Picturebooks - Fiction (2009 reviews)

As the title reveals, Iris wakes up one morning with a virus. She is so sick with a stomach bug that the family’s trip to Grandpa’s house for a party is in jeopardy. Iris’ twin brother blames her for ruining their plans by getting sick at the wrong time. Iris can barely muster the strength to care what her brother thinks.
Iris’ illness prompts her mother to take her to the doctor. At the examination, Dr. Sally tells Iris she is “OK, except for a virus. A nasty bug that’s on its way out.” Iris’ imagination runs wild that night, dreaming of all the shapes and sizes of the different bugs inside her.

By Saturday, all the bugs have left Iris. As the family prepares to venture to Grandpa’s house, Iris’ brother Doug gets a fever and vomits just like his sister had done. Iris playfully asks if Doug can be left at home with a sitter while everyone has fun at the party.

Iris has a Virus is a great book to read to a small child who is ill. Not only will the child be able to relate to Iris’ plight, they will learn the facts behind a common misconception made by children: when they are told they have a bug, many children believe an insect is crawling around inside them. This book explains, “A virus is a special kind of bug. It’s a germ. You see it through a magnifier called a microscope.”
Another appealing aspect of this book is the lively prose. In particular, Alda’s use of rhyming couplets interspersed throughout the text creates a style reminiscent of Dr. Seuss. When Iris imagines the bugs inside her, for example, the text reads, “Bugs with spots, bugs on cots, bugs like ants, bugs with pants.”

Equally enticing is the visual accompaniment provided by Desimini. Her cut-paper collage illustrations add a stunning and unique dimension to the book. The combination of great story and beautiful illustrations makes Iris has a Virus a wonderful addition to a child’s collection.

Kira Hall

In this story of Bertie Badgerstone and his grandpa, Gadzooks the Great, Bertie’s Grandpa’s magic rabbit named Enigma goes missing. Bertie vows to find the bunny. Bertie meets characters whose magic props have also disappeared. Vlad, the bear, loses his doll. Bill Bison, the card player, loses his queen of hearts. The trapeze monkeys lose their set of rings. Miss Poodle loses her ball and cups, and Lord Pandamonium loses his bells. Enigma returns at the end of the book. He confesses he stole the magic props because he wanted to be the magician. The characters gather at the end for a big magic show put on by Enigma and Bertie.

Readers are asked to discover the country of each character based on clues given in the detailed pictures and in complex and clever rhymes. Readers are asked to find the hidden props in the book and to find Enigma the rabbit on each page. Even without this, readers will want to read this book numerous times. Settings include a deep red parlor, a blue parlor, a jade pagoda, a silk chamber and a jungle garden. In Base style, the author offers rich, mellow, detailed, two-page paintings, each framed with an ornate border. The writing is hilarious.

Graeme Base is one of the world’s leading picture book authors and illustrators. In 1986, he published the classic best-selling book Animalia. His book The Water Hole from 2001 met with critical acclaim. His book Uno’s Garden was awarded the Green Earth Book Award in 2007. Highly recommended.

Linda Salem

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

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 he 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

Can’t recommend Life Story, and Burton’s other books, enough. Among them are the eternal 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

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

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

Poor Finnigin has gotten himself a very bad reputation. He has no family to care for him and no particular house to haunt, so he has to wander the land living off of honest spooks. All spooks everywhere know of Finnigin’s fearsome appetite, so when he strolls into town one Halloween night, the witches hide their stewed eyeballs, the zombies hide their froglegs, and everyone bars the door. By the time Finnigin starts knocking at doors, everyone is ready to swear they are already starving and have nothing to spare for him.

In keeping with the “Stone Soup” folktale on which this book is based, Finnigin decides to make his own Halloween feast, using only a cauldron and a single dry bone. As he assures all curious onlookers, it is a magic bone, perfect for making a delicious Halloween feast soup. Of course, it would be much better with some tasty stewed eyeballs…such a shame the witches have run out. And some froglegs…if only the zombies had some. Before long, the townspeople have discovered that they have some food to share, after all.

“Stone Soup” is a simple and classic story, and Bone Soup has the added attraction of gruesome food items and not-so-scary monsters as characters. The illustrations are an appropriate sickly green, and the various monsters are expressively and sympathetically drawn, especially the friendly zombie children with pigtails and orthodonture problems. Bone Soup is highly recommended; it will appeal to a wide variety of children, not just on Halloween, but all year round.

Naomi Lesley

Willoughby Smith feels all alone now that he has moved away from his friends. His new house is too small and there’s only a large rock in his back yard—nothing else of interest. One day something unexpected happens. An enchanted golden lion appears on the rock and offers Willoughby ten wishes, with the hope that Willoughby will wish for the most wonderful thing of all. What does Willoughby wish for?

