The Hiccupotamus by Aaron Zenz is a vibrant picture book filled with a sense of humor that bounces off of the pages along with the colors.  A hippo has a severe case of the hiccups and accidentally angers an elephant by hiccuping nearby.  She chases after him and on the way they encounter a whole group of animals bothered by his hiccups.  The text is done in a rollicking rhyme that will appeal to toddlers and preschoolers as well as the adults reading and listening.  This book is quite simply a lot of fun.  I would save it to pull out and brighten a rainy day.

For adults, Zenz’s humor continues onto the final page of the book with the Cast Bios.  My favorite is that “the part of the buffalo was played by a groundsquirrel named Arlo.”  For librarians, check out the subject headings, all rights reserved statement and other funny bits on the copyright page.  Laugh-out-loud funny! 

I’m a Pill Bug by Yukihisa Tokuda, illustrated by Kiyoshi Takahasi is a book perfectly designed for children.  It not only has child-friendly illustrations done with paper art, but also presents science in a very child-focused way.  All of the terms are fully explained and each concept is presented in a very accessible way.  Add to that that we all have pill bugs living around us, and this science book gets young children interested in identifying other tiny creatures they can find.  Share this in preschool classrooms doing insect units or in a general story time.  It is a perfect book for introducing nonfiction to small children. 

This book was originally published in Japan and has been brought to the U.S. by Kane/Miller Book Publishers.  I love seeing books from around the world brought to children in the U.S.