Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product.

What Is It?
Miss O & Friends are a group of characters (originally started on the web site, Miss O & Friends) first thought up by then 10-year-old Juliette Brindak. Over five years, Juliette, her younger sister Olivia (the real Miss O), some friends and their art director/artist mom Hermine, evolved an organic, authentic tween world based on the very girls who thought it up. This is their first foray into novel form. The book takes up and expands where the Web site leaves off, giving a prose view of the life of Miss O (into soccer and baking), while cousin Harlie is funky and urban and waaay into gymnastics, and Juliette, Justine and Isabella (sister and friends) are into all the things they’re into being into.

 

What We Thought
Very cool. I may not be a tween girl (and never was), but these books are a fun, easy read, which are both age-appropriate and not patronizing in any way, shape or form. I ran them by my niece (age 11), and she thought they were great (though, to be honest, she already is on the Web site). She liked the fact the girls sounded and acted like her friends. She wanted to see more books, and when I told her that one of the new books were written by girls her age (Miss O & Friends Write On!: The Miss O & Friends Collection of Rockin’ Fiction), she thought that was great.

 

Why They’ll Want It
Face it: it’s By Girls, For Girls, and there’s nothing out there so integrated to that age group. It’s fun, it’s sassy, and it’s heartfelt. The illustrations are hip, and there’s no “talking down”. This is about tweens, and it works. Much as Nancy Drew spoke to generations of girls in its time and place, Miss O speaks to the tween generation of girls today … and tomorrow.

What Is It?
A board book with simple black-and-white illustrations enhanced by swaths of muted colors, “What Should We Call the Twins?” is designed to stimulate tiny brains and introduce them to the concept of twindom. Artist Surya Sajnani was inspired to create such a book shortly after becoming a mother. She used high-contrast drawing to stimulate her own baby’s brain, then jumped into authordom.

What We Thought
I don’t know how babies’ll respond, but adults will like the humor and sketchy drawings. What should we call the twins? How about “Cal” and “Identi-Cal”? Since it’s a board book, it’ll take some wear and tear. It’s a nice way to introduce babies to the idea of books without worrying whether they’ll understand the words or not.

Why They’ll Want It
Any parent who’s interested in giving his or her kids a developmental head start will grab this book. Babies will like looking at the nearly identical twin drawings and, as they grow older, will appreciate the humor in the name play, too.

— Alison Marek, 5/5/06

What Is It?
In “Moo, Moo Where Are You?” kids visit a farm. Jango is excited about making friends with all of the animals. Spike is a little nervous. But luckily, all of the animals in this illustrated book are friendly. Each one introduces herself or himself and gives the kids a little pertinent info, such as “I love to east grass. How do you do? I give lots of milk and I say MOO!” Readers unfold the flap and reveal a photograph of a real cow.

What We Thought
The illustrations are adorable, and real photos help kids remember that the animals exist outside the cartoon world, too. Since the book is a joint venture with PBS Kids, the back has plenty of tips for parents and caregivers so they can encourage the kids to make sounds of the animals, fill in the missing blanks of the rhymes in the story and quiz them on colors.

Why’ll They Want It
This is a great book for caretakers to read aloud with their favorite kids. There’s plenty of room for Mooing — and learning, too. Kids will especially like being able to open the flap to reveal the real animal. It makes peek-a-boo just a touch more edifying.

What Is It?
A soft, colorful cloth book relating the tale of Noah’s Ark’s is filled with pop-up surprises for young “readers.” All of the pop-up animals come in appropriate sets of two and have nice detailers such as trunks, horns, tails and fins.

What We Thought
This is a cute book for any kid who likes animals, which means, I guess, any kid. The pop-up animals will withstand substantial tugging and stand up nicely as soon as the page is opened. Kids will learn about animal names and will be introduced to the concept of animals pairing off. For kids who “read” at naptime, the book’s soft enough for a sleepy head.

Why’ll They Want It
Parents and other gifters will like giving a baby his or her first book. Adults will also appreciate that the book can get dunked in the tub, left in the rain or dragged through the mud without dire results. A quick wash in the sink and spin in the dryer will bring the book back to normal. Kids will be excited by the little “toys” in the book, and also by the myriad of cute animals that decorate its pages.

-- Alison Marek, 5/5/06

What Is It?
Exploring the everyday moments of life, author and poet Gary Soto uses words of wonder inspired by his youth in California´s Central Valley to create rich poems. They move with direct and vivid prose that brims with emotions. This critically acclaimed collection revisits favorite poems and introduces new ones — some humorous, some heartfelt, all memorable.

 

What We Thought
I loved this book. The poems don’t rhyme and only provide a brief snapshot of who Soto was as a young man. Each poem spans a mere one to two pages and includes a short introduction from Soto. For instance, he presents his poem “All the Luck” with “In high school I nursed my loneliness by the school fountain where others like me sat with nothing to do. I was seventeen.” His poems are stark and yet lyrical at the same time, all either slightly tragic or somewhat uplifting. In “All the Luck,” for example, he talks of his being in love with the homecoming queen who was in love with “some muscle in a letterman’s jacket” while he “wore a hairnet and served chili beans.” He studies cells in his biology class and then goes to his fountain to find trash floating in it while the homecoming queen sails by on a float. He sheds a tear, one would conclude, because he feels more connected to the trash on the water than the beautiful girl on the float, though they are both comprised of the same organic matter. Yet, rather than overtly state this, Soto just presents the details, gives hints to his emotions, and lets the reader feel each scene on his or her own.

 

Why They’ll Want It
Because these poems read like brief narratives, they are easy for everyone from children to adults to embrace. Soto’s sparing use of imagery and his discussion of familiar topics makes the poetry universally easy to understand. Yet, as readers grow and revisit the poems over the years, they will invariably find new meanings in the words. It’s the kind of book that won’t gather too much dust sitting on a family’s shelf.

--TDmonthly Staff, 1/5/06

--TDmonthly Staff, 1/5/06

-- Alison Marek, 12/2/05

-- Alison Marek, 12/2/05