to miss. While there's a great message about friendship, which adds tons of wholesomeness to the tale. But it's the holiday activities, which makes this one fun. As Kitty and Unicorn enjoy moments listening to music, snacking on gingerbread, and do other holiday things, it's hard not to want to enjoy each moment right with them. Plus, it will have listeners/readers getting a little inspiration for things they can enjoy during the holidays.

The text brings across each moment nicely and fits the intended age group well. The story flows with a quick enough pace to keep even reluctant readers engaged. The illustrations not only make each activity clear, but hold humor to add to the fun. These might even inspire readers to some unique ideas on how to decorate their own trees.

At the very end, there's the musical score and words to a Christmas carol (a very familiar one with the words changed to fit Kitty and Unicorn.) So, it makes a rounded, lovely read for the upcoming season.

Kitty-Corn Club: Parts of Us by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham

Today's read is the second in a series for the youngest readers out there...a board book. I haven't read the first one (because I barely ever do...call it fate), but I'm confident that this doesn't make a difference. I picked it up thanks to the fun animals on the cover. So colorful and playful! According to the description, it concentrates on the various body parts of these animals, which will help little bookworms learn the parts of a body. I'm assuming this won't go too deep and remain easy with things like wings and paws and such. But we'll see.

So, let's open this one up and take a look!

 

PARTS OF US

Kitty-Corn Club #2

by Shannon Hale

Illustrated by Leuyen Pham

Harry N. Abrams

Board Book

24 pages

ages 0 to 3

COMING...

MAY 18th!!!

This original concept board book celebrates what makes our bodies unique—from head to toe and horn to tail. From the bestselling and award-winning Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn creators, author Shannon Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham

All are welcome in the kitty-corn club! Whether you’re long-tailed or short-tailed, furry or feathered, taloned or tentacled, you are just right.

From head to toe and horn to tail, join Kitty and Unicorn—alongside Gecko, Parakeet, and a new Octopus friend—as they demonstrate, with humor and creativity, the many ways our bodies may be different, unique, and amazing.

Teeny-tiny mini-moo
Kitty-corns will read with you
Silly-willy hardy-hars
Let’s all look at body parts

Also Available in board
Kitty-Corn Things That Go

Available in
Bubbly Beautiful Kitty-Corn
Party-Hearty Kitty-Corn
Pretty Perfect Kitty-Corn
Itty-Bitty Kitty-CornT

GOODREADS     /     ABRAMS

MY TIDBITS

Super cute and quick, this is a fun book to grab some very simple body part basics while adding tons of smiles, too.

The unicorn, kitty, gecko, bird, and octopus show off various body parts they have in common. From backs to 'toes', a few parts are highlighted, each with the animal's twist. While joining in nicely, at first, the octopus soon runs into some snags...and a realization, which makes him a bit mopey. But the rest of the animals have a plan, which is sure to cheer him up again.

The book is brightly illustrated and concentrates on the animals. These are cheerful and energetic as they present their various body parts for all to see. The text plays around the illustration to add emphasis to increase the fun. The words are simple, and each phrase is kept to a few words at the most. 

Even reluctant listeners will be drawn in thanks to the familiar terms. The octopus's situation is no problem to understand for most listeners, and they will probably sympathize with the creature. There's a wholesome solution, which rounds the entire book off on a joyful note. It might also open up the door for a fun craft activity.

And here they are...

LeUyen Pham and Shannon Hale are the team behind the bestselling picture books Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn, Pretty Perfect Kitty-Corn, Party Hearty Kitty-Corn, and Bubbly Beautiful Kitty-Corn; the bestselling graphic novels Real Friends, Best Friends, and Friends Forever; and, with Dean Hale, the early chapter-book series the Princess in Black. They’ve made a bunch of other books, too. They are both moms of cat-loving kids, wives to book-creating husbands, honor award winners (Caldecott and Newbery), and believers in unicorns. Pham lives in Los Angeles, Hale lives in Utah, and together they know they can be—and make—anything.

Review: All Pets Allowed by Adele Griffin

Living on a farm, we definitely have our fill of animals. And maybe, that's why I enjoyed the first book in this series so much that I couldn't turn down the chance to read the second, too. It's meant for those readers, who are able to conquer chapter books but aren't quite ready to dive into middle grade novels. 

Animal lovers, let's head into today's review! 

ALL PETS ALLOWED

Blackberry Farm 2

by Adele Griffin

Illustrated by Le Uyen Pham

Algonquin Books

Children's Fiction

198 pages

More than anything else—even more than the best birthday party ever—Becket Branch wants a dog for her tenth birthday. But her twin brother, Nicholas, has secretly been wishing for a cat. Lucky for Becket and Nicholas, their animal-loving parents have an animal-loving surprise for them: they’re going to the local shelter and adopting both a cat and a dog. It should be the biggest BEAUTIFUL ALERT ever, but Becket’s dream dog, Dibs, turns out to be a super-shy scaredy-pooch who is going to need a lot of training. Meanwhile, Nicholas’s cat, Given, is more outgoing and attention-seeking than the just-for-him pet he was expecting.
 
