Sylvie & True by David McPhail
Sylvie is a bunny and True is a huge water snake--they're great friends who hang out together. The pictures are cute, there's one where the two go bowling and True gets a strike by stretching himself across the lane and knocking all the pins over with a bowling ball in his mouth. But it's not a foul because technically his shoes haven't passed the foul line.
I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
I love the illustrations in this book. The text is super simple, it's basically a giant blue squid who goes around to other sealife and points out how he's bigger. Then the squid gets swallowed by a whale, then it's like, "I'm the biggest thing in this whale." It's pretty funny, simple funny, but funny.
What Teachers Can't Do by Douglas Wood
The teacher here is a dinosaur who can't do lots of stuff and needs students to help. It's another simple, short book.
3/28/08
3/24/08
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Two kids are left with their grandpa while their parents go on a cruise. Seth and Kendra discover a magical world on their grandfather's property. I just started reading this book which was recommended to me by a kid.
Unprofessional Behavior by Will Manley
I've seen Mr. Manley speak before. He's a retired librarian who often writes funny articles about librarians. I'm really looking forward to what he has to say in this book :o)
Two kids are left with their grandpa while their parents go on a cruise. Seth and Kendra discover a magical world on their grandfather's property. I just started reading this book which was recommended to me by a kid.
Unprofessional Behavior by Will Manley
I've seen Mr. Manley speak before. He's a retired librarian who often writes funny articles about librarians. I'm really looking forward to what he has to say in this book :o)
3/22/08
Ridin' Dinos With Buck Bronco by George McClements
A friendly cowbow teaches readers how to ride different types of dinosaurs in a Southern tone. This is a fun book and my favorite page features suggestions for feeding the dinosaurs.
Herbivores: Leaves.
Carnivores: Meat.
Herbivores: Nuts and berries.
Carnivores: Meat.
Herbivores: Low-lying shrubs.
Carnivores: Meat.
Too funny.
A friendly cowbow teaches readers how to ride different types of dinosaurs in a Southern tone. This is a fun book and my favorite page features suggestions for feeding the dinosaurs.
Herbivores: Leaves.
Carnivores: Meat.
Herbivores: Nuts and berries.
Carnivores: Meat.
Herbivores: Low-lying shrubs.
Carnivores: Meat.
Too funny.
Raising Sweetness by Diane Stanley and G. Brian Karas
This fun fun book is written in Texan and I only wish I could do a perfect southern accent to read it to you. A loving but illiterate local Sheriff adopts 8 orphans. He is an odd fellow who cleans the windows with butter and puts peanut butter on his spaghetti. When he receives a letter one day, the youngest orphan named Sweetness tries to learn to read by sitting outside a schoolhouse and listening in. One day a surprise visitor arrives at the house--the answer to everyone's dreams.
Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
A little blue bird is too grumpy to fly and decides to walk instead. Along the way a bunch of other animals decide to walk with him. Grumpy Bird eventually realizes that all these other animals will copy exactly what he does and he begins to have fun. The pictures here are cool and you can see faint newsprint behind the paint.
How Do You Make a Baby Smile? by Philemon Sturges
This is a very simple rhyming book with clear and simple pictures that are brilliant to look at. The book explores how different animals might make their young smile.
Daddy's Song by Leslea Newman
In this is a highly imaginative (or drug trip) rhyming picture book, a father talks about foxes that "play with balls and bats" and snow that "falls down in purple flakes." The end message is that even if the world turns silly through and through, Daddy will still love you. Awwww.
This fun fun book is written in Texan and I only wish I could do a perfect southern accent to read it to you. A loving but illiterate local Sheriff adopts 8 orphans. He is an odd fellow who cleans the windows with butter and puts peanut butter on his spaghetti. When he receives a letter one day, the youngest orphan named Sweetness tries to learn to read by sitting outside a schoolhouse and listening in. One day a surprise visitor arrives at the house--the answer to everyone's dreams.
Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
A little blue bird is too grumpy to fly and decides to walk instead. Along the way a bunch of other animals decide to walk with him. Grumpy Bird eventually realizes that all these other animals will copy exactly what he does and he begins to have fun. The pictures here are cool and you can see faint newsprint behind the paint.
