Tag Archives: babies and toddlers

Let’s Look, Not Touch by Kateryna Dronova (Book Review)

Wherever Mom and her boy go—beach, park, or brook—the curious child loves to stop and look. From frogs that leap to turtles that clutch, Mom always smiles and says, “Let’s Look, Not Touch.”

But when a birthday surprise pops up just right, will Mom’s rule change on this special night?

Let’s Look, Not Touch is a rhythmic read-aloud picture book for kids that celebrates a child’s curiosity, teaches respect for wildlife, and shares the gentle lessons of patience and care. With its repetitive refrain and heartwarming message, this book makes learning about nature and animals an adventure—and builds a love of wildlife that lasts a lifetime.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

Kids are inquisitive, and how they learn about the world changes over time. Babies and toddlers explore through touch. Their brain sends a signal instructing them to touch and feel everything. While some objects are safe to touch, others are not. Let’s Look, Not Touch is a rhythmic story that follows a mom and her little boy as they explore different locations, discovering new friends in nature, and learning to observe without touching. The beautiful story teaches young kids to respect nature and be kind to all living things, important lessons to begin learning at a young age.

Join the mom and son as they observe a starfish that has washed up on the beach. Teach kids to be mindful of snakes and spiders, especially when you don’t know whether they are poisonous. Take this engaging book to the park and feed the birds like the characters do in the story. Reminding kids to follow the book’s mantra: “Let’s look, not touch.” Listen to the frogs’ croak and watch as fireflies light up the night sky. Again, helping kids remember these four words: “Let’s look, not touch.” There is so much more to see and explore in this wonderful tale. The mom prompts the child to keep their hands away from certain animals and bugs, but there’s one animal the mom says yes they can touch. Read the story to find out what it is!

Kids do learn by touching objects, but they also learn through repetition. Repeating “Let’s look, not touch” in daily routines reinforces understanding of what is safe to touch and what should only be observed. I recommend sharing Let’s Look, Not Touch with your baby and/or toddler, especially before heading outside, to help instill respectful exploration habits early on. It’s beautifully written and illustrated. I even found the spider cute, and that is an amazing, artistic feat! My only small change, in the overall great story, would be the presentation of text. Placing the text on a solid color or less busy section of each page would make the words pop more. It was still a great read, though, and deserves four stars!

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 

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Meet the Author

Kateryna Dronova is a children’s writer who loves turning imagination into playful and heartfelt stories. Growing up surrounded by rich traditions and storytelling, she draws inspiration for her tales that nurture curiosity, courage, and kindness in young readers. Kateryna believes books can spark magic in every child—and she writes to share that wonder.


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Gentle, Gentle: A Story About Kind Hands and Big Feelings by Abby Tunny (Book Spotlight)

Gentle, Gentle is a heartwarming book that teaches toddlers how to express big emotions through kind hands and gentle choices.

Perfect for ages 1-4, this colorful and engaging story follows Trey, a spirited toddler who’s learning that pushing isn’t the answer. With the help of his mom, a kind teacher, and a classroom full of friends, Trey discovers better ways to communicate when frustration bubbles up. Through simple rhymes and vibrant illustrations, young readers explore emotional regulation, empathy, and using words instead of hands. This book is ideal for families, educators, therapists, and caregivers seeking to nurture positive behavior, reduce hitting and pushing, and help children learn to manage big feelings. This relatable story encourages self-expression, builds emotional intelligence, and affirms that every child can learn to be kind-even when things get tough.

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Read My Review on Reedsy Discovery!

 

 

 

Meet the Author

I am just a mom of two young children whose love of being a mom and passion for her children and family led to a creative spark to create a children’s book. My background includes psychology, social work, and now also includes self-publishing. I strive to live and teach the spirit of kindness.
 

 

 

 

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Peek-a-Boo Missy Moo | Lift-the-Flap Board Book by Kelsey Marshalsey (Book Spotlight)

Peek-a-Boo Missy Moo is a delightful lift-the-flap board book perfect for curious little hands and growing imaginations. Aimed at ages 0–5, this interactive story invites young readers to play a cheerful game of peek-a-boo with everyone’s favourite Highland Coo!

With sturdy flaps and rhythmic, rhyming text, children will love searching for Missy Moo as she hides on every page. Whether you’re reading together at playtime or bedtime, this joyful book is sure to become a family favourite.

Buy now at Brown Paper Fox store!

Read my REVIEW on Reedsy Discovery!

 

 

 

Meet the Author

A Canadian illustrator and author who specializes in picture books.
Lover of all things whimsical and books that evoke emotion and nostalgia.

