I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry.

There is something so very approachable and wonderful about this book.  Children will see the cover and just have to take it home with them.  Mine wouldn’t let it rest on our pile of books to read once they spotted it.

It is the story of a giant shrimp who is very sure that he is the biggest thing in the entire ocean.  Bigger than shrimp, bigger than jellyfish, crabs, turtles.  But he might just be wrong!  The illustrations are simple, wonderfully big and bright, and are perfect to read to a very large crowd because they will project well across a room.  The story is perfectly simple and short with a nice twist.

Recommended for any age of story time.  This book is also a great read for emergent readers who will like the short sentences on each page and the repetition.  It reads like a very basic reader, but has the marvelous illustrations that take it to another level. 

Bob and Otto by Robert O. Bruel, illustrated by Nick Bruel. 

Bob, a caterpillar, and Otto, a worm, were very good friends.  They both liked digging in the ground, eating leaves, and playing in the grass under a big tree.  But then Bob feels the need to go up into the tree and Otto disagrees, deciding to go down under the tree into the ground.  While they are apart, Bob turns into a butterfly but nothing happens to Otto.  How will Otto feel when they are reunited?

This is a sweet story that is strengthened by the repetition of the prose when the characters are climbing or digging.  The book’s illustrations are also strong, focusing on life up in the tree and deep below the ground.  The parallel frames are very effective. 

This book will be great with two different age groups.  First, for storytimes with toddlers, this book is ideal.  Add it to your butterfly story pile or for a great addition to insect storytimes.  But wait!  It will also work well for emergent readers.  Even the most early of readers will be able to read the repetitious parts and it may encourage them to read on beyond those sections.  Read on!

Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars: space poems and paintings by Douglas Florian.

What a winner of a book!  A combination of space and poetry!  The subject lends itself to the imagery of poetry, the rhythm of it, the dance.  Each planet as well as the sun and moon get their own poem, explaining their unique feature in a quick verse with a clever little ending.  Florian’s accompanying illustrations are equally accessible and evocative, a gateway to complexity just as his poems are. 

Share these great poems with children who are not necessarily poetry lovers.  The popular subject will allow us to sneak in the poetry to scientific, logical children who may not yet have allowed the muse into their hearts.  What a great way to tie literature and science together.

Cures for Heartbreak by Margo Rabb. 

This is the story of Mia whose mother died twelve days after finding out she had cancer.  Now fifteen-year-old Mia, her older sister and her father must find their ways to a life without her mother.  Mia struggles with the loss and along the way encounters a series of characters who offer moments of levity.  Mia’s voice is strongly written and believable.  I enjoy that she is the type of teen who likes shopping, makeup and clothes.  She is not an intellectual, but doesn’t have to be to make razor-sharp comments about those around her.

Her battle to overcome the loss of her mother is filled with laugh-out-loud moments that blend into sober, dark times filled with grief.  I found this to be a powerful device, emblematic of the real tumult of loss.  The characters such as Mia’s sister and father are well-drawn and developed.  Though Mia and her sister are opposites in most ways, they come together in the humor they both see around them. 

Recommended for teen girls who enjoy romances, stories of loss, and most of all a good laugh through the tears.

Badger’s Fancy Meal by Keiko Kasza. 

Badger has a den full of food, but he wants something fancier, so he heads out to look for it.  He sees all sorts of yummy-looking animals as he explores, but they all escape him.  What he doesn’t realize is that they are all escaping into his food-filled den. Only when he has lost it, does he realize the value of what he already had.

This is a clever book that will be very familiar to adults, but is fresh for children.  The device of using a turning page to hide from badger what happened on the last page but allows children to view it is very clever and fun.  As always, Kasza’s illustrations are winningly done and will project well to a group of children. 

I would recommend this for a thanksgiving story that is free of Pilgrims.  It shows not only a love of food but offers a device to really talk about what we should be thankful for.

Red, red, red by Valeri Gorbachev.

Turtle hurries through town telling everyone who asks him where he is going that he is off to see something red, red, red.  Each animal he passes wonders if it is their red thing that he is looking for.  No, it isn’t the roses, no not the watermelon, and not even the fire engine!  What could it be?

As always, Gorbachev has created a world filled with a little mystery and lot of friendly animals.  The illustrations are very friendly with a vintage feel.  I appreciate the focus on color and children will enjoy guessing what the next offer of red will be and also guessing before the final page what Turtle was really looking for. 

Share this with preschoolers who are working on their colors.  This book is perfect for color-related story times as well.

New Socks by Bob Shea.

This cheery, clever little book features a chick who has gotten new orange socks.  There is very little actual storyline here, but the joy of new sock is completely contagious.  From sliding on wood floors to allowing a chick to be brave enough to slide down the big slide, these socks can do almost anything! 

The graphic art is hip, fun and bright.  The words are catchy and will rely on the reader to read them with enthusiasm.  Though the book is short enough for even toddlers, I would think that kindergarteners on up will appreciate the quirky humor and imagination of this book. 
Great to read aloud at any time, don’t save this one for your chicken or clothing storytimes, though it will work well there too.

A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd.

Nominated for the Carnegie Medal, this book is my favorite YA novel of the year.  It is a powerful look at abandonment, distrust, family, responsibility, love and forgiveness.  Shell is a 15 year old who lives in modern-day rural Ireland.  With her mother dead, her father has never recovered and no longer takes care of Shell or her two younger siblings.  All responsibility falls to Shell to raise her brother and sister.  While she struggles to form a home for them, schooling often falls to the side until Shell is forced once again to attend.  When a new young priest comes to Shell’s church, the words of the Bible once again come alive for her.  Shell struggles with her Catholic religion, sometimes seeing her mother before her and other times unable to make a connection to any type of divinity.  As her life continues to become even more complicated, Shell must decide what she loves and who she really is.

There are three aspects to this novel that make it so deeply moving.  First is the poverty that Shell and her family live in.  Dowd manages to make it very real but not melodramatic.  It is handled matter-of-factly as another aspect to Shell’s situation in life.  Second is religion.  Shell’s struggle with faith, spirituality, and forming her own beliefs is almost physically tangible.  I see religion as another fully developed character in the novel.  Beautifully and honestly rendered.

The final aspect that makes this novel spectacular is the writing.  It fairly sings on the page.  One passage that made my breath catch was when Shell sees her dead mother walking on the beach. 

“Shell blinked.  The figure vanished.
Shell’s heart had a purple cover over it.
When Jesus dies, she thought, you die a little too.”

I’m not sure I can say anything more to tell you how marvelous this novel is.  Poetry in prose with a dark depth to it that will leave you aching when you finish it.  Recommended to teens and adults who enjoy a novel to sink into and truly experience. 

Riddle Me This!: Riddles and Stories to Challenge Your Mind by Hugh Lupton, illustrated by Sophie Fatus.

Recently released in paperback, I never saw the hardcover version so this is a new book to me.  This book is filled with great riddles from the classic ones to more modern versions.  The illustrations make it child-friendly, but this book is perfect for riddle lovers of all ages.  In fact, we spent the evening last night reading the riddles out loud and trying to figure them out as a family.  I can’t think of a nicer way to spend an evening. 

I love riddle books rather than joke books.  They really make you think and the groan when you are completely baffled and the answer is discovered is very satisfying.  This book is a winner for kids who enjoy a good riddle and love to think.