The Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney will be released in May 2006.  Pinkney takes the classic story of the little red hen and keeps its timeless feel.  Pinkney’s art transforms the story, as his art always does, into something even more marvelous.  I enjoy his slight changing of the animals who refuse to work so that the hen has an exact reason to pressure each animal to do a specific job.  Still they refuse, of course.  The pictures will project well to a group of children, allowing librarians, parents and teachers to share this classic tale.  This is a lovely addition to the stable of Little Red Hen books out there.  Purchase it if you need a new one, don’t already have a copy, or need a version that will work well with a group. 

Yankee Doodle America: The Spirit of 1776 from A to Z by Wendell Minor is a book that takes readers down a road in colonial America through its use of wooden signs as illustrations.  Readers follow the signs through the alphabet, learning more and more about America during the Revolutionary War.  The information is concise and clear, making reading a pleasure.  But the real joys of the book are the wooden signs.  They range in topics from individuals involved in the revolution to events like the Boston Tea Party to the Liberty Bell.  Each sign is detailed, deeply colored, and finished with a cracked finish so that it gives the impression of having hung for some time above a public house.  Use this one in a unit about the Revolutionary War, or give it to students interested in history.