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Roofus the Rooster Shouted Cock-A-Doodle-Do All Day Long by JoAnn Hazeldene (Book Review)

Is Roofus’s love for crowing annoying to others?

Young children will enjoy and identify with Roofus the rooster. Roofus struggles with how others perceive him. He demonstrates emotional intelligence byidentifying and managing his own emotions as well as recognizing the emotions of others.This book encourages children to empathize with others and to compromise while maintaining a positive self-concept.

This easy-reader draws in the audience using repetition and language patterns, within a fun and interactive sing-song poem. The story introduces literary concepts such as plot, onomatopoeias, syntax, and prepositional phases. Children will not only interact with the print but actively participate in the story. The animal sounds are color coded for easy prereader participation. Parents and teachers will want to act out the story using movement and sounds.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

Roofus the Rooster Shouted Cock-a-doodle-do All Day Long is a silly storybook encouraging viewer participation. 

If you live on a farm or have visited one, you know that some animals are very vocal. Roosters, for instance, love to greet the day, but their cock-a-doodle-doos do not stop when the sun is at its highest point. Like in real life, the rooster in the story shouted hello at first light and several other points in the day. 

First, the rooster woke the farmer, who told the bird, “Shhh!” Then, it moved to the fenced-in area where the rooster’s bellowing hello scared four horses. The rooster also startled several birds on a electrical line and annoyed a fluffy white cat. The rooster visited other animals, each having similar facial expressions to the loud cock-a doodle-doo. While the rooster didn’t think twice about his loud vocals, others did not appreciate his loud squawking. 

Readers will see a reaction written in bold, colorful letters at each pitstop. These reactions will repeat, in order, at the next location. For example, when the farmer said, “Shhh,” the word was repeated on stop two under the new sound: “Bang clang, shhh.” The story structure promotes child involvement, prediction, and memorization. The simple, repetitive text makes this story perfect for beginning readers. 

Roofus the Rooster Shouted Cock-a-doodle-do All Day Long is a wonderful book with humorous illustrations and predictable text. Parents and educators can use the book to teach toddlers their animal names or sounds. It can used as a starter book for young readers. 

Adult readers might notice the drawings looked pixelated. Children six years and younger will not notice or care about the graininess. The text was crystal clear, though!

 I recommend Roofus the Rooster Shouted Cock-a-doodle-do All Day Long to babies-first grade.  

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score:  ❤❤❤❤

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Meet the Author

I am an elementary school teacher turned author. I love to read books to children, and I have an appreciation of what makes for a good read-a-loud story. I love sharing stories with children that are fun and intriguing.

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Pensive Penelope Thinks About Words by Pat Blankenship (Book Review)

“Pensive Penelope woke up one day
Thinking about all the words she might say.
She thought she might mention the words in her head
When Mama and Papa got her out of bed.”

Filled with delightful rhyme and rhythm, this story follows Penny as she finds her voice in a matter of hours, moving quickly from easy basic words to complex concepts and ideas. And isn’t that exactly the way that works? Children go from making basic sounds to talking your ear off in what feels like no time at all!

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

When you’re a parent, there’re many milestones you can’t wait for your child to reach: the first laugh, rolling over, the first step, feeding oneself, and the first word, to name a few. Each moment is filled with laughter, clapping, and shouts of glee from parents (sometimes from the child, too). 

When my children were (about) nine months old, they spoke their first word (Ma). Every day, their vocabulary was building and being shared with us, their parents. We were excited to wake up and see what our babies would say next. The toddler stage was connecting words, and then things got more interesting. This is when real conversations start to happen with our children. I loved this time. 

When kids start verbalizing more, they mimic sounds and words they hear. If you ever wonder if your child understands what you’re saying, this is the time when they parrot back your words. 

Pensive Penelope Thinks About Words by Pat Blankenship showcases all the words and thoughts that zip around a child’s brain and the excitement it brings to them and those around them when they finally can speak. 

Pensive Penelope Thinks About Words captured the realism of how tiring talking can be for a child and those listening to their chatter. I vividly recall when my kids learned to say, “Why?” Man, did they use that word often! “No” was also a favorite of theirs. 

Amazon recommends Pensive Penelope Thinks About Words by Pat Blankenship for birth to eight-year-olds. I think babies and toddlers will like the illustrations by Linden Eller. They were super cute! 

Preschoolers should be able to understand the happenings in the story, and school-age kids should be able to read most, if not all, the words with little to no assistance. 

I highly recommend parents share this book with their youngsters. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤

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Pat Blankenship: I am Leo, Gryffindor, first born, comfortable-casual clothes lover and a huge fan of kids. I am a yogi, a mother, a grandmother and a reader of newspapers and novels. I am an English major, a teacher, a retired lawyer and a writer.

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