This book would work well as a counting book for more detail-oriented children. Hidden in each of Willoughby’s wishes is the number of each wish. The book also comes with a token of friendship found in the back cover. Greg Foley’s distinct color palate of black, white, and gold plus his combination of simple line drawings mixed with more realistic images offer a visual treat. Willoughby and the Lion is the first in the new Willoughby series so be sure to look for more of Greg Foley’s artful books in the future.

Kim Kennelly

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

When Abuelita takes her grandchildren to the zoo, she counts everything they see in Spanish, and the grandchildren help her keep score. They see elephants, birds, monkeys, and those especially strange animals-- people standing in line for ice cream. Later, Abuelita helps her charges count the stars in the sky, before she gives them dos besos, two kisses, to say goodnight.

Counting books and zoo animals are always a good combination, and the repetition of the numbers in Spanish now gives child readers two ways to count their favorite animals. Cohen’s cartoonlike color illustrations are large, clear, and bright, making it easy for readers to see which animals are being counted. Zoo Day is an attractive new counting book for either English- or Spanish-speaking children.

Naomi Lesley

Robin has a pretty blue egg, Chicken has her lovely brown egg, Owl and Parrot each have eggs, and even Flamingo has a sturdy white egg. Every bird seems to have an egg but Duck . . . That is until Duck finds an egg—a big, speckled-green egg and he (yes, he) is thrilled. Even though the rest of the birds doubt his prowess as an egg sitter, Duck is determined to hatch his find. Just wait and see what finally comes out of Duck’s odd egg!

Emily Gravett’s tale, originally published in England, is a delightful story. Her illustrations focus solely on the birds rather than the backgrounds, which make the characters, including the eggs, really stand out. The story also includes cut pages reminiscent of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which adds to the whimsy of this picture book. Be sure to catch Duck’s knitting handiwork on the very last page.

Kim Kennelly

Milo sees his little sister Lucy enjoying her milk. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Milo says to his mom, “Milk.” When she does not respond, he yells “Milk.” When he sees that his mom is not moving towards the kitchen, he shrieks for it. That failure prompts Lucy to help out her brother by telling him to use the “special word.” After much contemplation and a few wrong guesses, Milo finally says, “please.” The process of learning is then repeated as his mom refuses to leave until Milo remembers another special word, “thank you.”

This book is simple and overtly didactic but still makes the effort to be a fun read for small children. One appealing aspect is the interactive components. Many pages feature a wheel to spin that reveals different pictures while others have flaps to pull. Another feature sure to please is the book’s humor. After Milo learns his lesson about manners, for example, he decides to take full advantage of its benefits. Milo figures he can ask for, and receive, anything he wants—including a magic wand, a pony, and a rocket—as long as “please” follows the request. The narrative ends with the question, “Now what will Mommy do?” The answer, most likely, is read this book to their child again.

Kira Hall

This heartwarming book tells the parallel stories of a “wisp of a girl” named Lia and a “dog who belonged to no one.” Lia is a little girl who spends her days delivering bread from her parents’ bakery. The dog occupies his time being helpful to others and struggling with life on the streets. Both feel alone in the world. The perspectives of Lia and the scruffy stray dog are given equal attention as the narrative traces their respective lives. A terrible storm finally brings the two together as both seek shelter and comfort at Lia’s house. The story ends happily with the two filling the void in each other’s lives.

The book is beautifully written by Amy Hest, the bestselling author of numerous award-winning books such as When Jessie Came Across the Sea and The Purple Coat. One of my favorite aspects of this book is Hest’s lyrical prose. The language honors the intelligence of its young readership while remaining accessible. The gorgeous watercolor illustrations by Amy Bates are a perfect accompaniment for Hest’s words. The pages are filled with the warm earthy tones of her adorably appealing illustrations.

This classic rhyming Little Golden Book poses the awful scenario of a gym class with animals. Readers witness hilarious lions and hippos doing deep knee bends, elephants on a balance beam, giraffes doing chin-ups, and a mad cap shower scene. The artwork is colored pencil drawings by Hungarian artist Tibor Gergely. A Caldecott medal honoree for his illustrations for Margaret Wise Brown’s Wheel on the Chimney, Tibor Gergely’s illustrations will look familiar to those who remember Tibor Gergely’s Great Big Book of Bedtime Stories. The artist’s most popular children's books include The Happy Man and His Dump Truck, Busy Day Busy People, The Little Red Caboose, The Fire Engine Book, Tootle, and Scuffy the Tugboat. The illustrations fill the pages with action and movement and these, together with Hoffman’s tight, sing song rhymes, keep the pages turning. This book is appropriate for all ages. Beth Hoffman is also the author of Red is for Apples. This reprint is part of a celebration by Random House of the 65th anniversary of Golden Books. Golden Books continue to be offered as high quality, low-priced books available for all children, as they were when originally marketed in the 1940s. Recommended.

