Sunday, February 17, 2019

Prestel Junior (publishing) enchants with large picture books that educate: Bucketloads of Friends & Great Ports of the World [Review & Giveaway US/CANADA]

Prestel Junior released these two books in October 2018 and you will find that they are such fun to read and lend themselves well to educating your child in an entertaining way.


Bucketloads of Friends: A Look and Find Book by Mia Cassany and illustrated by Miguel Bustos


Buy it on Amazon
My thoughts: The intention of this book is to show that you can find a friend in various places and settings. While the intended ages is 4 to 8, my opinion is that the art is more suited to an older group. The drawings are a bit quirky with misshapened bodies out of proportion and somewhat bizarre. Perhaps it is my own perception or taste that wants to distance itself from this particular style. Previously published in Barcelona, Spain by Mosquito Books this may be a style that appeals to Europeans for the age group.

The story is simple in that Lucas wants a friend to love. So he goes searching. And the reader gets to search, too. This book with pages jam packed with images has sort of hidden aspects that you will see if you look for the pattern. Lucas looks and doesn't find his friend but the friend is there for the asking.

The search for a friend is a real issue for some and it is for Lucas.




About the book: Lucas is looking everywhere for a best friend: the park, the circus, by the lake, and at school. He meets a lot of people along the way. But what about a best friend? This entertaining and colorful book is full of details for kids to search and find. Every spread features line drawings that are humming with activity. From an animal hospital populated with every kind of pet to an office filled with workers too busy working to give Lucas the time of day; from a restaurant that appears to serve only sandwiches and salad to a botanic garden where the visitors are just as strange as the plants. As Lucas travels around the city, he meets a lot of people, but will he find a best friend? Young readers will turn again and again to these drawings, discovering new details each time, and sparking their own ideas about how people interact in everyday situations. Many look and find questions will increase the fun and help to spot even more details.

Great Ports of the World: From New York to Hong Kong by Mia Cassany and illustrated by Victor Medina

Fun book that will inspire wanderlust in the youngest adventurers, and makes a great road trip or travel companion!


Buy it on Amazon

My thoughts: Having grown up in a port city on the coast of North Carolina, USA, I can relate slightly to the idea of a bustling port. Our port was not active like the major ports across the globe, but it has seen lots of activity. From the early history of the Southern USA, through war time in the 1940s, the port was of major interest. So this book, Great Ports of the World...., is quite appealing to me. Originally published in Barcelona, Spain, by Mosquito Books and now in English by Prestel Junior, the design of the book is not that of photographs showing the ships and port activity. No, the illustrations have a more artsy, or graphic tone. Which is fine. I like the book.

The author and artist literally take the reader across the globe North, South, East, and West discovering ports huge and small; and the reader will glean bits and pieces of history and information that will whet one's appetite for more to discover.

I recommend this book for school libraries, public libraries, and homes where you love to discover. And hey, do you have a favorite port?

The Port of Hamburg on the River Elbe


About the book: Travel to the world’s ports and you’ll learn much about a country’s people, culture, and industry. Ports are thriving hubs of activity, filled with an endless variety of boats, cargo, and workers. This unique book takes young readers on a journey around the globe’s ports and features some of the world’s most fascinating destinations. In colorful spreads, readers are given insights into each port city: What are they eating in Hong Kong? What lives on the Nile River? What do the boats of Venice look like? From flora to fauna and from tropical climates to polar regions, this book is packed with vibrant, 1950s-era inspired illustrations. As entertaining as it is educational, this book gives children a window into a new way of seeing the world.

GIVEAWAY
Both books for 1 winner
Begins February 18
Ends March 17 at 12:01 a.m. ET
Open to USA and CANADA addresses.
a Rafflecopter giveaway 
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from MMPublicity on behalf of Prestel Junior Publishing to facilitate this review. Opinions are my own and are freely given. Giveaway copies are provided by and sent direcgtly to the winner by the publisher or publicist.
---------------------
---------------------

10 comments:

  1. "How would you go about making a new friend when you are in a different place or setting?" I would take classes of some kind or volunteer for something or check out that Web site meetup.com.

    "Do you, or have you lived in a port city? Where? Did you like it?" I've visited San Diego, and it's a cool, beautiful city!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would join a card party to find new friends

    I lived in San Diego and I did like it alot.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Making new friends as an adult is super hard. I'd just say to get out there in public places & make casual conversation (like at a coffee shop), or join some kind of group (like a mommy group).

    ReplyDelete
  4. To make a friend in a different place or setting it would have to somehow revolve around food, because that is one thing I love. So at a restaurant or cooking class or something like that. I have never lived in a port city, I don't know that I would want to but they are fun to visit.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think volunteering your time to a cause you believe in would be a great place to meet people in a new place.
    I used to live in Halifax, ns have since moved to a small town 2 hrs away.

    ReplyDelete

  6. How would you go about making a new friend when you are in a different place or setting? By joining a church.
    Do you, or have you lived in a port city? Where? Did you like it? No, I have never lived in a port city.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I usually join a few groups or church to meet new people. I have never lived in a port city.
    Flyergal82 (at /yahoo -dot !com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would try to introduce myself to the neighbors. I have never lived in a port city.
    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete
  9. How would you go about making a new friend when you are in a different place or setting?
    We were in the military so we know about this. Basically, you just get involved with the community. I am shy and introverted so this was hard for me, but we always managed to find a way to settle in.

    Do you, or have you lived in a port city? Where? Did you like it? We lived in places that had ports, but were small or lived in the suburbs of a port city. We have liked everywhere we lived. There's always something to like a bout a place.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I would join groups for subjects I was interested in. I haven't lived in a port city before but think it would be interesting.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment here at Chat With Vera. If you need to contact me directly, please use the email associated with this blog and posted in the sidebar.