Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett.

Little Mouse has found a big book that explains phobias one-by-one.  On each page, he has space to document his own personal fears that fit under that phobia.  The book starts with arachnophobia and ends, wonderfully, with musophobia (the fear of mice.)  Throughout the book, there are cutouts in the pages, chewed on edges, and flaps to lift, that bring this story even more fully to life.

The book design here is the star, starting with the title page’s cutout that shows Little Mouse peeking out and then when turned shows a spider for the arachnophobia page.  Each page looks aged, mouse-read, and well-loved.  Corners appear dog-eared, moist, ripped, or just plain messy.  Building from the successful design is the clever story, done with wit and style.  There are many touches that combine storytelling with the book design, making both more vivid and real. 

This is a book to pore over, touch, and experience for yourself.  It is one of the few books with this sort of design that should work well for public use.  The flaps are not delicate or many.  It will also work well with a group, though they will be eager to look at it personally when you are done sharing it.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Coppernickel, the Invention by Wouter van Reek.

Coppernickel is reading a book about inventions, when he reaches the end, the final page is blank.  This inspires him to create his own invention.  He knows it should be simple and useful, so he decides to create a machine to help pick elderberries that are out of reach.  He starts small and simple, but his imagination grows bigger and bigger and so does his invention!  Soon it is covering the wall.  When his friend, Tungsten, pushes some of the drawing out of his way, the cogs of the machine begin to turn and Coppernickel finds himself caught up in a different way.  At the end, he begins again and ends up with a simple and useful solution.

Originally published in Dutch, this book has a distinct foreign feel that makes it all the more interesting.  The illustrations are humorous and dare I say, inventive?  The ever-growing invention of Coppernickel is very detailed, contrasting nicely with the rough style that the characters and setting are drawn in.  The text is equally successful, using short sentences that allow the illustrations themselves to tell most of the story. 

A great book about imagination and inventions, this book is appropriate for ages 4-6.