When a Monster Is Born by Sean Taylor and Nick Sharratt.

This was one picture book that I picked up and just knew that my sons would love it.  But it is even better than the cover promises, which is saying a lot.  Great cover!

The book stars by saying that when a monster is born it can be one of two types of monster.  It can be a faraway-in-the-forests monster or an under-your-bed monster.  If it is a forest monster, that’s the end of it.  But more possibilities open up if it lives under your bed.  Then another set of two possibilities is open to the reader.  One is always a dead end and the other merrily continues the story.  Children will immediately get the humor and the structure of the book.  I predict lots of laughing out loud.

However, be aware that even though the text is simple, this is not a book for the smallest children.  I think it will be enjoyed best by children in Kindergarten or older.  There are school references, plus very funny eating of people.  Not harsh by any means, but might worry toddlers who won’t see it as humor.

This book is made great by two things.  First is the skill of the writing which is simple, straightforward and almost gleeful as it moves through the options.  Second are the delightfully colorful pictures of monsters.  Each set of facing pages has a black or white background, creating a real dynamic aspect as you turn the pages.  The monsters are neon colored and gloriously horrible, as you can see from the infant on the cover.

Highly recommended as a book to pull out from behind you in an out-of-control storytime for Kindergarteners or as a great treat for any little monsters you may be reading to.

Runaround by Helen Hemphill.

This tween novel that takes place in Kentucky in the sixties, features the vivid protagonist, Sassy.  Sassy has decided after her older sister publicly humiliates her during a kissing game, to get revenge by becoming the girlfriend of the cutest boy in town.  Sassy is addicted to reading Love Confessions, a magazine all about romance.  But as Sassy goes about getting the boy interested, it all becomes more and more confusing.  No one will help explain exactly how you know a boy is interested or how you know the person is the right person for you. 

This is a well-crafted novel that is perfect for tween readers.  It has just the right amount of romance, including french kissing, but doesn’t go so far that it would make it more appropriate for older readers.  Hemphill has created a dysfunctional family that reads as  completely real.  Sassy and many of the other characters in the book reveal layers to themselves that are fascinating to read.  I also appreciated that Sassy is not always good, appropriate or honorable.  She is complex, torn and down-to-the bone real.  And that is not something that can be often said of a teen female character.  Refreshingly, Sassy is so complex she defies categorization.  She is simply Sassy.

Beyond the characters, the story is also very well done.  While I consider it primarily a character-driven story of Sassy, it does have implications that are worthy of discussion.  What makes a bad girl?  What is love?  How do you know when you have found it?  All of these questions will pull tween readers in and not allow them to put the book down until they learn whether Sassy ever discovers the answers.

Highly recommended for tween readers and middle school collections.  If you want to read a book about a girl who is unique, bold and questioning, this is the book for you.

Penguin by Polly Dunbar.

Ben gets a present and finds a penguin inside.  Though Ben tries to talk to the penguin, it does nothing at all.  He tries ticking, making faces, being silly, but nothing happens.  Finally in desperation, Ben tries to feed Penguin to a lion, but the lion refuses to eat the penguin.  That does it!  Ben loses his temper and screams at the penguin, “SAY SOMETHING!”  So the lion eats Ben for being so loud.  And finally, Penguin does something.

There are certain quirky picture books that work and others that just leave you scratching your head and wondering how an adult can be so very confused by a children’s book.  This is one of the ones that really works.  The text of the book is simple as are the illustrations.  Ben’s antics to get the penguin to respond are charmingly done.  And the timing of the book is perfect.  Just when readers will have decided conclusively that the penguin is not alive and cannot respond, the book changes and becomes wonderfully odd. 

I would recommend this more for one-on-one sharing than for a group.  I can see the ending puzzling some children while others merrily take to the strange twists.

The Best Father’s Day Present Ever by Christine Loomis, pictures by Pam Paparone.

Langley wants to get his father the best present he can for father’s day.  Though his mother encourages him to make something, Langley now has an allowance and wants to buy his dad the perfect gift.  Unfortunately, being a snail, he is not fast enough to get to the store before it closes.  On his slow return home, Langley starts to notice things that his father would love to see, and he finds the truly perfect father’s day present.

I simply love books that speak out against consumerism and give children alternatives to purchasing things for any holiday.  Langley’s solution for a gift is charming and personal, demonstrating his real adoration of his father.   The text is a nice length for reading aloud to preschoolers or kindergartners.  Even first and second graders will appreciate the storyline of having an allowance but being unable to spend it.  The prose is fluid and doesn’t talk down to child readers.  I love the great descriptions of the items he sees on his walk home.  The illustrations in the book are equally distinct with a feel of woodblock prints, they have bright colors that make them modern feeling as well.  I enjoy the tension between the modern style and colors and the format itself. 

Recommended as a great addition to Father’s Day story times, this is also a great readaloud when doing bug stories or talking to a child about what a present really is.

Two Sticks by Orel Protopopescu, pictures by Anne Wilsdorf.

This jaunty title is filled with rhythm galore as well as rhymes.  It is the story of Maybelle, a girl who moves to her own beat.  She plays with two sticks that she creates rhythms with on all sorts of objects: doors, fences, logs, and more.  She gets carried away with her drumming and finds herself falling into a swamp with only her two sticks to save her from approaching crocodiles!  You can bet that the story ends with a lot of motion, rhythm and courage.

