Life-Size Zoo

This book isn't technically a story, I know. But it's for kids! And Isaac, The Boy, and I are all fascinated by it.

Then again, we're kind of a nerdy family.

Life-Size Zoo is a collection of photos of animals at their actual size. Some of the animals in the book, like a hedgehog, easily fit on the page. Others, like that zebra there, don't. And some animals have fold-out pages, just to fit a tiny fraction of their faces.

Each animal's page has a sidebar with interesting facts. For example, The Boy was a-maze-d that a baby koala is the size of a jellybean. That kind of thing. There are three other books in this series, as well: Life-Size Farm, Life-Size Aquarium, and More Life-Size Zoo.

I recommend this series of books for pretty much any kid. Younger ones will enjoy looking at the pictures, and older kids will be fascinated by the photos and the facts.

Life-Size Zoo
Edited by Kristin Earhart
Age range*: 3-100
My rating: 5 stars [out of five] 

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: I don't receive any compensation for reviewing children's books--I usually just get them at the local library.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Read this book. Seriously.

I first saw it, and loved it, as a short film (that went on to win an Academy Award!) when it made the rounds on Facebook several months ago. It looks like the short is available on iTunes now; there's also an app to go along with it. You may be able to find the short on YouTube somewhere.

Anyway, the picture-book version finally came out in August, and it's just as gorgeous as the short. It's a story about the importance of books and words--Morris' life is full and joyful with them, but gray and dreary without them. Unfortunately, I don't think I can do the story line better justice than that, so you'll have to go out and find a copy of the book yourself to really understand how powerful it is.

Oh, and I think The Boy liked it, too.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Written and illustrated by William Joyce
Age range*: 5-8
My rating: 5 stars [out of five] 

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: I don't receive any compensation for reviewing children's books--I usually just get them at the local library.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Another quick one.

So, this is one of those Seuss classics. People love this book.

Don't get me wrong, I really like it. It's very inspirational. But I don't think most little kids get the metaphor. Little Boy, for example, likes the rhyming and the funny illustrations. He really likes the book. But he doesn't get it.

So, I think this is one of those stories that are written for adults more than kids. I see that in picture books quite a bit, actually. And sometimes that's a good thing, I guess--both the child and the adult can get something out of the book.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Written by Dr. Seuss
Age range*: 4-8
My rating: 4 stars [out of five]

*Age ranges are very flexible.

Full disclosure: I don't receive any compensation for reviewing children's books--the books are usually just checked out from the local library.