Books

BABY AND PRESCHOOLER

BIG, LITTLE CONCEPTS SERIES

Shape Up, Construction Trucks!

Dump Truck, Dump Truck coming through! I spy a triangle—how about you?

It’s no secret that toddlers love big vehicles. Shape Up, Construction Trucks! uses rhyming verse and bright photographs to celebrate this enthusiasm in a unique take on conceptual shape books. Each spread highlights geometric shapes hiding in plain sight on excavators, bulldozers, cranes, and more. And after the toddlers have browsed the pages to their heart’s content, a final note to parents offers enriching, age-appropriate activities to keep building their child’s foundational skills. 

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Formats:

24 pages | Available in padded hardcover and board book | Ages 1–4

Awards:

Reviews:

★ “Storytime gets a kick in the pants with this jaunty combo of shapes and vehicles….Clear, crisp, clean, and concise—trucks and shapes have never before looked (or sounded) this good.”—Kirkus Reviews ★ Starred Review

★ “Large photos, bold type, and color-specific shapes serve as wonderful aids for young readers to strengthen their identification skills….Sure to be a hit with collections and storytimes.”—School Library Journal ★ Starred Review

Listen Up! Train Song

Where do the trains go? There and back. Let's sing a train song all down the track.

Toddlers love trains and the noises they make. Listen Up! Train Song uses repeating verse and bright photographs to match this enthusiasm with a unique take on the conceptual sound book that is perfect for reading aloud. Each spread uses onomatopoeia to highlight the ting-a-ling! of subway door chimes, the chuff-a-gruff-a! of a diesel engine, and more. And after the children have sung along through the colourful pages, a final note to caregivers offers enriching, age-appropriate activities to keep building their child's foundational learning skills.

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Formats: 

24 pages | Available in padded hardcover and board book | Ages 1–4

Awards:

  • CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens selection

Reviews:

“A perfect match for story hours about things that go. The back matter provides three developmentally appropriate activities and prompts to increase and extend engagement with children, making this a first purchase for the shelves.” —School Library Journal★ Starred Review

“Participation possibilities abound with the consistently inventive train sounds, and the bright and colorful images will be easy to see from across a room….All aboard!”—Kirkus Reviews

Let's Add Up!

6 pots + 4 pans = 10 dishes...or a feast!

If you ask a grown-up to add up to 8 cars + 2 trucks, they’ll probably say that’s 10 vehicles. And it’s true. But these 10 young friends know what else those things add up to: a race! What will they do with 7 robes + 3 capes? Or 6 pots + 4 pans? 10 simple objects can have infinite possibilities. 

In Let’s Add Up! cleverly tucks lessons on categorization and all the ways to compose the number 10 into a playdate full of enticing imagination and creative play. A closing note to caregivers offers enriching, age-appropriate activities to keep building their child’s foundational learning skills. After all, 5 story time snuggles + 5 more = 10 opportunities to build lifelong learning! 

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Formats:

24 pages | Padded hardcover | Ages 2–4

Reviews:

“8 + 2 becomes more than just numbers in this invitation to think outside the worksheet…Allenby turns arithmetic into play…Teachers and parents can count on an enthusiastic response from younger audiences.”—Kirkus Reviews

STANDALONE PICTURE BOOKS

Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That

Nat can sleep through anything, even the world's most energetic kitten!

Nat has a talent for sleeping all day long. Name any place in the house and Nat can sleep in, on, under, or sprawled over it. In fact, Nat is so devoted to slumber that the imaginative antics of a crazy kitten don’t seem to bother him one bit, until...

When the nighttime quiet falls,
When strange shadows fill the halls...

Now Nat is all fired up and ready to go! Will the kitten be able to keep up, or is it time for her to find the perfect place to settle down for a wee nap?

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Formats:

32 pages | Available in hardcover with dust jacket and board book | Ages 1–5

Awards:

  • A “Welcome to Kindergarten” Selection
  • Winner of the 2014 Preschool Reads Award
  • Nominated for the 2015 SYRCA Shining Willow Award
  • Bank Street Best Book 

Reviews:

“Young readers will enjoy the brief rhymed text and find themselves chiming in on the repeated refrain, “Nat the cat can sleep like that!”—School Library Journal

“Sweet without being saccharine, this is a good choice for group read-alouds. ”—Booklist

" ...Allenby and Anderson have captured a cat any young ailurophile will recognize....Good kitty fun that will demand repeated reads."—Kirkus Reviews

“Looking for a good bedtime book? Check out Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That by Victoria Allenby. This cat can sleep through anything!”—Chirp Magazine

Rhino Rumpus

One little rhino in a mood. Two little rhinos acting rude.

Three little rhinos are having trouble getting along as Mama tries to coax them through the evening routine. Will they fidget, fuss, and fight right up until bedtime? Or will their Mama’s love help them find some common ground? 

