My Birthday - by Anita Bijsterbosch (Hardcover)

About the Book

It's Bear's birthday, but everyone seems to have forgotten. When Bear goes out to visit his friends, they all tell him they're busy. But when he returns home, a big surprise awaits him! Full color.

Book Synopsis

An interactive book with a birthday surprise from bestselling author-illustrator Anita Bijsterbosch! Winner of an Oppenheim Gold Award and a Kirkus Best Books Prize, Bijsterbosch has established herself as an author-illustrator who understands toddlers and preschoolers, their interests, their developmental stages, and how to convey concepts and emotions to them in books that educate and entertain.

Hurray, it's Bear's birthday today! But everybody seems to have forgotten. And when Bear goes out to visit his friends, everybody is busy. But when he gets home again, a big surprise awaits him!

A sweet book with peepholes and folding pages, about animal houses and a birthday surprise. For toddlers ages 24 months and up, with a focus on the child's daily life.

At Clavis, our focus is on what's best for children. We believe that books play an important role in each new phase in life. Our toddler books are tailored for every stage from 0 to 3 and focus on the five most important themes in their life: daily life, skills, emotions, the world, and language development. The age range and theme of every book in our toddler series can be found on the back cover in the form of a colored train.

Review Quotes

"MY BIRTHDAY is such a sweet story about Bear, who tells his friends that it's his special day but they're all focused on something else. He thinks he's been forgotten, but turns out they've planned a surprise party for him when he gets home. Fun and very cute illustrations, with peep holes and folding pages, make this a treat for toddlers 24 months and older. 5/5" - Literary Soirée - Reviewer

"A lovely colourful book with a lot of hints and creative ideas for the little reader. Both the illustration and the text converges towards involving the child - from 30 months up - in the reading experience and being part of the story, alongside the adult reader. Strongly recommended not only for parents but also for kindergarten libraries and educators." - Ilana WD - Reviewer

"I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review: It's Bear's birthday and he thinks everyone forgot. This book had adorable illustrations. The colors were bright. The text was simple and short, so it wouldn't be hard for even little kids to sit and listen. It's a cute story."- Julie Valora - Librarian

Praise for Anita Bijsterbosch's other work

"A "yawner" in the best sense, this parade of sleepyheads isn't just a series of variations on the same motion―it offers a mix of repetition and low-key interactive surprises....Irresistibly somniferous" - Kirkus Reviews

" The art is colorful and engaging and the simple text has a defined focus. A quick story and exercise, perfect for nap or bed-time sharing." - School Library Journal

"Children can make ... animals yawn on the subsequent pages, and the effect is just as goofily charming each time. Finally, it's the child's turn to yawn and go to sleep, piled up with all of the sleepy animals. Resistance (to yawning) is futile." - Publishers Weekly
Winner of an Oppenheim Gold Award and a Kirkus Best Books Prize, Bijsterbosch has established herself as an author-illustrator who understands toddlers and preschoolers, their interests, their developmental stages, and how to convey concepts and emotions to them in books that educate and entertain.

About the Author

I'm Anita Bijsterbosch. I was born in 1961 in The Netherlands. My entire life, I have loved reading. As a child, I could spend hours thumbing through books, looking at the pictures and hoping I could one day make such beautiful illustrations myself. I studied the images down to the smallest detail and made up my own little stories to go along with them.

After high school, I took drawing and painting lessons in small galleries in my neighborhood. And I learned a lot from drawing and painting books. But I also mastered many techniques simply by experimenting with them on my own.

When my children were still young, I read them a bedtime story every night. I rediscovered that some picture books are real pieces of art. That's when I got the ambition to make my very own picture books.

I was remarked by the jury of the Key Colours International Illustrators Award 2012. The book Whose Hat is That? was published by Clavis Publishing and every book I have made since has been even more successful.