Picture books

Hare and Tortoise by Alison Murray

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Published by Candlewick 

Hare and Tortoise: Murray, Alison, Murray, Alison: 9780763687212: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  Hare, a.k.a. Leapus swifticus, and Tortoise (Slow and steadicus) will be racing today.  A brief intro is given to each race participant:  Hare can hardly stand still for his, while Tortoise almost doesn’t show up for hers.  Then the race is on.  The tale is familiar—Hare leaps to the lead while Tortoise plods along far behind until Hare is tempted to eat some carrots and take a nap, certain of victory.  While he snoozes, Tortoise manages to amble across the finish line.  Hare can’t believe it, but Tortoise is a gracious winner.  “Never mind, Hare, you just might win next time.”  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  Beautiful illustrations provide plenty of action and humor to this fast-paced and funny retelling of Aesop’s fable.

Con:  While “slow and steady” is alluded to, readers will need to infer a good deal to come up with the classic moral to this tale.

Princess! Fairy! Ballerina! by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

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Published by Arthur A. Levine Books 

Summary:  When three little girls get together for a play date, they can’t agree on what to play—princess, fairy, or ballerina.  Each one makes a compelling argument for her favorite, but the other two refuse to give in.  The fairy suggests a contest, but should it be a flying contest, a throne-sitting contest, or a balancing contest?  Pretty soon, no one is speaking to anyone else.  A croaking frog and a rainy day provide some much-needed distraction, and wings, tiaras, and ballet slippers are tossed aside in favor of some happy puddle-stomping.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A good lesson in friendship and compromise.  A princess, fairy, AND ballerina on the cover is sure to attract the attention of many readers.

Cons:  Just a bit gender stereotypical.

Two Friends: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass by Dean Robbins, illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Orchard Books 

Summary:  Imagine Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, both civil rights activists who lived in Rochester, New York, sitting down to tea and cake together.  That’s the starting point of Two Friends, which then takes a look back at the early life of both Anthony and Douglass and how they became involved in the struggles to end slavery and give women the right to vote.  An author’s note gives a bit more information, as well as dates when both goals were achieved in the United States.  32 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  An interesting introduction to two important 19th century activists whose civil rights struggles are still relevant today.  The colorful folk-artsy illustrations nicely portray Anthony, Douglass, and their homes in Rochester.

Cons:  A pretty brief introduction with only a little biographical information.

The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart, illustrations by Sydney Smith

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Groundwood Books

 

Summary:  While a monk seeks knowledge among his manuscripts, his white cat, Pangur, seeks something a little more substantial; namely, a tasty mouse.  The first several pages are wordless, following Pangur as he explores the monastery, finally arriving at his master’s door and sticking a paw under to alert the monk to his presence.  The monk then narrates their activities, concluding with a happy ending in which the cat snares his prey and the monk finds an answer to his puzzle.  The author’s note at the end explains more about the poem “Pangur Ban”, written by a ninth-century Irish monk, on which this book is based.  32 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  A poem by a ninth-century Benedictine monk seems like an unlikely source for a children’s book, but somehow this works, due in large part to the beautiful illustrations that perfectly enlarge upon the simple text.  Cat lovers will be captivated by Pangur and his antics.

Cons:  Probably better for one-on-one sharing than reading to a larger group.

Every Day Birds by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrations by Dylan Metrano

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Published by Orchard Books 

Summary:  20 North American birds are introduced in simple rhyming text (“Chickadee wears a wee black cap/Jay is loud and bold/Nuthatch perches upside down/Finch is clothed in gold”).  Each line of the rhyme is on a separate page with a large cut-paper illustration of the bird.  The entire text is included on two pages at the end, followed by smaller pictures and additional information about each bird, listed alphabetically.  32 pages; ages 2-5.

Pros:  Each line perfectly captures a characteristic of the bird it describes.  The illustrations are simple and bright, appealing for young kids, yet accurately depicting the bird.  Readers will be ready to head outside and look in trees and the sky for some feathered friends.

Cons:  So many birds in one place triggered a brief Alfred Hitchcock moment.

