Picture books

Penguin Day: A Family Story by Nic Bishop

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Published by Scholastic Press

Summary:  When a baby rockhopper penguin is hungry, his mother goes in search of food while his father stays home to protect him.  The mother is part of a group of penguins that climbs cliffs and dives into the ocean, braving sea lion and orca predators, to hunt for fish and krill.  Meanwhile, when the baby penguin wanders off to explore, his father must protect him from a hungry skua (bird).  Finally, the family is reunited, and baby penguin gets his (apparently regurgitated) meal.  An author’s note gives more information on these Antarctic penguins.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Nic Bishop has another winning collection of nature photographs that will be popular with primary grades.  The story will draw them in, and the author’s note can be used to teach more about the penguins.

Cons:  The story was a bit more mundane than the photos.

Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper

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Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  A white cat lives alone for some time before being joined by a small black kitten.  The white cat shows the kitten when to eat, when to drink, where to go (in the litter box), how to be, and when to rest.  Big cat, little cat.  The kitten grows into a big cat, even bigger than the white one.  The two cats spend years together, working and playing, until one day, the white cat has to go.  And he doesn’t come back.  That’s hard for everyone, including the humans, until a white kitten joins the family, and the cycle begins again.  Big cat, little cat.  40 pages; ages 3-6.

Pros:  The cycle of life in the simplest terms, yet very moving.  Both the text and illustrations are minimalist black and white, but they work together to create a strong story and message.

Cons:  It’s a tearjerker!

Bunny’s Book Club by Annie Silvestro, illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss

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Published by Doubleday Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Bunny loves summer story hours, but when fall comes, story time moves inside.  Bunny’s not sure animals are welcome in the library, so he decides to try to sneak in at night.  After some investigation, he discovers that the book drop provides a handy entryway into the library.  He helps himself to a big stack of books, which he takes back to his burrow.  When Porcupine drops by, he’s intrigued by all Bunny’s books, so Bunny lets him in on his secret.  Before long, it’s a secret no longer, and Bear, Mouse, Frog, and a host of others are using the book drop.  Everyone’s having such a good time one night, that they don’t hear the librarian turning the key in the door.  They’re caught red-handed, but luckily, the librarian’s solution is to give each one of them a library card and turn them loose among the bookcases.  The final two pages show Bunny’s Book Club, every animal cozily reading, surrounded by teacups and cupcakes.  40 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  An inviting introduction to the library and having your own library card.  The pictures are adorable.

Cons:  Bear’s trip through the book drop looks pretty uncomfortable

 

Noisy Night by Mac Barnett, pictures by Brian Biggs

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Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  “What is going La La La above my head?” wonders the little boy standing on his bed.  All the reader can see is a pair of legs and feet.  Turn the page, and you’re on the next floor up.  A man is singing opera.  Above his head is the sound “ma ma ma”, which turns out to be a cooing baby.  And so it goes, on up through a multi-story apartment building.  The last floor is inhabited by an old man hollering, “Go to bed!”  Peace descends as everyone settles down for a good night’s sleep.  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  Can you guess what’s on the next page?  Kids will have fun trying to figure out what’s making each noise.  The bright, comic illustrations with cartoon bubble dialogue are eye-catching.

Cons:  Are quotation marks going the way of the dinosaurs, with all dialogue now encapsulated in cartoon bubbles?

Short Stories for Little Monsters by Marie-Louse Gay

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Published by Groundwood Books

    

Summary:  19 stories are 48 pages, each one a two-page spread with plentiful illustrations.  All kinds of critters are featured, from “The Secret Life of Rabbits” to “What Do Trees Talk About?” to “Snail Nightmares”.  There are also plenty about humans, including “The Incredible Invisible Boy” and “Zombie Mom”.  Many of the stories are told in panel format, similar to graphic novels.  Readers will enjoy studying some of the more complex illustrations, such as the one showing where a rabbit goes when he jumps down a hole or what a little girl sees when she closes her eyes.  The endpapers feature a colorful parade of kids and animals.  48 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  A charming and witty book that will definitely be appreciated by kids of all ages. The stories are funny, the illustrations complement them perfectly, and the comic book format is appealing.

Cons:  Wait, is the title implying that kids are monsters?

