0 E is for Eric Rohmann : My Friend Rabbit : Review

Part of the A to Z authors Illustrators

E is for Eric Rohmann

Pic Coutesy:http://www.ericrohmann.com/

Eric Rohmann
Winner of the Caldecott Medal for My Friend Rabbit is an author and illustrator.

Books that Bubble Ink has read :
My Friend Rabbit

Books read to the Bubbling:
My Friend Rabbit

Bubble Ink pick:
My Friend Rabbit

Bubbling Pick:
My Friend Rabbit

Some more that we think are great:
Oh! No.

We will review My Friend Rabbit.

The Book:
My Friend Rabbit is written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann and is a Caldecott Medal winner for 2003.

#CaldecottCollector s click on image to Buy Now or on Flipkart here
The Bubble:
The book is about a Rabbit and a Mouse who are friends. Rabbit though means all well gets into trouble with everything he does.
The Mouse gives his airplane to the rabbit to play invites big trouble for him. The airplane gets stuck. Rabbit, again, meaning only well, gets animals one by one for the mouse to reach the tree, he himself lifts the animals up to get the airplane out. He has the most awesome ideas always! He plans to get the animals one on top of the other and he climbs a top of all of them, he holding a squirrel and the squirrel holding the mouse to fetch the airplane out of the tree branch.
The animals all tumble down except rabbit , who again meaning well saves the mouse by holding onto the airplane with the mouse abroad. And the end is hilarious.

Bubble Ink's verdict:
We love the lovely illustrations in this book. The animals are illustrated in an unique way and the teeny-weeny rabbit carrying the huge animals is cuteness overload. A beautiful story of friendship can be told in the most humorous and playing way only through picture books. Caldecotts are Caldecotts not without a reason.

We picked this book up from Hippocampus Bangalore without paying attention to the medal (not sure how the nonCaldecott obsessed me missed it, then ) on the cover but liking the illustrations on a quick flip, and the book just didn't fail us in any way.
We give it 4-bubbles.


Bubbling's verdict:
Bubbling loves books these that have stuff getting piled up and then tumbling down for her to say "Daaaammmmaaaaaaaaaaal". So , this book is one of her giggly reads by the sight of the huge animals being carried by the bunny.
It is a bubbling-tantalizing-three.

0 T is for Twice my Size

Part of the A to Z blogging challenge = #atozchallenge

The Book:
Twice my Size is a book by Adrian Mitchell and illustrated by Daniel Pudles.

The Bubble:
This book starts with a tiny ladybird who meets a friend who is twice her size, the butterfly. The butterfly then meets a friends who is twice its size, bird. The bird then meets a squirrel who then meets a cat and so on. 

The illustrations on every page make for a guessing game for which animal is going to appear on the next. It is a great first book for its colorful illustrations and can grow well on the toddler - for the guessing game and to learn comparative sizes among animals. birds and insects. The text rhymes beautifully and describes what comes on the next page. 

Bubble Ink's verdict:
We love how the book ends  with the Sun being the biggest among all and the illustration that go with it, showing all the creatures introduced in the earlier pages on a single page around the BIG SUN. We also love the way the creatures are sequenced - cat meeting a dog, dog meeting a boy who then meets a girl , a horse, elephant , dolphin and finally the Sun!

We borrowed our copy from Hippocampus, Bangalore.
We give it 3-bubbles.

Bubbling's verdict:
Bubbling loves books with guessing games or I spy books. This is a very recent read for her - So no bubbling rating yet for this one.

0 P is for Pete the Cat

Part of the A to Z Blogging Challege. #atozchallenge 
The Book:
Pete the Cat, I love my white shoes is written by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean. 
It is a series featuring Pete the cat, the coolest cat in the world of picture books. 

The Bubble:
The book is a story of a super cool cat - Pete who goes for a walk with his white shoes singing his song, "I love my white shoe". Along the way , he steps into strawberries , blueberries and mud turning his white shoes into red , blue and brown. 
Despite his shoes getting discoloured and dirty - Pete doesn't cry and keeps singing his song because it's all good. 
The story is in the form of a dialogue, hence makes a great interactive read aloud with the child. 

