What a Day It Was at School! by Jack Prelutsky, pictures by Doug Cushman.

You can never go wrong with a book of Prelutsky poems, and this one is a real winner.  It is the perfect book to share with a new classroom of kids who will all enjoy a good giggle.  Avoid I Made a Noise This Morning unless you want complete mayhem.   The poems range from classroom events to different subjects like art and history.  All of them carry the signature Prelutsky twist and broad humor.  The illustrations by Cushman are friendly and warm with all sorts of animals dressed and acting like people.  A very nice way to either start up or wind up a day of school.

A Place Called Kindergarten by Jessica Harper, pictures by G. Brian Karas.

The farm animals are all wondering why Tommy hasn’t come to visit them the way he does every morning.  Then the dog reports that he heard the people saying that Tommy had gone to a place called Kindergarten.  But the animals have no idea where Kindergarten is,  Finally in the late evening Tommy appears and tells them all about what he learned in Kindergarten that day. 

The text is just right to read aloud and the illustrations evoke a real farm feeling with warm colors.  This is a lovely book that demonstrates a couple of things for new Kindergarteners.  First it shows that Kindergarten is fun and special.  Second, it demonstrates that the child will be missed when they are off at school, which is a very important thing. 

Who Is Melvin Bubble? by Nick Bruel.

Nick Bruel writes some of the zaniest, funniest picturebooks.  Just to jog your memory, he is the author of Bad Kitty.  With Melvin Bubble, Bruel has created a read-aloud masterpiece where each character has a distinct voice that begs to be read aloud and shared.  Add to it Bruel’s cartoon illustrations and you have pure picturebook magic.  The question throughout the book is who Melvin Bubble really is.  The authors interviews his parents, his best friend, his dog, his teddy bear, and many more.  Each tells about Melvin from their own distinct point of view, but no one really knows Melvin the way he knows himself. 

There is great humor throughout the book from an irate Tooth Fairy interview to the brief interview with the magic rock.  Kids of all ages will enjoy this, but the young elementary set will enjoy it the most.  This is one picture book to read to first and second graders that is not overly long and will have them hooting and hollering.  Definitely not one to calm a crowd down, use this one at the end of a long day as a reward.  What an idea!

Ninety-Three in My Family by Erica S. Perl, illustrated by Mike Lester.

This boisterous book tells the story of a little boy who has 93 in his family, including 27 owls, 10 cats, 11 dogs, 2 sisters and a mom and dad.  The little boy tells of how they have to order extra large pizzas, cram themselves into the car, and wash all of the animals.  Not only is the text a rollicking rhyme, but the illustrations will have children laughing out loud.  The two paired together are masterful fun. 

Share this one any time someone needs a good laugh or pure silliness.  My five-year-old especially loved the picture of the cats drinking the shampoo, and had us read that page again and again, even turning back to it at the end of the book.  Days later, he still talks about how funny it is.  Now that is a good book.

Annie’s Chair by Deborah Niland really charmed me.  It is the story of a little girl and her love of her favorite chair.  She can read, watch TV, play, pretend, and bounce in her chair.  Even her older brother is not allowed to sit in her chair.  But then Annie discovers the family dog happily sleeping in the chair.  What is a girl to do? 

The illustrations of the book combined with the child-friendly text make this one a winner.  Annie is a real child who reacts just like a real child would to a dog sitting in her chair.   Share this one with toddlers through preschoolers, who will all relate to Annie and her love of a special thing.  They will also recognize Annie’s frustration and anger in themselves.  This book would make a good discussion book about anger as well as sharing, but really it is simply a good read.

Up Above and Down Below by Sue Redding is a quirky and fascinating look at the two worlds, the one above the surface of the ground and the one below.  Redding’s pop-art illustrations capture both the wonder of the two distinct places as well as adding a broad sense of humor to them.  Ocean scenes are amazing glimpses below the surface while the golf course illustration has gophers working industriously with stolen balls.  Children will enjoy looking closely at the illustrations and laughing aloud at the funny details they discover.  This is not a book for sharing at a storytime, but one to allow children to appreciate on a smaller scale.  Share this with almost any child, and you are guaranteed a good deep laugh. 

The Gingerbread Cowboy by Janet Squires, illustrated by Holly Berry.

Out in the Wild Wild West, a rancher’s wife makes him a cowboy from gingerbread.  But when the rancher peeks into the oven, you can guess what happens.  Out jumps the Gingerbread Cowboy and off he runs, “as fast as his boots could carry him.”  As he runs, he dashes past all sorts of wild west critters like a roadrunner, horned lizard, and long-horned cattle.  But, as with most gingerbread boys, this one finds himself a coyote willing to take him across the river.  The book ends in the traditional snappy way.  The book is easy to read aloud and just calls for a variety of voices from the reader.  Great fun!  The illustrations will project well when used with a group, from the double spread of the Gingerbread Cowboy before he is baked to the yellow-oranges of the desert that he runs through. 

I enjoyed the western theme of the book combined with a real tribute to the original tale.  Share this one in a couple of different themes and units.  You can include it in twists on favorite tales as well as for those cowboy themes.  This is one to capture with your lariat and hold onto tight.

Cooking Up a Storm by Sam Stern.

This cookbook written by a British teen is getting a lot of media attention in the U.S. right now.  The book is full of easy recipes that will pull teens in but also has some more complicated recipes for teens to stretch their culinary skills.  All of the ideas are appealing as are the photographs of the food.  Adding to the appeal are the photographs of Sam with his family doing perfectly normal things like munching while playing video games.  This is a successful, teen-friendly cookbook that is low-key and not intimidating at all. 

Get this one while it is hot!  Stern has a new book coming out in the next few months as well.  Oh, and adults as well will enjoy the recipes.  I am hoping to make the delectable-looking Lemon Souffle Cream Pudding for my family this weekend.  Yum!

Hippo! No, rhino by Jeff Newman.
The inept zookeeper at the zoo accidentally labels the rhinocerous as a hippo.  The rhino is upset by this and tries to get the visitors to the zoo to fix it.  Unfortunately, all of the adults are happy to read the sign and just assume that it is a hippo.  It isn’t fixed until finally a little boy takes care of it.  Then prepare yourself for the twist at the end.
Newman’s almost wordless book is a joy.  His illustrations are hysterically funny, from the rhino using one of the birds on his back as a dart to the dejected rhino at the end who has finally given up.  Read this one aloud with plenty of gusto as the rhino tends to bellow in words that always rhyme-o.  Definitely worthy of the honor of being the final book in a storytime that will keep antsy children glued to their seats.  This will work for preschoolers and kindergarteners as well as older children who enjoy a good laugh.