How Do You Make a Baby Smile? by Philemon Sturges
This is a very simple rhyming book with clear and simple pictures that are brilliant to look at. The book explores how different animals might make their young smile.
Daddy's Song by Leslea Newman
In this is a highly imaginative (or drug trip) rhyming picture book, a father talks about foxes that "play with balls and bats" and snow that "falls down in purple flakes." The end message is that even if the world turns silly through and through, Daddy will still love you. Awwww.
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
I felt like I had to read this book having never read it as a kid. Julie is an Eskimo who runs away from her "dull" husband from an arranged marriage. She wants to go to San Francisco to live with her pen pal Amy but gets lost in the tundra and befriends a pack of wolves that help her survive. One of the coolest parts of the book is when a wolf barfs up some food and Julie gratefully eats it because she's starving. I wasn't too keen on the how the book ends, it's a bit sad really.
Pickles to Pittsburgh by Judi Barrett
This is the sequel to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. More pictures of a town with ridiculously huge food.
Cowboy & Octopus by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Cowboy and Octopus become fast friends in this hilarious collage work picture book. For Halloween, Octopus dresses up like a shark, but when he fails to scare Cowboy, he dresses up like the Tooth Fairy instead. Yes, an octopus dressed as a tooth fairy: "Now that's scary."
My First . . . by Eva Montanari
Alice expects a doll for her birthday but receives a book instead which she treats like a doll. She had socks for the doll she was expecting but uses them as bookmarks instead. The pictures are very cool, especially the baby carriages.
Castle on Hester Street by Linda Heller
Julie's Jewish grandpa tells tall tales of when he immigrated to the US from Russia to escape persecution. Upon arriving to Ellis Island, President Teddy Roosevelt greets him personally, "Hello, Sol, mighty glad you could come." Grandpa talks of selling fantastic buttons made of diamonds, rubies, as big as sleds! This is a fun fun book.
The Boy With Two Belly Buttons by Stephen J. Dubner
Dubner is also the author of Freakonomics. Solomon has two belly buttons and wants to give one away to a turtle that has none but eventually the turtle declines. Upset about being a freak, Solomon meets a famous movie director (who looks just like Steven Spielberg) who wants to make a movie about the boy with two belly buttons. The book is dedicated to Dubner's son Solomon and I wonder if he really does have two belly buttons . . .
Henry the Dog With No Tail by Kate Feiffer
Henry really wants a tail like the other dogs have. He goes to the tailor who outfits him with a super long tail and when Henry's friends discover he can't wag his tail, they reject him. As Henry walks along Battery Park he finds a battery that wags his super long tail. But Henry soon learns that his super long tail is more of a curse than a blessing.
The Prince Won't Go To Bed! by Dayle Ann Dodds
This rhyming picture book is illustrated in collage style. A young prince refuses to fall asleep and the whole kingdom tries to appease him by bringing mattresses, fluffing pillows and strumming music. Finally the princess comes in to save the day.
I felt like I had to read this book having never read it as a kid. Julie is an Eskimo who runs away from her "dull" husband from an arranged marriage. She wants to go to San Francisco to live with her pen pal Amy but gets lost in the tundra and befriends a pack of wolves that help her survive. One of the coolest parts of the book is when a wolf barfs up some food and Julie gratefully eats it because she's starving. I wasn't too keen on the how the book ends, it's a bit sad really.
Pickles to Pittsburgh by Judi Barrett
This is the sequel to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. More pictures of a town with ridiculously huge food.
Cowboy & Octopus by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Cowboy and Octopus become fast friends in this hilarious collage work picture book. For Halloween, Octopus dresses up like a shark, but when he fails to scare Cowboy, he dresses up like the Tooth Fairy instead. Yes, an octopus dressed as a tooth fairy: "Now that's scary."
My First . . . by Eva Montanari
Alice expects a doll for her birthday but receives a book instead which she treats like a doll. She had socks for the doll she was expecting but uses them as bookmarks instead. The pictures are very cool, especially the baby carriages.