Sample lines 
"Oh No, Pete stepped into a pile of strawberries.
What color did it turn his shoes ? 
RED.
Did Pete cry?
Goodness No! 
He kept walking along and singing his song .
I love my RED shoes ,
I love my RED shoes,
I love my RED shoes. 

Bubble Ink's verdict:
Great illustrations , repetitive text, a sing-along verse within the book and a cute story and message weaved in - this one can easily become one of your child's first books to be picture read , well before knowing letters and sounds. 

We bought ours at a book sale. We give it 5-bubbles. 

Bubbling's verdict: 
One of the books that was an instant hit on the very first read itself. The bubbling loves singing along and dancing to the verse "I love my white shoes ". It is , without any doubt , a bubbling-full-five. 

Buy your copy from Amazon or Flipkart. 

0 O is for Olivia

The Book:
Olivia is a series by Ian Falconer and is centered around a pig named Olivia who is bubbly, enthusiast and is always up for adventure. 
Olivia is a Caldecott honor book in 2001.

This is a review of Olivia and the missing toy. 

The Bubble: 
The book begins with Olivia on a camel in Egypt in a dream and is being woken up for soccer practice. Olivia has a favourite stuffed toy which she takes along everywhere.

Olivia misplaces her toy and frantically searches the entire house for it, under every possible thing, asking her little brother , baby brother , but just doesn't  find it anywhere. She goes to sleep terribly upset. At night, she figures out that her dog has chewed the toy to bits. Though the toy is fixed back, Olivia is very angry with the dog and declares that even her bed time stories should not have dogs. Toddler anger tantrums! 
The ending is super cute to show how children forget such things so easily and Olivia is seen cuddled in bed with the toy and her dog. Toddler anger tantrum, Ta-da gone! 

Bubble Ink's verdict:
We loved the beautiful ending. The illustrations are adorable in black and white and patches of green and red. The story shows the entire Olivia family and we love how each family member has a part in the story. 

We bought ours at the flipkart.com 50% off sale a couple of months back. 
We give it 4 bubbles. 

Bubbling's verdict :
Stories about things missing are a sure bubbling hit. Have you seen my duckling , Knuffle Bunny and this one are in that category. 
She squeals and reads aloud the "dog tore the toy into bits" line. It is a bubbling-fab-four. 

0 H is for Hippo

Part of the A to Z challenge - #atozchallenge

H is for Hippo is a round up of books on Hippopotamus and our favourite Hoo, The Hippo.

The Hippo books in this round up are :
But not the Hippopotamus - Sandra Boynton
Hippo Has a Hat - Julia Donaldson - Already reviewed here. - which is a bubbling-full-five.

Hippos can be made to appear cute only on picture books. Here is our review of But not the Hippopotamus - by Sandra Boynton.

The Book:
But not the Hippopotamus is a book written by Sandra Boynton and is a story of a Hippopotamus and his other animal friends.

The Bubble:
The book is in perfect Boynton style excellent rhyme and the illustrations amusing. This book is a host of events that a hog and frog, cat and rat, moose and a goose and bear and  hare are upto. But not the hippopotamus! The illustrations are so expressive, the rolling-eyes hippo on every page is utterly cute.  

Sample lines: 
A moose and a goose
Together have juice.
But not the hippopotamus.

A bear and a hare
have been to a fair.
But not the hippopotamus.

There is a simple story weaved in as well which helps the child relate the fun things that the animals try out. Will the Hippopotamus join the animal fun? Who is this armadillo now?

Bubble Ink's verdict:
Atleast one Sandra Boynton is a must buy for your child's library. We love the rhyme, we love the wit and her trademark illustrations.

We give this one 4 bubbles.
We bought our copy on Flipkart.com 

Bubbling's verdict:
The hippo is one of the bubbling's favourite characters. She loves the text and tries to say "But not the Hippo?" Why? . The book, however was not an instant hit with the bubbling. This, but, is just my bubbling's view. It sure will delight many hippo lovers.

It is a bubbling-tantalizing-three.

While on the letter H, we can't wrap the post up without talking about one other Hippo, that is our favourite. Hoo, The Hippo - Hippocampus Children's library. 
It is a book-lover's paradise. We have borrowed some much longer for wish list items from here the last couple of months. While the bubbling enters in all joy squealing "So many books, Amma", we have also sometimes come back with the bubbling not wanting to return the book borrowed the previous time.
We love our late afternoon trips to the Hippocampus, Bangalore centre.

