Edwardo: the horriblest boy in the whole wide world by John Burningham.

It is always a treat to see a book by Burningham.  With his own unique illustrative style and his clear language, you know it is going to be something special that stands entirely on its own. 

This book is no exception.  Edwardo is a normal child.  He can be noisy sometimes, messy sometimes, and mean sometimes.  All he hears from the grown-ups around him is that he is a “nasty bully” or “the noisiest boy in the whole wide world.”  So Edwardo listens to the adults and becomes noisier, meaner, ruder, messier.  Until he hears something different one day when he is being rude.  And under the appreciation and praise, Edwardo returns to being what he always was:  a normal child with some good and some bad about him.

I really enjoyed this story.  The matter-of-fact tone carries the story forward as Edwardo becomes more and more horrible and less and less of himself.  Just as the horrible factor becomes overwhelming, the author pulls back and switches the tone.  Just as clean and clear in the praise part, we get to watch as Edwardo returns to being himself. 

This will be a great one to share with a group of kids who will all see themselves in Edwardo and wonder if they too are the most horrible child in the whole wide world.  They will be happy to see the turn around to praise and accomplishments.  It is the type of book that children will want to talk about afterwards even in the most simple terms.  I can see it being used for guidance classes or units on self.  But don’t wait for that!  Share this one with your group of kindergarteners or first graders and they will appreciate it.

Nibble Nibble by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Wendell Minor.

Yes, yes, I know that I should save this for Poetry Friday, but I just adore this book.  It is one of those that if I had gotten a galley copy of it, I would have kept it all for myself and not shared with my library. 

These five rabbit poems were first published in 1959.  Margaret Wise Brown’s poetry demonstrates what children’s poems should be about, being both accessible and broadening at the same time.  My favorite is Nibble Nibble Nibble which repeats and repeats using different heartbeat sounds.  Here is the opening stanza:

Nibble Nibble Nibble
Goes the mouse in my heart
Nibble Nibble Nibble
Goes the mouse in my heart
Nibble Nibble Nibble
Goes the mouse in my heart
And the mouse in my heart is
You

The structure of the poem is both simple and powerful, but it also allows children to jump right in and create their own poetry on the spot.  At the end of sharing this with my five-year-old, I was being told that Snap Snap Snap, Goes the crab in his heart.  And it went on and on with new sounds and new animals.  This is exactly what I want books and poetry to do for children, given them a form to hold on to and then the opportunity to make it their own and use their own imagination and creativity.

And then let’s talk about the art!  What makes this version special are the incredible paintings by Minor which capture rabbits in all of their cute, fuzzy glory.  His paintings are naturalistic and vivid, erasing all of those too saccharine bunnies from your mind, you return to what rabbits are all about.  Fur, long ears, and jumps.  Lovely stuff.  I want that painting of the end of summer rabbit next to the milkweed.  Sigh.  Makes me think of my childhood playing in the tall grass.  Perfection.

Share these poems, love the language, appreciate the artistry.  This one is an absolute winner.

The Bunnies Are Not in Their Beds by Marisabina Russo.

Three sweet little white bunnies are tucked in bed, warm and cozy.  All is quiet while Mama and Daddy sit reading downstairs.  But then they hear an odd noise coming from upstairs.  “Sounds like the bunnies are not in their beds.”  The parent bunnies put the children back to bed again, resume their quiet time downstairs, but are again interrupted by noise from above.  This happens again and again with the parents getting more and more irate at the behavior.  The ending is a fun twist for children who also hate to go to bed.

I love many things about this book.  First, there are the quiet moments of the parents downstairs, reassuringly dull and normal for children who assume that once they are in bed the parents start having real fun.  Then there are the odd noises from above that lead to the parents heading upstairs and then the page turn occurs where children listening to the story have a chance to guess what is causing the ruckus this time.  Nicely done to create a little intrigue and participation.  I also appreciate that while the parents are very patient at first, they do hit the end of their rope and finally list all of the things in a loud voice (or at least in capital letters) that the little bunnies are not to do at bedtime. 

Add this one to a spring storytime on bunnies or your pajama storytime about heading to bed.  Preschoolers will enjoy it most of all.

(In the interest of full disclosure, this was sent to me by the publisher.)

Lady Friday by Garth Nix.

This is book five in the Keys of the Kingdom series, which is a series perfect for kids who appreciate unique settings, quirky characters and fantasy. 

This fifth book is set in the Middle House.  Arthur now has four of the Keys and is seeking the fifth.  He is trying not to use the power of the fourth key on his quest because if he continues to use the power of the House then he will not be able to return to Earth and his family.  Leaf, one of Arthur’s human friends, has been captured by Lady Friday who delights in drinking the experiences of humans, leaving them without their memories.  Arthur’s own mother has been captured as well, driving him to confront Lady Friday and attempt a rescue. 

As always the settings of the series are amazingly creative and unique.  I loved the idea of charged water that carries items with writing on them ever higher up a series of locks.  The action in this piece of Arthur’s journey is slower and less frantic than in previous novels, but it is a relief after the battlefields of the 4th book in the series.  Nix seems always able to finesse the pacing of the novels to suit the setting. 

This is a must-read for those following the series.  It is also a series that should be recommended for kids who enjoy Harry Potter and are looking for an alternative.  The Keys series has its own sense of humor, lots of darkness, plenty of action, yet is entirely different than any other series.  It is not derivative at all.  Rather it is a flight of unfettered imagination bottled for fantasy lovers.

Green As a Bean by Karla Kuskin, illustrated by Melissa Iwai. 

If you were green what would you be?  A bean, a leaf, a blade of grass?  What?  Filled with language that is strong and evocative, this book features illustrations that are equally strong and vibrant.  Again and again the question is asked about what you would be. If you were square?  If you were loud?  If you were small?  What would you be?  The choices listed are just the tip of the iceberg and are varied and interesting enough to get children’s own imaginations going. 

This picture book is one that creates discussion when it is being read.  If you read it to a group, be prepared to hear all sorts of ideas and thoughts spontaneously shared.  I would encourage using it with an art project where kids could use the different colors and shapes and qualities in the book to create a picture of what they would be.