Castle on Hester Street by Linda Heller
Julie's Jewish grandpa tells tall tales of when he immigrated to the US from Russia to escape persecution. Upon arriving to Ellis Island, President Teddy Roosevelt greets him personally, "Hello, Sol, mighty glad you could come." Grandpa talks of selling fantastic buttons made of diamonds, rubies, as big as sleds! This is a fun fun book.
The Boy With Two Belly Buttons by Stephen J. Dubner
Dubner is also the author of Freakonomics. Solomon has two belly buttons and wants to give one away to a turtle that has none but eventually the turtle declines. Upset about being a freak, Solomon meets a famous movie director (who looks just like Steven Spielberg) who wants to make a movie about the boy with two belly buttons. The book is dedicated to Dubner's son Solomon and I wonder if he really does have two belly buttons . . .
Henry the Dog With No Tail by Kate Feiffer
Henry really wants a tail like the other dogs have. He goes to the tailor who outfits him with a super long tail and when Henry's friends discover he can't wag his tail, they reject him. As Henry walks along Battery Park he finds a battery that wags his super long tail. But Henry soon learns that his super long tail is more of a curse than a blessing.
The Prince Won't Go To Bed! by Dayle Ann Dodds
This rhyming picture book is illustrated in collage style. A young prince refuses to fall asleep and the whole kingdom tries to appease him by bringing mattresses, fluffing pillows and strumming music. Finally the princess comes in to save the day.
3/19/08
Maisy Goes to the Library by Lucy Cousins
This is a super colorful simple picture book for children. Maisy the mouse goes to the library to find a book about fish but she ends up teaching children that the library is more than just books.
Badger's Fancy Meal by Keiko Kasza
Badger's den is full of apples, worms and roots but he wants to try something new so he tries to catch a mole, a rat, a rabbit but each animal escapes him and jumps in a hole where they find Badger's food store.
More Parts by Tedd Arnold
This sequel to Parts is a rhyming picture book about a boy who freaks out when his dad asks him to "give him a hand" and when his teachers says to "stretch our arms and legs." The illustrations are ridiculous and quite literal.
This is a super colorful simple picture book for children. Maisy the mouse goes to the library to find a book about fish but she ends up teaching children that the library is more than just books.
Badger's Fancy Meal by Keiko Kasza
Badger's den is full of apples, worms and roots but he wants to try something new so he tries to catch a mole, a rat, a rabbit but each animal escapes him and jumps in a hole where they find Badger's food store.
More Parts by Tedd Arnold
This sequel to Parts is a rhyming picture book about a boy who freaks out when his dad asks him to "give him a hand" and when his teachers says to "stretch our arms and legs." The illustrations are ridiculous and quite literal.
3/12/08
Today is Monday by Eric Carle
There's a food for every day in this picture book for children but the most fun day is Wednesday, which serves up zoooop (soup!). Plus there's a song in the back! The artwork is typical Carle style.
A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke
This picture book is about a very silly chicken named Minerva Louise who goes around trying to find warm clothing during the cold winter. Complete hilarity ensues when she mistakes a green garden hose for a cozy scarf and makes other zany substitutions.
Bear Hunt by Anthony Browne
A bear with a magical pencil is able to escape a couple of hunters because what he draws comes to life.
There's a food for every day in this picture book for children but the most fun day is Wednesday, which serves up zoooop (soup!). Plus there's a song in the back! The artwork is typical Carle style.
A Hat for Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke
This picture book is about a very silly chicken named Minerva Louise who goes around trying to find warm clothing during the cold winter. Complete hilarity ensues when she mistakes a green garden hose for a cozy scarf and makes other zany substitutions.
Bear Hunt by Anthony Browne
A bear with a magical pencil is able to escape a couple of hunters because what he draws comes to life.
3/10/08
3/9/08
Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen
This is the first book to a kids mystery series starring super sleuth Sammy Keyes. Sammy lives illegally with her grandmother in an old folk's home, her mom is a flake who's abandoned her to pursue the Hollywood dream. While spying on neighbors with her binoculars, young Sammy catches sight of a robbery in the Heavenly Hotel across the street. With plenty of sass and gumption, she follows clues to discover who the thief is and along the way is met with obstacles from mean Officer Borsch and Heather the bully from school.
