Kid Konnection: Picture Book Fun

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 the second book in a series that I adore!

Summary: What do you feed a trapeze family to keep them up in the air? A fire eater with a penchant for hot sauce? Or a lion with a gourmet palate? How do you satisfy a sweet-toothed human cannonball who's outgrowing his cannon?

Find out what keeps these performers juggling, balancing, and entertaining—meals prepared by their tireless chef! Poems from this jolly cook give a glimpse of his unusual perspective, from delightful to downright funny. Enjoy a front-row seat for this whimsical look at circus life that just might make you hungry! -- Carolrhoda Books

FEEDING THE FLYING FANELLIS AND OTHER POEMS FROM A CIRCUS CHEF by Kate Hosford and illustrated by Cosei Kawa is a very fun picture book and a great way to introduce poetry to your youngsters. The book is a collection of poems from the circus chef about the various members of the circus and what they enjoy eating. There are poems for the juggler, the ringmaster, the tightrope walker and more.

I found these poems to be adorable!  The chef's "voice" is fantastic and I love how he caters the meals to the individual performers. The poems are rhyming which makes them ideal for out-loud readalongs, and they are also a little silly... which makes them especially fun! For example, the the tightrope walked enjoys a "balanced" diet, and the fire-eater loves Flaming Chili Sauce!

The illustrations in this book are very special. The artist, Cosei Kawa, has won the Macmillan Prize for Children's books in 2007, and I think his skills shine through with the gorgeous illustrations of the circus performers.  He uses a variety of mediums including acrylic, watercolor, and collage. I loved the variety of colors and the whimsical nature of the drawings.

FEEDING THE FLYING FANELLIS is a cute book of poems that is certain to entertain parents and kids alike. Recommended to fans of poetry and playful picture books!

Summary: Introducing the Rookie Book series from the #1 sports brand for kids--featuring real NFL action photography!

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS kicks off the football season with a brand-new illustrated nonfiction series designed for young kids to learn the rules, plays, and basics about popular sports.

In the first Rookie Book, My First Book of Football, an illustrated rookie player character introduces the next generation of fans to the world of football and guides them through a visual retelling of an actual NFL game--from the coin toss to the winning touchdown.

Simple text with engaging action photography and a glossary of essential football terms throughout--punt, tackle, kickoff, end zone and more--help kids easily understand complex concepts and reinforce the message on each page.

A perfect book for beginning readers, My First Book of Football is meant to be a shared reading experience between parents and their young football rookies before, during, and after game day. -- Sports Illustrated Kids/Time Inc. Books

MY FIRST BOOK OF FOOTBALL: A ROOKIE BOOK is a book that's very near and dear to my heart. In our household, we take our football very seriously and our children are expected to follow football from the moment they are born! It's not quite that bad, but we do love Saturday college games and Red Zone of Sundays!

I would have loved to have had MY FIRST BOOK OF FOOTBALL when my kids were younger. This book is fantastic and a great way to introduce the sport to kids. It's a Sport Illustrated Kids book so the photographs of real NFL players are amazing, but there are also cute little football guys that have really funny "comments" on football.

The book starts with the basics -- how many people play, how many quarters and how long they are, how long the field is, etc. It then explains how the game is played -- from the kickoff, to the responsibilities of the players, to how to score and even how turn the ball over. It also briefly explains penalties.

The book is presented in a very clear way. There are only a few words per page that are extremely easy to understand, and there's also a ton of fantastic color photographs. The football terms are in big, bold print for easy reference. In addition, the football players and the little football guys have caption bubbles which are pretty darn funny. I thought the running play clock in the corners of the pages was especially cute!

MY FIRST BOOK OF FOOTBALL is a wonderful way to introduce kids (or maybe even some adults) to football. It's both educational and entertaining... and what more can you ask from a picture book?

Thanks to Blue Slip Media and Media Masters Publicity for providing a review copy of this novel.

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!