Little Bitty Friends

December 1, 2015
With expressions of wonder and delight, little toddlers explore nature in its tiniest forms, seeing critters and flowers with the curiosity of new eyes. McPike and Barton have created a companion book to their comforting bedtime read-aloud, Little Sleepyhead (2015). This outing repeats the same rhythmic couplets, bringing together the simplest of flora and fauna with a racially diverse group of toddlers. Barton uses digitized pencil sketches to capture the wide-eyed, breath-holding feeling of seeing a caterpillar for the first time. The children's delight in the snails, bluebirds, and bunnies is a gentle introduction to quietly observing nature. "Little bitty chipmunks, chattering all the day / Little bitty ladybug always comes to play." (Here a ladybug crawls across a giggling toddler's forehead.) The illustrations are open and breezy with white space, and the spare text printed in different colors keeps the focus simple. While the repeated phrase of "little bitty" provides a consistent thread from beginning to end, the uniqueness of every child is clear. Yet even the wide range of skin tones and hairstyles is secondary to the universal feeling of wonder. Is this a nature book? Not really. But with beautiful young faces respecting living creatures, it is a great choice for toddler libraries. (Picture book. 1-3)

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January 1, 2016

PreS-McPike's gentle rhymes describe very young children interacting with nature. The adorable babies and toddlers are shown observing, mimicking, and/or tenderly handling a furry caterpillar, buttercups, a baby bird, and a bitty snail. The repetitive words and sweet images capture this enchanted world of discovery. "Little bitty chipmunks, /chattering all the day, /Little bitty ladybug/always comes to play." The rounded, soft-focus mixed-media illustrations complement the text well, showing a diverse cast of characters. The book concludes with a napping boy curled up with a puppy and a giant hug from Dad. VERDICT A terrific choice to encourage children (and their hovering adults) to discover the wonders of the world around them.-Paula Huddy, The Blake School-Highcroft Campus, Wayzata, MN

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2016
Preschool-K This gentle rhyming book, featuring a racially diverse collection of small children, highlights the fascination children feel for creatures even smaller than themselves. The cover illustration sets the tone: a child lies on the grass, gazing at a little, smiling turtle. The softly smudged pencil and mixed-media illustrations focus on both action and observation. For example, the first double-page-spread illustration shows a boy taking little bitty steps on a path while watching a line of ants marching on the grass beside him. The next spread shows a young girl contemplating a caterpillar crawling up her knee. Little ones notice chattering chipmunks, a curious snail, and a ladybug that has alighted on one of their foreheads. The little bitty repetition ends as a father picks up his son, who is snoozing next to a sleeping puppy, and gives him a giant, giant hug. Engaging artwork underscores a valuable message about the joys of close observation. This author and illustrator team's Little Sleepyhead (2015) would make a nice companion book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)