I have read all of Jane Austen works, many biographies, nonfiction, and oodles of sequels - but an Austen-inspired children's board book? Whoa! Curious? I was. Don't ya just love the creativity that our Jane inspires?
When I first heard about Pride & Prejudice: Little Miss Austen (BabyLit) by Jennifer Adams, the same author who wrote the lovely Remarkably Jane: Notable Quotations on Jane Austen, I was quite intrigued. Would this be a retelling of one of my favorite classic novels for very young readers? How would it translate into a children's counting primer? And, how the heck would I review a children's book - total virgin territory for me.
Once I had a copy of the book in hand, many of my concerns were immediately dispelled. It was indeed a board book, a small compact cardboard version of a book - easy for a child to hold, unrippable and chewable. (Yes. As a bookseller, I have seen many a toddler stick a board book in their mouth and gnaw on it like a teething ring.) At 22 pages, it was both compact and lightweight, but what will ultimately appeal to parent and child is the total Pride and Prejudice theme that author Jennifer Adams and illustrator Alison Oliver have embraced. From the bright and cheery front cover displaying an image of (one assumes) a wide eyed, and very young Miss Austen, to the 20 clever and striking illustrations inside, I was awed by the choice of characters, Regency clothing and objects used and the ease of the text. . .
Charming, whimsical and historical accurate, Pride & Prejudice: Little Miss Austen, offers the very young reader an early introduction to Jane Austen - planting seeds for her total world take-over!
(Laurel Ann Nattress
Austenprose.com 20110803)
I don't usually write about books for babies but today I came across a set of board books that I just had to share with all of you. Perfect as a gift for a literary-loving expectant mother or to introduce your little one to the classics, BabyLit has brilliantly created primers out of classic literature such as Pride & Prejudice, Romeo & Juliet and Alice in Wonderland, written by Jennifer Adams and illustrated by Allison Oliver. Four of the titles have even been turned into iBooks and are available for purchase on the iBookstore. Not only that, you can purchase prints, stuffed character dolls, buttons and totes that correspond with each of the tales. How adorable would these Pride & Prejudice prints be to decorate a little girl's nursery, complete with a Mr. Darcy doll? I'm honestly in love with these products!
As for an actual review, and not just décor suggestions, I purchased the iBook version of Little Miss Austen: Pride & Prejudice (one of my absolute favorites) and was impressed with the format of the text and bright images. I also loved the simple interactivity that can be found by touching the pictures on certain pages. Children will love to find the sounds of people talking, horses neighing and music playing as they read this story.
(Amy
The Brilliant Blog for Children's Books 20130307)
Nothing Says, "Shut up kid!" like a Board Book by: Tina Buell I love vacationing with my son; it's the getting there that frazzles my nerves! Reminiscent of The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha, traveling with small children requires nerves of steel! Long flights are especially hard. Managing mood swings and temper tantrums while remaining seated has even me asking the flight attendant, "Are we there yet?" To avoid toddler apocalypse while in transit, I pack classic novels as a distraction. On our last trip to Nevada my preschooler read both Pride & Prejudice and Romeo & Juliet. Is my son a gifted? If eating boogers and spontaneously screaming the theme song to Fan Boy and Chum Chum is a sign of genius, then yes, yes he is. What do board books and classic novels have in common? A new series of books from BabyLit! BabyLit board books from Gibbs Smith brings classic writers like Lewis Carroll, Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, and William Shakespeare to toddlers by creating oversized board books with bright colors and easy to understand words. Written by Jennifer Adams and illustrated by Alison Oliver, the BabyLit series brings literature alive for little ones. Some are counting primers, while others like Little Master Carroll: Alice In Wonderland simply share important words that sum up the story. Board books are a wonderful way to engage your child's interest while traveling; they keep small hands busy and give tiny mouths something to chew on. Nothing says, "Shut up kid!" like a board book. BabyLit board books are a must for every travel savvy parent's carry-on luggage and a surefire way to bring a smile to even the rudest flight attendant's face. Click here for more great books published by Gibbs Smith. A special thanks to Gibbs Smith for sending me a copy of Little Miss Austen: Pride & Prejudice and Little Master Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet to facilitate my review. I received no other compensation, and was not required to express any particular point of view. Tina Buell is Trekaroo's Northern California Destination Specialist, single mom, and mother to a constant ray of SONshine. (Tina Buell
Trekaroo.com 20120424)
When I stumbled across a new book series called "BabyLit" where youngsters are introduced to Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet) and our Jane (Pride and Prejudice) early I just about died with joy. It also helps that the cover is Squee-Worthy. These adorable "Counting Primer" board-books are brought to you by Gibbs Smith publishers, and I can tell you from the sneak peek I've been given of the contents that they are truly adorable (and involve ball gowns, violins, horses, marriage proposals and a mention of our Darcy's 10,000 a year). If you want to get your little bub interested in Jane Austen as much as you, then with words by Jennifer Adams and quaint cartoon illustrations by Alison Oliver (that remind me of a mixture of Roger Hargreave's Mr.Men/Little Miss books blended with Satoshi Kitamura's UFO Diary), you can't go past this. With gorgeous pinks, greens, blues and other dusty colours it's the most elegant children's book I've seen in a while, and if your child is learning their 1 to ten then this is a must buy. (Jennifer Duke
thebennetsisters.wordpress.com 20110707)
