New Kids' Books for the New Year from Prestel Publishing {A Hats Off Giveaway Hop Event}

Welcome to the Hats Off Giveaway Hop hosted by MamatheFox.
From now through January 31st, hop along to all participating blogs for your chance to win some great prizes to start the new year.

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**Books received for consideration. Post contains affiliate links. All thoughts are 100% my own. 

It's hard to believe it's already January, yet here we are during this first month of a new year.

January might be best thought of as the month of resolutions, but when I think of January, I cannot help but also think it's a month of a lot of time spent inside. Typically that's thanks to snow, and while this year seems to have given us a rainy January, the result is the same: lots of time indoors and bored kids to entertain. Sure, they have their new Christmas toys to occupy them for now, but give them another week or so, and the "I'm bored" are sure to begin.

This is why, if you ask me, January is the perfect time to restock your child's bookshelf! Today, I'm sharing four great new books that can help you do just that!

Where’s the Architect? From Pyramids to Skyscrapers: An Architecture Look and Find Book by Susanne Rebscher and illustrated by Annabelle Von Sperber (ISBN: 978-3-7913-7301-0; Hardcover $19.95; Ages 4-8).
From the top of China’s Great Wall to the base of the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, this journey through the world of architecture stops in nearly every continent and travels through centuries. Annabelle von Sperber populates her dynamic and intricate double-page spreads with many details and a hidden architect or important figure on every page that kids will have fun trying to locate. Along the way they’ll learn about the iron workers who built the Empire State building, how many bulbs it takes to light the Eiffel Tower, where the royal jewels are kept at the Tower of London, and why there is so much red and yellow in Beijing’s Forbidden City. Young readers will find themselves fully immersed in this large format book while learning about the incredible architectural wonders that continue to amaze us today.

I don't know about you, but I LOVED Look and Find books when I was a kid. Whether it was finding that elusive Waldo or I Spy, those books were really a fantastic cure for boredom.... even if you weren't a big reader!

This fun books takes that same look and find idea that we all love, but with a fantastic educational twist. Not only are we looking for a selection of items hidden throughout each scene, we are also learning about the place and the time that the illustration is depicting. My kids love the book because it's just fun for them, but as a mom, I love that it teaches them a little something too. There are a few facts shown right on each scene from throughout history, but in the end we are given the chance to learn even more with detailed information about all the buildings we visited throughout.

This also gives it a little something for kids of all ages. My 5 year old loved searching the pages, but had little interest in the building themselves---aside from the Eiffel Tower at least. My 11 year old however loved both aspects of it--- the reading and the searching. It's tough to find a book that both my children can equally enjoy with their age difference, but this one certainly did the job.

Great Ports of the World: From New York to Hong Kong by Mia Cassany and illustrated by Victor Medina (October 2018; ISBN: 978-3-7913-7355-3; Ages 4-8; $14.95) will inspire wanderlust in the youngest adventurers, and makes a great road trip or travel companion!
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.

If you're looking at a book that you and your child can BOTH enjoy looking through, this one might just be it. The illustrations are fantastic. It's packed full of stunning colors, but unlike that bright colors we so often see in a child's book, these are more subdued. It almost has a bit of a vintage feel to it in my eyes, which makes it so fun to look through.

Like the previous book, this one is also educational as well--- allowing us to travel to and learn more about the various port cities from around the world. We learn where they are and fun facts about each place. Some of these facts were even new to me, so it was fun to read through with the kids. Each port offers only two short paragraphs which is great for those shorter attention spans that kids are known for, but in the end we are given an overview with even more fun facts and a little background about some of the images seen throughout the pages. For the kid who wants to dig a little deeper, this is a fun way to keep the learning going!

Wonders of Nature: Explorations in the World of Birds, Insects and Fish by Florence Guiraud (ISBN: 978-3-7913-7365-2; Hardcover $25; Ages 5-9; 96 pages with 65 full-page illustrations) is a beautiful new educational title.
Bright-eyed birds, evanescent butterflies, tropical fish and other pleasures await the readers of this large format book that will appeal to young children’s curiosity about the natural world. Reminiscent of the watercolors of Ernst Haeckel, John James Audubon, and Maria Sibylla Merian, these charming and expertly rendered pictures of birds, insects, and fish will provide hours of exploration. Presented in double-page spreads, interspersed with informative texts, Guiraud’s illustrations capture the wondrous beauty that populates our oceans, forests, and fields. Her expressive illustrations create a sense of intimacy and empathy with the natural world and their exquisite detail rewards close investigation. Certain to captivate both children and adults, this magnificent book will instill in its readers a connection to the world around them and ignite a sense of wonder about all living things.

Kids are curious creatures, aren't they? They have a natural curiosity about the world around them, and given the chance want to take it ALL in. As parents, that is certainly something we should encourage in hopes that that love of nature and science will stay with them as they get older. This book is a GREAT way to do just that. 

First and foremost, let me just say that this book is HUGE! In fact it's probably one of the larger books in our kids' book collection! This allows for the stunning full page detailed illustrations that will draw kids in. As I looked through, I couldn't help but think this really seemed more like a science journal than what you might expect from a typical kids' book. It gives great information about all of these different creatures, shows you what different varieties look like with its detailed illustrations, and still manages to be written in a way that kids will understand and love to read. It's absolutely stunning, and one that my children have thoroughly enjoyed looking through. 

This might not be your typical bedtime story by any means, but if you have a kid who loves animals and science, this is definitely a book that will go crazy for.

Sign Here: Twenty-Two Unofficially Official Pull-out Forms to Apply for Dreams, Pets, More Pocket Money, Report Feelings, File Secrets and So Much More (October 2018; ISBN: 978-3-7913-7297-6; Paperback $14.95; Ages 6-10; 48 pages).
It’s hard to apologize. It’s hard to say thank you. Sometimes it’s even hard to invite someone over for a birthday party. This cleverly designed, slyly bureaucratic collection of “forms” makes dealing with these childhood issues a great deal less awkward and a whole lot more fun. Issued in impressively official script and language by the Department of Regret, Remorse, and Reconciliation, the Union of Childhood Revenue, the Ministry of Dreams, and other indispensable offices, these forms help kids say some of the hard stuff: “I’ve eaten the last piece of...,” “You’re the best sister in the world,” “Thank you for buying me stuff I need,” “Thank you for buying me stuff I don’t need.” And, because it’s important to record even your most private feelings, there are forms to verify that one’s parents are, indeed, aliens; that the surprise birthday gift was not actually a surprise; that you had a really scary dream; and other conundrums not easily expressed in person. Highly adaptable to meet the needs and desires of any boy or girl, these forms can be endlessly photocopied—and of course filed away by parents and grandparents for future reminiscences and chuckles.

This book is a little bit different than the previous ones because... it's not about reading at all. Instead, it will encourage kids to use their imaginations, practice their writing skills and think about their emotions. It is packed full of various forms that kids can fill out with their friends--- from the fun to the more serious. Looking through this, I could not help but think this is JUST the type of thing I would have loved as a young girl... but I love that it can be used by boys too, nothing inside is gender specific, making it truly fun for everyone. Even for the non-reading child, this is certainly one that can help beat the boredom!



And as part of the Hats Off Giveaway Hop Event, one very lucky reader is going to win their choice of TWO of the books listed above. Enter using the giveaway form below:

Entry-Form

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.