Linda Salem

When Mae gets a letter from her Aunt Susan asking her to take care of one of her chickens, Mae is delighted to take on the project. In fact, beginning projects is Mae’s specialty. The problem is she rarely finishes them. Despite Mae’s track record, her parents agree to let her care for the “scrappy” chicken, Matilda. Mae soon realizes what a hefty job it is to care for a chicken, always having to clean the stinky coop and provide food and fresh water.

It is not long before other projects become the center of Mae’s attention and Matilda feels “forgotten.” When Matilda’s feathers fall out, Mae realizes she has been neglecting Matilda. Just as Mae comes to this conclusion, she receives a letter from Aunt Susan declaring her intention to visit at the end of the month to see how Mae has been caring for Matilda. Eager to right the wrong she has done to Matilda, Mae makes a “chicken jacket” to keep Matilda warm. Will this gesture of love be enough to make Matilda happy?

One of the most impressive aspects of this book is the striking illustration. Author and illustrator Lisa Horstman explains the process of creating her unique visuals in a note at the beginning of the text. She explains that the illustrations are comprised of clay puppets wearing knitted or sewn clothing. The puppets are the photographed and superimposed onto painted backdrops.

The child who reads this book will be rewarded with a fun and moving story. The beautiful illustrations are likely to make this book a favorite.

Kira Hall

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

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.

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

A. Allison

Jeffers and Leick offer readers a bilingual picture book about a girl’s activities in moonlight and in sunlight. Text is in English and Spanish, balanced on the page in large, easy to read font. The language is simple and clear. Translations are direct and uncomplicated. The English placement of text is above the Spanish placement. Watercolor illustrations by Leick have rounded shapes, and tones that glow. The main character is a young girl who is restless in the darkness of the night. She wishes for an endless day so she can do everything she has to do. When she pulls down the night sky, and behind it finds daylight, readers learn that she fills her daylight time playing hard. She tires herself out, and realizes she needs nighttime in order to rest. With this effective bedtime story, readers are left with a peaceful nighttime scene. An English Spanish vocabulary list is presented at the end. Leick’s other illustrated works include Alien Invaders, Impetuous R. Secret Agent, Wolf Camp, and forthcoming book Good Night Little Monster. Dawn Jeffers’ other works include the bilingual book Vegetable Dreams – Huerto Sonado.

Linda Salem

The day after his birthday party, Leo finds a fluffy kitten on his porch steps and brings her home. Not knowing much about feline needs, he presents her with a piece of birthday-party chocolate cake. Thus starts the book’s refrain: But Sugar would not eat it. You can name a cat “Sugar,” but you can’t make her eat it. Though the well-intentioned Leo enlists the help of numerous neighborhood adults, they repeat for him what they were told as children, for example, “You can’t leave the table till you finish your broccoli” or “There are hungry children not as lucky as you.” But these admonishments, repeated earnestly by Leo to Sugar, are unpersuasive. Poor little kitten is hungry but stubborn. Only when Leo fixes himself some people food—milk and a chicken sandwich, does Sugar dive in.

You get a lot of laughs in this picturebook both from the overall story, the droll language, and Giselle Potter’s very funny illustrations..

A. Allison

Many books on the market teach young children facts about dogs and cats, but few are as thorough and entertaining as this one. The fun begins from the first page, where the reader chooses to flip the book one way to read about dogs and flip the book over to learn about cats. Jenkins follows the same format for both sections of the book, covering the history of the species, natural instincts and behaviors, an anatomical overview, and “amazing” facts. One topic many children will find particularly interesting is a question and answer section dealing with common and often confounding animal behavior. Questions addressed include: “Why do dogs chase balls?” and “Why do cats scratch the furniture?”

Another appealing aspect of the book is the illustrations. Jenkins uses a cut and torn paper collage technique to create cute and colorful canines and felines. It is also noted that much of the paper used in the illustrations was made by hand and comes from several different countries.

Jenkins has written and illustrated many nonfiction books for children including the Caldecott award winning What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? and Actual Size.
Dogs and Cats would be a great addition to the library of an animal loving child.