Laugh along as Becket fishes mice out of Nicholas’s slippers, puts bullies in their place, and tries, and tries again, to train Dibs—all while learning new life lessons and keeping up with her other farm chores.
 
With black-and-white drawings throughout by award-winning illustrator LeUyen Pham (Real Friends), this second volume of the Blackberry Farm series offers a gentle message about embracing new friends who may not match preconceived expectations.

GOODREADS   /   BOOK DEPOSITORY    /    AMAZON    /    B&N

MY TIDBITS

Every page packs energy and surprises as this character refuses to be steered away from achieving her goals.

Becket and her twin brother are about to celebrate their tenth birthdays...and it just so happens to fall on the tenth of the tenth month. Convinced this can only be the true sign of luck, Becket decides to celebrate big time no matter what her brother's wishes are. She also has decided that the two of them will make a certain, twin-birthday wish. But things don't quite go as planned...they might just turn out better, but with surprises, she might or might not be able to master.

I did read the first book in this series, but it's not necessary to read it as a series. While the first book does set the stage for the farm, characters and such, it was still no problem to dive right into this book. In other words, it can be read as a stand alone.

To say Becket is full of spunk is an understatement. She's a character, which says what she wants and doesn't let others barely get a word in edge-wise. Her determination and energy are inspirational, although this is also what causes her troubles. She's got a good heart, but sometimes, looses sight of what others might feel around her. Her over-eagerness gets her into interesting situations, and it's hard not to feel for her twin brother as he tries his best to often steer clear. Still, the sibling relationship is golden and full of ups and downs. 

The text is appropriate for the intended audience, and thanks to the lovely illustrations sprinkled everywhere, tons of fun to read. There's never a boring moment.

Review: Stop That Yawn! by Caron Levis, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

STOP THAT YAWN!

by Caron Levis

Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Picture Book

48 pages

ages 4 to 8

Pack your toothbrushes, but leave your pajamas and pillows behind for this bedtime story. And whatever you do…DON’T YAWN!

Gabby Wild has had enough of bedtime. Yawn, curl, snuggle, snore—what a bore!

So instead of tucking in, she jets out—with poor Granny in tow—to a place where beds are for bouncing, hushes are shushed, and it’s never too late for ice cream. But sometimes, even when you grit your teeth and seal your lips, it’s impossible to stop that…YAWN!

There’s a yawn on the loose! Can Gabby stop that yawn from spreading the snooze, or will it be lights out for Never Sleeping City? 

 MY TIDBITS

This is a fun trip into imagination with lots of energy and a very addictive yawn to pull into the world of dreams.

Gabby Wild is ready for an adventure...not bedtime. When Grandma tries to tuck her in, they shoot off into an adventure instead to Sleepytown. Here, life is excitement pure with shows and dance and lights galore. But when one person yawns, the problem begins. Gabby must stop that yawn before it causes the entire Sleepytown to want to go to bed.

Boredom is not a word in these pages. Instead the adventure is wild, fantasy packed and quick paced the whole way through. Set up more in comic style, the illustrations let imaginations fly. The balance between the text and the illustrations holds the story and allows young listeners the possibility to glance through the story on their own and still understand what is happening. Especially the granny is fun to watch as she joins in the race to stop sleep.

While the story keeps an exciting pace the whole way through...which might not appear to invite to sleep...when that yawn hits, so does the slow down. Yawns are contagious, which makes this book end on a fun note. Even luring the listener in.

Young listeners (and slightly more sure readers) ages four and up will find giggles and fun in these pages.


And here they are...

The Author...
Caron Levis grew up in the city that never sleeps (a.k.a. New York City), yet confesses that even as a baby she slept through the night. Caron has an LMSW from Hunter College and an MFA in creative writing for children/YA from The New School, where she now teaches and advises. Caron never tires of visiting schools to work with kids using her books, drama, and creative writing to encourage social, emotional and literacy skills. Things she'll always stay awake for include great theater, star gazing, and turtle watching. Visit Caron online at CaronLevis.com.

The Illustrator...

LeUyen Pham has been an insomniac her entire life, so she wouldn't mind a trip to Sleepytown. The good thing about not being about to sleep is that she has more time to draw and paint. She is the creator of more than ninety books for children, including the New York Times bestseller for Grace for President, written by Kelly DiPucchio, the Princess in Black series by Shannon and Dean Hale, and her own A Piece of Cake, and The Bear Who Wasn't There. She lives and yawns with her husband and children in Los Angeles. Visit her online at LeUyenPham.com.