Little Bitty Friends

by Elizabeth McPike, Patrice Barton (Illustrator)

Overview

A cuter-than-puppies companion to Little Sleepyhead 

Little bitty chipmunks,
chattering all the day,
 
Little bitty ladybug
always comes to play.
 
Marching with ants, snuggling with baby rabbits, reaching for the sun with happy buttercups—young children form special bonds with nature's little creations. 
 
Lyrical verse and charming scenes capture an enchanted world of little bitty friends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399549151
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/11/2017
Pages:	28
Sales rank:	548,183
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 5.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

A writer, editor, and late-afternoon napper, Elizabeth McPike lives in Washington, DC. On a perfect day, she is likely to be found in her garden or in the remainder section of her nearby bookstore or sitting in a quiet pew by a stained-glass window.

Patrice Barton (www.patricebarton.com) created her first painting at the age of three in Crisco on the dining room wall. She lives in Cedar Park, Texas.

Editorial Reviews

A terrific choice to encourage children (and their hovering adults) to discover the wonders of the world around them. . . . Adorable babies and toddlers are shown observing, mimicking, and/or tenderly handling a furry caterpillar, buttercups, a baby bird, and a bitty snail. The repetitive words and sweet images capture this enchanted world of discovery.”—School Library Journal

“This gentle rhyming book, featuring a racially diverse collection of small children, highlights the fascination children feel for creatures even smaller than themselves. . . . Engaging artwork underscores a valuable message about the joys of close observation.”—Booklist

“Happy, curious toddlers of different races revel in the wonder of the natural world as they encounter small creatures, a willow tree, buttercups, etc. . . A visually inviting book that would make a great addition to toddler storytime.”—The Horn Book Guide

From the Publisher

01/01/2016
PreS—McPike's gentle rhymes describe very young children interacting with nature. The adorable babies and toddlers are shown observing, mimicking, and/or tenderly handling a furry caterpillar, buttercups, a baby bird, and a bitty snail. The repetitive words and sweet images capture this enchanted world of discovery. "Little bitty chipmunks,/chattering all the day,/Little bitty ladybug/always comes to play." The rounded, soft-focus mixed-media illustrations complement the text well, showing a diverse cast of characters. The book concludes with a napping boy curled up with a puppy and a giant hug from Dad. VERDICT A terrific choice to encourage children (and their hovering adults) to discover the wonders of the world around them.—Paula Huddy, The Blake School-Highcroft Campus, Wayzata, MN

School Library Journal

2015-11-17
With expressions of wonder and delight, little toddlers explore nature in its tiniest forms, seeing critters and flowers with the curiosity of new eyes. McPike and Barton have created a companion book to their comforting bedtime read-aloud, Little Sleepyhead (2015). This outing repeats the same rhythmic couplets, bringing together the simplest of flora and fauna with a racially diverse group of toddlers. Barton uses digitized pencil sketches to capture the wide-eyed, breath-holding feeling of seeing a caterpillar for the first time. The children's delight in the snails, bluebirds, and bunnies is a gentle introduction to quietly observing nature. "Little bitty chipmunks, chattering all the day / Little bitty ladybug always comes to play." (Here a ladybug crawls across a giggling toddler's forehead.) The illustrations are open and breezy with white space, and the spare text printed in different colors keeps the focus simple. While the repeated phrase of "little bitty" provides a consistent thread from beginning to end, the uniqueness of every child is clear. Yet even the wide range of skin tones and hairstyles is secondary to the universal feeling of wonder. Is this a nature book? Not really. But with beautiful young faces respecting living creatures, it is a great choice for toddler libraries. (Picture book. 1-3)

Kirkus Reviews