Don’t Say That Word! by Alan Katz, illustrated by David Catrow.

Open this book to the title page with the wild-haired child picking his nose, and you have gotten the tone of the entire book in a single image.  A boy has come home from school and is telling his mother about his day.  He does it in rhyme with the last word of the line being a word that his mother does NOT want him to say aloud.  So the word is left unsaid, but implied by the rhyme itself.  The words are only slightly naughty at most, like booger, butt, and poop.  Just the right amount of vulgarity for the lower elementary level. 

While I don’t consider this great literature, it does have a wonderful way of making books inviting, silly and fun for children, especially boys.  The illustrations are also equally funny and accessible.  They have that same naughty quality as the rhymes do. 

I wouldn’t recommend this for reading to a group, unless you want these words talked about over and over again for days.  But if you have a young imp you read to at home, they just might find this as side-splittingly funny as my children did.

Fish, Swish!  Splash, Dash!:  Counting Round and Round by Suse MacDonald.

I am a real fan of paper art in children’s books, but I especially enjoy books with holes to peek through.  So this is a book I highly recommend!

The book counts fish on each page, moving from one to ten.  Then the book doesn’t end, but you flip it over and count back from ten to one.  I know, it doesn’t sound thrilling.  But what makes it marvelous is the paper art.  The fish start large and move smaller, each hole in the paper allowing you to see the different colors of the layers below.  And even nicer, the fish are different on your way back to one. 

This is one of those simple but lovely books.  Not really a read aloud, it is best done with a very small group or one-on-one so that everyone can enjoy the fish up close.  The pages are extra sturdy and will stand up well to even small toddlers.  This is a winner of a picture book for the smallest of children.

When a Monster Is Born by Sean Taylor and Nick Sharratt.

This was one picture book that I picked up and just knew that my sons would love it.  But it is even better than the cover promises, which is saying a lot.  Great cover!

The book stars by saying that when a monster is born it can be one of two types of monster.  It can be a faraway-in-the-forests monster or an under-your-bed monster.  If it is a forest monster, that’s the end of it.  But more possibilities open up if it lives under your bed.  Then another set of two possibilities is open to the reader.  One is always a dead end and the other merrily continues the story.  Children will immediately get the humor and the structure of the book.  I predict lots of laughing out loud.

However, be aware that even though the text is simple, this is not a book for the smallest children.  I think it will be enjoyed best by children in Kindergarten or older.  There are school references, plus very funny eating of people.  Not harsh by any means, but might worry toddlers who won’t see it as humor.

This book is made great by two things.  First is the skill of the writing which is simple, straightforward and almost gleeful as it moves through the options.  Second are the delightfully colorful pictures of monsters.  Each set of facing pages has a black or white background, creating a real dynamic aspect as you turn the pages.  The monsters are neon colored and gloriously horrible, as you can see from the infant on the cover.

Highly recommended as a book to pull out from behind you in an out-of-control storytime for Kindergarteners or as a great treat for any little monsters you may be reading to.

Runaround by Helen Hemphill.

This tween novel that takes place in Kentucky in the sixties, features the vivid protagonist, Sassy.  Sassy has decided after her older sister publicly humiliates her during a kissing game, to get revenge by becoming the girlfriend of the cutest boy in town.  Sassy is addicted to reading Love Confessions, a magazine all about romance.  But as Sassy goes about getting the boy interested, it all becomes more and more confusing.  No one will help explain exactly how you know a boy is interested or how you know the person is the right person for you. 

This is a well-crafted novel that is perfect for tween readers.  It has just the right amount of romance, including french kissing, but doesn’t go so far that it would make it more appropriate for older readers.  Hemphill has created a dysfunctional family that reads as  completely real.  Sassy and many of the other characters in the book reveal layers to themselves that are fascinating to read.  I also appreciated that Sassy is not always good, appropriate or honorable.  She is complex, torn and down-to-the bone real.  And that is not something that can be often said of a teen female character.  Refreshingly, Sassy is so complex she defies categorization.  She is simply Sassy.

Beyond the characters, the story is also very well done.  While I consider it primarily a character-driven story of Sassy, it does have implications that are worthy of discussion.  What makes a bad girl?  What is love?  How do you know when you have found it?  All of these questions will pull tween readers in and not allow them to put the book down until they learn whether Sassy ever discovers the answers.

Highly recommended for tween readers and middle school collections.  If you want to read a book about a girl who is unique, bold and questioning, this is the book for you.

Penguin by Polly Dunbar.

Ben gets a present and finds a penguin inside.  Though Ben tries to talk to the penguin, it does nothing at all.  He tries ticking, making faces, being silly, but nothing happens.  Finally in desperation, Ben tries to feed Penguin to a lion, but the lion refuses to eat the penguin.  That does it!  Ben loses his temper and screams at the penguin, “SAY SOMETHING!”  So the lion eats Ben for being so loud.  And finally, Penguin does something.

There are certain quirky picture books that work and others that just leave you scratching your head and wondering how an adult can be so very confused by a children’s book.  This is one of the ones that really works.  The text of the book is simple as are the illustrations.  Ben’s antics to get the penguin to respond are charmingly done.  And the timing of the book is perfect.  Just when readers will have decided conclusively that the penguin is not alive and cannot respond, the book changes and becomes wonderfully odd. 

I would recommend this more for one-on-one sharing than for a group.  I can see the ending puzzling some children while others merrily take to the strange twists.