Halloween Surprises by Ann Schweninger (Puffin Books, 1984).
This is an adorable book that I enjoyed as a kid. It's about a family of bunnies celebrating Halloween. The book is set up like a comic strip, with speech bubbles telling the story as the bunnies create their costumes, make jack-o-lanterns, go trick-or-treating, and host a Halloween party. I especially love the tiny baby bunny.
Maine Alphabet by Dahlov Ipcar (Islandport Press, 2012).
Dahlov Ipcar (1917-2017) was a talented and prolific author and illustrator who lived and worked on a farm in Maine for most of her life. The first children's book she illustrated was The Little Fisherman by Margaret Wise Brown in 1945, and went on to write and illustrate over thirty more.
Maine Alphabet is a wonderful collection of some of Ipcar's past illustrations, with one original illustration created for the board book. It captures an old fashioned Maine, with a lot of great animal art as well.
Hats of Faith by Medeia Cohan, illustrated by Sarah Walsh (Shade 7 Publishing, 2017).
This little board book is a great way to introduce children to hats and head coverings from various religions and faiths. Each page has a different person and head covering. I love all the bright, colorful clothing. Young children may not be able to fully grasp the concept of faith-based head coverings, but they will at least be exposed to different types of people and dress. I could see this being a great conversation starter for older kids. There are also lots of great resources and teaching tools on the book website.
I had fun with the coloring pages below, which you can find on their website.
Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