Finding Wild by Megan Wagner Lloyd, pictures by Abigail Halpin

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 Published by Alfred A. Knopf 

Summary:  A boy and a girl explore the world around them, seeking to answer the questions posed on the first page: What is wild? And where can you go to find it?  They see it (“It leaps and pounces and shows its teeth”), hear it (“Wild roars and barks and hisses and brays”), smell it (“Every scent begging you to drink it in”), and taste it (“honey from bees and sap from trees”).  Sometimes wild burns or stings, but other times it soothes.  When the explorers enter the city, it seems as though wild has been completely covered over by pavement and buildings, but peeking through a fence they discover that wild is everywhere.  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  The vivid, mainly green illustrations nicely complement the descriptive text.  Younger readers will be inspired to explore the natural world around them; older readers may be inspired by the beautiful, descriptive language to write about it.

Cons:  Do kids really get to go off and explore the wild by themselves anymore?

Flying Frogs and Walking Fish: Leaping Lemurs, Tumbling Toads, Jet-Propelled Jellyfish, and More Surprising Ways That Animals Move by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

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Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

Summary:  The Jenkins-Page team takes on animal movement, asking if you’ve ever seen a walking octopus or a swimming elephant.  After the page on the walking octopus, for example, comes a two-page spread of several other animals that walk in some unusual way.  The illustrations are done in Jenkins’ inimitable cut-paper style with amazing details.  The last two pages include thumbnail pictures of all the animals with a few sentences of additional information for each.  40 pages; ages 4-7.

Pros:  This award-winning team just keeps cranking out beautifully-illustrated, engaging science picture books.  Kids will love browsing through the pictures and descriptions, or listening to the book as a fun read-aloud.

Cons:  The format is nothing new, similar to other Jenkins books like What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? and How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly?

Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Yuyi Morales

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Little, Brown, and Co. 

Thunder Boy Jr. (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards)): Alexie, Sherman, Morales, Yuyi: 9780316013727: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:   Thunder Boy, Jr. has a secret.  He hates his name.  He’s named after his father, and he wants his own name, preferably one that celebrates something cool he’s done like Touch the Clouds for the time he climbed a mountain or Gravity’s Best Friend for his bike-riding skills.  While he’s trying to figure out how to tell his father that he wants a new name, Dad comes along and suggests that from now on he be called Lightning.  Delighted, Lightning goes off with Thunder Boy, Senior to light up the sky.  40 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  Plenty of humor and Yuyi Morales’ lively illustrations recount a problem other kids may relate to, not liking your name.  The names and the illustrations suggest a Native American family, a welcome addition to the multicultural bookshelf..

Cons:  The ending was a bit of an anticlimax.  Also, be aware the story contains the f-word.  (Fart, that is.)

The Airport Book by Lisa Brown

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Roaring Brook Press 

Summary:  A boy describes each step involved in taking a trip on an airplane.  He starts at home with packing, using the second person voice (“You drive on the highway to where the ground is really flat.”), then moves on to the different steps of checking in and boarding.  The trip is briefly described, followed by what happens once the plane lands.  Woven through the story is a subplot about the boy’s younger sister’s missing stuffed monkey.  The busy illustrations show different people making their own trips, complete with cartoon-bubble dialogue.  The final page shows the happy family driving with Grandma and Grandpa past palm tree-lined beaches under a hot sun.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A fun book for the first-time flyer to learn what to expect, as well as for the seasoned traveler to recognize different parts of the airport and plane.  The illustrations and monkey story add plenty of humor.

Cons:  Take-off and landing which, in my opinion, are the most disconcerting part of air travel, are not described at all.

This Is My Dollhouse by Giselle Potter

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Schwartz and Wade 

Summary:  The narrator starts out by taking the reader on a tour of her handmade dollhouse.  Formerly a cardboard box, the house now is furnished with homemade furniture, rugs, and wallpaper.  The family that lives there is composed of human dolls, except for Dad, who is a bear, and Grandma, a mouse.  On the other hand, her friend Sophie has a “real” dollhouse, which arrived already furnished and inhabited by a slightly more conventional family.  The only problem is, the girls are bored playing with it. When they go to the narrator’s house, she’s a little nervous about showing Sophie her homemade dollhouse, but Sophie quickly enters into the spirit of imagination, and their play date flies by in no time.  The last pages finds Sophie making plans for a return visit, and the narrator gazing proudly at her dollhouse.  40 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  A wonderful celebration of imaginary play and the joys of creating it yourself.

Cons:  Kids, don’t be discouraged if your dollhouse and furniture don’t turn out quite as perfectly as the one pictured here.