Picturebooks - Fiction (Authors A-I)

Previously is a picture book for those who enjoy back-stories and alternative viewpoints like Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked. Ahlberg’s book isn’t as detailed as a novel, but it still sparks the imagination. How did those fairy-tale characters get to where they are now? This author weaves quirky fairy-tale back-stories that are all somehow interconnected. His subjects: Goldilocks, Jack and the beanstalk, Jack and Jill, the Frog Prince, Cinderella, and the Gingerbread Boy.

In spite of its playfulness they book seems to be saying something actually quite profound. At the end of the book we see that previously, before all those stories happened, each character was a baby, not that different from each other. How does that say something about our world, the real world? Before that man became a homeless alcoholic, before that woman became a drug addict, before that young man succumbed to mental illness and killed several people, before the woman became a prostitute, they were all lovable, perfect babies. Isn’t that something?

Bruce Ingman’s illustrations, done in acrylic are fun and whimsical. He uses thick brushstrokes, seemingly without outlines. Everything looks freehand, even the characters. There are no rigid lines, which fits the story since Ahlberg is doing something different form the standard fairy tale. Each illustration takes up two pages, and across the pages we see the characters at different points in time. Interestingly, none of the characters are painted very big. They’re small compared to their background, suggesting that all of them are part of a bigger story. On the last page we only see a distant, tiny figure holding an umbrella on a landscape under an enormous sky that spans from the sun to a rainbow to the moon to a rain cloud.

Deep.

Marie Soriano

This is a heart-warming tale of a child overcoming her loneliness and physical disability through caring for a hopeful wooden dragon. In The Wooden Dragon, Joan Aiken describes a brother and sister, Handle and Window, who live in a small cottage that is surrounded by a huge build up of fallen leaves every autumn. Handle is a sailor who takes care of his younger sister, Window, who can only walk “very slowly” because she had injured her leg by slipping on some fallen leaves when she was a little girl. When Handle has to go off to sea for an even longer voyage than normal, he carves a little wooden dragon to keep Window company. At first, Window misses her brother so much that she forgets all about the wooden dragon. Like the velveteen rabbit, the lonely wooden dragon cries. However, in a departure from Margery Williams’ The Velveteen Rabbit, in which the nursery magic Fairy turns the “old and worn out” toys into “Real” once the “children don’t need them anymore,” Window finally finds a friend in the wooden dragon just when she needs one most. Like a genie freed by the rubbing of a lamp, Window discovers just how helpful her brother’s gift could be once she rises from a dream of the dragon crying to finally rub the dust away, awakening the little wooden dragon. Window frees the wooden dragon from his immobility, and he likewise frees her from the leaves that have engulfed her home, allowing Window greater freedom of movement as well.

A delightful story about individuals finding ways to help others, hope, and companionship, The Wooden Dragon artfully combines Bee Willey’s highly colorful illustrations with Aiken’s imaginative prose. Willey’s whirling leaves, splashing waves, and striking colors vividly bring this tale to life.

Emily Moore

This fall mood piece begins with Farmer Bailey driving in his car enjoying the change of the season from summer to fall, and as he is reflecting on this favorite season, he hits something with his car. He stops to find an unusual man, lying in the road. Farmer Bailey helps the man, but finds him unable to speak and with no memory. He takes him home, and the Bailey family cares for him, feeds and dresses him; they find him an odd but also pleasant character. He mimics their behavior and participates in the farm work. As the season turns into fall, the man suddenly and mysteriously disappears--mysterious like autumn--he comes in at the end of summer and leaves as fall does; over night, suddenly.

Van Allsburg's artwork is atmospheric and emotive; autumn images in full page spreads complement the tone of the story. The text is succinct, telling the story of summer turning to fall from a viewpoint of someone who has not experienced or seen it before. The layout of the book, with the marriage of text that is boxed on each full page spread, next to a full page spread illustration is a very formal arrangement that matches this quiet and beautiful book. Award winning Van Allsburg captures the mystery and mood of autumn through his expressive artwork and text.

JoAnn Jonas

The protagonist of this charming tribute to the spirit of the artist has a problem. His grandmother refuses to act like a normal person. Whenever they’re out in public together she insists on capering about, alarming and amusing passers-by and frequently embarrassing her grandson. But whenever he (or anyone else) asks her why she leaps and rolls and gallops and twirls about, she only replies, “Because….”

Well, grandmother is a dancer born. And who would know the heart of a dancer better than Mikhail Baryshnikov? Here he teams up with award-winning author and illustrator Vladimir Radunsky to celebrate the passionate embrace of art. Both partners agree that if you share your unique expressive gifts with the world, it will make life a little richer and more fun. Their little story is a great morale-builder for artistes-in-training.

