Walrus Song by Janet Lawler and Timothy Basil Ering

Where is Walrus? 

On a floe. 

Hop flops. He plops. 

Where did he go?

Walrus Song by Janet Lawler and Timothy Basil Ering (illustrator) is a gorgeous children's rhyming picture book about walruses that I'm absolutely in love with. 

Some of the things children will learn about in Walrus Song:

• Herding/socializing behavior
• How big a walrus is and about the fat layer that keeps them warm and stores energy
• What walruses eat and how they hunt for food
• How they play with birds(!)
• The growth of tusks and how they're used to lift a walrus from the water and chip ice to make space to dive
• How they use their flippers to walk and fight
• The sounds they make
• Mothers and babies: how often walruses give birth and how long they stay with mother
• The danger of global warming to walruses

All of this is told in simple, rhyming text. But, there's also an explainer section at the end of the book that goes into greater detail about what various lines mean. For example, the line saying Walrus is "on a floe" describes the meaning of the word floe (an ice sheet). And, a line describing the way a walrus swims, "Twirling, whirling, flippers swirling," is further described in the explainer section in this way:

"A walrus swims by wiggling its whole body and stroking with its back flippers. It steers with its front flippers."

I took an interior shot to show you just how gorgeous the illustrations are (you should be able to click on the image to enlarge):

Highly recommended - I've read and reviewed a lot of children's books and I'm sure some of the animal books I've read (along with a single book I remember from my childhood) have had walruses in them along with other animals. But, Walrus Song is the first book I've read that's totally dedicated to walruses. I enjoyed learning about them and I think little ones will appreciate the gentle rhythmic text while they're still small enough to sit on laps, then will enjoy learning more about walruses as they grow. Walruses need love, too! Walrus Song would also be a great book for libraries and classrooms, since it has some nice added details in addition to the lovely story showing a walrus throughout its day. 

My thanks to Candlewick Press for the review copy! 

©2021 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Mirabel's Missing Valentines by Janet Lawler and Olivia Chin Mueller and a Fiona Friday pic

Mirabel was very shy,

She'd always been that way. 

She trembled at the thought of 

giving valentines away. 

Mirabel is nervous about exchanging valentines with her classmates, but in spite of her nerves she puts her heart and soul into creating beautiful cards with a heart on each one. The next day, she goes to school. As she's walking, she is totally unaware that her bag is open and the valentines are dropping out of her bag, one by one.

As each valentine falls, an adult working or walking nearby finds them and each person feels uplifted by the sentiment. But, then Mirabel realizes her bag has gotten lighter and when she discovers that the valentines she worked on so hard are gone, she lets out a squeal.

Hearing Mirabel's distress, the people who've found her cards realize that they weren't dropped deliberately for them and they return the cards to Mirabel. She's happy to find that -- even though they didn't get to keep them -- her cards have brightened up the day for a number of people. And, she's made a few friends in the process.

The gratitude of her new friends gives Mirabel courage and she is no longer nervous about the valentine exchange. At the end of the day, she heads home but doesn't realize that the adults who picked up her cards are quietly each slipping a card into her bag. When she gets home, she has a treasure trove of cards.

Highly recommended - Mirabel's Missing Valentines is a sweet, uplifting book about how little things like a pretty card can make a person's day brighter. It's also about summoning the courage and creativity to do something, in spite of nerves, and how it can turn out just fine in the end. One of three books sent to me together by Sterling Children's Books, Mirabel's Missing Valentines was my favorite of the bunch because it's lighthearted and sweet. It's a seasonal book but unlike some that I've reviewed over the years, I don't feel like this one needs to be reserved for the season. It isn't just about  one particular day; it's about friendship and brightening someone else's day, gathering up the strength to do something you're afraid of and going for it -- both themes that work year-round.

My thanks to Sterling Children's Books for the copy of Mirabel's Missing Valentines!

And, a belated Fiona Friday pic because I just couldn't get myself to sit down at the computer, yesterday. This is Isabel looking up at me as I walked in the front door. Every time I go outside, the cats come running to see if I've brought them any grass to munch on. Unfortunately, it's not growing (although the weeds are doing terrific) so I have to hold up my hands to show them there's no grass in them every time I walk in the door. Hopefully, they'll be satisfied soon.

©2019 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.