Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

Two off-page voices argue back and forth about whether they are looking at a duck or a rabbit.  Children will probably first see only one of the animals, but when a piece of bread appears almost in the duck’s bill they will see the duck.  Then when the carrot is offered to the rabbit, they will see the rabbit.  This is a great visual puzzle that will get children ready to look at more complex optical illusions.  The book is infused with humor that will keep any youngster from feeling badly if they can’t see both animals at first.

The illustrations carry the book here.  Deceptively simple, the illustrations are very clever, offering visual clues but not straying from the original idea.  The book is written in the two voices which are easily read aloud and great fun as well.  I remember that we would sometimes get couples who would want to read a book to a class or to a group.  This would be an ideal book for a pair to read together to a class of early elementary or preschool children.

Great fun, this book is appropriate for ages 3-6.  Make sure you have some other optical illusions books ready to go.

Orangutan Tongs: Poems to Tangle Your Tongue by Jon Agee.

A great mix of tongue twisters and poems, this book is such fun to read!  Agee creates silly poems that will have your tongue either dancing in delight or knotted in despair.  That is if you can even get through the lines without giggling.  There are classic twisting combinations like Unique New York but others look so very innocent until you attempt them. 

Agee is a master at word play and that is clear in this book of poems.  If you have a group of kids who claim not to enjoy poetry, this is a great glimpse into one part of the wide-ranging world of the poem that they are guaranteed to enjoy.  Agee’s simple illustrations add a nice dimension to the poems, but the words are the star here.

This book will be enjoyed by any child who can read on their own because everyone wants to give the poems a chance to dance on their own tongues.  Delightful fun for the whole family.  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Rhymes Round the World by Kay Chorao

Take a trip around the world through children’s poetry in this new book from Chorao.  The short poems and rhymes are just the right length to read to very small children.  Chorao’s signature illustrations are gentle, filled with smiles and bright colored.  The children shown are all colors themselves, celebrating the world through both the words and pictures.  Poems range from Mother Goose to Italy to Israel to Russia to Japan.  Each poem is nicely identified by author and country.  Here is a nice one for spring from the book:

Slip on Your Raincoat

Slip on your raincoat,

Pull on your galoshes;

Wading in puddles

Makes splishes and sploshes.

-Anonymous

Because of the gentle feel, short length of the poems and the bright colors, this is a perfect book to share with toddlers and preschoolers who are loving Mother Goose.  This is serve to nicely broaden their rhymes in a multicultural way.  A lovely book that would also make a wonderful baby gift. 

Appropriate for ages 2-6.

Ballyhoo Bay by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Derek Anderson

Every Saturday, Mira Bella taught art classes on Ballyhoo Beach.  She taught grandmothers, babies, squids, seagulls, crabs, otters, and seals.  The Ballyhoo Art Fair was about to be held, until one dreadful day where a billboard announced that instead of a beach there would soon be penthouse apartments and a casino.  But Mira Bella refused to stop, she gathered everyone together to create a Plan B and save the beach!  They headed to the city hall with banners and signs.  When all of them raised their voices together something wonderful happened at Ballyhoo Bay.

Put art and activism together in a picture book and you have one that I will cheer for.  Add the clever rhymes and silliness of Judy Sierra coupled with the bright and funny illustrations by Anderson and you have something worthy of a demonstration of your own.  This is a great testament to the power of art, the freedom of speech and the necessity of standing up for what is important to you. 

Share this one with art teachers in your schools.  Children will also love it because of its humor and style.  It is a breeze to read aloud because Sierra writes to be shared.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

There Was an Old Man Who Painted the Sky by Teri Sloat, illustrated by Stefano Vitale.

This picture book captures the beauty of cave paintings that were discovered at the Altamira Cave in 1879.  A young girl found the paintings when she was eight years old and exploring with her father, an amateur archaeologist.  This book captures the spirit of the paintings and marries their glory with a catchy tune, introducing the wonder of these images to a new generation.  They have already survived 11,000-19,000 years, so it’s only appropriate to share them with generations.

The refrain in this book is "But I don’t know how he painted the sky – It’s up so high."  Even with the playful melody, one can’t keep awe out of one’s voice saying these words and viewing the majestic paintings in the book.  Many of the illustrations are closely tied to the cave paintings.  Others a have a deeper colored and more majestic feel.  But they all pay homage to the source of inspiration.  Beautifully done, this picture book is much more about capturing the spirit of the cave than replicating the illustrations themselves.  For that very reason, it is successful.

Recommended as a great alternative version of the song, this book has depth and majesty as well.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.