M. Janssen

Pepino is a little boy who lives in a stable with no family. He only has his donkey Violetta. Violetta is everything to Pepino. Even though she is his pet, she is also his friend and family. The best thing about Violetta is that she always seems happy and smiley. Then one day she gets sick and she begins act downtrodden. Like any good friend, Pepino is devastated. He is willing to do anything to make sure Violetta gets better. When the doctor and home remedies cannot heal Violetta, Pepino goes to the priest. He knows Saint Francis will heal her. But in order to bring Violetta to the crypt of Saint Frances he must go on a whirlwind adventure to Rome to seek the permission of the Pope. In the end, Pepino’s love and devotion to Violetta, as well as his unwavering faith in God wins over the Pope, who first tells Pepino that it may be possible that God may want Violetta Himself because she is such a wonderful creature, but gives Pepino permission to take Violetta into the crypt. There is great hope for Pepino and Violetta, though.

Many children and even many adults have found great friendship and companionship in their pets, so many readers will be able to relate to Pepino’s woe when Violetta becomes ill. Pepino’s faith in God and his care for his donkey will touch the hearts of readers. It is a very moving and inspirational story. It is like so many stories of faith found in the Bible. It is no wonder that Bob Barton chose to retell it.

Croll’s illustrations are seemingly simple, but they portray the happiness and smiles of Violetta before she is sick, and Pepino’s devotion to this greatest of friends is also very apparent in the illustrations. The illustrations also give the story a sort of folktale appeal and makes it easier to imagine the simplicity of life for a young Italian stable boy.

I would be very interested in reading the original version of this story, but Bob Barton’s retelling does a wonderful job in telling this inspirational story of faith and also accepting that love and devotion can also mean saying goodbye.

Joyce Ho

Iggy Peck is the story of a boy who loves building more than anything. At the age of two he builds a tower out of diapers and glue. (Euww!) His love for building grows, and he expresses it in very interesting ways, to his parents’ delight and, sometimes, dismay. However, second grade teacher Miss Lila Greer does not approve of Iggy’s love or his talent for building; she tries to squelch his dreams, insisting there’s no place in her classroom for building or architecture. Of course, second grade is terribly boring for Iggy after that. Then one day Miss Greer takes the class out for a picnic, and not long after crossing a bridge to a small island, the bridge collapses. Guess who saves the day?

Beaty writes in rhyming verse—an absolute hoot! Also, she creates a back story for Miss Lila Greer, giving readers insight into why she disapproves of Iggy’s love for building. This smartly written book speaks to the creativity in every person, young, old and in-between. While we may make a big deal about encouraging creativity in children, as soon as they express it in an unconventional way, once it is outside the box, it is labeled as wrong or bad. Beaty’s book is subversive and child-centered, giving kids agency and intellect. In this case, the child doesn’t change, but the adult does and for the better. Didacticism, usually aimed at children, is turned on its head!

The illustrations by David Roberts are geometric and uniform and hence, emotionally satisfying. With watercolors, pen, ink on Arches paper, pencil and graph paper Roberts creates illustrations that reflect Iggy’s love of architecture. But they are not just a bunch of shapes thrown together. On the contrary, Roberts is a meticulous artist, putting a lot of detail and life into every picture. For example, in one scene Iggy has built “churches and chapels from peaches and apples” (Beaty). The peaches and apples, respectively, are uniform in shape, yet with watercolors Roberts has made every single piece of fruit distinct. Here the beauty really is in the details. You should see what he does with Iggy’s classmates! It’s as if he spent hours carefully illustrating each child.

Marie Soriano

One day frog Bradley McGogg finds there is no food left in his pantry. What is he to do?! He decides to ask his neighbors to share their food with him. He visits the mouse, bear, hare, and cow. But they do not have the tasty food he’s expecting! This hilarious story can be used from a number of angles to teach children. Adults could use this book to teach children that people have personal tastes, that people from different cultures eat different foods/ dishes, that animals have different diets, or even that we need to be and can be polite when we don’t wish to eat the food that someone has graciously offered us. Rachel Berman’s illustrations in beautifully detailed watercolor capture frog’s personality and bring the anthropomorphic animals to vivid life, bringing back memories of The Wind in the Willows. Frog wears Birkenstocks, Hare wears a redcoat and tails with a checkered waistcoat and Bear wears a yellow and white beanie and vest ensemble. The colors are neutral, toned down like cream, olive green and shades of brown. The illustrations are contained, not all over the page, and the text is above or below the pictures, so this might be a good book for kids who have outgrown simpler picture books.

Marie Soriano

Corky and Loopy are quite a pair. Like all girls, they munch on chocolate biscuits, they scream at each other (“Shut your cakehole fishface”), but more than anything, this duo loves to draw. In fact, they love to draw so much that they will scour trash cans for people's leftover crayons and markers and will create on any scrap of paper they can get their hands on. The thing about Corky and Loopy. however, is that despite their perfectly normal girl-ness, they are actually unique in one very special way—Corky and Loopy are angels, and just like every good angel tag team, they bring wonder and magic into the lives of those who really do need it!

In Angel Pavement, the UK's first Children's Laureate, Quentin Blake, leads us on a wonderful ride with Sid Bunkin and his “simply angelic” special pencil. As always, Blake's illustrations have that unique quality which brought to life favorites such as Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Russell Hoban's How Tom beat Captain Najork, but here he plays with a new medium—a multicolored pencil—that adds a certain “divine” quality to his distinct style.