This is the first book to a kids mystery series starring super sleuth Sammy Keyes. Sammy lives illegally with her grandmother in an old folk's home, her mom is a flake who's abandoned her to pursue the Hollywood dream. While spying on neighbors with her binoculars, young Sammy catches sight of a robbery in the Heavenly Hotel across the street. With plenty of sass and gumption, she follows clues to discover who the thief is and along the way is met with obstacles from mean Officer Borsch and Heather the bully from school.
3/8/08
Company's Coming by Arthur Yorinks
An average husband and wife are visited by space aliens. When invited for dinner, the aliens bring a nicely wrapped present and the town freaks out, bringing a stockpile of WMD's.
Ugh by Arthur Yorinks
An unrespected caveboy named Ugh sees the invention of the wheel and creates a bicycle which only he can ride. The pictures are mediocre and portray cavemen with dinosaurs in this fictional picture book.
I, Doko by Ed Young
This story is told from the perspective of a large basket (doko in Nepalese). It follows the basket's life with a family from young to old. The pictures are quite beautiful as Mr. Ed Young is a Caldecott Medalist.
My Mei Mei by Ed Young
A China adoption story based on the author's life. A little girl wants a Mei Mei (little sister in Chinese) and helps her mom blow her nose and changes her dad's diapers to practice being a big sister. Once the new little sister arrives, there is some brief jealously before she learns to love the new family member.
Pumpkin Pie by Harriet Ziefert
Pumpkin is the favorite goat on Britton Hill Farm and gets himself into plenty of trouble
An average husband and wife are visited by space aliens. When invited for dinner, the aliens bring a nicely wrapped present and the town freaks out, bringing a stockpile of WMD's.
Ugh by Arthur Yorinks
An unrespected caveboy named Ugh sees the invention of the wheel and creates a bicycle which only he can ride. The pictures are mediocre and portray cavemen with dinosaurs in this fictional picture book.
I, Doko by Ed Young
This story is told from the perspective of a large basket (doko in Nepalese). It follows the basket's life with a family from young to old. The pictures are quite beautiful as Mr. Ed Young is a Caldecott Medalist.
My Mei Mei by Ed Young
A China adoption story based on the author's life. A little girl wants a Mei Mei (little sister in Chinese) and helps her mom blow her nose and changes her dad's diapers to practice being a big sister. Once the new little sister arrives, there is some brief jealously before she learns to love the new family member.
Pumpkin Pie by Harriet Ziefert
Pumpkin is the favorite goat on Britton Hill Farm and gets himself into plenty of trouble
3/7/08
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
I thought I'd read this before but it looked new once I opened up the book. There's a fantastic city where people don't need to go to the grocery store to get food. The WEATHER provides the food!! A fog of pea soup, yellow Jello sunsets, broccoli from the sky, etc! This book can completely capture young readers' imaginations.
Busy Toes by CW Bowie
This is a simple picture book with lots of feet.
How My Library Grew By Dinah by Martha Alexander
When a new library is being built near Dinah's house, she quietly chronicles the events and presents her book to the librarian on opening day. Dinah is super excited to learn how to write her name so she can get her own library card.
I Ain't Gonn Paint No More by Karen Beaumont
This rhyming picture book follows a kid who covers himself in beautiful, colorful paints one body part at a time! The artwork is phenomenal and really lend to the energy and brightness of the story.
The Shape Game by Anthony Browne
A boy goes to an art museum with his family to celebrate his mother's birthday. The author explores different works of art, pointing out subtle detail that the layperson would probably miss. At the end of the day they go to the overpriced museum store and purchase two pens and a notepad. Here's the Shape Game, which sounds super fun: One person draws a random shape and the other person makes a picture out of the shape!
Flight of the Dodo by Peter Brown
After being crapped on by a goose flying overhead, Penguin leads a group of Waddlers (AKA flightless birds for the rest of us) as they set out on a self constructed hot air balloon to get their first bird's eye view of the world and attempt to poop from the sky for the first time.