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Format:

24 pages | Padded hardcover |  | Ages 2–5

Reviews:

“This romp of a picture book for very young audiences begs to be read aloud.”—Booklist

“Preschoolers with siblings (or parents with rambunctious little rhinos of their own) will relate to this story and have a lot of fun reading together.”—Resource Links

Good Morning, Grumple

A fresh, funny picture book that will inspire happy mornings from grumpy children

Not every child greets the new day with enthusiasm. Those who don’t are called Grumples, and they must be dealt with carefully. Sing very softly, tickle one pinky toe, kiss the scrunched-up forehead. And then a big hug and a singing rhyme to see in the day. Even Grumples cannot resist.

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Format: 

24 Pages | Padded hardcover | Ages 2–5 

Reviews

“What to do with tots who don’t like to wake up in the morning? Do you tiptoe carefully around them, or do you wake them up with a tickle and a song? Allenby and Gauthier address this very issue with a patient mother fox who knows just how to coax her own little ‘grumple’ out of bed.”—School Library Journal

“Gauthier’s naive-style collage illustrations...nicely complement Allenby’s bouncy rhymes, particularly when contrasting the mother’s singsongy cheerfulness with the grumple’s rumpled, bleary-eyed appearance.”— Booklist


EARLY READERS

Timo's Garden

One garden. One perfectionist gardener. One week before the tour.

At first, the Great, Green Garden Tour sounds like a lot of fun. Before long, though, young rabbit Timo starts to find that it’s a lot of pressure. Can he really call his garden “great?” Maybe it needs one little change…or a few… or a lot.

Anxious to make his garden measure up, Timo forgets to take time out for anyone else. Luckily, his friends know just how to remind him of the value of being there for others: by being there for him when he needs it most.

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Format:

48 pages |  | Ages 5–8 | Hardcover

Awards and Honours:

  • 2016 New York Public Library Best Books for Kids & Teens selection
  • 2016 Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids & Teens selection 

Reviews:

“Allenby laces her story with alliteration and wordplay (“Gently, he planted some ginger. Gingerly, he planted some gentians”)....The easy camaraderie and old-fashioned gentility among these friends exert plenty of charm.”—Publishers Weekly

“A fine title for growing readers.”—Kirkus Reviews

This lovely early chapter book presents the theme of friendship while also tackling life’s challenges in a comfortable manner....The finely illustrated “Glossary of Flowers” on the final pages is an ideal introduction for budding horticulturists.”—School Library Journal

“Allenby’s storytelling is lively, with a nice sprinkling of rhymes, alliteration, and other wordplay....Sweet, informative, and visually appealing.”—Booklist

Timo's Party

Can Timo be a good friend when it also means overcoming his shyness?

Big parties make Timo’s fur stand on end. But hosting one might be the key to helping his friend Hedgewick’s culinary dreams come true; a famous food critic is coming to town, and an apple festival in Timo’s orchard would be just the thing to showcase Hedgewick’s cooking. So the introverted rabbit begins to prepare the party, one invitation, decoration and arrangement at a time. But when the big day arrives, will the support from his friends and his belief in Hedgewick’s cooking be enough to impress Madame LaPointe?

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Format:

48 pages |  | Ages 5–8 | Hardcover

Awards and Honours:

  • 2017 Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids & Teens selection 

Reviews

“Depicting acts of courage, selflessness, and kindness, Timo’s Party is wholly designed to support its readers’ character development. Thematic links: Kindness; Responsibility; Perseverance; Courage; Cooking; Friendship; Mindfulness; Social Anxiety”—Resource Links

“Timo’s Party is a thoughtful story with emotionally authentic characters….[T]his is a sweet chapter book with an empowering message. Highly Recommended.”—CM Magazine

“Author Victoria Allenby never preaches or instructs the reader how to live life well, or be a good friend or be brave. Instead, she swathes that message in Timo’s daily experiences, taking advantage of a true story-telling opportunity.”—CanLit for LittleCanadians

Timo Goes Camping

Camping for the first time involves a lot of skills...and sometimes, so does friendship.

When Suki invites her friends on a camping trip, Timo is wary. None of them has ever gone camping before. But a little research at the Toadstool Corners library makes him feel better—until the first accident happens. Bogs trips on a paddle, and Suki laughs. Hedgewick capsizes a canoe, and Suki teases. Now Timo dreads being the next one to make a mistake. Can he get through the trip without making a fool of himself? And even if he does, will his friendship with Suki ever be the same?

Buy This Book

Format:

48 pages |  | Ages 5–8 | Hardcover

Awards and Honours

  • 2018 Resource Links “The Year’s Best” selection
  • 2018 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Kids & Teens selection

Reviews

“[Timo Goes Camping] tells an accessible, appealing story in eight chapters of large-print text. Created with warmth and attention to detail, the illustrations will help other noncampers imagine the settings and equipment as well as the dressed animal characters.”—Booklist

“The bold illustrations are coupled with flowing, sensory-laden prose to make a treat for the eyes and ears alike. VERDICT An enjoyable choice for elementary schools and sure to be popular with children. A great choice for a class read-aloud during Kindness Week.”—School Library Journal

“Allenby’s five woodland characters are full of personality….Vignette, single-page, and double-page artwork serves to show the friends’ emotions and illustrate the text. Beginning chapter-book readers will look for the friends’ next adventure and head to the library whenever their own skills are lacking.”—Kirkus Reviews

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