With just the right amount of quirky humor, and a wonderful statement on what happens when the imagination is let loose with a pencil: “When you start drawing you can never be quite sure what is going to happen next,” Blake has created a charming addition to his impressive list of children's books as both writer and illustrator. Great fun, now where did I put my pencils?

Ellen Nef

The Curious Garden is an extraordinarily beautiful picture book that demonstrates how nature can thrive in spite of industry and the dark and dreary concrete city where it seems no plant could ever survive. All that nature sometimes needs is a little tender loving care and that is what this story’s hero, Liam, discovers. In the drab city where nature seemed lost, a curious boy named Liam still enjoys being outdoors whenever he gets the chance. One day, Liam discovers the new growth of wildflowers and plants alongside the tracks of a long gone railroad. Soon, with Liam’s diligent care, these small plants blossom into a flourishing garden that travels throughout the whole town, turning the cold city into a lush and beautiful place once again.

What is so wonderful about The Curious Garden is that the book displays how strong nature can be if one simply helps it along. Moreover, the story does not follow the all too common tradition that the city is a horrible, dirty place with nothing of beauty, while the only place to find true splendor is the countryside. On the contrary, one does not have to completely disregard the cityscape. Rather than reconciling to a city’s current state, bring nature to you and help make it more picturesque. Brown makes a special note of this very notion and that one only has to look a little closer to find the miracle of nature growing through the stone.

The illustrations are a true highlight of this resplendent book, which makes Brown’s work not only a great little story, but also a beautiful art piece. The pictures are visually stunning, bright, colorful and somewhat stylized representations of nature. Some illustrations, which take up both pages and are without text, are so lovely that they are suitable for framing. Brown’s style is quite reminiscent of Mary Blair, a renowned concept artist for the Walt Disney Company in the 1940’s and 50’s, who worked on such films as Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland. Blair also was one of the chief designers for the Disneyland attraction “It’s A Small World”, and when perusing the pages of The Curious Garden, Blair’s influence seems quite evident.

Brown’s tagline for his book is “One boy’s quest for a greener world, one garden at a time.” This line sums up the nature (no pun intended) of this lovely picture book. In a time when children spend more time indoors with television and video games, The Curious Garden shows children the wonders that they can find outside, sometimes in the most unexpected place. The Curious Garden should soon become a staple in every child’s picture book collection.

Marianne Paluso

Miffy the Artist is the story of a child bunny who’s inspired to make her own art after visiting an art gallery. At the gallery she learns that art can make us feel good, and art does not have to be realistic but can also be abstract.

I like this book, although I can imagine critics calling it didactic and perhaps even boring to children. I don’t know if children have the sense of art as high or low like many adults do. It’s only as we get older that we start thinking of art and artists as elite and we have to have special training and education to be “real artists.” I’m not sure kids have any sense that their pictures are or are not “real art.” It’s all art, and it’s fun. I suppose Dick Bruna’s picture book reminds adults, because I’m not sure kids need any reminding, that making art is what makes you a real artist. Bruna also seems to be telling children that art can be abstract and experiencing art can make us feel good. But I’m not sure kids need to be told that either, unless of course, they’re in danger of turning into stuffy, no-fun serious children. If you look at children’s paintings and drawings, it’s pretty obvious they already make abstract art without realizing it. However, I think this is where Bruna can be interesting. His text could be interpreted as meaning that children can and should be more mindful about making art. For example, by introducing them to techniques that Jackson Pollock or Andy Warhol used, they might develop their creativity or at the very least learn about art history and culture.

Marie Soriano

Illustrator Ashley Bryan has used three spirituals as the focus for his collage artwork to create a beautiful read aloud picture book. Beginning with This Little Light of Mine, each two page spread is splashed with bright colors, in collaged symbolic images. Candles, suns, stars, flashlights all emit light. Cars, plans, boats, bikes, and roller skates take us everywhere the light will shine. The words of the spiritual become the text, and can be read or sung. Oh When the Saints Go Marching In is the second spiritual featured; the children in the collage are joyfully singing the words, as they march through town and country. The final spiritual, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, has the boldest images of homes from all cultures, and natural images of water, plants, mountains and land from all over the earth embraced in large hands. Each spiritual also has the words and score at the end of the book, as well as notes from the author on the history of spirituals, as part of the oral tradition from slavery. These songs have been passed down since the Civil War times, and now are being celebrated as a special form of communication and history that is uniquely American.

This author was awarded the 2008 Coretta Scott King – Illustrator of the Year award for this book.

J. Jonas

From the pen and brush of author/artist John Burningham comes this cautionary tale about the power of labeling. Edwardo is just a normal boy with the normal complement of undesirable behaviors. But the adults in his life won’t let him forget any of them and in response he becomes exactly what they perceive him to be. Enter the horriblest boy in the whole wide world. Just when Edwardo’s reputation hits rock bottom, fate conspires to turn things around. Despite his worst intentions, people begin to misinterpret his behavior as well-meant. When he tosses water on the dog, he’s thanked by the owner for giving his dog a bath. Before long, he becomes the neighborhood pet sitter. Trait by trait and label by label, Edwardo is transformed by the perceptions of others into something quite different.