H is for Hoo, the Hippo and Hugs to Hoo! And Hoo, the Hippo is nothing short of a Bubbling-Ten-on-Ten!

0 G is for Gajapati Kulapati

Part of the A to Z blogging challenge. #atozchallenge

The Book:
Gajapati Kulapati is a book written and illustrated by Ashok Rajagopolan. 

The Bubble:
The book is a story about a temple elephant who catches cold by getting wet in the rain. 
As the book reads,
"Small noses catch small colds.
Big noses catch big colds.
Gajapati Kulapati had a big nose and he caught
a big cold"

-And thus a Big Sneeze!
That big sneeze offsets the banana seller, the postman and even a cow. Gajapati feels upset about it and when he wants to say sorry - they all fled at the fright of another sneeze. 
The book has got the perfect Indian village illustrated well with words like Aachoo for sneeze, Damaal for falling which will surely calls for joyous squealing with toddlers .
With a lot of repetitive text it is perfect for early readers too.

Bubble Ink's verdict:
The book is hilarious. We love how the gentleness and kindness of the elephant is brought out in the story with Gajapati Kulapati feeling sad about upsetting the postman, banana seller and the crowd and how the villagers display an act of kindness to him by not letting him get wet again. Lovely gesture that for their much loved animal.

We borrowed our copy from Hippocampus, Bangalore.
We give it 4 bubbles.

Bubbling's verdict:
We read it this book for the first time when the bubbling was herself having a cold. Perfect timing! She kept giggling throughout the read fighting her sniffles with her runny nose and acting out the Gajapati Kulapati sneezes. She loves the "Aachoo....Pachaak...Damaal..mmmBaaa" bits.

Me:(points to the elephant on cover page) - What is the elephant's name?
Bubbling: "Anganna" - read as Ranganna.
Me:(smiling, points to the same elephant again. This time changing the Q) - Who is this?
Bubbling : "Gajapati Kulapati" (flip open the book and does aaaachooo..)

It is a bubbling-full-five.
We are waiting for G-K-2

0 F is Flip, Flap, Fly

Part of the A to Z Blogging challenge. #atozchallenge

The Book:
Flip, Flap, Fly written by Phyllis Root illustrated by David Walker, is a book about baby animals , baby birds learning a skill from their moms.

The Bubble:
The book features mom-baby pairs as they bond with the mom helping them with a skill. It starts with flying for the baby bird, swimming for the baby fish, wiggling for the baby snake and ending aptly with the mama teaching kissing for the baby child! The book is aptly marked on the title as "A book for babies everywhere". Brilliant in its rhyme, delightful in its illustrations of all the baby animals, enjoyable with its game of guessing the baby animal on the next page , the book is a treat in every way.

Sample lines:
..Past the purple, purple irises
blooming in the muck.
"Look!" barks the baby otter.
"I see a...
"DUCK!"
"Paddle!" quacks the baby duck.
"Paddle and skedaddle!"
So the mama helps the baby duck
polly 
       wolly
               paddle!


Bubble Ink's verdict:
This is one of the books that we picked from the library without having heard of it but by sneaking a peek at it. It was so worth the pick.

Your little one will surely rejoice seeing all the baby animals on the last page and would go, in rhyme,

As you both cuddle sitting in a nook,
Look,says your little one 
I see a Book!
"Read" says your little one.
"Snuggle with me and read"
So the mamma helps the little one ,
To read, read, read.

Lot of kisses guaranteed!

We borrowed ours from Hippocampus, Bangalore.
We give it 5 bubbles.

Bubbling's verdict:
The bubbling loves babies. She took to this book immediately, loved the rhyme and the last page with all babies. She squeals while trying to guess the baby animal on the next page.
It's a bubbling-fab-four.

0 Day #7 : 30 books in 30 days : Barnyard

As part of the 30 books in 30 days challenge, everyday of the challenge we will post a reading prompt to motivate you to read books.

Day #7: Reading Prompt : Barnyard

Our picks :

1. Big Red Barn : Margaret Wise Brown - This is a classic - The rhyme, the pictures, the togetherness in the farm - A perfect day at the farm brought to life in this book.

