Bamboo for me, Bamboo for you! By Fran Manushkin, illustrated by Purificacion Hernandez

Manushkin is a prolific author and this latest picture book is a nice addition to her repertoire, along with the delightful illustrations by a new-to-me artist.

Amanda and Miranda are panda sisters and they both, along with their mother, love bamboo! In cheerful rhyme the pandas eat their bamboo, take a look at what their fellow zoo-members eat, and have the normal sibling squabbles and disagreements. Fortunately, at the end of the day, the two make up any arguments and are two best friends - and sisters - again. And there’s plenty of bamboo to eat!

Hernandez’s illustrations are colorful and eye-catching, with fuzzy black and white markings for the pandas, bright purple leaves on blue trees, vibrant green bamboo, colorful birds, and lots of swathes of yellow, blue, green, and and purple backgrounds.

I’m constantly searching for new books that are suitable for toddlers but with recent trends in picture books leaning towards older listeners, this can be challenging. This book meets the bill; it has bouncy rhythms, the text isn’t too long, cute animals and vibrant illustrations, and a simple storyline that toddlers can follow.

Verdict: This might not be an award-winning title, but it’s what I need on my shelves and for my storytime providers and I’d guess that other librarians are also searching for these titles. A great addition to toddler storytime.

ISBN: 9781481450638; Published 2017 by Aladdin; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library