Burningham, twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal has also received four New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year awards. This latest addition to his canon maintains the originality and wit that his readers have come to expect. The accompanying watercolors are simple but vibrant with a lively line.

M. Janssen

Can’t recommend Life Story, and Burton’s other books, enough. Among them are the enternal The Little House and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. Both as artist and author, Burton had a particular and original design, two-page spreads in which the rhythmic text is lodged within the most delightful illustration. Life Story presents a panorama of the earth’s story, starting with the birth of the solar system.

A. Allison

David Carter, creator of One Red Dot and Blue 2, returns with this eye-catching modern art pop-up book. The bold primary colors, extravagant abstract shapes and hidden tricks are guaranteed to keep children 3 years and up entertained for hours. It’s a hands-on experience, but handle with care. Younger readers should be supervised. The accompanying text amounts to little more than a title for each piece and a spot count. But the 10 pop-ups themselves are brilliant, evoking Mondrian and Matisse. It’s easy to get lost in this visual confection, especially if you start counting spots.

M. Janssen

Josey's family drives her nuts! They don't clean their yard, they don't throw parties, and worst of all, they lose EVERYTHING! One day however, when her Dad makes a particular blunder in losing time to push her on the swing, Josey decides she can swing just fine by herself, and makes some discoveries as to what lurks in that big old oak tree!

Having won awards for books such as What a Truly Cool World, and Nappy Hair, Joe Cepeda now invites us into a world where a little girl starts to find everything she's been looking for and, in turn, unites a neighborhood. Cepeda's illustrations are ablaze with color, paint so thick you can see the brush strokes;,a style that lends dynamism and depth to pages already teeming with life. A fun story that kids will love as more and more discoveries are made in Josey's explorations into the leafy green world.

Ellen Nef

Mitch Chivus has retold ’Twas the Night Before Christmas with much more humor…and tooting.

It’s the night before Christmas and Santa comes down the chimney of one house to find franks and beans in place of cookies and milk. He likes his unusual treat so much that he finishes the bowl and goes to find seconds in the kitchen.

But his evening snack causes a horrible, noxious flatulence. Santa’s farts are so loud that the children in one house are awakened. Michael and Ariana go downstairs to find Santa farting uncontrollably. The brother and sister try to help him find relief but to no avail. In despair, Santa decides to return to the North Pole.

However, the scent of St. Nick’s flatulence has made the reindeer ill, leaving him stranded. Fortunately, Ariana and Michael come to the rescue, taking Santa to their science lab in the attic. There they create long-johns with a funnel and engine, thus enabling Santa to power the sleigh with his farts to save Christmas.

Mitch Chivus has written a funny and cute story involving flatulence without being tacky. The book is written in rhyme, like the original ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. Rhyme gets dismissed as childish and trite by some, but it actually takes skill and thought, especially if you want your rhymes to work well. (Consider the fact that Shakespeare wrote poetry in iambic pentameter—rhyme!)

Mike Reed’s illustrations are bright and textured and have a lot of movement. While the humor might be a bit gross, the pictures are not. In contrast to the grotesque-looking characters and carnivalesque colored illustrations done by Audrey Colman for Walter the Farting Dog, the pictures by Reed are rather cute. Despite his flatulence, Santa looks clean and fresh in his traditional ensemble and rosy cheeks. The kids are nice-looking in a very white-middle class sort of way. Most importantly, the illustrations depict Chivus’s story faithfully, down to the franks and beans, science lab in the attic, and sick reindeer.

Marie Soriano

This is a simple story about a boy named Will and his friend, a squirrel named Squill. They are the best of friends. Even though one is a boy and one is a squirrel, they do everything together. Unfortunately, Will’s parents think Squill is a dirty squirrel and Squill’s parents think Will is a dirty boy. But nothing they do seems to keep the two of them apart. Then one day Will’s parents bring him a kitten. Will is excited and begins to pay more attention to the kitten than to Squill. It seems like it could be the end of Will and Squill. Will their friendship survive?

The story is simple. It would be good for young children who are into rhyming. Every line of the story is based on the rhyming of Will and Squill’s names. Squill even always replaces the word “will” with “squill.” Of course, underlying the silly rhyming is the story of Will and Squill’s friendship, but even that seems to be overshadowed when compared to the rhyming.

The story also portrays childhood and certain stereotypical differences in how little boys and girls play though how Will and Squill love to be rambunctious while a neighbor girl likes to play more quietly with her dolls. This gender portrayal is also seen in the kitten Will’s parents give him. The kitten is obviously a girl; she wears a pink ribbon around her neck and her only desire is to do nothing but sleep. It contrasts against the wild activeness of Will and Squill.

The illustrations are fun and really go along with the book. They are bright and colorful watercolors that play along with the silliness of the story. Some children would enjoy the book, but personally I found the rhyming names got repetitive and tedious.

