Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (0152053042)
Lois Ehlert’s books are always wonderful. In Leaf Man, there is a man made out of leaves who blows away across the landscape. He flies over orchards, ducks, animals, and much more and all of the landscape and creatures are also made out of leaves.
I use many of Ehlert’s books in story times throughout the year. Leaf Man is a perfect autumnal story that will tie in brilliantly with leaf projects in classrooms or at libraries. Ehlert has once again triumphed with her paper art, creating leaves that are very realistic and at the same time whimsical. Having kids build their own creatures out of leaves would be the perfect follow-up to the book. It is filled with inspiration.

Traction Man Is Here! by Mini Grey (0-375-83191-6)
This book is one of my favorites of the year! A little boy wakes up and finds Traction Man gift wrapped on his bed. “Traction Man: Generic Action Figure with Dazzle-Painted Battle Pants.” Traction Man immediately leaps into action riding in a sneaker and fighting off the Evil Pillows. From there he adventures in the kitchen sink, the back yard, and the bath tub. Finally, they arrive at Grandma’s house where a “lovely (grrr)” knitted green romper suit and matching bonnet are waiting for Traction Man. How will Traction Man survive wearing this humiliating costume? Read the book and see!
The pictures of the book are filled with messy rooms, action galore, and make kids feel right at home. The entire text of the book is written exactly the way boys play with their action figures. I think this is the first time that both my boys found a book that sounds just like them, featuring a boy that plays just like they play. It was magical for them to read this book with me, and they requested it again and again. My oldest even read it himself over and over again.
Hand this to those creative little boys who come to the library lugging any type of action figure. They will find a kindred spirit here. A perfectly written, wonderfully illustrated book for the little boy in all of us.

Rhianna and the Wild Magic by Dave Luckett (Book on CD by Bolinda Publishing)
Rhianna has always had trouble learning magic in the local school. She doesn’t understand why everything has to be so precise and why her teacher can’t explain the reason behind the complicated gestures and words. Rhianna’s entire society relies on magic. They use it to make bread rise, make cloth stronger, and prevent damage to crops. But then one day, the local magic starts to fail. A master mage is sent in to see what is happening and he discovers Rhianna’s disastrous attempt at magic. What he realizes when he sees Rhianna’s mistake is that she is a wild mage who uses magic naturally and draws it from the countryside. So Rhianna is blamed for the loss of magic and must take lessons to try to control her magic and wear a pendant to absorb the magic she is taking from the land so that each week it can be returned to be reused.
This is a creative fantasy read aloud by a gifted reader with a strong Australian accent. The book is well-paced and the character of Rhianna is a wonderful female protagonist. The book is filled with humor and magic. This fantasy should be recommended to families traveling on car trips. Both adults and children alike will enjoy the book. For my eight-year-old and me, it kept us wanting our drives to be just a little longer, so we could hear more of the story: the hallmark of a great audio book.