Kira Hall

In this playful tribute to George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the oppressed animals turn the tables once again. Orvie the pig, who insists on wearing the big farmer boots, does nothing but sleep all day in his chair while the other animals shine his boots and feed him. Orvie has the rule of No Man (or) Farm painted on the barn: “4 legs bad, 2 legs good”. Duck is pretty sure she has two legs, too; but Orvie still won’t let her wear the farmer boots.

Duck decides to show Orvie that she can do big work, like a farmer. Pretty soon, she shows the pig that two wings are just as useful as two legs—and, in fact, that the combined eighteen legs of all the animals are better than just two.

The book is narrated in a graphic novel format, with speech bubbles and single, easy to follow lines of narration. The colorful geometric illustrations are appealing and beautifully rendered and shaded. Johnson captures facial expressions well, and Duck’s wide-eyed expression of innocence when her prank is discovered is especially effective.

Johnson has written a clever and entertaining adaptation of Animal Farm. Adult readers will enjoy the concealed references, like the names of Napoleon, Squealer, and Old Major scratched into Orvie’s chair. Child readers unfamiliar with the Orwell will still appreciate Duck’s cleverness, Orvie’s laziness, and the animals’ triumph at the end.

Naomi Lesley

This is the story of two fully clothed, house-dwelling monkeys named Ed and Ted. Ed has a wonderful day meeting friendly animals and finding a treasure chest. Ted has a terrible day running from fierce animals and being accused of stealing a treasure chest. But, as author James Kaczman clearly shows, luck can change.

Lucky Monkey, Unlucky Monkey is a wonderful tale for logical children. The book follows a logical construction, complete with a prelude, chapters, and an appendix that could serve as an introduction to more complex chapter books. (Older readers will enjoy the added humor on the dust jacket.) Kaczman points out many illogical ideas found in other children’s books (Why does Peter Rabbit only wear a jacket and shoes but no pants? Why do people talk in rhymes in children’s books?) in his witty sidebars sprinkled throughout the story. His clever parallel pictures of Ed’s and Ted’s days provide a wonderful lesson on opposites. (Be sure to look for the sun and cloud at the top of the pages denoting the type of day each monkey is experiencing.) Kaczman’s fanciful acrylic pictures of Ed and Ted are sure to delight children and adults alike and certainly show that anyone can have a lucky/unlucky day.

Kim Kennelly

The preface to Twelve Terrible Things reads: “I’m warning you. If you turn the page, you are going to see some terrible things.” This intriguing cautionary note is the gateway into a tongue-in-cheek montage of terrifying ordeals that are uniquely a child’s, each numbered off one through twelve. Highlights include: a haircut performed by a little sister, the dreaded pinch on the check from grandma, and a cafeteria lunch drowning in gravy.

But the story is told not through words (the book only has a few dozen of them), but through illustration. And the illustrations are both telling and utterly hilarious. The illustrations’ impact is intensified by the focus on the reader as the subject. When the teacher announces, “This must be our NEW student,” twenty pairs of eyes are staring right at the reader. Another example of this reader perspective involves a pool and a diving board. The diving board is in the foreground while the pool seems about a hundred feet below. The page reads, “Come on already … JUMP!”

One of the primary delights of this book is the mixture of sensitivity and wit in its approach to these ordeals. Most children will be able to relate to the “Twelve Terrible Things” and appreciate Kelley’s humorous take on them.

Kira Hall

A master of fantasy and science fiction, Ursula K.Le Guin tries her hand at books for much younger readers. Le Guin’s book, quite simply, describes a cat’s dreams in lovely rhyming verse. The kitty dreams about mice raining from the sky, a world without dogs, sleeping in a catnip tree, and napping with her/ his owner. Painting with exquisite detail, Schindler uses soft watercolors, mostly pastels, capturing the soft texture of fabrics and cat fur. The book has huge pictures and huge text. It’s a nice book to curl up with just before a nap.

Marie Soriano

Alicia is the epitome of the spoiled princess. Her parents do anything and everything to try to please her. They build her a magnificent castle complete with a built-in rollercoaster, plant an elaborate maze garden, construct a train for her to ride, and provide her with mountains of mouthwatering desserts. But despite all this, Alicia continuously screams, “I’M BORED!”

One day Alicia wakes up crying inconsolably. Her parents ask what they can do to make her happy. Her answer: “I want a prince.” So the search to find a prince who can keep Alicia entertained is on. All Alicia finds boring, until she meets the last suitor. Prince Connor comes bearing a box filled with paper. Just as Alicia gets geared up to yell, Connor begins folding the paper into amusing shapes. He encourages her to try it, and soon her creativity is unleashed. She learns a variety of new skills and hobbies, including painting, knitting, and growing wheat. When they grow older, Alicia and Connor marry and have children of their own. They all live happily ever after having found joy in the simple pleasures of life.