Joyce Ho

A two-time Kate Greenway Award recipient for illustration, Cooper here amuses us by playing out the results of dumb things adults tell children; in this case, Little Bridget is told by a neighbor that the dog biscuit Bridget has just eaten will turn her into a dog. Is it so bad to be a dog? Not when your night flight to join the local pack under the moon leads to wonderful adventures. But Bridget’s worries finally gain Mom’s notice, and Mom is there to reassure Bridget that the neighbor was only teasing. Cooper’s prose and illustrations are equally enjoyable, especially on the pages where Bridget and the other dogs delight in sausages falling from the sky and drink from the milkshake pool.

A. Allison

In this beautifully illustrated compendium, Lynn Curlee opens the door to the fantastical world of Greek mythology for hungry young learners. Beginning with a contextual prologue, the reader is introduced to the wild world of gods and heroes before they are swiftly immersed into a realm of strange creatures of all shapes and sizes. Avid readers will discover and meet Pan, the mythical God of nature and learn the romantic origin of his legendary pipes. They will come face to face with Gryphons, harpies, and Minotaurs, and discover the tales behind curious beings such as the centaur, the phoenix, and the three headed watchdog of Hades, creatures that continue to delight and fascinate avid readers of fantasy today.

Curlee’s imaginatively fresh art deco style lends a modern and elegant twist to ancient and well known myths, with just enough blood and gore to appeal to kids of all tastes! He is the winner of a 2002 Sibert Honor Award for his book Brooklyn Bridge and has worked on various other children’s works dealing with history and culture including Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Rushmore: Monument for the Ages, and most recently Skyscraper.

Ellen Nef

Myrna J. de la Paz adapted this story from Filipino folklore. This is a very different, and possibly darker, version of Cinderella. This takes place in the Philippines, way back when the indigenous people had not been touched by Christianity or imperialism. Forget the glass slipper.

The folktale unfolds just as we would expect it to. When Abadeha’s mother dies, her father remarries a cruel woman with two wicked daughters. The new wife is determined to make Abadeha miserable, and she gets her chance when Abadeha’s fisherman father leaves on a long fishing trip. She uses Abadeha as a workhorse to do all the cooking, cleaning and serving.

This is where the story really gets interesting. The stepmother gives Abadeha two impossible tasks. Desperate for help, the girl goes out to the river bank where she prays to her mother, the Creator of the Earth and the spirits of her ancestors. Who should appear but the Spirit of the Forest. The stepmother becomes so upset when Abadeha returns having successfully completed the tasks that she kills the girl’s pet bird. Then Abadeha goes to the Spirit of the Forest for help once again. This time she is told to bury the bird’s feet at her mother’s grave, and after the rainy season, Abadeha goes back to find a tree covered in jewels has grown there. One day the son of a chieftain finds the tree and, praying to the Spirit, takes a ring. When he puts it on his finger, the appendage swells. Who is the only one who can remove the enchanted ring? You guessed it!

De la Paz has written a compelling version of Cinderella, and Youshan Tang has illustrated the story with beautiful, vibrant watercolors. They show the characters in old, traditional garb and often a bit of the landscape, particularly the riverbed where Abadeha goes to pray to the Spirit of the Forest.

This is a great chance for Filipino/a kids to see themselves in a text. I think most children’s books portray Chinese or Japanese children, and Asians are often lumped together in one group without any real regard for the different cultures that make up Asia. We’re talking Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Indian, Taiwanese, Japanese, etc. This would be a great resource for teachers in promoting multiculturalism.

Marie Soriano

Young Frances looks out her window the week before Christmas at a monkey, who holds out a tin cup as an organ grinder plays his sad, dream-like songs. Frances wonders where the organ grinder and the monkey go at night, and stays awake in order to find out. When she looks out her window at midnight, she sees them huddled against a building in the snow. The next morning at breakfast, Frances asks her mother if they can invite the organ grinder and the monkey to dinner, but her mother says no, because they’re strangers. As the snow builds up outside, Frances and her mother make their way to the church for the Christmas pageant, in which Frances plays an angel with one very significant line. On the way to church, Frances invites the organ grinder and his monkey to the pageant. Frances hurries on stage, but she cannot say her line, and can think only of the organ grinder with his sad eyes outside in the cold. When the sanctuary door opens, and the organ grinder and the monkey enter the church, Frances proclaims a very special message.

Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo’s heart-warming prose is gorgeously complemented by Bagram Ibatoulline’s inspiring illustrations depicting realistic scenes in WWII-era America, overlaid with a hazy glow of wonder.
Great Joy is a touchingly beautiful story of a little girl who brings “tiding of Great Joy” to a homeless organ grinder and his monkey by showing them the simple kindness that can often be bypassed in the hectic grind of day-to-day life. This wonderful selection imparts the joy of Christmas through the eyes of a child whose generous compassion reminds us all to be kind to strangers in need.

Great Joy is a highly recommended Christmas picture book that will bring tears of joy to readers’ eyes.

Emily Moore

Puppies dressed up as princesses? Photographed to emphasize their absolute cuteness by pros called “The Dog Artist Collection”? Who could resist? In this newest in a globally successful series, puppy princesses dress for a ball and scheme for a prince, then decide they’d rather play soccer. My favorite photo is the dog godmother, though the prince is especially engaging. Pink is much emphasized here, and girls might enjoy the playful story more than little boys.

