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Two Debut Books

If I find myself grinning as I flip through thick board pages, I know a book has a chance with little ones. So it goes with GIDDY UP, Li'l Buckaroos! (2011) and AHOY, Li'l Buccaneers! (2011), a pair of first books by Mark Iacolina.


The two are very much alike. The story lines are simple, energetic, and sleepy-eyed at the end. Each reads with a playful swagger.

Iacolina writes in rhyme. Babies love that. He's faithful to his meter. Parents love that. Each stanza (illustrated across several pages) starts with a 2-word labeling or noun-verb action phrase and ends with a longer complex sentence, mirroring children's spoken language development. One-, two-, and young three-year-olds can connect.

GIDDY UP, Li'l Buckaroos! and AHOY, Li'l Buccaneers! are toddling picture books. Both have the language and design elements of a point-and-label board book. Both carry a story - chapters in verse - about a busy day of pretend play.

GIDDY UP, Li'l Buckaroos! starts with,  
Buckaroo's hat. Buckaroo's boots. Buckaroo's popper twirls and shoots. Buckaroos ride. Buckaroos wrangle. Buckaroo's spurs go jingle jangle.
AHOY, Li'l Buccaneers! ends ...
Buccaneers sing. Buccaneers spar. Buccaneers laugh with a hardy har-har! Buccaneers share. Buccaneer's friends. Buccaneers rest when the swashbucklin' ends.
Iacolina's li'l guy has so much fun, I'm tempted to dash out to my recycling bin, reclaim a cardboard box, craft a sword, and start sparring with my desk-top chicken!
Publisher: Sterling Children's Books
Length: 16 pages each
Size: 7 by 5 inches each
Format: Board 

AGES AND STAGES: 18-21 months baby imitates 2-word phrases; 24-27 months understands complex and compound sentences; 24-30 months engages in simple make-believe play; 30-36 months participates in storytelling
Ages and Stages are based on The Hawaii Developmental Charts developed by Setsu Furuno, Ph.D., Katherine O'Reilly, PT, Takayo Inatsuka, OTR, Carol Hosaka, M.A. and Barbara Zeisloft Falbey, M.S., CCC-SLP. They are meant as a general guide for book play. Abilities vary from child to child.


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  1. JonathanNTuesday, February 28, 2012

    I enjoyed reading your blog.Really looking forward to read more. Want more.

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