This book has an important message about the dangers of overindulgence, but its delivery of that lesson is never preachy. Rather, the narrative is lighthearted and fun. The illustrations provided by Josee Masse reflect this tone beautifully. Every page is splashed with bright bold colors and whimsical drawings that would be quite appealing to a small child.

Kira Hall

Brigg lives in a gray city in a gray world that is spectacularly represented by Lisa Evans’ illustrations. The gray of Brigg’s world changes when he buys a picture of a flower from an old junk shop and discovers that what he thought was only a picture holds something of far greater interest, something that brings color and joy to Brigg’s world. Light’s text is simple, but invoking, especially when paired with Evans’ illustrations. Evans’ images bring emotion and depth to the text, creating a world that is gray and beautiful at the same time. Evans use of color is never without meaning, and her illustrations possess a subtle sense of whimsy that adds a charming touch to the sense of otherness and wonder the text portrays. And though it is a gray world that Brigg first inhabits, the text ends in a blooming of color and, as many of the best children’s books do, with hope for the future.

NaToya Faughnder

Leo Lionni is one of the great masters of the picture book. I would think most American kids know one or two of his books (I hope so); among them are Swimmy and Frederick.

Lionni’s Little Blue and Little Yellow, first published in 1959, is representative of his stories and his art; it combines a tale simple on the surface but with a lot to think about and his trademark original uses of color and placement to thoroughly engage the eye. In this story, little blue and little yellow are neighbors and friends. Both play as well with other “kids”—they are actually blobs of bright color on the pages. Fearing little yellow has moved away, upon finding his friend little blue gives little yellow a great big hug--- and they merge and turn green! When they go home, their parents don’t recognize them! It all turns out well, with a lot of affection, humor, and reassurance. This is a lovely book for the whole family.

A. Allison

In sing-song rhyme a narrator describes his two lovable mutts who are not perfect nor the smartest dogs, but they are loyal and the narrator’s best companions. I personally find the rhymes delightful. This is a book that is meant to be read aloud—together as a family or in the classroom. And it comes with a CD. The illustrations are bright and bold, and they reinforce the interactiveness of the text. The pictures are so wide that they take up two pages, engulfing the reader and pulling the reader into the story. The colors are vivid but not so bright that they hurt the eyes (no neon here), and the lines are not straight but curvaceous and flowing.

These days every celebrity and their mother writes children’s books and gets published regardless of whether or not they have a talent for writing. John Lithgow is one of the few who does have that talent—a lot of it. I Got Two Dogs gets four big stars.

Marie Soriano

What fun this book by New Zealand’s Hans Christian Andersen Award-winning author Margaret Mahy is! Known for her fantasy novels, Mahy is also a writer of delightful picturebooks, like this one in which the rollicking prose is a delight to read aloud. The dilemma is that older sister Mabel has blown a bubble that breaks away and “wafts” Baby away into the sky. As with a cumulative folk tale, more and more characters join the attempt to bring Baby back home; kids will enjoy spotting the characters in the funny, expressive illustrations. The star of the book is Mahy’s language, which twists one’s tongue, tickles one’s funny bone, and must be read aloud for the pleasure of the listeners and of the one who gets to do the reading.

A. Allison

There is a young boy in the woods named Felix. He is wearing red pajamas. He has what seems to be very messy hair. He is also very afraid; there are beasts in the woods after all. Felix’s story is all about how he finds a friend in those beast infested woods, a very kind, fluffy rabbit, and how they work together to become a (fake) monster to scare off the fearsome beasts and get Felix home to his nice cup of hot chocolate. The story is actually very entertaining to read, and is depicted beautifully, rendering the monsters in bright bold colors that work very well against the dark night. Oh, and it does make a very valid point, perhaps fearsome beasts are scared of monsters too, just as we are scared of them.

Sean Printz

Tell Me a Dragon is beautiful. Every page is a piece of art that can capture the eye and the imagination. The watercolor illustrations depict a new dragon on every page, each one different from the last. There are dragons that are bigger than castles, with tails as long as rivers. There are dragons that are very tiny, that prefer lounging on a human ear. There are dragons of fire and dragons of ice, dragons of flowers and dragons of flight. Each dragon is breathtakingly beautiful, and leaves you wondering what the next page will bring.

However, in this book Jackie Morris didn’t just set out to depict the small number of dragons she was able to fit into its twenty four pages; she set out to help her readers depict their own dragons. Each dragon in this book is inspiration and example, stroking the flames of imagination and hopefully helping stir the beginnings of the reader’s own dragon, a dragon which the reader can tell to Jackie Morris after she has told them so many of hers. The art style is, as I mentioned, beautiful, stunning even, but the idea behind Jackie Morris’ book, the reciprocation asked for in the title and on the last page, is perhaps even more so.

