A child’s day: an alphabet of play by Ida Pearle

Opening with a very appropriate poem from Robert Louis Stevenson "To Any Reader," this picture book pairs the alphabet effortlessly with children’s play.  It has only one word on each page, but each word works well.  It won’t be ideal for reading aloud, because children will love to chat about the pictures and words that are part of their own lives.

Pearle has create a picture book that celebrates our diversity and our similarities at the same time on each and every page.  The children portrayed come in all different colors, some obviously one sex or the other but others are androgynous.  Every child will see themselves on this page, though the person doing their favorite activity may look nothing like them.  This is a book for building those invisible bridges of understanding.  Pearle’s illustrations are done in cut-paper collages with bright colors and bold graphic statements.  Modern and yet somehow evocative of the picture books of my own childhood, both parents and children will be drawn to the art.

This is a book meant to share.  It’s a great conversation starter for toddlers and preschoolers.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

I Get So Hungry by Bebe Moore Campbell; illustrated by Amy Bates.

Nikki is a girl who eats to feel better.  She even sneaks potato chips during class when she is teased.  Her new teacher, Mrs. Patterson is also heavy and Nikki sees her sneaking a cookie from her purse during the day too.  When Nikki goes to the doctor later, she is told to not eat any more junk food.  Her mother agrees, but on the way home buys them some doughnuts.  When they return from Christmas break, Mrs. Patterson has changed.  She isn’t sneaking food, she’s drinking water and she spends her early mornings walking.  Nikki joins Mrs. Patterson on her walks in the mornings and starts to watch what she is eating too. 

This picture book perfectly captures the issues of family and youth obesity.  I appreciated that Nikki has good friends.  She is not a loner, not disliked, but she is teased by one boy in her class.  The depiction of using food as a mood stabilizer is also well done.  There is no miraculous weight loss here, which is also a good thing.  Rather there is a change in attitude and lifestyle.  Bates’ illustrations are filled with doughnuts and potato chips at first and then transition to vegetables and the green of the outdoors. 

This book is ideal for classroom use when speaking about good nutrition.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier.

At a reception celebrating his second inauguration, President Abraham Lincoln scans the crowds for his friend Frederick Douglass.  Though one man was black and the other white, one a slave and the other free, their lives parallel one another in remarkable ways.  Both men found themselves at the heart of the abolitionist movement in America.  The book documents the youth of both men in alternating pages, emphasizing their commonalities.  It also provides information on other figures in the abolitionist movement, including John Brown and Mammy Pleasant. 

Reprising their partnership in Rosa, Giovanni and Collier once again shed light upon American history through a picture book.  Giovanni’s writing is easily digested and using a remarkably small amount of text sheds light on complicated historical events.  Collier’s cut-paper collage illustrations are remarkable.  The double-spread of Lincoln in the grove of trees is moving and gut-wrenching.  The bark of the trees is formed from African-American faces, evoking lynching, containment, and yet growth and freedom too.  All of which are dynamics at work in the history and the book as a whole.

Highly recommended as an accessible entry to these difficult subjects.  Appropriate for ages 8-10.

The Mystery by Maxwell Eaton III.

Max and Pinky return in another adventure, this time filled with mystery and intrigue.  Max and Pinky set out to paint the barn red.  They just manage to finish the entire structure before dark.  But when they awake, the barn is PINK!  They repaint.  They guard it all night, but fall asleep.  And now it’s plaid!  Finally, they decide they must investigate.  They look for clues, conduct interviews, and set a trap.  Who is the mystery painter?  You’ll have to read it to find out!

This book in the series continues the charm and wit of the earlier books.  The illustrations are bright colored and great fun.  The asides of many of the other animals in the picture add to the fun, though they could be skipped when reading the story to a group.  Eaton excels at writing books with few words and lots of laughs.  His characters say so much with a simple facial expression.  This is simplicity at its best.

Highly recommended.  This book will project well to a group, and children will adore the changing colors of the barn.  Guaranteed to get them giggling.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.