BabyLit(R) is a fashionable way to introduce your toddler to the world of classic literature

Introduce little ones to beloved redheaded orphan Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables: A BabyLit(R) Places Primer. as they explore Prince Edward Island and the places that Anne loves. Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver, with their words and bright illustrations, introduce toddlers to Anne’s home and her favorite pond, wood, field, garden, and the avenue to Avonlea. This delightful board book will captivate your brainy baby’s imagination, and yours.

Jennifer Adams is the author of many books including Remarkably Jane: Notable Quotations on Jane Austen and the popular Edgar the Raven series. Jennifer works as a writer and editor in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Allison Oliver runs Sugar design studio. Alison’s design portfolio includes everything from logos to packaging and product design for clients such as Chronicle Books, Citibabes, and Aerie. She lives in New York.

Out August 2017

MY THOUGHTS:

I collect Anne of Green Gables’ books, editions, spin-offs, retellings, etc. I love to get different formats of the classic too, so when I saw this one, I had to have it. I’m also a strong critic about books that ‘destroy’ or use the classic for the wrong means. If an author is brave enough to write such a book as a retelling, then it damn well better be a compliment to the original or a spin-off that ensures the quality of the original classic is maintained.

When this book came in, right away, I noticed how vibrant the colors are, excellent for toddlers to capture their attention.

I have to make a point here, that with the way our world is evolving technologically, many of the ‘standards’ we’ve used, as writers and educators, over the years have grown to be outdated. Education has changed to garner children through the system faster and at higher levels of learning, pushing their knowledge intake and challenging their levels of learning.

When devising a book, especially board books, it’s mostly about colors, illustrations, and appropriate word usage for the level children who read these types of books need to see. Of late, there’s been a push to introduce harder words at this and picture book levels, but not all publishers have gotten on board with this yet.

I was really happy to see that Gibbs Smith has. There are more words used in this book than normally seen, and in fact, I think I’d take a step further and say that the wording and sentence length are a cross between what’s seen in both board books and picture books. And, I was pleasantly surprised. This new hybrid is a great push to raising the levels of learning at such a young age by having parents read to their children in a flowing, lyrical manner that will capture and hold their child’s attention, speaking to them without the “baby language” many use.

I was very impressed with this simple, yet dynamic book! What a great idea and lovely learning tool.