The Buffalo Storm by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Jan Ormerod.

Hallie is a brave girl who isn’t afraid of anything except storms, but she must gather all of her courage to face the new challenge in her life, the Oregon Trail.  Hallie, her mother and her father leave behind her beloved grandmother and travel the Trail by oxcart facing dangers on the way.  Hallie is told by her grandmother about the buffalo that she will see on her travels, and Hallie does find herself having a very intimate encounter with a buffalo calf before witnessing the wonder of the buffalo stampeding past. 

Applegate has created a book that is a poetic journey along the Oregon Trail.  Her use of a blend of poetry and prose creates a way for children to really feel the drama and scope of this sort of adventure.  There is no way that this could have been done with straight prose.  Ormerod’s art adds much to this book as well, her use of quilt squares surrounding the text on each page, her evocative images of storms and the prairie, and her use of scale showing the amazing space through which Hallie and her family travel.  And yet Ormerod’s art and Applegate’s words remain personal and direct, not losing themselves into the prairie, but reflecting the immediate area the family find themselves in.  Adrift on the prairie, but not lost. 

There are few books where after reading them aloud, you get to have a talk with children moved to near tears by the power of the words.  This was one of them where I truly got to talk with my children about the impact words can have, the impact great art in a book can have, and the wonder that is a great picture book.  Let’s hope you all get to have that chance with the children you live or work with.  It is a powerful moment.

Highly recommended as a historical picture book appropriate for ages 6-10.  This is not the right book to read to a restless preschooler.  Older children in elementary school will understand the poetry of the book far better than younger children.

Class Two at the Zoo by Julia Jarman, illustrated by Lynee Chapman.

Sometimes books need to be shared simply because they are wonderful fun, and that is the case with this book.  If you are looking for something deep, meaningful, or cultural, keep on going.  But if instead you want a book to complete a storytime full of wiggly kids or just something great to put smiles on small faces, this is the book for you.

Class Two went to the zoo on a field trip.  They see all sorts of the things at the zoo, described in a rollicking rhyming style.  But they also DON’T see what the anaconda is up to.  The snake slowly creeps up behind the children and then starts eating them!  One by one.  It isn’t until little Molly notices what’s going on that everyone is saved and they all emerge wonderfully goopy from the snakes mouth.

The text of the book is rhyming and fun.  The pacing is delicious with a slow build up and then a frenzy of kid-munching in the middle.  The art adds so much to the book as the snake eats the children in different ways and you can see child-shaped bulges in the snake as he moves to the next child. 

I guarantee giggles, groans and gasps when you share this with children.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.  A wonderful choice for preschool story times as the closer.

When the Shadbush Blooms by Carla Messinger with Susan Katz, illustrated by David Kanietakeron Fadden. 

Books in which Native American traditions are accurately portrayed are very few, especially in picture book format.  To have a traditional Native American side-by-side with a contemporary one is nearly unheard of.  In this picture book, you will see the traditional way of life alongside the contemporary one.  There is a constant tie between the two, but each is unique and lovely in its own way.  The book moves through the year from month to month, starting with the When the Shadfish Return Moon and circling to a finish with the same month again.  The book ends with additional information on the Lenni Lenape people, meaning that this is not meant to be a more general Native American story, but distinct to a people.  This alone makes it worthy of attention, because so many Native titles are left meaninglessly generic where these specific traditions and people bring life and accuracy to the story.

The text of the book is clear and has a great rhythm even though it is prose.  There is a consistent tie to nature and wildlife in each month that makes the passing of the months fascinating.  The illustrations are the real bridges between the modern and the historical.  The same setting is used for both periods and they share the same space, making the point of the text all the more clear for readers.

Highly recommended, this book is perfect to use when discussing calendars with children.  I would hate to see it relegated to only being pulled out during a unit on Native Americans around Thanksgiving.  Instead, the glory of white shadbush blossoms on the cover should be used as an excuse to pull it out in the spring and share it.

The Painted Circus by Wallace Edwards.

What could be better than a picture book filled with all sorts of optical illusions?  Not much in the eyes of my two sons!  This was one that I almost had to sneak out of the house under dark of night to return it to the library.  It spent many days as the book of choice for both boys (ages 6 and 10). 

Author Wallace has created a spectacle of a circus in his picture book where the circus is used as the framing tool for each optical illusion.  There is no real story in the book, just one act after the other, each showcasing an illusion.  It is great fun!  You will see optical illusions that you are already familiar with, but several of them were new to me.  What is best about the book is that some of the illusions are easy to see and understand while others take a bit of time, some eye crossing and a bit of neck twisting to see. 

Highly recommended for public libraries, this is rather like a book with movable parts without the hassle of flaps and pop-ups which break and tear.  It will be happily browsed through by anyone in elementary school and calls out to be shared with everyone in the room or in one’s class. 

Toy Boat by Randall de Seve and Loren Long.

A boy had a boat he loved, every day they would sail together down at the lake.  The boy held the boat by a string and sometimes the toy boat would long to be free and out on the lake with the larger boats.  Then one afternoon, the boy dropped the string and the little boat floated out onto the lake.  The tiny boat found itself out with the huge boats, who zoom past him, each warning him to “Move along!”  The toy boat was left almost sunken floating alone in the night on the lake.  It wasn’t until a slow-moving fishing boat circles the toy boat that his sails fill with wind and he really starts to sail.

The illustrations here are wonderful, deep and dramatic paintings filled with water, movement and weather.  They range from close ups of the boy with his boat to wide panoramic views of the lake and the sky.  All done with  an attention to small details.  The prose is invitingly simple, yet obviously speaking of wider things.  It is a book that children can enjoy as a sweet story of a boat but also can be enjoyed by older children and adults about letting loose of strings and allowing freedom.

Highly recommended as a read-aloud for elementary age children who may understand the real depth of the story.