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.

The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Monochromatic blue. Why? I guess blue is a sleepy color . . . This book follows the format of There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly.


What Color Is Your Underwear? by Sam Lloyd
This is a very cute lift the flap book that lets readers guess the color of the animals' different underwear.

Daisy's Hide-and-Seek by Jane Simmons
Daisy Duck tries to find little Pip Duck when they play a game of hide and seek. Time and time again Daisy looks in different places on the farm but each time it's another animal hiding.

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood

A king refuses to leave his bathtub at the urging of a young page. Members of his kingdom try to convince him to get out. When the knight says it's time to battle, the king invites him to battle in the tub. During lunch the queen takes her meal in the tub with the king. To the delight of the readers, the king spends his entire day in the bath.



How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
This is a rhyming picture book with ridiculous pictures of sick dinosaurs. There's an illustration of a velociraptor in bed holding a dainty box of tissues and a tropeognathus spitting his pills in the sink. In the pictures, many of the dinosaurs are shown with their names. This is a great book for dinofanatics!

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
This is a book from when I was a kid! If you give a mouse a cookie, he'll want milk, then he'll want a straw, then he'll want a napkin . . . Oh, tons of fun this book is!

Bonk by Mary Roach
The cover of this book shows two ladybugs having sex. Roach is also the author of Stiff, an interesting book about cadavers. Right now I'm half way thru the book and she's in TAIWAN!! There's an expert urologist who's working on ED. A patient is on the operating table and he's covered with a giant sheet, except for his ahem. Roach describes it as the opposite effect of a fig leaf which only hides the ahem. Never before has a general interest book had the word "cervix" in it this many times.

The Surprise by George Shannon (he's a librarian!)
Squirrel's mother has an upcoming birthday but Squirrel doesn't know what to get her! He has an idea for a gift within a gift within a gift, etc.

Farley Found It! by Bruce Van Patter
Farley is an insomniac sheep that takes over Edna the dog's house to get a better night's sleep. Whenever Edna tries to hide her doghouse--in the henhouse, in a big tree, in the hay, Farley finds it!

Alice the Fairy by David Shannon
Crazy drawings and with childlike font! Alice is a temporary fairy who can turn a white dress into a red one (by spilling juice on it). She can turn her dad into a horse so she can ride on his back. This is a very imaginative book told from the point of view of a a little girl.

Wolf's Coming by Joe Kulka
This picture book is suspenseful, with dark, foreboding pictures. The animals all react to the approaching wolf but there is a pleasant surprise at the end.

Never Tease a Weasel by Jean Conder Soule
This rhyming book is tons of fun. You can do lots of things to different animals, but you should never tease a weasel.

"The Trouble With Dogs . . . " Said Dad by Bob Graham
This is the first picture book I've ever seen with characters who have tattoos and noserings!! A family has a very spry new dog with slight behavioral issues. They take him to doggie obedience school where the instructor breaks the tiny dog's spirit.

Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying Foreclosures by Todd Beitler and Bobbi Dempsey
I read part of it but kind of got turned off when I read that even after the auction, the owner can still get his house back. Plus, the section on eviction is intimidating as well. Sometimes people refuse to get out. Or people will purposely destroy the property out of spite.

What Janie Found by Caroline Cooney
This is the last book in the series about a teenager who finds her face on a milk carton. Janie's dad has a heart attack and she has to manage the family's bills. She discovers a file that indicates her father has been supporting her kidnapper. Intent on finding answers Janie takes a trip out to Colorado with her semi-boyfriend and brother. I didn't like how this one ended, but I completely understand it.

The Trouble With Cauliflower by Jane Sutton
Mortimer is a koala bear who is convinced cauliflower brings him bad luck. He stubs his toe, fails his driving test and drops his soap in the toilet ALL after having some cauliflower stew. Can his friend Sadie the ostrich help convince him that it's all just psychosomatic?

Imogene's Antlers by David Small
One Thursday young Imogene wakes up with a giant pair of antlers protruding from the top of her head! While her mother faints away (twice), other members of the household can find good uses for the new appendages. This is a great book--one I read when I was a kid.

Mommies Say Shhh! by Patricia Polacco
Who doesn't love Polacco's whimsical pictures? On a farm, animals make all kinds of noises but Mommies say shhhh to quiet their little babies.

Sally and the Some-Thing by George O'Connor
When Sally goes fishing she meets a strange sea creature and decides to make friends with the Some-Thing. They try all her favorite things--biking, coloring, drinking tea--but it's a disaster. Then they try all the Some-Thing's favorite activities like watching a snail race and logrolling but Sally doesn't have any fun. At last they make up new activities that both of them like to do. The pictures in this book are really fun, with the Some-Thing looking like a mix between a giant frog with a dorsal fin.

Please, Louise! by Frieda Wishinsky
A boy is very annoyed with his little sister and wishes she would turn into a dog. The illustrations are good at depicting a hyper little girl.

Uncle Bigfoot by George O'Connor
A young boy is convinced his hairy uncle is the famed Bigfoot.

The Baby Beebee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie
All the animals are chill in their zoo until a new beebee bird arrives and disrupts the peace. Fun, colorful pics by the ever popular Steven Kellogg. This is one of those books (they're getting more and more common!) where different fonts are used. Secretly, I kind of think it causes ADHD. It's very . . . MTV.

Loki and Alex by Charles R. Smith
This is a kid's book with photos taken from the point of view of Alex a young boy and his dog Loki.

Click, Clack, Splish, Splash by Doreen Cronin
Farm animals release ten goldfish in this rhyming counting book.

Emma's Turtle by Eve Bunting
Bunting is one of the most prolific authors in children's literature. This book is about a turtle who escapes and thinks he's travelled to India but really he hasn't left the backyard.

Follow the Line Through the House by Laura Ljungkvist
This book is so cool! There's one looooong line that goes through each room of a house to form interesting shapes. Along the way there are questions that may elicit child participation. A very fun book!

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.

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)

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.

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.