Come to this text to meet sky dragons, ice dragons, water dragons, and others. Leave this book with a dragon of your very own.

Sean Printz

Who hasn’t had a brilliant idea that other people simply don’t understand? For one little girl who is full of good ideas, seventeen to be exact, she discovers that not everyone understands her “genius”. She quickly finds out she is no longer allowed to use a stapler or glue or to mention beavers (ever), but she is still allowed to do one thing . . . read and find out what it is.

As her debut to children’s literature, Jenny Offill presents a fun laundry list of no-no’s. Nancy Carpenter’s illustrations blend photo-realism with pen and ink drawings, which give Offill’s text a true-to-life flair. (My favorite picture is the action figure plunged head first into a mountain of mashed potatoes.)

Kim Kennelly

When a baby elephant is separated from his herd in a thunderstorm, he is befriended by a herd of water buffalos and travels with them. He enjoys being with the water buffalos, but realizes that he is different. When another herd of elephants encounters the buffalos by chance, Elephant has a difficult choice: should he return to his own species, or stay with his new friends?

This is a simple and effective story about friendship and identity, engagingly told in rhyme. The illustrations are equally effective. Pieper uses a limited color palette of black, white, and blue, which highlights how the elephant stands out from the herd of buffalo. Both children and adults will enjoy this book.

Naomi Lesley

Little Hoot is a happy little owl, most of the time. He likes playing with his friends, and going to school, and practicing owly things like staring and looking wise. But every night, Little Hoot is not so happy. All of his friends get to go to bed, but he has to stay up and play like a proper owl. No matter how much his parents encourage him to stay up and play for just one more hour, Little Hoot can’t do it—not even when he’s bribed with another bedtime story or another glass of water.

This book provides a witty variation on the perennially relevant theme of children who do not want to go to bed. The classic bargaining and banter between parents and children (“just ten more minutes?”) is all here, but reversed in such a way that it will entertain both child and parent readers. Corace’s color illustrations, done in line drawings with block color, are charming and humorous.

Naomi Lesley

Frankie Stein is a must have for goth-parents whose children wonder why all their clothes are black. It’s also a lot of fun for kids that may feel they are a little “different” from their parents – whatever that type of difference may be. The opening page depicts the monstrous-looking Stein parents as they look adoringly at their new-born son, Frankie, who is nestled snugly in his crib with a green blanket covered with purple spider print. A ghost and a rat watch the Stein family from the background.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank N. Stein wonder why their son looks “cute” rather than “scary” like themselves. Frankie was born on a sunny day. He has golden locks of hair, a white tooth, and smooth pink skin. He looks nothing like his father -- who has blue hair, green skin, and yellow-green teeth -- or his mother -- who has black hair with horn-shaped white streaks, pale-green skin, and wears bat-earrings. To solve this dilemma, the Steins do everything they can think of to help their son to be scary. They paint his hair blue, read him scary stories by candlelight, attach green bump stickers to his face, give him a false rotten tooth, and teach him how to stagger and groan. To give Frankie further inspiration, they show him the family tree of relatives who are each scary in different ways.

Little Frankie practices being scary, but has trouble being like his parents. He decides to be a different kind of scary, which Kevin Atteberry’s illustrations depict wonderfully. Frankie comes out of his room one day without his hair paint, green bumps, rotten teeth or monster clothes and looks . . . horrifyingly normal. His parents are shocked at his blonde hair, smooth skin, shiny white teeth, flannel shirt, and blue jeans. They shriek and faint when he gives them a big kiss. Frankie makes his parents proud by being the scariest Stein of all . . . until his little sister Francie Stein is born.

The colorful illustrations full of walls lined with monstrous family members, ghosts, and scary furnishings perfectly accentuate the fun text in this adorable story. Children will enjoy the details in the illustrations, such as the furniture’s pointy teeth and claws, and Frankie’s toys, which include a Skull-in-the-box, stuffed bat, and toy dragons. I’m going to give a copy of Frankie Stein to a little blonde five-year old that loves monster books and wears bat-jewelry.

Emily Moore

Two dogs fall in love in this sweet and simple rhyming picture book that tells age old tale of a boy from the wrong side of the tracks falling in love with the girl from the wealthy neighborhood, of course with one major exception- that these two characters are dogs! The story is nothing revolutionary- in fact it seems like an unabashed take off of the Walt Disney animated film Lady and the Tramp. Of course there are some differences, but the basic story outline remains the same.