A. Allison

If you have a small child in your home, buy this book. If you yourself like looking at gorgeous pictures of little animals being loved by children, buy this book. I seldom use the word “cute,” but within the covers of this 6-story collection by the renowned photographer Phoebe Dunn are richly-colorful and expressive pictures of a kitten, a duck, a puppy, a bunny, a lamb, and a piglet in meadows of flower-filled green grass that are the essence of “cute.” Shown in their babyhood and growing-to-maturity months, these little innocent beings under blue skies held lovingly by little (all white) children are medicine for a complicated world.
I knew of The Little Duck; it was a book frequently read in my home. I was delighted to discover this collection with its additional stories, clearly and well devised by Dunn’s daughter. If I were a defacer of books, I’d cut out two consectivepictures and hang them up to make me smile: the one of the kitten followed by the bunny-under-a-mushroom that follows the kitten photo; both are on the left hand side of the kitten story in this unnumbered-page book.

A. Allison

No explanation is given for the arrival of a hippopotamus named Veronica on the farm inhabited by Petunia and the other farm animals. From Veronica’s pov, the farm is perfect—there’s water to splash in, grass to munch, even a pool of mud. She’s ready to play with her new friends. But her acceptance by the goose, horse, dog, cat, donkey, goat, etc. is not so perfect. It takes a lot before these farm animals realize and repent for their churlishness. Alternately b&w and full color, each page in the story is so expressively illustrated that the readers cannot help but smile, even during the times of Veronica’s distress; after all, we do anticipate things will work out. All ends well, indeed—Veronica is a hippo, but she’s THEIR hippo, as the final pages so upliftingly convey in both text and art.

Is there anyone who combines Duvoisin’s gift for uncomplicated language, important though subtle themes, and whimsical, expressive art? Probably, but no one surpasses Duvoisin. Many of us may know the other books he has written and illustrated, such as the Petunia the goose stories, or books he has illustrated for others, such as the classic The Happy Lion, done with his wife Louise Fatio, or his Caldecott winner White Snow, Bright Snow, in collaboration with author Alvin Tresselt. Veronica on Petunia’s Farm is among his best, one surely to be as enjoyed by the adults who read it aloud as by the youngsters who hear and see it (and eventually read it on their own).

A. Allison

Dodsworth in Paris, sequel to Dodsworth in New York, is a sweet screwball comedy. Dodsworth travels to Paris with his companion Duck, having a number of misadventures which leave them broke and sleeping on a park bench, but of course, everything comes out alright in the end. I’m not sure who will laugh more, the adults reading this to their kids or the kids. The illustrations, ink and watercolor, don’t take up the whole page. Instead they are in square or rectangles with the text above or below or in the middle of two pictures. I think it might be a good set-up for a chapter book. The child won’t be overwhelmed with text because there are pictures on every page, but they’ll know they’re at a higher level because there’s more text and the pictures are smaller. Also, Egan uses neutral colors, and I think that adds to the tone of the story. In a screwball comedy, situations tend to go awry. They’re funny but at the same time there’s tension because we wonder if our heroes will ever get out of their bad or mixed-up situation. The colors contribute to that tension. If Egan had used bright, rainbow colors, the pictures would have looked too happy, and if he had used dark, murky colors, they would have looked too depressing. With neutral colors, readers have no way of knowing how the story will end.

Marie Soriano

Julian Fellowes’s The Curious Adventures of the Abandoned Toys is a delightful story of toys finding a new home, and a new way of life, after being abandoned. Fellowes opens with the tale of Doc, a teddy bear who lives in a children’s hospital. When Doc finds himself discarded, he meets other abandoned toys who live at a garbage dump, (bringing to mind Russell Hoban’s A Mouse and His Child, whose characters also find their home after living in the town dump). Doc befriends two other teddy bears, a one-eyed owl, and a porcelain doll. The toys, with the help of Doc’s medical knowledge, use teamwork to help an injured blackbird. Later, when a stuffed rabbit named Augustus arrives at the dump by accident, the toys again work together, this time in trying to restore Augustus to his child.

Schindler’s highly-textured illustrations faithfully portray Fellowes’ characters and scenes and wonderfully complement the author’s engaging prose. This lovely picture book explores the notions of teamwork, compassion, and friendship between individuals from diverse backgrounds. Recommended for anyone who has ever wondered what happens to toys after they have been lost, or thrown away.

Emily Moore

A poor farmer and his three sons love the animals and the farm that they live on. Then trouble hits the family when it refuses to rain. With no other means of survival, the farmer has no choice but to sell off his animals and farm and move to a small cottage surrounded by a hedge. The farmer and his sons have nothing left and no money to build a new life, so the sons must leave to seek their fortunes. But the sons do not know what their ambitions are. Then the farmer starts seeing images of his beloved animals in the hedge surrounding the cottage. He guides his sons into seeing what they love in the hedge; then they are able to pursue their dreams and live happy lives.

