Tag: dr. John Hutton

Little Sleepy Solar System (Dr. John Hutton)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Little Sleepy Solar System, written by Dr. John Hutton and illustrated by Doug Cenko, a delightful board book inspired by the author and illustrator’s previous work, Sleepy Solar System.

Time again to meet the eight (maybe nine?) planets of the solar system, this time as they go about their adorable, anthropomorphized day. Count one through nine as they introduce themselves by name, learn a few distinctive colors, and opposites like near/far, big/small, and cold/hot. Then as everyone tucks in for bed, wish your new planetary friends and their moons a sweet good night.

Thoroughly charming. From the unbelievably sweet artwork of the planets – each meant to emulate fabric with illustrated fibers and stitches, giving them an extra-cozy feel – to the simple rhyming text, this little celestial exploration is a treat. Pluto is an outlier (listed as number “9?” in the first spread), though it is not explained why; parents will have to fill in that bit of trivia. The length is brief, and perfect for the very littlest of bookworms, but JJ also enjoyed this sweet little romp. Overall, a fun planetary primer that young readers are sure to enjoy. Baby Bookworm approved!

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

Zzzookeeper (Dr. John Hutton)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Zzzookeeper, written by Dr. John Hutton and illustrated by Doug Cenko, a fun bedtime romp about some mischievous zoo animals.

When the sun goes down and the zookeeper goes to sleep, that’s when the animals of the zoo get a chance to go a little wild. From the biggest crocodile to the smallest naked mole rat, nearly all the animals use their twilight hours to creep out and cut loose a bit. The big cats play in their ball pit, the birds in the aviary throw a rocking party, the manatees are having a birthday bash, and even the sloth and the slow loris get in on the fun. But when it’s time for everyone to settle down for their own nighttime snooze, the bedtime monitor Elephant is on the case. At last, even the rowdiest of the beasts is snuggled into bed – just in time to evade detection by the zookeeper.

Very cute! Between the bouncy rhymes and the delightfully energetic illustrations, this was a fun imagining of what zoo animals get up to after-hours. The activities chosen are fun and fanciful rather than truly mischievous, which makes staying up past bedtime – a common childhood transgression – the worst offense. There were a few text couplets that stumbled a bit in rhythm, and something about the way the elephants were drawn – trunk detached from their mouth – was slightly off-putting, but these were minor complaints. For the most part, this was a really enjoyable story that was a good length for bedtime and that JJ loved. Definitely Baby Bookworm approved!

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

Share This Book (Dr. John Hutton)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Share This Book, written by Dr. John Hutton and illustrated by Christina Brown, a book for both parents and toddlers about the joys and importance of reading together.

Using vignettes of a diverse cast of families, the light story uses simple rhymes to lay out the basics of the”SHARE STEP” method of reading with very young children. First, it shows a family cuddled together for storytime (S = “Snuggle”), then a parent allowing their child to handle the book and turn the pages (H = “Hands On!”), etc. A short blurb about the method including acrostics of the fundamentals are featured on the back cover.

As you might imagine, we definitely liked this! We’re huge advocates for literacy and shared reading, so a book that can not only entertain very little ones while helping their parents find ways to help them learn and grow through books speaks to us! And it accomplishes its goal very well: the rhymes are mostly simple, easily read-aloud, and have a warm and soothing tone. The illustrations use a muted color palette that will be easy on developing eyes, though I wish there had been either more contrast for the very youngest bookworms or more color to engage toddlers. Still, the characters are adorable, drawn with Disney-like button noses and open, expressive faces. The length is perfect for the very young, and JJ loved all the babies. This is great way to start baby bookworms on the path to literacy, and we really enjoyed it. Baby Bookworm approved!

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

Fiona’s Friends (Dr. John Hutton)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Fiona’s Friends, written by Dr. John Hutton and featuring photographs by the Cincinatti Zoo and Botanical Garden, a sequel to the adorable Fiona’s Feelings starring the internet’s favorite little hippo, Fiona.

Baby Fiona is back, this time with a whole crew of equally adorable young denizens of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens. After a quick intro featuring Fiona, the reader then meets ten other species of baby or juvenile animals, including favorites – such as a giraffe and tiger cub – and less familiar creatures such as a takin and an aardvark. Each creature is introduced by name and a short, baby-friendly sentence about their personality. At the end, the text cheerfully points out that all of Fiona’s friends are different and special, just like you!

Oh. My. Cuteness. This was a delightful yet engaging yet adorable romp through some irresistible baby animals, and it was a joy. I really appreciated the inclusion of animals that aren’t in every other baby animal book, like the red panda and a white-feathered baby flamingo; it gave JJ a chance to learn the names of some new animals while also letting her recognize familiar ones. This sequel manages to fix the issues from the first book – all the photos are clear and showcase the animals perfectly, and the rhyming text is bouncy, fun to read, and full of charm. This was just wonderful, and perfect for little ones who love to look at furred, feathered, and of course, Fiona friends. Baby Bookworm approved!

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

Fiona’s Feelings (Dr. John Hutton)

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Hello, friends! We are so excited about today’s review: Fiona’s Feelings, written by Dr. John Hutton and featuring the Cincinatti Zoo and Botanical Garden’s photographs of the internet’s favorite baby hippo, Fiona!

Using real photographs of Fiona’s remarkably expressive face, this beginner’s board book explores emotions like happiness, anger, silliness and pride, using simple rhyming sentences that are four to six words apiece.

Objectively, this is absolutely a fad book, but so delightful that it’s hard to care. For the unaware, Fiona the hippo became a media sensation when she was born six weeks premature at the Cincinatti Zoo, and the internet fell in love with her sweet face and playful personality as the zoo documented her care, recovery, and growth. And indeed, Fiona has a curiously emotive face and a rascally nature that makes a book of feelings featuring her a great fit. The rhyming text flows well and keeps things basic, but still has a lot of charm in keeping with the Fiona spirit. The quality of the photos was a little inconsistent, which was distracting to me, but JJ didn’t seem to notice or care. The length is perfect for the youngest of bookworms, and we really enjoyed it. So whether the Fiona craze ends up having staying power or not in the fickle minds of the internet, this board book is classically adorable enough to be timeless on it’s own. Baby Bookworm approved!

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