Picture books

Snoozefest at the Nuzzledome by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Kristyna Litten

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Published by Dial Books

Summary:  Champion sleeper Snuggleford Cuddlebun (a sloth) spends a LOT of time sleeping, but she does get up every year for the annual Snoozefest.  All kinds of animals gather for a few days at the Nuzzledome, slinging a hammock in the coziest spot they can find and settling down with their blankies to enjoy such entertainment as a pajama fashion show and a lineup of musicians like the Nocturnal Nesters and the Drowsy Duet.  Not surprisingly, the end of the Snoozefest finds Snuggleford still catching some z’s.

Pros:  Adorable illustrations, clever rhyming text (haiku and didgeridoo wowed me), and a story guaranteed to wind down the craziest three-year-old.

Cons:  If your teenager catches you reviewing a book called Snoozefest at the Nuzzledome, you might as well book your one-way ticket to Siberia.

Ready Rabbit Gets Ready by Brenna Maloney

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Published by Viking Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Ready Rabbit gives new meaning to the word procrastination, as his beleaguered mother tries to get him ready for school.  Breakfast is boring…but saving the life of an incapacitated whale isn’t!  Brushing teeth is important…but so is driving a stagecoach across the Wild West!  Ready has a fabulous imagination, and ultimately, he is ready for a new day.

Pros:  Kids and parents alike will relate to the struggle to get ready in the morning.  The illustrations are very unusual—Ready Rabbit is a cloth rabbit with a changing paper face.  Children will enjoy seeing the photographs of him in a variety of settings, and maybe trying to create something similar themselves.

Cons:  I found Ready Rabbit’s changing faces a little bit creepy.

A Fine Dessert: Four Families, Four Centuries, One Delicious Treat by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

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Published by Schwartz & Wade

Summary:  A parent and child work together to make a serve a dessert called blackberry fool in four different centuries.  In 1710 England, a girl and her mother beat cream with a bundle of twigs to whip it, pick and strain blackberries, and store their concoction in an ice pit set into a hillside.  100 years later, a mother and daughter who are slaves in Charleston, South Carolina do the same thing, using the tools available to them at that time.  The process is repeated by a mother/daughter pair in 1910 Boston, and finally, by a father and son in San Diego in 2010.  The author’s note at the end suggests topics of discussion, not only noticing the changes in technology and food preparation, but also the inclusion of slaves and the fact that a boy and his father would probably not have been in the kitchen before the late 20th century.  Don’t worry, a recipe is included!

Pros:  You won’t be able to read this book just once.  It repeats the same story four times, with a new cast of characters and new century with each retelling.  The menu for the dinner is given in each story, so the reader learns a little about foods people ate at that time.  The cream is whipped with twigs, a wire whisk, a rotary beater, and an electric mixer, with the whipping time getting shorter with each new technology.  The food is kept cool in a variety of interesting ways.  The notes at the end are fascinating, explaining how the author and illustrator did their research.  The illustrator’s note will send you back to the book to study the details of the pictures more carefully.  This is nonfiction at its best, a book that could be used for teaching in many different ways.

Cons:  The two feet of snow in my backyard that prevented me from picking blackberries.

A Poem In Your Pocket by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by G. Brian Karas

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Published by Schwartz & Wade

Summary:  When Elinor hears that poet Emily Crane is coming to their school, she decides to write the perfect poem.  Through the month of April, her class studies and writes all types of poems.  Try as she might, Elinor can’t get hers to be perfect.  When the big day comes to greet Emily Crane, Elinor is the only one in the class with an empty pocket.  One by one her classmates get on stage and share their poems.  When it’s Elinor’s turn, she tells Ms. Crane that she tried but couldn’t write the perfect poem.  “No poem is perfect,” the poet tells her.  “Tell me what you’ve been thinking about.”  Elinor closes her eyes, thinks of all the poetry she’s been studying, and creates a poem.

Pros:  This a great introduction to poetry, covering similes, metaphors, haiku, concrete poems, acrostics, and funny rhymes.  The kids are likeable and real.  We’ve all known kids (and adults) like Elinor, and she doesn’t come across as the snobby know-it-all that she could have.  On the last two pages, Elinor gives kids some facts about poetry and her teacher Mr. Tiffin shares some pointers for teachers.  Look for the other two books in this series (Mr. Tiffin’s Classroom) that teach about math and apples.

Cons:  All the pressure poor Elinor put on herself to perform.

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary:  A bear finds a pick-up truck filled with berries, eats them all, then promptly falls asleep.  He wakes up in the city, where he smells interesting smells, finds fun places to climb and play, and eventually discovers a sandwich that he eats.  Caught in the act by a pack of dogs, he runs away, finds a boat, and makes the trip back to his forest home.  On the last page, the reader discovers who has been telling the story, throwing an element of doubt into the whole tale.

Pros:  Kindergarteners and first graders would love this story.  When you find out who is telling the story at the end, this could become a good example of persuasive writing.

Cons:  The illustrations were colorful and fun, but a little blurry for my middle-aged eyes.

A Wonderful Year by Nick Bruel

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Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  A nameless girl has an adventure in every season.  On a snowy day in “Winter Wear”, she takes so long to bundle up, that the snow has melted by the time she gets outside.  “Spring Splendor” includes a song and dance by the girl and her dog; they even find a way to include their grumpy sleeping cat.  In “Summer Sidewalks”, the girl’s hippo friend finds an innovative way to cool her off that involves a trip to the freezer.  Finally, in “Fall Foliage”, the girl tells the story of changing leaves to her tree friend.

Pros:  Nick Bruel has many fans from his “Bad Kitty” series, and they are sure to add this book to their list of favorites.  The cartoon illustrations are bright and playful, and there is a terrific cast of characters.  Kids will laugh out loud at the talking can of beans and spitting hippo.

Cons:  The four-panel layout on some of the pages make the pictures a little small for group read-alouds.