Despite the book’s similarity to Lady and the Tramp, its sweetness and simplicity, especially when it comes to the rhyming scheme, make Puppy Love very engaging. The rhyming is, unsurprising, very precise. The illustrations reflect this precision- they are very stylized and orderly, and yet they are still soft and appealing to the eye so that they don’t feel harsh.

Despite the fact that Puppy Love is meant for young readers, the resolution and ending seems much too tidy and almost seemingly comes out of nowhere. It’s as if there was a page or two missing from the book. Adept children will certainly pick up on the fact that there seems to be a missing element from Esme and Sam’s love story, namely- why was the separation and obstacles between them suddenly no longer a problem? A happy ending is nice, but if one wonders how we arrive there, even in a picture book, the effect is weakened. Regardless of these minor qualms, Puppy Love still remains refreshing thanks to the simple handling of the nature of true love and the strength we gain from its power.

Marianne Paluso

Have you ever poked a penguin? Or tickled an ostrich? Or kissed a walrus? If not, this board book can tell you what they feel like—even better, you can feel the fur, feathers, and whiskers for yourself! Each two-page spread features a different touchable animal with a different texture, a rhyming description, and an appropriately illustrated setting for the creature.

The great strength of this book is the variety of textures it offers for young readers to explore. Some of the rhymes are a bit awkward, but readers are unlikely to care, since the pleasure of touching a prickly, fluffy, and scaly book is the central focus. Young readers are likely to want to read this book again and again, simply to turn the board pages, feel the textures, and identify the animals. Snyder’s book is a wonderful introduction to the physical pleasure of reading.

Naomi Lesley

In this retelling of the famous story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” Margaret Willey seems to draw inspiration from another classic tale—“Little Red Riding Hood.” The story begins with Goldilocks’ father wrapping a red scarf around his daughter’s neck and warning her to not venture off to places she does not belong. Heedless of her father’s advice, Goldilocks no sooner spies a cabin in the woods than she is sipping on the famous porridge and deciding which bed is the comfiest.

One fun twist on the story is the inclusion of the three bears’ thoughts on Goldilocks. All three bears feel bad for Goldilocks because of the things she lacks: soft fur, claws for catching fish, and big sharp teeth. For small readers, this is a great introduction to the importance of perspective.

Interlaced throughout the narrative are details that create a more fully realized world than the sparse original tale. The porridge, for example, is filled with fish scales, bark, lumps of grass and beetles that Goldilocks feels impelled to remove before it is edible. Supplementing this rich prose are gorgeous illustrations by Heather Solomon, who uses a visually appealing mix of watercolor, oil paint, acrylic, collage, and color pencil.

Kira Hall

Mortimer the Mouse watches as a mother brings her children to the garden to plant seeds. To Mortimer, seeds are to eat, not for planting. But his curiosity is piqued, so he decides to plant a sunflower seed. When the seed does not sprout right away, Mortimer becomes discouraged. He considers pulling out the seed, until he hears the voice of God coming from inside him, telling him to be patient. I would describe Mortimer’s First Garden as spiritual without being religious. Karma Wilson never pushes any specific religion, explicitly or implicitly. Readers with any religious background can read it, including those children and adults who believe in God but do not claim any organized religion. Parents might use this book to teach kids about patience, hard work and faith. Dan Andreasen’s illustrations in oil on bristol board are adorable. The pictures look very soft since Andreasen uses pastels and light colors.

Marie Soriano

Certain things are known about the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven. We know, for example, that he owned five legless pianos. We know that he composed great symphonies, concertos, and chamber works while sitting on the floor. We know that he went deaf toward the end of his life. And we know that he lived in 39 different apartments. This brings us to the most crucial question-- how on earth did Ludwig van Beethoven manage to move all of those pianos to 39 different apartments?

In this delightful and imaginative picture book, Jonah Winter attempts to answer this most important of questions, along with some others. How did the neighbors react? Why did Beethoven have to move so many times? Winter speculates about these questions, inventing amusing scraps of research from Beethoven’s Vienna. Barry Blitt provides diagrams and illustrations of the piano-moving operations, the composing process, and the reactions of the disgruntled neighbors (the best of these involves an elaborate diagram of a piano catapult, complete with arrows projecting the piano’s trajectory).

This book is a treat for children and adults alike. Winter anticipates questions that a child might reasonably ask about Beethoven’s life, and he provides an entertaining narrative that combines genuine information and creative speculation. Blitt’s color illustrations are both humorous and well-researched, and will help to provide child readers with a visual understanding of Beethoven’s time period.