The Animal Hedge is a heartwarming story about using something as commonplace as a hedge to find your heart’s desire. Fleischman first published this story in 1983 and it was such an uplifting story that it has been republished and reinterpreted by illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline. Ibatoulline’s illustrations are beautiful. His use of framing makes the story look as though it has been preserved onto decorative plates. He really captures the vastness of the land and the plentitude of animals and crops when the farmer still is living on his farm. He also portrays the loneliness of the cottage surrounded by the hedge well. The colors are very rich and vivid—the artist even uses the hedge to portray the mood of the story. When the farmer is unhappy, the hedge looks dark and foreboding, but when the farmer is happy, the hedge looks brighter and is covered in flowers.

The Animal Hedge is a sweet story. I would recommend it to any child and will probably read it to my own one day. After reading it, children will be sure to be look at hedges in a whole new way.

Joyce Ho

As delightful as the Australian author French’s earlier book Diary of a Wombat, this new book will make you smile; it’s reminiscent of another delightful book, Duncan the Dancing Duck. In both books, the dancing animal woos the human crowd. In French’s funny text, Josephine the kangaroo is a natural ballerina; she loves to leap and learns from emus and eagles how to be even more balletic. When the professional ballet comes to town, its prima ballerinas get their ankles in a twist. Oh, dear—what will happen? It’s Josephine to the rescue, bounding onto the stage in a pink tutu and ballet shoes. The font sizes vary enticingly as problems compound—until the lovely kangaroo wins over the audience (and the skeptical other dancers), curtseying “like the brolgas bowing to the sun.” Pretty soon the audience is out of their seats and joining Josephine on stage.

Ah, what a lovely story. And the artwork by Whatley is utterly charming with a beautiful sense of movement. If there were such a thing as a ballerina/kangaroo, Whatley has captured her style, her grace, her joie de vivre, and passed the latter onto the book’s readers.

A. Allison

Michel Gagné’s A Search for Meaning is, first of all, beautiful. It is more than that though, it is also strange, dark, bright, explosive, and again, beautiful. Gagné creates in A Search for Meaning a world that is stunning and varied, with tall rocks, taller rocks, and rocks that look like trees. It is a place with plants that are all ears, spikes that (literally) threaten, and places of insanity where everything shifts to black and becomes interesting in a whole new way. Rex, the incredibly cute furry protagonist of this text, is started on his journey when “A sudden gust of wind started the trip./ A journey so weird it would almost be hip.” Rex’s journey traverses land, sea, sky, and other things that are hard to describe without Gagné’s marvelous art accompanying them. The search for meaning introduces the reader to creatures and places that are wholly original, and even when threatening, still marvelous. It pushes the bounds of imagination, making not only an art that reminds us of the everyday, but takes us out of the everyday as well. Finally, however, it takes Rex home with a realization that maybe the journey will never end, but that perhaps that might be a rather good thing.

Sean Printz

Michel Gagné’s book The Towers of Numar is unusual. It is unusual in its art style, which depicts a world that is alien yet familiar, and always in its own way incredibly charming. It is unusual in its characters, with the Numerian Meeka standing at the forefront, a young girl gifted in science and art, likable for her very innovation. It is unusual in its narrative, depicting the world of the Numerians, and the inventions of Meeka with poetry that is both fun and fanciful. But perhaps it is most unusual in its science, where it works not only to teach science but also to create a science that feels, in its own special way, to be as much a creation myth as a scientific lesson.

Michel Gagné’s The Towers of Numar is very unusual, but that is a good thing, even an amazing thing. His text creates new paths for the imagination to walk…or even flow along. It is anchored in the real, and yet still manages to depict the fantastic, unusual, and bizarre in ways that make a way that makes the bizarre and unusual unusually appealing. I highly recommend this book, and most of Gagné’s other texts as well.

Sean Printz

Starting with its warm and colorful first page, this book is a winner and in so many ways. The story itself is winning: Dad the turtle reads his little turtle a story about penguins. The little guy’s imagination takes over from there. He dresses himself as a penguin in his grandfather’s black jacket, goes to school dressed as a penguin, and is joined by his friends as they get into it and dress like penguins and act like penguins. When they take their naps at school, they even dream about being penguins. Clearly these kids are having a really good time. So, clearly, are the two adults in the book—dad and the teacher; they’re enjoying and encouraging the children’s inventiveness and fun. Their teacher plays right along with the masquerade as her class gets exercise for their minds and bodies and learns a lot about penguins. Win-win. The evening after penguin day at home and school, Turtle Dad reads his son a story about… monkeys. What a good dad and what a good day tomorrow will be—monkey day.

Winning, very winning.

Gorbachev’s water colors and light use of pen and ink delightfully convey the imaginative prowess of the children and their joy in being playful. Nice to involve the authority figures too as welcoming the things that kids like doing.

A. Allison

The Hey Diddle Diddle nursery rhyme first appeared in print in 1765. Since then various theories have been put forth to explain its hidden significance from Elizabethan satire to astronomy lesson. Now, author and illustrator Mini Grey takes us one step further, providing readers with a rollicking spoon’s-eye view of what happened when dish and spoon ran off together.

Floating across the ocean to twentieth-century America, dish and spoon establish a successful vaudeville act but overspend and wind up robbing a bank. It’s not long before they’re nabbed by the authorities, separated, and deported to England in disgrace. After serving a lengthy prison term, the grieving spoon wanders into an old junk shop where he is reunited with his long lost companion. Together the two put together a new act and embark on yet another round of footloose adventures.

