The Magic Horse of Han Gan by Jiang Hong Chen.

Oh how I love this book!  It is an amazing story combined with amazing art work that mesh together to create a whole that is well, amazing!  (I promise to come up with another adjective in the next paragraph.)

Han Gan was a poor child who loved art but could not afford the supplies.  When a famous artist sees him sketching horses in the sand, he offers to fund his supplies.  Han Gan drew all day long, loving especially to draw horses.  Han Gan’s drawings grew so very lifelike that they almost seemed ready to jump right off the pages.  When Han Gan is approached to really create horses that come to life, he puts his heart and soul into it and finally does just that, creating a horse that didn’t need sustenance or rest. 

This book is a perfect melding of art and subject with homage being paid to traditional Chinese art and a traditional Chinese story.  It is illustrated using the same techniques that Han Gan himself used.  As a reader, I wasn’t aware of that until I read the final page, but instinctively I knew that something special had been created here that truly drew upon the art of this legendary person.

This is a picture book for elementary age children.  I would recommend it for art classes, units on legends, or as a glimpse into China.  It is so very lovely that it needs to be recommended to children who love art, horses, or just a great read.

One Naked Baby: counting to ten and back again by Maggie Smith.

Toddler books can either be frighteningly saccharine or a joyous romp.  This one is firmly in the second category but remains sweet.  The book starts with one naked baby dashing down the hall.  It counts along as the child is dressed, fed, and then out the door into the yard.  Once outside it counts back down to one and a return to the bath. 

This is a bright, friendly book that celebrates toddler loves like goldfish crackers, feathers, sticks and of course, puddles and mud.  It is a perfect fit for a spring toddler storytime.  Makes me want spring to come so that I can stomp in some puddles myself.

Whose Chick Are You? by Nancy Tafuri.

I am a fan of Tafuri who manages to create picture books for the smallest children without being saccharine or condescending.  This book is about a gray chick that doesn’t seem to belong to anyone.  But the chick’s parents know and come immediately to find him once he calls. 

The text is large and simple, filled with animal noises that toddlers and preschoolers will love to help make.  The illustrations are large, bright, and child-friendly. 

Perfect for a read aloud for spring, ducks, birds, and many more.  Share this with a group of toddlers or with a beginning preschool class.  Tafuri scores another “croo” with this one.

The Adventures of Max and Pinky:  Best Buds by Maxwell Eaton III.

Looking for a book that is pure silly fun?  Well, this is it.  Max is best friends with Pinky the pig.  They both love marshmallows but not sharing them.  They love doing things together, but sometimes do things separately.  And on Saturdays they have an adventure together.  When Max can’t find Pinky on Saturday, he searches for him everywhere until a polar bear reminds him where Pinky is sure to be. 

This is a silly, silly book.  There are running gags about marshmallows, great asides from animals in the background, and wonderfully funny scenarios like Pinky being abducted by evil bunny rabbits. 

This is a lap book because of the silliness and the asides, as well as the fact that children will want to hear it again and again.  The text is very brief but the humor makes it most appropriate for kindergarteners and older who will appreciate it most.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

Let me add my voice to the large chorus of appreciative sounds from readers all over.  This book is something special.  Hugo is a boy who lives in the walls of a train station in Paris.  He keeps the intricate clocks of the station running ever since his father died and his uncle disappeared.  He can’t cash his uncle’s paychecks, so he is forced to steal from throughout the train station.  Hugo’s world revolves around an automaton that his father discovered in a museum attic.  Hugo discovered the automaton half-destroyed after a fire at the museum that killed his father.  Hugo devotes all of his extra time restoring the automaton to see what message it holds.  As he transverses the station, he encounters a grumpy elderly toy seller who creates intricate toys and a girl his age who loves books and wants to know Hugo’s secrets. 

This book is an amazing combination of art and story, where the art sets a tone and tells a large part of the story.  The art is black-and-white and done with such skill that it is very lifelike and beautiful.  The art is as much a part of the story as the words themselves.  It is impossible to think about this book without the illustrations which are done so vividly that my memory has changed them into full color almost photographic images.

The book is large at over 500 pages, but reads very quickly and is made accessible by the amount of white space as well as the illustrations which are primarily done on double-page spreads.  The language of the writing is fresh and makes the reading quick and fun.  Readers will be caught up in the mystery of the automaton and his creator. 

The entire book, story and images, are a complete work of art.  I look forward to more books by this author with high hopes that he will continue to illustrate them this richly.  Recommended for readers who enjoy graphic novels, boys who may not usually warm to full novels, and children who still want some pictures in their books.  But also warmly recommended to all readers of all ages who want a glimpse of art combined with some magic all its own.