I Am a Dancer by Pat Lowery Collins, illustrations by Mark Graham.

Collins has created a poem here that dances, springs, swirls and entrances.  Her words capturing movement and dance echo, offering inspiration to children and insight into the meaning of being a dancer.  Here is one stanza that grabbed my attention:

I am a dancer to the

steady drip-blip of rain,

the whisper of trees,

music carried on the air.

What a magical way to bring poetry and symbolism to children.  Using things that they see and hear every day, but making it deeper and stronger and adding meaning.

Graham has created paintings to go with the poem that also dance and move.  For me, the most spectacular is the autumn double-spread where the glory of golden autumn days is captured. 

This enchanting picture book works perfectly.  Highly recommended for children age 4-7.

The Vowel Family: a Tale of Lost Letters by Sally M. Walker, illustrations by Kevin Luthardt.

As Pm and Sm Vwl start their married life together they realize that something is missing.  Vowels!  When their twins Alan and Ellen were born, suddenly A and E entered their speech too.  But something was still missing.  The second set of twins, Iris and Otto, added I and O. But it isn’t until Ursula was born and Aunt Cyndy is around that words suddenly work.

This book must be read aloud (but don’t attempt it in front of a group without some prep time) to get the humor of the missing vowels.  Reading the first few pages is confusing and funny.  Just try to figure out how to pronounce the sentence, "Tlkng s vr hrd." 

Walker’s text adds to the fun and eventually bounces along merrily once vowels enter the picture.  She has selected words that can be pronounced with difficulty and to a certain extent can even be decoded and understood.  Luthardt’s illustrations add to the silliness of the book.  Children will immediately see the humor of the situation, will love hearing a reader stumble over nonsense words, and will even learn something in the process.

Recommended for young readers age 5-7 who will enjoy the joke most of all.