Jake’s Best Thumb by Ilene Cooper, illustrated by Claudio Munoz.

Jake loves to suck his thumb.  People in his family worry about it, but he continues to do it.  When Jake starts kindergarten, he depends on his thumb to get him through the day.  But one child in his class calls him a "thumb sucker" in a mean way and his teacher suggests that it might be best if Jake not suck his thumb in school.  Jake tries, but isn’t always successful.  But the bully is there whenever he does to tease him.  Jake makes friends with Nell, a girl who has a stuffed cat that she takes with her to school.  When Cliff the bully teases them both, he drops a scrap of material from his pocket.  It’s his blankie.  Jake seizes the fabric and demands that all of the teasing stop before he will return it.

One of the pleasures of this book is how authentically it reads.  Jake’s problems are not easily solved, there is no magic moment where he suddenly stops sucking his thumb.  The bully is not evil at any time, just teasing and mean.  And Jake’s family is nuanced in their reactions to the thumb sucking.  Munoz’s art is bright, friendly and fun.  Cooper’s text reads aloud well and offers great discussion points for teasing, bullying, and dependence on comfort objects.

Recommended not as bibliotherapy, but as a great read-aloud to share with many types of children.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Market Day by Carol Foskett Cordsen, illustrated by Douglas B. Jones

A merry day at the market is made all the more interesting by a hungry cow.  The Bensons get a late start on market day and have to rush.  They pick the apples they are going to sell and then rush out of the farm gate, not closing it behind them.  In their hurry, they have also forgotten to feed the cow, who sees the open gate and follows along behind.  When they all reach the market, the cow causes all sorts of trouble before finding her family and finally getting fed.  Apples, of course.

A wonderful, warm autumnal title, readers will enjoy the traditional feel of the illustrations paired with the rhymed couplets in the text.  The rhymes are not forced at all, but instead seem effortless.  With the speed of the story and the rush, the use of rhyme works well. 

A wonderful book to share when doing either cow or apple stories.  It is the perfect read on a fall day or when a class is heading to an orchard for a field trip.  Recommended for children ages 3-5.