Books with title Frozen Noses Book and Audiocassette Tape Set

The fun and frustration of a winter's day are energetically described in this brightly illustrated picture book: "Frozen noses / Tingly toeses / Sniffle, snuffle / Winter's cold!" Instead of using only standard picture-book words, Carr uses a rather sophisticated vocabulary. Words such as quiver, veer, and collide are folded so effortlessly into the rhyme that it seems a wonder such language isn't used more often in books for the very young. The collage illustrations, which appear to be paper or felt, feature a multiracial trio of friends whose brightly colored clothing contrasts nicely with the gray snow and sky. The book starts with a snowball fight and a sleigh ride and ends, as all winter days should, with a soothing cup of hot cocoa and a nap.

Portly is trying to find his true self. He was born a hippopotamus, but is sick of wading in water and eating boring old grass. Searching for new possibilities, he sets off on a quest where he encounters a herd of rhinoceros, a bat, an elephant, and a giraffe, and transforms himself into a hippo-gir-ele-bat-onoceros. Each new identity has comical, albeit unsuccessful consequences. His adventures make him long for the grass and cool waters of home. Portly and his parents are glad to be reunited, but when he sees a monkey swinging from tree to tree, he knows his explorations must continue. The artist uses bright, sunny colors, portraying this jungle fantasy through large, eye-catching paintings. Portly's multifaceted personality is well illustrated. While the theme is far from new, children will enjoy the humorous tale and will identify with Portly's desire to try out new personas. A smooth flowing, witty text gives this tale good storytime potential.

The author and the illustrator of Bugs! and Skunks! present another hilarious book with a slapstick rhyme, this one about snakes taking over a small boy's world. The creepy creatures start off as a heap under his bed; then they slink down the stairs, shimmy up the walls, hide, and jump out of books and cabinets. Words and pictures wallow in the shudders. Maybe snakes do have some uses: as garden hoses, for cleaning ears, as nifty stethoscopes. But just as the boy is getting used to the invaders, he opens up the shutter to find a huge glaring eye, and then a great, terrifying boa squishes him in its coils. Is that final close-up a capture or an embrace? Munsinger's ink-and-watercolor images extend the silliness. They are packed with nonsense detail and yet clear and accessible for preschoolers, who will recognize the creepy delight of slimy monsters hissing in their ears.

Charles Fuge, the acclaimed artist of I Know a Rhino, Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball, and It's a Monster Party, is back with another winner that's sure to become a favorite with kids-and their parents. Not only does it have the cutest illustrations ever, but the story is one dear to children's hearts: the importance of a loving, protective father. A cuddly little bear has a tale to tell about his dad, "the roughest, toughest, biggest, strongest dad in the whole jungle." The real fun is in the illustrations of cute cubs marching behind and listening- and running off one by one in fear as they hear that Daddy has teeth sharper than an alligator, more claws than an eagle, and can roar as loud as a lion. But when the little bear finds himself alone and gets scared, it's Papa who comes to save the day. The final illustration -with Daddy carrying his smiling cub, will warm any heart.

Best-selling author and illustrator Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko create another madcap adventure about a little girl named Julie, her love of makeup, and how she learns that "less is more." Julie has saved up lots of money--$100! Depsite her mother's concerns, Julie spends it all on cosmetics, including plenty of lipstick, eyeshadow, and perfume. Once it's on her face, she fancies herself as pretty as a movie star, but her parents' reactions are less than complimentary. The same goes for the mailman, who falls right over! After she washes it all off, her mother and father think she's merely using less of it, and praise her looks--and Julie slyly ends up selling all of the products to the neighborhood kids for her new hobby--dress up!

The activities of a homebody and an enthusiastic world traveler are contrasted in illustrations brimming with humor. Two anthropomorphic pigs live in the country setting of Woodcock Pocket. There, Puddle turns his head to the sun streaming in his kitchen window as he makes popcorn on the stove. Meanwhile, Toot peers at the globe with a magnifying glass, planning an ambitious trip. He asks Puddle along, but goes forth alone, and from then on, the experiences of the two are laid side by side on the double-page spreads. A monthly postcard from Toot is reproduced over an illustration from his year-long adventure: scaling cliffs in the Alps, visiting an Italian pastry shop, and taking a camel ride through Egypt. A sort of reply comes from a scene of Puddle savoring events on the home front: gathering maple sap for syrup, playing in spring mud, painting a self-portrait, and trying out a Halloween mask. In Hobbie's expert watercolors are dozens of inventive touches -- Puddle wearing a shower cap in the bath, Toot floating among hippos, some of his limbs breaking the surface in a subtle mimicry of their stances, funny allusions to famous art or locales. The book and its heroes are endearing, and readers will want to see more of Woodcock Pocket soon.

This eye-catching picture book transports readers to a tropical rain forest. Smoothly incorporating a great deal of information, the text follows creatures such as a sloth, capuchin monkeys, and a poison-dart frog as they move through their habitat. Guiberson conveys the relationships among different animals by describing their activities at various times of day. Small dramas such as a squabble over nest space reveal the continual change and movement in this environment. Effective use of onomatopoeia further enhances the narrative with forest sounds. Jenkins uses his signature collage style to bring this realm alive for viewers. Although his humans seem a bit stiff, they are minor figures in the overall portrayal of the lush, green world. Even collections with several volumes about rain forests will want this introduction.

Finklehopper Frog wants to join the exercise crowd. Dressed in his new jogging suit that's almost electric with its brightly colored stripes and circles, he "hippied and he hoppied," which makes the other animals laugh at him. Elephants carry water bottles, bats wear running shoes, and snakes sport sweatbands. Only Ruby Rabbit points out that Finklehopper's style suits him just fine, and he hops along with his usual frog expertise. Lies entertains with a full range of cartoon expressions and strict attention to the smallest details in the lives (and jogging attire) of more than 30 animals. With rhyming verse, Livingston points out the strengths of individuality and diversity. Large-font text overlays full-page art done in acrylic paint, creating an entertaining read-aloud.

Ford and Braun get it just right in a book for young children who, like the characters here, are also experiencing their first snow. A gray, misty two-page spread marked by bare trees matches the first words: "It is dark--a winter's night. / The moon is bright, barely there behind a lazy haze of gray." On the next pages the palette turns a wintry purple as the snowflakes fall. Burrowed under the snow are Bunny and his siblings, nestled next to their mother, dreaming of grass. But Bunny awakes and goes outside to sniff the air, and the snow entices him. Then his brothers and sisters come out to explore the snow and "watch the nighttime." Squirrels gather pinecones; a wolf prowls. In the distance are houses: "Smoke and smells curl up and out" of the chimneys." Children play, and the bunnies follow suit, stumbling and tumbling in the snow. Ford's artful text is both fluid and evocative, yet it's right at a child's level in both word choice and premise. The rabbits have a stuffed-animal look, but the landscapes are so lovely that the whole book is elevated. Let little ones experience what it's like to be out in the wide, white expanse of a starry, starry night.