Anywhere Farm by Phyllis Root, illustrated by G. Brian Karas

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Published by Candlewick

Summary:  A celebration of gardening and plants, told in rhyming text.  Gardens can be anywhere: “An old empty lot/makes a good growing plot. But a pan or a bucket,/a pot or a shoe,/a bin or a tin, or a window will do.”  You just need seeds, dirt, water and sunlight to grow all kinds of things.  The landscapes shown are mostly urban, and the gardens range in size from small containers to large plots.  If enough people in your community get inspired, the anywhere farm might just turn into an everywhere farm.  32 pages; ages 2-7.

Pros:  Perfect for springtime, the rhymes are extra catchy and would be fun to read aloud.  The gardeners come in all shapes, sizes, ages, and colors, and the gardens are equally diverse.

Cons:  The whole gardening process is a bit oversimplified.

Laundry Day by Jessixa Bagley

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Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  Badgers Tic and Tac are bored.  They reject several ideas from their mother, until she suggests they help her hang the laundry on the clothesline.  She leaves them to the job while she heads to the market.  When the laundry basket has been emptied, the boys are still enjoying their new activity.  They move on to the winter clothes and blankets, then pillows, lampshades, and even the toaster, adding twine as they run out of clothesline.  When Ma Badger returns, the reader gets an aerial view of what she sees, lines running all through the yard with every imaginable object hanging from them.  Calmly, she informs them that they forgot a couple of things.  The final page shows Tic and Tac hanging from the seats of their pants with clothespins, complaining once again that they are bored.  32 pages; ages 3-6.

Pros:  A funny story brought to life by Bagley’s detailed, colorful illustrations.

Cons:  I knew right away that trip to the market was going to be a bad idea.

Becoming Bach by Tom Leonard

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Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  From the time he was born, Johann Sebastian Bach was surrounded by music (and also, apparently, by people named Johann).  His whole family–many of whom, incidentally, were named Johann–made music, so much so that in his part of Germany, musicians were called bachs.  His parents died when he was young, and he went to live with his oldest brother, Johann Christoph (traveling with another brother, Johann Jacob).  There, he learned by copying music and playing a great variety of instruments, until he was able to express his many deep emotions through his own compositions.  The final two pages of the book show the music coming from his organ as beautifully colored floating designs, traveling through time to contemporary listeners.  An author’s note gives additional biographical information.  40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  Spare text, told in Bach’s voice, is gorgeously accompanied by illustrations which also convey information about his life.

Cons:  Too many characters named Johann.

This House, Once by Deborah Freedman

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Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Summary:  The door was once a huge oak tree.  The stones were once underground.  The window was once sand that melted into glass.  A page of text and an illustration briefly explain where different parts of a house came from.  Each is followed by a two-page spread showing the materials in their original natural form.  A cat explores this outside world, meeting up with a bird, frog, turtle, and squirrel before coming back inside the cozy house.  The author’s note to readers tells about her New England home and asks, “Where do you live?  What was your home, once?”  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The dreamy illustrations will get readers thinking about the building materials of their houses and how they connect to the natural world.

Cons:  Seemed like a cold night for the cat to be out of the house.

The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, A Young Civil Rights Activist by Cynthia Levinson, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, nine-year-old Audrey Hendricks heard talk of civil rights marches from dinner guests Martin Luther King, Jr., Frederick Shuttlesworth, and James Bevel.  Audrey was eager to get involved, feeling the unfairness of having to use a dirty water fountain, getting worn-out books at school, and riding the freight elevator at the department store.  When Jim Bevel called on young people to “fill the jails” by protesting, Audrey eagerly signed up.  The youngest member of the march, she was quickly arrested with other kids and teens, and put in jail, where she stayed for a week.  With bad food, an uncomfortable bed, and mean guards, it was a tough time for Audrey, but she was proud when, on the fifth day, she learned there was no more room in the jail.  Their mission was accomplished, Audrey and the others were released, and two months later, Birmingham removed segregation laws from the books. Includes an author’s note giving more information about Audre, a timeline, and a recipe for the “hot rolls baptized with butter” that Audrey enjoyed for her first meal out of jail.  40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  Cynthia Levinson draws on her research from We’ve Got a Job, her longer book on the Birmingham Children’s March, to tell this fascinating story for younger readers.  Kids will connect with Audrey and be inspired by her courage and positive attitude.

Cons: It’s pretty unbelievable that a nine-year-old spent a week in jail in 20th-century America.