Madeline and the Gypsies by Ludwig Bemelmans
Madeline runs away and joins a group of gypsies at the circus. I never really loved Madeline as a child. The pictures are bold and the rhymes are fun though. There are monochromatic pages and super colorful pages too.
Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett
This is a hilarious book with laugh out loud pictures of animals in clothing. A porcupine wearing a muumuu shreds her dress. A camel wears a couple of hats on its hump. An elephant has on the exact same outfit as a woman visiting the zoo--a fashion faux pax! Judi Barrett books are great :o)
Mrs. Armitage Queen of the Road by Quentin Blake
Mr. Blake is the first Children's Laureate of the UK. He illustrated a bunch of Roald Dahl books that I read as a kid. His pictures of people are fascinating to look at, they're these weird, sketchy beings that are completely imperfect and thus, super cool to look at. Mrs. Armitage inherits a car from her uncle and as she's driving around, parts of it become damaged but she just rips the pieces off and continues driving until soon she's just riding on a bare bones car!
Zoom by Istvan Banyai
This wordless picturebook starts off with a picture of a rooster and slowly zooms out, page by page with several instances of a picture in a picture.
Re-Zoom by Istvan Banyai
The sequel to Zoom starts with an abstract picture and ends with a train.
I thought I'd read this before but it looked new once I opened up the book. There's a fantastic city where people don't need to go to the grocery store to get food. The WEATHER provides the food!! A fog of pea soup, yellow Jello sunsets, broccoli from the sky, etc! This book can completely capture young readers' imaginations.
Busy Toes by CW Bowie
This is a simple picture book with lots of feet.
How My Library Grew By Dinah by Martha Alexander
When a new library is being built near Dinah's house, she quietly chronicles the events and presents her book to the librarian on opening day. Dinah is super excited to learn how to write her name so she can get her own library card.
I Ain't Gonn Paint No More by Karen Beaumont
This rhyming picture book follows a kid who covers himself in beautiful, colorful paints one body part at a time! The artwork is phenomenal and really lend to the energy and brightness of the story.
The Shape Game by Anthony Browne
A boy goes to an art museum with his family to celebrate his mother's birthday. The author explores different works of art, pointing out subtle detail that the layperson would probably miss. At the end of the day they go to the overpriced museum store and purchase two pens and a notepad. Here's the Shape Game, which sounds super fun: One person draws a random shape and the other person makes a picture out of the shape!
Flight of the Dodo by Peter Brown
After being crapped on by a goose flying overhead, Penguin leads a group of Waddlers (AKA flightless birds for the rest of us) as they set out on a self constructed hot air balloon to get their first bird's eye view of the world and attempt to poop from the sky for the first time.
Madeline and the Gypsies by Ludwig Bemelmans
Madeline runs away and joins a group of gypsies at the circus. I never really loved Madeline as a child. The pictures are bold and the rhymes are fun though. There are monochromatic pages and super colorful pages too.
Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett
This is a hilarious book with laugh out loud pictures of animals in clothing. A porcupine wearing a muumuu shreds her dress. A camel wears a couple of hats on its hump. An elephant has on the exact same outfit as a woman visiting the zoo--a fashion faux pax! Judi Barrett books are great :o)
Mrs. Armitage Queen of the Road by Quentin Blake
Mr. Blake is the first Children's Laureate of the UK. He illustrated a bunch of Roald Dahl books that I read as a kid. His pictures of people are fascinating to look at, they're these weird, sketchy beings that are completely imperfect and thus, super cool to look at. Mrs. Armitage inherits a car from her uncle and as she's driving around, parts of it become damaged but she just rips the pieces off and continues driving until soon she's just riding on a bare bones car!
Zoom by Istvan Banyai
This wordless picturebook starts off with a picture of a rooster and slowly zooms out, page by page with several instances of a picture in a picture.
Re-Zoom by Istvan Banyai
The sequel to Zoom starts with an abstract picture and ends with a train.
3/4/08
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