Laura Gehl is a prolific children’s author, and this spring saw the release of four new books from her for children of various ages. From toddlers to young elementary school kids, these books offer encouragement and understanding and make for lovely read alouds with the little ones in your life.
For the youngest explorers, Baby Oceanographer and Baby Astronaut are sturdy board books in the “Baby Scientist” series that give simple introductions to each career experience. Caregivers can share new vocabulary with toddlers and talk about the sky and the ocean as places that grown-ups can explore in their jobs. Both books feature adorable illustrations by Daniel Wiseman.
Kids will certainly giggle at just how far the story goes in Gehl’s Dibs!, with illustrations by Marcin Piwowarski. Big brother Julian is in the practice of calling ‘dibs’ on lots of things, from star-shaped cookies to astronaut costumes to his favorite solar system plate, and his baby brother Clancy is always paying attention. When it comes time for Clancy’s first word, it’s no surprise. “Dibs!” But when things start to get out of hand, Julian is shocked how everyone is responding to Clancy’s calling dibs on just about everything. What will Julian do when Clancy goes too far? As in to outer space?? This silly book of sibling rivalry approaches a real feeling for kids in a way that keeps them laughing.
In Except When They Don’t, with illustrations by Joshua Heinsz, many activities are described with pictures showing characters engaging in what traditionally might be seen as ‘girl’ and ‘boy’ clothing, hairstyles, and behaviors. After a few pages of this, the idea is presented that some kids don’t follow those strict rules. Perhaps boys like to wear pants with flowers on them and dance, or maybe girls like to play football. I like the encouragement here for kids to follow what they like to do, regardless of their gender, but I do wish there was less emphasis on the girl vs. boy categories to allow for the possibility of more fluid gender identities. Still, this is a good start for children who already have ingrained ideas about what girls/boys are supposed to do. The illustrations are full of diversity in characters, and they’re bright and modern, with a realistic feel.
If you’re a fan of Laura Gehl’s work, be sure to check out any of these four new releases!
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