Tag: Alain grée

Button Books Activity Books (Button Books)

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Hello, friends! Time for another BONUS gift guide review. Today, we’re looking at a lineup of activity books from our friends at Button Books: Roman Adventure Activity Book by Jen Alliston, The Magical Underwater Activity Book by Mia Underwood, and Nature Activity Book by Alain Grée!

Activity books make great gifts and stocking stuffers for little bookworms, and these three titles cover a wide range of interests. In Roman Adventure, young historians can learn about Roman art, architecture, and society while completing puzzles, mazes, and wordsearches. Outdoorsy readers can color, connect the dots, and spot the difference in Nature. And fans of undersea adventure can learn about the creatures of the deep (and maybe even spot a mermaid or two) with paper crafts, story prompts, and secret codes in Magical Underwater. All three feature over 100 stickers to play with, and tons of fun to be found.

We’re huge fans of Button Books’ lineup of activity books, and these are no different. Rather than the typical collection of coloring pages and puzzles, these contain tons of educational material in a sturdy, high-quality books that can hold up to the curious and creative. JJ is particularly fond of Underwood’s work – her delightfully quirky illustrations and cheerful color palettes are always a treat. Any of these would make a great gift, and we highly recommend them. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Romeo Explores The Garden (Alain Grée)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Romeo Explores The Garden by Alain Grée, an interactive book that explores the nature in our backyards.

Following the titular Romeo, a friendly anthropomorphic dog, the reader is taken along on a series of question-and-answers as he explores the garden. On each page, a question about a common garden creature or plant is asked (trees, flowers, bumbles, etc.), then the answer provided on the following page.

Pretty cute. The concept is fairly familiar but still well done, and the question-and-answer format is a nice element for reader engagement. The illustrations – made up primarily from reused images of Grée’s work in the 60’s and 70’s – has its positives and negatives. While the diversity of skin tones and classic storybook art style is cheerful and pleasant, there are pages where the repurposing is visually unappealing: one farmer squashed horizontally to fit inside a greenhouse looks bizarre, and a spread of cobbled-together frogs with a half-dozen different character designs is a visual mess. Also, one of the Q&A’s about hedgehogs may puzzle kids from the americas, where they’re a lot less likely to be found nosing around a garden. Otherwise, this is sweet board book with a good length,and JJ seemed to enjoy it. A little uneven perhaps, but it means well. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)