The Wheat Doll by Alison L. Randall, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth.

This picture book based on a true story is a lovely glimpse into the world of the frontier.  Mary Ann is hard at work in the garden harvesting carrots.  For company, she has her doll Betty, who is filled with wheat.  Betty watches Mary Ann work and listens to everything she says intently.  When Mary Ann carries the carrots to the root cellar, she leaves Betty in the garden.  Behind her, a storm comes filling the sky with black clouds and roaring with high winds.  Mary Ann’s mother insists she come inside and leave Betty behind.  When the storm has passed, Mary Ann races out to find Betty but she is gone.  Mary Ann works through the winter, thinking of Betty often.  When spring arrives, Mary Ann discovers that Betty isn’t gone after all.

This book has a lot about faith in it, but without any overt religious messages.  It is well-written and nicely paced with illustrations that are richly colored and often alight with a lovely glow.  The fact that it is a true story makes it that much more special.  It is a gentle but still exciting story of life on the frontier that doesn’t attempt to hide the harshness of the life and the hard toil that it took to survive.

Recommended for ages 4-7.

The Rain Stomper by Addie K. Boswell, illustrated by Eric Velasquez

See that cover image, it beautifully captures the spirit and energy of this book.  Jazmin wakes up on the first day of spring and prepares to be in the parade.  She puts on her red suit, picks up her baton and dreams of the cheering crowds.  But then she hears thunder and rain begins to pour down.  Jazmin is stunned.  Rain ruins parades.  But then she gets angry and takes action:  she heads into the rain, stomping, pounding, kicking and racing.  A crowd begins to gather around Jazmin as she splashes, spins and jumps.  Jazmin has her parade after all, just a different one than she planned.

There are several things that make this book work so very well.  First is the writing that is energized with verbs that move and beat and swirl.  One can’t read the text without rhythm and movement.  Second are the vivid and motion-filled illustrations that also inspire movement.  And the final important component is frustration being turned into action, demonstrating a healthy way to release emotions, until by the end the emotion has changed into triumph.  All of this accomplished with no lecturing or finger pointing, just great book creation.

This will work well as a read aloud for preschoolers who are itching to move.  I’d get them wiggling along with Jazmin and be prepared for an impromptu parade forming.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.