It took me a few pages to get the beat of the this book, because I was expecting less rhythm and more standard rhyme.  But once I got it, I was completely enchanted by the beat, the repetition and the joy inherent in the text.  Just make sure that you give it a read through before reading it aloud to a group.  Wilsdorf’s illustrations add to the wild drumming and the gutsy heroine with their bright colors, flamboyant compositions, and pure fun. 

Highly recommended for a bored group of preschoolers who would enjoy moving their bodies to a beat.  I would recommending handing out rhythm instruments (or sticks) to the children to get them participating.  This is a perfect closer to a story time on crocodiles or music. 

Fred Stays with Me! by Nancy Coffelt, illustrated by Tricia Tusa.

In this book, a little girl moves between her father and her mother, but Fred her dog moves with her to both homes.  She explains the differences between the two homes in terms of her bedroom and what Fred does.  But both of her parents are getting tired of Fred and all of the messes and problems he creates.  Neither of them want the dog to stay with them, but the little girl has the solution. 

This is a lovely book on divorce.  It is handled matter-of-factly, rather than as a disaster for a child.  I love the girl and her spunk that she obviously gets from Fred.  The text is very brief and many of the illustrations will have people giggling, especially when Fred barks at the poodle next door. 

Usually I am not one for bibliotherapy books, but this one would be nice to give to children going through a divorce.  Otherwise, it is a good read no matter what sort of family you live in, especially a family of dog lovers.

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis.

This is one that has been getting a lot of buzz, and deservedly so!

Emma-Jean does not fit in with the other seventh graders in her school.  She observes them from afar, but doesn’t concern herself much with what they think or do.  But when Colleen tearfully asks Emma-Jean for help, Emma-Jean is drawn to help her devising a scheme that solves the problem.  But the solution isn’t quite as elegant as Emma-Jean thinks, and Colleen is dismayed when she finds out what Emma-Jean has done.  Nevertheless, this doesn’t deter Emma-Jean from continuing to help another classmate out as well as looking for a wife for a graduate student who lives with her and her mother. 

This is a wonderful book with a protagonist who is able to be both tough and withdrawn as well as immediate and fragile.  Emma-Jean is one of the most well-conceived and well-drawn characters in recent memory.  I particularly enjoyed that we encounter Emma-Jean several years after her father has died.  We don’t witness the death, but rather come into the story as it is already in progress, which is a winning way to do this.  I also appreciated that even though Emma-Jean does some transforming by the end of the story, she remains quirky, strange and definitely unique.  Just like her beloved father. 

Highly recommended for tweens, this book will please both late elementary readers and middle school readers.  It is one that teachers of those grades will want to look at for a readaloud in their classrooms.  But it is also such a personal story that it is perfection for a tween to curl up with and read in a single sitting. 

Epic by Conor Kostick

Looking for a book that will hook all of those video game playing teens?  Well, look no further!  This is THE ONE.

Erik is a boy living on a planet where the world revolves around an incredible video game.  The game, Epic, decides the wealth of people in the real world, settles disputes, and works as a form of government.  The most powerful players in the game are the most powerful people in the world.  Erik’s parents are poor and Erik has had a hard time playing Epic well enough and cautiously enough to advance.  Soon the graduation trials were coming and Erik was expecting to do very badly.  That is until he decides to go ahead and go against the trend of highly armored and ugly characters and creates a lithe, beautiful swashbuckler as his character.  Soon Erik is discovering things about Epic that no one else has.  Will it be enough to help his family and his friends?  And what happens when you gain the attention of the most powerful gamers in the world?

This book completely rocks!  The writing is crisp and clear, creating a book that reads like a video game encounter.  It is just as all-encompassing and world bending as a great game too.  Even better, Epic asks questions and will generate discussion and thought for its readers.  It is the best of both worlds:  a book that is easily read and enjoyed but one that is worthy of digestion and thought.

I particularly enjoyed the characterizations of Erik, his family and friends.  All of them were three dimensional and well written.  Some of the villains were a bit cardboard, but that just added to the gaming feel of the story. 

Highly recommended to teens who enjoy video games.  Also for movie buffs and science fiction and fantasy readers.

At Night by Jonathan Bean.

This small and charming picture book offers a look at a long night when a small girl cannot fall asleep.  Her entire family sleeps around her, but she can’t sleep until she follows a breeze from her window, up the stairs up to the roof of her urban building.  Up on the roof, under her blanket and in a chair, she happily falls asleep.  Her mother joins her there, looking out at the night with a cup of coffee.

This book is simply lovely.  The illustrations are an integral part of the storytelling here.  When the child can’t sleep, the illustrations are boxed in by black lines with only a few images opening to the complete page.  Once she reaches the roof, the pages open to broad expanses so that the reader feels the sense of relief and space and even breezes along with her. 

The illustrations in the book have the feel of a Sendak to me in their color and style.  There is that feeling of home but a sense that anything could happen deep in the art.  The text is short, clear and crisp until she reaches the roof where the words and ideas expand along with the vista. 

This is a wonderful book that should be read to every child heading for bed.  It is a gem that I hope stays with families and libraries a long, long time.  Lovely.