The Last Laugh by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey is a nearly wordless book that succeeds completely.  The book is filled with cartoon panels, so it is a graphic novel for the youngest of beginning readers.  It is the story of a mean snake who likes to go up behind other animals and hiss to scare them.  Then he accidentally swallows a duck and gets his comeupance.  The book is dedicated “to bullies everywhere.” 

This isn’t a good book for storytimes, but it is the perfect one to hand to children who are just starting to read or want to try to read on their own.  It has such a sense of humor and the pictures are so bright and silly that the panels carry the story even if they aren’t able to read the words.  The

A Korean children’s book, Magic Bottles, published by J’aimimage, has won the Ragazzi Award at this year’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair.  The article goes on to talk about another incredible children’s book, The Cloud Bread, that also impressed everyone at the Fair. 

Rabbit Pie by Penny Ives is a sweet bedtime picture book. The text reads like a recipe for rabbit pie:  “Find six small rabbits, if you can!  Take off any dirty bits and place in warm soapy water.”  But it really is the story of a bedtime routine for a jolly family of rabbits wrangled capably by a kind mother rabbit.  The joy of the book is that these little toddler bunnies are able to be noisy, silly and purely children as they get ready for bed.  Ives has created a little world filled with crunchy carrots, warm beds and lots of love that makes readers want to move right in.  This is the perfect quiet bedtime book for sharing when your rabbit is freshly washed, milky warm and ready to let rest until morning. 

Honey: A Gift from Nature by Yumiko Fujiwara, illustrated by Hideko Ise is a Japanese children’s book newly published in the U.S.  It is a story told from the point of view of a little child who could be either a boy or girl.  The father in the family keeps bees for honey and takes the child with him to gather it.  Children listening to or reading the book learn about how honey is made, how beekeepers approach the bees, and how different flowers change the flavor and color of the honey.  The illustrations in the book are gorgeous paintings that are deep with color, evoking the wonder and joy of honey.  This is a nonfiction picture book of a high quality.  Share it with children interested in insects.

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.