Naomi Lesley

With breathtaking water-color illustrations, this profound picturebook creatively and insightfully transforms what can sometimes be a divisive issue – discussions about the nature of God – into a message of unity and hope for all. Douglas’s book begins with the wildlife, the river, the rocks and the stars in the sky – all the things in the world from the beginning of time – arguing about their differing beliefs in what God is. The illustrations range from panoramic vistas of all the creatures across a vast cliff-top overlooking the fish-filled sea, to close-ups of the marine life, to the racing antelope, to the birds soaring over the waterfalls at dawn. Each creature claims that the nature of God is similar to their own experience of existence. The stone feels God is like a great unmoving rock, the waterfall claims God “is a river who flows through the very heard of things,” the island says God “is separate and apart,” while the bear says God is “powerful” and the robin says God is “gentle.” The argument among the creatures gets louder, and louder, until the Old Turtle booms (in enormous red lettering), “STOP!”.
Old Turtle speaks, and explains that each creature’s very different conceptions of God are all true, that God is all of these things, that “God IS.” Old Turtle also proclaims that “a new family of beings” will soon be coming into the world, who “will be strange and wonderful” and who “will be reminders of all that God is.” Old Turtle tells the creatures,

“They will come in many colors and shapes,
with different faces
and different ways of speaking.”

“Their thoughts will soar to the starts,
but their feel will walk the earth.

“They will possess many powers.
They will be strong, yet tender,
a message of love from God to the earth,
and a prayer from the earth back to God.”

The people come, and Cheng-Kyee Chee’s illustrations show peoples of all cultures and colors spreading across the plains of the earth. But then, the narrator tells how humans “forgot that they were a message of love, and a prayer from the earth.” Like the creatures from the time before people came, they began to argue about the nature of God.

Unlike the animals, the people began to hurt one another, and to hurt the earth, and its creatures....“Until finally even the forests began to die.” The illustration in this section is appropriately (though not overpoweringly) disturbing. The broiling clouds are shades of black, orange, ochre, and blue. The trees in the distance are dead twigs, the lifeless fish float in the sea next to the parched skeletons of humans and beast on the ground. The following pages – void of illustrations, reflecting the void in people’s hearts – explain that the devastation occurs, “[b]ecause the people could not remember who they were, or where God was.” To fill this void, a voice comes from the depths – mirroring the voice of Old Turtle – but this time, it says “Please, STOP” in large red lettering.

This voice demonstrates the understanding of what Old Turtle tried to explain to the creatures at the beginning of the book. The mountain sees God swimming in the sea, the ocean sees God high up in the mountains, the stone can “sometimes feel her breath, as she blows by,” and the breeze says “I feel his still presence as I dance among the rocks.” Each comes to see God’s presence among others, even those whose existence is the complete opposite of what they know. Eventually, “after a long, lonesome and scary time . . .” the people listen to the voice, “and began to hear . . . And to see God in one another . . . and in the beauty of all the Earth.” Which leads both Old Turtle, and God, to “smile.”

I highly recommend this book for people of all ages. It reminds us to try to see things from other people’s (and other creatures’) points of view, and to see God reflected in them, as well as in ourselves…and to live together peacefully. Douglas and Chee give us a beautiful, timeless, (and timely) message in this exquisite work of literature.

Emily Moore

A Brand New Day with Mouse and Mole is a delightful picture book that tells the further adventures of Yee’s creations, Mouse and Mole. In this tale, Mouse and Mole discover that what is new is “in,” but also that what is old can also be “new.” When Mole finds his clothes have become moth eaten and his garments riddled with holes, he and his friend Mouse decide to go shopping to find the latest fashions. However, during their day out, which incidentally also includes fishing and the discovery of an old tire (or is it a new swing?), the most important discovery that these two friends make is that old doesn’t necessarily mean bad. We see that we can create something new and wonderful with a little ingenuity. This story offers the ages old lesson “one person’s trash is another’s treasure.”

A pleasant attribute to A Brand New Day with Mouse and Mole is the unabashed simplicity of the story. Yee takes very ordinary occurrences, such as shopping, sewing, fishing, and eating lunch and makes them fun mostly because of the cuteness of the characters and subtle humor. Any fan of The Wind in the Willows will appreciate the ease at which the animal characters perform everyday tasks as if they were human characters. Although the prose is not as complex and glorious as Kenneth Grahame’s (though this might be a slightly unfair comparison, as this is a picture book), nevertheless the story has its own unique charm.

The illustrations in this book are colorful and sweet and slightly reminiscent of Beatrix Potter’s timeless watercolors. The storyline has a useful lesson for children to take with them¬- one can make something wonderful out of a seemingly insignificant piece of discarded rubbish. Mouse and Mole discover fun with a “new” tire swing and that friends, old and new, are always a treasure.

Marianne Paluso