Here are two wonderful board books, both from Pomegranate Kids.

Owls and Loons:  Inuit Art from Cape Dorset by Zoe Burke and Dorset Fine Arts.
The Colors of Ancient Egypt by Amy Mullen

Reviews

Owls & Loons: Inuit Art from Cape Dorset
Written by Zoe Burke
Illustrated by Dorset Fine Arts
Pomegranate Kids 9/01/2016
978-0-7649-7542-4
24 pages  Age 0—4

“Way up North, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, Inuit artists at the Cape Dorset printmaking studios share their culture with the world through art. The Inuit treasure their language and stories, which often feature owls, loons, and other birds of the Arctic.” [back cover]

In this “first-ever board book of Inuit art,” the content is spectacular. Various owls and loons alternate in these two-spread sets. Three owls, their wings wide, look directly at the reader; the other three, in a side view, continue to hold their gaze upon us.

The four loons hold their own against the colorful owls. One loon holds flowers in its mouth, with the stems curving back toward its tail, as if the loon acquired an extra set of wings. These colorfully decorated birds contain interesting patterns, constructed from nature-made materials.

The rhyming couplets are a joy to read, as each zip from our tongue with ease. The final spread contains an author’s note explaining where the Inuit artists of Cape Dorset are located, what their art depicts, and that these artists “have been making limited edition fine art since 1959.” If you were to look into a tree or the sky and see one of the Inuit artist’s owls flying, you would stare, your curiosity becoming contagious.

The Colors of Ancient Egypt
Written and Illustrated by Amy Mullen
Pomegranate Kids  9/01/2016
978-0-7649-7541-7
24 pages    Age 0—4

“The yellow belly of a toothy green crocodile. A red boat on the blue Nile. The gold in Nefertiti’s headdress. The sweetly simple designs in this board book will help little ones learn their colors while dipping a toe into the history and culture of ancient Egypt.” [back cover]

This muted board book yearns to teach children colors. Of the twelve basic colors, six are included in this little book for young children.

Primary Colors:  red, blue, and yellow
Secondary Colors:  green and purple (missing orange)
Tertiary Colors:  gold
Additional Colors:  brown, gray, black, and white (white)

The colors are somewhat muted. The pottery spread, in particular, contains a muted, brownish based red, not the shade of bright red kids associate with “red.” The mummy displays “white,” though the stripes surrounding the apparently sleeping mummy pull the eye from the intended focus. I like the illustrations, all of which are common items one might think of when ask to think of the ancient Egypt.

Young children will find yellow-bellied crocodiles, tunics, scarab beetles, papyrus, a striped cat (not sure how it is “Egyptian”), a pyramid, the Nile, and Nefertiti; in addition to the pottery and the mummy. Though the colors could be brighter, the collection of objects can expand young children’s world-view.

Both Owls & Loons and The Colors of Ancient Egypt are small board books—perfect for little hands—made up of 24 tough, thick pages—difficult to tear—and have a glossy finish—easy to clean those inevitable spills and dirty fingerprints. I think young children will love either book, though the bright colors of Owls & Loons may draw their attention and keep it longer.

Together, these two adorable board books will give any child a nice variety of interesting images to enjoy.

OWLS & LOONS: INUIT ART FROM CAPE DORSET. Text copyright © 2016 by Zoe Burke. Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Dorset Fine Arts. THE COLORS OF ANCIENT EGYPT. Text and illustrations copyright © 2016 by Amy Mullen. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Pomegranate Kids, Portland, OR.

Owls & Loons — Amazon—Indie Books—Pomegranate Kids
The Colors of Ancient Egypt — Amazon—Indie Books—Pomegranate Kids

Find Owls & Loons: Inuit Art from Cape Dorset on Goodreads HERE.

Zoe Burke:  http://www.zoeburke.com/
Follow on Twitter

Dorset Fine Arts:  http://www.dorsetfinearts.com/
Follow on Twitter              @DorsetFineArts

Find The Colors of Ancient Egypt on Goodreads HERE.

Amy Mullen:  https://amymullen.carbonmade.com/
Follow on Twitter              @mintparcel

Pomegranate Kids:  http://www.pomegranate.com/po.html
Follow on Twitter              @PomegranateCom

Pomegranate Kids is an imprint of Pomegranate Communications, Inc.

.
Reprinted with permission from OWLS & LOONS: INUIT ART FROM CAPE DORSET © 2016 by Zoe Burke, Pomegranate Kids, an imprint of Pomegranate Communications, Inc., Illustrations © 2016 by Dorset Fine Arts.

Reprinted with permission from THE COLORS OF ANCIENT EGYPT © 2016 by Amy Mullen, Pomegranate Kids, an imprint of Pomegranate Communications, Inc., Illustrations © 2016 by Amy Mullen.

.
Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

.
Owls & Loons: Inuit Art from Cape Dorset
Written by Zoe Burke
Illustrated by Dorset Fine Arts
Pomegranate Kids 9/01/2016
9780764975424

The Colors of Ancient Egypt
Written and Illustrated by Amy Mullen
Pomegranate Kids 9/01/2016
9780764975417