The Blue Baboon in the Big Balloon

The Blue Baboon in the Big Balloon, by Sarah & Steve Mostyn

(Mostyn Books, 2014), pb., 32 pp.

Ages 3-8

List $12.95

This is a fun, lighthearted book which we enjoyed. There is no deep message here, but the authors have fun making rhymes and tongue twisters in the context of a silly story. My 8 year old daughter, 6 year old son and I laughed along with the story and had a good time. How can you go wrong with a blue baboon in a big balloon, a cat named Matt, a family of mice who eat fried rice, and an orange mite who likes to fight with a troll named Dwight? And that’s not all! Throw in a flight to the moon where there are raccoons in cocoons and a panda on the veranda, and it’s enough of a deusey to make you woozy!

This is the first children book from this husband and wife duo and I look forward to more from them.

Goodnight Songs by Margaret Wise Brown

Goodnight Songs, by Margaret Wise Brown

(Stirling Children’s Books, 2014), hb., 28 pp.

CD included

$17.95

Ages 3-7

Margaret Wise Brown (1910-1952) is the author of GoodnightMoon, a fun little book that we have enjoyed for years. Apparently others have enjoyed it as well since it has sold over four million copies! This book brings to light 12 previously unpublished poems by Margaret Wise Brown with illustrated by 12 different award-winning illustrators and set to music by Tom Proutt and Emily Gary. The CD, which is included, contains the musical version of each poem sung by Proutt and Gary.

This is a neat project, bringing to light material previously unknown to the public from a beloved author. However, we did not find this book as engaging as Goodnight Moon. Most of the poems left us (myself, my 8 year old daughter and my 6 year old son) lacking. The music was interesting but not compelling. In the end, this was for us a book worth looking at but not one we would purchase.