Join author Theo Heras and illustrator Alice Carter on Saturday, December 14th at Dovercourt Recreation Centre to celebrate the publication of their picture books My Puppy Patch and Our New Kittens!
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/581081075963060/
CM Magazine“Alice Carter’s illustrations are warmly created with colored pencil and watercolours as well as digital art. The characters and the setting are realistically represented with a slight cartoonish flair. Overall, the pictures allow the readers to infer more details in addition to the text, thereby extending the storytelling of how the relationship between the brothers and their new pet kittens develops.
Reading Our New Kittens would be a good way to inform young children of the emotional and behavioural aspects, plus accountability, of what pet ownership entails.
Highly Recommended”
—Sheryl Lee
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“Illustrations in colored pencil, watercolor, and digital media feature soft lines and colors and emphasize the relationships between the boys and their pets…Endpapers list in crayon-styled hand printing things to have before bringing a kitten home and what to give your kitten each day….[will] stoke a child’s excitement about the idea of getting a pet and useful for facilitating a conversation about pet care. (Picture book. 3-6)”
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“Humor, helpfulness, and heart combine as Baby’s big sister helps to see him – and, of course, his stuffed bunny – through the nighttime routine from bath to bed. Little listeners ages 1 to 3 will connect with familiar sensory language of warm, tickly water and blanket snuggles, and they will be able to enjoy it time and again in this study-format…Where’s Bunny? will make bedtime a happy time for the whole family and is unreservedly recommended for daycare center and preschool collections.”
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“At various points in the book, the question “Where’s bunny?” is asked, and each time this is asked, there is an opportunity to look for the bunny in the drawing on that page. Most children have a stuffy of some kind that is a favourite bedtime pal, and this let’s that be part of the ritual as well….Bedtime books are a great way to introduce routine to children, and make getting ready for bed a pleasant time….I also liked that the book showed diversity without being about diversity.
This book is a great choice for little ones.”
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“A book on bedtime routines….This book is helpful with a bedtime checklist that could have parents of young children establishing their own bedtime routine.”
—Holly Rainville
Read the full review on page 6 of the April 2018 issue of Resource Links Magazine
“Author Theo Heras and illustrator Renné Benoit’s very young brother and sister from Hat On, Hat Off and Baby Cakes have returned in a story about getting ready for bed and the routines involved with that evening ritual….
Theo Heras makes her text simple and readable for those just learning to decipher books, and it is sweetly appropriate for a concept book about bedtime routines. Many concept books tend to be flat, emphasizing only the concept in the simplest of texts. Thankfully Theo Heras does more than just assert a concept. There is a story here, one of sibling affection and a young child’s bond to his stuffed animal, that is elevated with Renné Benoit’s artwork. The children are so beautiful and angelic with their bright faces and cowlicked hair, and their surroundings are as soft and inviting to the reader as to the children. From Bunny with his carrot-topped hat and the towels and robes and bedcovers, Renné Benoit draws readers into the warmth of the children’s home and lives and asks them to stay for a bit.
Another invitation that is extended to readers comes by way of Pajama Press’s unique picture book format for the very young: a padded cover with rounded corners, and extra-heavy paper….Like the words and the art of Where’s Bunny?, the book says, ‘Hug me’ and the very young will be sure to oblige at least once before lights out.”
—Helen K
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“Told with sparse language, Where’s Bunny? will appeal to the very young. Its soothing pace makes it an ideal bedtime book. It includes supplementary material – a bedtime checklist and a “clean teeth” checklist….The illustrations are simple, interesting, and cheerful, with an emphasis toward the blue range of the colour spectrum. The children have happy expressions, even during times of potential strife, such as brushing teeth or saying goodnight (as any parent could attest to!). Refreshing, too, is the depiction of children of colour.
Young children are sure to be soothed by the content, pace, and illustration of Where’s Bunny?
Highly Recommended.”
—Roxy Garstad is the Collections Librarian at MacEwan University in Edmonton, AB.
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“Designed for the youngest listeners and readers, this sweet story features an older sister who helps her adorable younger brother wind down from his day and enjoy the rituals of bedtime….By using a warm color palette without strong contrasts, the watercolor-and-digital art suggests coziness, happiness, and familial love. The fluffy bathrobes and pajamas look positively snuggly….VERDICT A soothing bedtime story perfect for one-on-one sharing with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers alike.”
—Sally James, South Hillsborough Elementary School, CA
Read the full review in the March/April 2018 issue of School Library Journal
“Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5
What did you like about the book? It’s time to bake! A little girl is going to show her little brother how. Aprons, big bowl, measuring cups, spoons and ingredients. Very expressive digitally created watercolor illustrations accompanied by very large bold typeface create a very endearing story….
To whom would you recommend this book? It would be really fun if a child were baking with a parent to read it while the cupcakes are baking.”
—Katrina Yurenka, Moderator, Youth Services Book Review
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