Whimsy piled on whimsy fuels this imaginative tale. The illustrations provide a wealth of comic visual asides that enhance the hilarity of the text. Readers may also enjoy Grey’s Traction Man is Here! which won the 2005 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for picture books.

M. Janssen

Walter Kitty has a rich inner life. When he’s not annoying his owners, Mr. and Mrs. Biddle, or getting in trouble or sniffing catnip, he has daydreams as his alter ego Fang.

In his imagination, he rescues his owners from pirates, roars on top of the Empire State Building like King Kong, and has an Indiana Jones adventure.

But maybe life with the owners isn’t so bad after all. Despite their complaints about Wally being a trouble maker, they love him to pieces. You can tell from the endearments Mrs. Biddle, whom he thinks of as “his Person,” gives him: “kitten” (which he isn’t anymore), “snookums” (heh heh), and “baby” (how sweet!).

Dan Santat uses mixed media: ink acrylic and photo-shop. The colors are darks, pastels and neutrals. The illustrations take over the whole page so you feel like you’re inside the book—and Walter Kitty’s mind. The characters have a cartoonish quality. But unlike annoying, wise- cracking cats like Garfield and Heathcliff, Walter has a softer quality and a sweet face. He has the “I’m so cute and yet so mischievous” face.

Both Hicks and Santat capture cats’ personalities so well. I’m not sure kids would understand the humor in the relationship between Walter and his owners. Adult readers who have cats are sure to laugh out loud at the truth in Hicks’ portrayal of the relationship. I’m not sure who will like The Secret Life of Walter Kitty more, adults or children?

Marie Soriano

Simon and Schuster has a new series: Little Green Books, “green books for green readers.” Good! This one follows the life story of a blob of crude oil, showing its many permutations from being “sucked through a long, wide pipe” into an oil tanker, then an oil refinery, through polymerization, into easily moldable plastic bits ready to be reshaped, and into its first iteration as a plastic bottle. Narrated from the beginning in first person by the transforming bit of oil, the book has a jolly tone, for the plastic character is eager to serve and curious about what it will become. After being filled with water, our cheerful, google-eyed bottle is bought by a young boy who, to the bottle’s delight, recycles it by putting a flower in it and placing it on the family’s dining table. Placed ultimately in the recycle bin, the bottle is then squished, shredded, heated, extruded into plastic strips, and turned into a synthetic fleece sweater worn by an astronaut.

Cool!

The prose is informative and upbeat, discussing how useful plastic is to us: soccer balls, chairs, and toys, for example. The cartoon-y art is delightful and expressive and expands nicely upon the prose.

A good, inexpensive way to educate kids (and their parents) about recycling.

A. Allison

In the Wild West or perhaps on the prairies, Toby and her parents are traveling in their wagon and as she rides in the back the girl sings proudly of her colorful clothes: a blue coat with purple lining, a yellow sweater lined with green leaves, orange mittens and a matching cap, buck hide boots, red long johns, and finally, a brown dress. Whoa, that’s a lot of clothes!

As the wagon goes over a bump, Toby falls off the wagon into the woods. There she crosses paths with a wolf, a cougar, a skunk, a porcupine, and a bear. To appease each of them and keep from being eaten or attacked, Toby gives each of them an article of clothing (down to her long johns). Naturally, each animal thinks s/he looks absolutely marvelous, so when they see each other, they fight over who’s the most attractive. In the chase, clothes go flying and Toby manages to retrieve her wardrobe. Any how do Toby and her parents celebrate their reunion? Pancakes anyone?

Anne Isaacs’ Pancakes for Supper! is a lot of fun with her sing-song sing-along verse. This would be the kind of book you could read to a class, and the students would begin to anticipate the animals’ verse-dialogue out loud, wanting to interact with the book rather than sit quietly and listen passively. The story is a retelling of The Story of Little Black Sambo which was published in 1899, and which has been noted as being racist, at the very least with its early illustrations. However, Isaac’s version is not racist, so you can buy this book and read it with a clear conscience. It really has the feel of a tall tale, like that of Johnny Appleseed) with the wagon and the wilderness. She even adds a touch of feminism, giving the story a spunky heroine.

The illustrations by Mark Teague have a tall tale feel as well. He depicts Isaacs’ story faithfully in big, bold-colored illustrations that span two pages. There’s a lot of movement in each picture. The characters seem to be moving about, the animals prancing in Toby’s garments or Toby running for dear life. The pictures are so vivid they make you think that perhaps if you’re not careful, the animals might just jump out of the pictures and demand to have your clothing!

Marie Soriano

Set in East Africa and illustrated by the remarkable Rachel Isadora, Andersen’s fairy tale is visually resplendent and as improbable as ever. The prose is shortened, tight, just enough to showcase Isadora’s use of pattern and color and shape in gorgeous collages of print and brush stroke and dynamic layout, as in the storm scene or the layers of feather mattresses.

sadora’s first-hand familiarity with Africa has inspired a unique re-telling of the classic story.