Kid Konnection: New Picture Books

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week, I'm going to share with you some fun picture books that Booking Son got a kick out of.

Summary: Ever wanted to ask about it, but felt a little shy? Inside these pages you'll discover the who, the how, they why! Get the scoop and scuttlebutt. Become and expert on you-know-what! Though it may offend and stink, there's more to poop than you might think! Artie Bennett and Mike Moran have created a smart, witty, fun-filled ode to a ceratin something all creatures have some acquaintance with -- oh yes, we do! -- "from aardvarks to the humped zebu." -- Blue Apple

A few years ago, we received a copy of THE BUTT BOOK by Artie Bennett and Booking Son thought it was hilarious! You can read more about this reaction here. So I couldn't help but share with him Mr. Bennett's latest picture book which is called POOPENDOUS! I was willing to bet a fair amount of money that this book would appeal to the boy as well since it deals with... all things poop. (What seven year old boy doesn't like to read a book with poopy words?)

POOPENDOUS! really is a lot of fun to read. I appreciated all of the silly words (and euphemisms for poop) as well as the rhyming cadence; and Booking Son definitely thought the book was funny. As a mom, I was prepared that some of the words or content might be inappropriate; however, I think Mr. Bennett handled the subject matter in a good way. I especially appreciated how much Booking Son and I learned about poop while reading POOPENDOUS! That's right, POOPENDOUS! is actually educational!

POOPENDOUS! makes learning fun and I think that's a huge testament to Mr. Bennett. This book teaches children about the various names for different animal waste as well as the "many ways dung is of use." As we read through these uses, Booking Son asked me if the author made up all of this. When I informed him that all of these things were, in fact, true, he was absolutely blown away and then he started laughing! He couldn't believe that people actually used animal poop to build their houses. His next question was, "Is our house made of poop?" (I should have seen this one coming!) And then he proceeded to give me one of his silly grins.

In addition to being very entertaining and educational, POOPENDOUS! has some very cute illustrations by Mike Moran. This book is full of colorful drawings and has plenty of funny creatures; and I think you can't help but smile at their facial expressions.

Overall, POOPENDOUS! was a huge hit in our house. Booking Son grinned the entire time we read it and then told me, "I LIKED this book! It was funny and interesting!" I think that pretty much says it all.

Thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book.

Summary: What do you get when you combine a word and a number? A wumber! Paying tribute to William Steig’s CDB!, best-selling book, cre8ors Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld have wri10 and illustr8ed this s2pendous book that is 1derful 4 readers in kindergar10 and up. If we’ve confused you, just take a look at the book—4tun8ly it has helpful pictures. We are sure you will get it ins10tly! -- Chronicle Books

WUMBERS wri10 by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustr8ed by Tom Lichtenheld was another big hit with Booking Son. The idea behind this very fun book is that words and numbers combine to make up "wumbers." I had a feeling that Booking Son would enjoy trying to figure out these words, but I had no idea how quickly he would catch on. When he read this book to me, he didn't even pause on the wumbers.

WUMBERS is really cute and each page has a different scenario filled with a variety of numbers. For example, one page has a family picnicking at a "4est Preserve." The father says, "We have the 2na salad and the pl8s. What have we 4gotten?" And the mother exclaims, "The 4ks!"

The illustr8tions by Tom Lichtenheld were also a lot of fun and the perfect complement to this whimsical book. Many of you might already know this but Ms. Rosenthal and Mr. Lichtenheld were the creative genius behind the Duck! Rabbit! books.

I was so happy to see that there is an activity kit and teachers guide for this book, therefore making it ideal for the classroom. As I was looking through the activity kit, I decided to print it out for Booking Son because there were some more wumbers to figure out, and he does enjoy these word puzzles.

Very highly recommended for kids of all ages!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!