Twenty Heartbeats by Dennis Haseley and illustrated by Ed Young

Set in Ancient China, a wealthy man hires a great artist to paint a picture of his beloved horse.  Years go by without receiving the work until finally the wealthy man confronts the artist who immediately paints the horse in the course of twenty heartbeats. 

 

The Chicken of the Family by Mary Amato

This is such a great book!  When Henrietta's two older sisters convince her that she's really a chicken, she goes to a nearby farm and begins bonding with her new poultry family.  The pictures are Oilily-esque. 

 

Big Bad Bunny by Franny Billingsley

I thought this book was alright.  Basically there are two parallel stories.  A baby mouse pretends to be a big bad bunny and gets lost.  The other story is about the mama mouse tucking in her other young mice.  The stories meet when mama mouse has to find the baby and bring him back home safe.

 

Veronica on Petunia's Farm by Roger Duvoisin

When Veronica the hippo first arrives, all the other farm animals shun her.  Soon she becomes lonely and depressed.  Slowly the other animals check on her and nurse her back to health.  Cool old timey pictures.

 

Pet of the Met by Lydia and Don Freeman

Don Freeman wrote the Cordoroy books which I loved as a child.  A father mouse is the page turner for the Met.  His three children Doe, Ray and Mee love acting out their own shows and one day they, along with the mother mouse, take in a performance for The Magic Flute.  When father is caught up in the music of the moment, can he avoid the hungry opera cat?

 

The Potty Train by David Hochman

OK, this book is ridiculous!  A little boy is encouraged to take a dump on a train.  Best part:  "Chugga chugga poooo-pooooooo!"

 

Amelia Makes a Movie by David Milgrim

Rhyming picture book about a girl who casts her brother in her film.  This book does a great job of describing the processes that go into making a movie.

 

Gulliver Snip by Julia Kay

This book is adorable!  Young Gulliver imagines the bathtub is a ship.  The illustrations are fabulous, one side will show Gulliver as he imagines the ship, the other side will show Gulliver as he really is in his bathtub.  This book really speaks to the power of a child's imagination.