The Cheese by Margie Palatini
This is a great picture book about the rat from The Farmer in the Dell song who really really wants to eat the cheese that is standing alone in the middle of the farmer's field. Eventually he is able to garner interest in the cheese from the cat, dog, child, wife and farmer. This is a fun book with great pictures.


Playground Day! by Jennifer Merz
This is a very simple rhyming story about a girl who imitates different animals while she plays on the playground. The pictures are composed of what appears to be ripped/cut papers assembled together.

Samsara Dog by Helen Manos
I don't like dogs, but this is such a touching, sweet book! It's a story with heavy Buddhist tones about a dog that reincarnates and his many different lives. His final life in the book is the most heartwrenching of all as it focuses on his life with a little boy who is blinded in a tragic accident.

Purplicious by Victoria Kann and Elizabeth Kann
A little girl named Pinkalicious (WTF?!) freaks out when all the other schoolkids proclaim that pink is out and black is in. She only learns to accept pink again when another girl teaches her that pink mixed with blue makes purple. The story really speaks to kids being singled out for their likes or dislikes, which is a pretty common occurence among children.

Will You Read to Me? by Denys Cazet
Hamlet is a clean pig, and rather an outcast among members of his squalor loving pig family. When he asks his father and mother to read with him, they reject him and he goes to the nearby pond to read to his reflection which he pretends is his twin called Eggs. As the night progresses, Hamlet's "twin" fades away but Hamlet soon discovers a new audience to read to. This book is very sweet, my favorite part is when Hamlet reads the poem about the moon being a slice of cantaloupe "ready to be carved by the constellation Spoon."

Previously by Allan Ahlberg
The pictures aren't that appealing, but the concept is interesting enough. It basically travels backwards in time and connects many different famous stories.

Extra! Extra! Fairy-Tale News from Hidden Forest by Alma Flor Ada and Leslie Tryon
This book is basically newspaper articles of Fairy Tales. There are editorial pieces that explore whether or not Jack's beanstalk should be cut down, etc. Interesting book--it seems like the authors had a lot of time on their hands . . .

Red Riding Hood by James Marshall
Marshall's pics are funny, the faces have super wide smiles. This is pretty much the standard story only Granny is an avid reader and when she gets swallowed by the wolf, she complains it's too dark in his belly to read :o)

One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root
When a duck gets stuck, a myriad of different creatures come to its rescue.

TKO Management!: Ten Knockout Strategies for Becoming the Manager Your People Deserve by Dave Anderson
This is a really short book that's full of anecdotes for how to be a better manager. Some of the advice is kind of "no-duh" but I like the clear writing.

Humbug Witch by Lorna Balian
I read this book as a kid and LOVED it! It's a picture book about a failed witch who can't get her potions to work, who can't change her cat Fred into a hippo and can't fly on her broom. Most amazing is what happens at the end.

Barn Dance! by Pat Hutchins
A mama cow, pig and sheep have a dance party as their children are sleeping in the barn. When all the mamas are tired and asleep, the baby animals wake up and have their own party. This is a good rhyming book with cute pictures.

Adventures of Cow Too by Cow (as told to Lori Korchek)
I love this book, it 's completely hilarious. Cow is a stress toy who goes to the grocery store by train (though the picture shows a picture of a school bus) and buys ice cream (though the picture shows bags of frozen peas).

Kamishibai Man by Allen Say
Allen Say produces the most beautiful water colors in picture book land. This story set in Japan is about a retired Kamishibai Man, a candy peddler who tells stories to his young audience. When he misses his rounds, he decides to peddle some candy to the children of a much changed Japan. He tells the story of how children used to love hearing his tales and how the advent of television depopularized Kamishibai. There's a very interesting Afterword by a Japanese folklore scholar that further describes Kamishibai. I found this book to be heartwarming :o)

Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile by Won-Ldy Paye
This is an African story about a vain chicken who is captured by a very hungry crocodile. The trickster Mrs. Chicken convinces the croc they are in fact sisters and secretly switches their eggs. This is a fun tale with equally fun illustrations.

Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert
OK this book is so cool. Borchert is a library assistant (not a librarian) in LA and he basically tells stories about the library. The most shocking story was his experience of finding a poo covered dildo in the library book drop. I think this book should be required reading in all library schools!

Ginger and Petunia by Patricia Polacco
There's Ginger, an artsy middle aged lady who lives with her pet pig, Petunia. When Ginger takes a trip, she leaves Petunia home alone. The fun loving pig decides to dress up in Ginger's clothes and pretend to be her! She teaches piano lessons, goes to the museum, dances the tango with the governor and goes to a fancy dinner party. Even though she's having a brand new adventure, the pig misses her mud soaks. This picture book is plenty fun!

Palindromania! by Jon Agee
This comic book full of palindromes is completely awesome! Plus I learned a new word: Aibohphobia, which means a fear of palindromes. Notice anything wonderfully spectacular about the word? YES! Aibohphobia is itself a palindrome. The word geek in me is going nuts. OK, back to the book . . . The pictures are really funny, for instance there's "gnu sung" which pictures a gnu going la-la-la-la-la-la-l :o) This is one of my favorite books that I've read all year. It's super duper fun!

I Don't Want to Talk About It by Jeanie Franz Ransom
In this picture book, a young girl must face her fears as her parents announce their divorce. The painted illustrations don't really strike me, but that may be on purpose so that the reader focuses more on the words in the story.