Betty Goes Bananas

Betty Goes Bananas
Written and illustrated by Steve Antony

My rating: ★★★★½

ISBN: 978-0553507614
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Date of publication: December 23, 2014
Age: 2 - 5 years

Themes: tantrums, emotions, bananas, patience

Betty sees a banana. She wants to eat the banana, but it won't open! She screams and kicks, until the calm Mr. Toucan shows her how it's done. But she wanted to open it! She screams and kicks, until the calm tells her she can do it next time. But when she goes to eat the banana, it breaks! And she screams and...well, you get the idea. What will Mr. Toucan do if Betty finds another banana?

This book is utterly fantastic. So simple, yet so funny. And yet, so educational, too! Great for toddlers AND their parents. And for anyone who wants to understand more about tantrum-throwing. The story is repetitive, but it still builds up to a great ending, so it's perfect for little kids. The illustrations are basic as well, but still show the emotions being talked about. It's just so great! I totally recommend it.

It works well with any of the books on my tantrum book list.

Find it at your library or on Amazon

Please, Mr. Panda

Please, Mr. Panda
Written and illustrated by Steve Antony

My rating: ★★★★½

ISBN: 978-0545788922
Publisher: Scholastic
Date of publication: December 30, 2014
Age: 2 - 6 years

Themes: manners, donuts, black & white, minimalism

Mr. Panda has a tasty box full of donuts he is willing to share. Penguin wants one, skunk would like more, and the whale would like a whole bunch! But no. They don't get any. Because the best way to ask for something from Mr. Panda is to say, "Please!"

This book is awesome. The art, the writing—it's minimalistic. There's no frills, just the straight up fact: it's better when you say please! I love the illustrations because the colorful donuts, looking so tasty, are the only color on the page; they really stand out. Each black and white animal would like some, but only the lemur says please—in nice, big lettering, filling the page so you don't miss it. It made me laugh out loud, it teaches a good lesson, and the illustrations are fantastic. Definitely a winner in my mind!

Plus...it makes for a good excuse to go eat some donuts. But only if your kids say please, of course.

Find it at your library or on Amazon