2. Click-Clack Moo  Cows that type  - Doreen Cronin : The illustrations are cute, the story line witty and hilarious with a twist in the end, repeated text to help your beginning reader and lots of opportunity to giggle. The cows that type fighting their boss, the farmer.  Read its sequel too - Giggle Giggle Quack.

3. Rooster Raga : Natasha Sharma: by Tulika - Again, an Arthi Anand recommendation - a story of a singing rooster.

For the very little ones - There are a number of board books with touch and feel elements. This one is our favourite - Ladybird - Baby Touch Moo!Moo! a Tab book

What is Barnyard without Moo, moo, and the baa baa. 

Do the Barnyard dance and sing the Old McDonald has a farm.

Comment here or tell us on the FB wall post what you read.

0 Day #3 : 30 books in 30 days challenge : Reading prompt : Jungle

As part of the 30 books in 30 days challenge , everyday of the challenge we will post a reading prompt to motivate you to read books.

Day #3: March 3, 2014 : Reading prompt is Jungle

Here are our picks:

1. Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson - An intelligent mouse tricking its predators!

This book and its sequel Gruffalo's child was the most read in Day #1 of the challenge and this was also part of our Children's book trivia quiz and 90% of the entries got it right!

2. Hide and Seek - Jez Alborough - Animals playing hide and seek in the Jungle. Lift the flap is great fun for toddlers.

3. Endangered Animals of India - Praba Ram and Meera Sriram - Animals threatened and the endangered species of wildlife in India.

P.S: It is not mandatory for you to read on this theme or any of the above books. Tell us what you read as a comment on the wall post on FB for Day #3: March 3, 2014 or email bubbleink.writes@gmail.com or leave a comment on this blog post.

If I Ran the Zoo: Amazon Link :

If I Ran the Zoo: Yellow Back Book

Little Bear: Visit

Amazon Link:
Little Bear's Visit (I Can Read Book 1)

0 Hippo Has A Hat

Hippo Has a Hat

The Book:

Hippo Has a Hat is about animals going shopping , the clothes and the accessories they try on at the store in order to get dressed for the party.

Julia Donaldson is one of UK's most successful writers for children. She is undoubtedly a "Bubble Ink Favourite" and a hit with the Bubbling.

The book is illustrated by Nick Sharatt.

The Bubble:

With any animal lover, the book will be a great hit. The illustrations are lovely and the unconventional way in which the animals are illustrated brings a smile on one's face. The tiger standing up wearing a shirt, the hippo grinning with a hat, the cat looking smart in a cardigan, the zebra with a zip are a treat to view on each page. What is amazing about the illustrations, despite them looking unconventional, the baby brain can so easily identify those animals. It is a moment of mommy pride to have your little one actually identify a frog drowned in an over sized tracksuit. The shop set up with clothes, shoes, bags and even chain for the animals to try on brings cheer to the reader. The illustrations are well detailed with attention given to even the variety of each item on rack display. 

What we love most about the book is the message it sends out to be adventurous, break the conventions and not be feel shy dressing up and the party mood that it sets you in.

We love the caterpillar with shoes on page and the last party page.

The book offers a lot of scope for games with the child. Each page gives a sneak preview to the animal on the next page provides for a good guessing game. The final party page with all animals sitting on each other provides for a challenging "Find the animal that you call out" game.

Bubble Ink's verdict:

A  funny read which makes you realize how the simplest of things can bring joy to your child and a smile on your face too. They say, kids bring out the child in you. I have been a big animal hater all these years, but I just love this book! It makes you want to play dress up or to grab that long lost pair  of shorts to try on! 

Read, Giggle with your little one and get set on shopping mood or the party mood , dress up and indulge! Break the rules!

We bought ours, the board book version on amazon.in.

We give it 4 bubbles out of 5.

The Bubbling's verdict:

This section will feature a rating too. 

Full Five

Fab Four

Tantalizing Three

Teeny Two

Only One

Bubbling, an animal lover gives this one a "Full Five". At the caterpillar page, the way she teasingly says "So many shoes" in baby talk is testimony to her love for the illustrations on book. Did anyone say, kids can't get jokes?