Picture Books

A Cat Named Swan by Holly Hobbie

| Tasha

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A Cat Named Swan by Holly Hobbie (9780553537444)

This is the story of a small kitten, who was suddenly alone on the city streets. He learned a lot about the dangers, scavenged for food, and survived. Until one day, he was taken off of the streets and put into a cage. There was plenty of food there though and no one was mean to him. Soon afterwards, he was adopted. And that is where his life changed. It became a series of perfect days. Days that started with breakfast, were filled with exploring the garden, had visits and naps, and ended with everyone returning home in the evening. Each day became night with him curled on a pillow fast asleep.

This picture book shows the harrowing life of a small kitten alone outside. Then it becomes a rescue and adoption story, one that is pure joy after the rescue takes place. The kitten learns about his new family, the dog, and the garden and house that are his too. There are small adventures, plenty of pleasures like just being with one another and bumblebees. It’s a picture book about small joys and the wonder of having a pet.

Hobbie’s illustrations are filled with energy and carry emotions clearly. The image of the kitten being lifted by his family for the first time is pure sunshine and blue sky. Readers know right then and there not to worry any longer. When they see the gardens and land, they realize that Swan has landed in kitten nirvana.

A testament to the power of animal adoption and the joy of a life well lived. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley received from Edelweiss and Random House Books for Young Readers.

 

10 Great Picture Books about Love

| Tasha

Valentines Day is tomorrow and so I thought it would be nice to focus on some picture books about  all kinds of love to add some warm fuzzies to your cold February.

A Family Is a Family Is a Family Hammer and Nails

A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O’Leary, illustrated by Qin Leng

Hammer and Nails by Josh Bledsoe, illustrated by Jessica Warrick

Heart to Heart Hector and Hummingbird

Heart to Heart by Lois Ehlert

Hector and Hummingbird by Nicholas John Frith

 Home at Last

Home at Last by Vera B. Williams and Chris Raschka

Henry in Love by Peter McCarty

In Plain Sight My New Mom & Me

In Plain Sight by Richard Jackson, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

My New Mom and Me by Renata Galindo

Ten Things I Love About You Worm Loves Worm

Ten Things I Love about You by Daniel Kirk

Worm Loves Worm by JJ Austrian, illustrated by Mike Curato

Frederick Douglass by Walter Dean Myers

| Tasha

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Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

The late Walter Dean Myers shows readers the upbringing of American hero, Frederick Douglass. Douglass was born a slave in Maryland. He was first taught about reading by the mistress of the house, but she soon stopped teaching him. Frederick grew up helping to care for the family who owned him and learned from the children of the family how to speak clearly. He also learned the differences between his life as a slave and their plans for happy futures. So Douglass taught himself to read. He was hired out to work in the shipyards where he met sailors who were free black men. He fell in love with a free woman and made his way North to freedom, posing as a sailor. Once free in the North, he started to speak out against slavery, becoming the legendary orator he is famous for being.

Myers draws a complete picture of Douglass here. He shows readers the differences between slavery and freedom with a clarity that is vastly helpful. He doesn’t linger on the violence of slavery but it is also not lessened or ignored. He strikes just the right balance for a young audience. As the book continues, one sees Douglass grow up, learn many things and then not only head to freedom himself but argue that slavery should be abolished. There is real courage on these pages, risks taken for a real life, and an understanding that Douglass himself was an incredible individual.

The illustrations by award-willing Cooper are exceptional. Done with erasers and oils on board, they have a beautiful texture to them, almost hazy with the historical significance of what they are depicting. There are images of love, others of violence, others of freedom newly found. As Douglass grows up on the pages he becomes more and more the icon visually as well.

Strong and important, this picture book biography is inspiring. Appropriate for ages 7-9.

Reviewed from copy received from HarperCollins.

One Proud Penny by Randy Siegel

| Tasha

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One Proud Penny by Randy Siegel, illustrated by Serge Bloch

Told in the voice of the penny itself, this picture book follows the life of a penny in public circulation. With a humorous tone, the book explains that pennies are often ignored or lost and then whisked back into use again. The metals that modern pennies are made of are compared with older pennies who would have been this penny’s parents and grandparents. Throughout the book, the journey of being spent and then being spent again and again is told. It’s enough to make all of us value the humble penny much more.

Siegel’s text is filled with humor and wonderful moments. Like the mourning of being sucked into vacuum cleaners multiple times or the pride of knowing that even though pennies are worth less than dollar bills, they are much stronger and last longer. There is a great flow to the book, moving from one place to the next in a series of hops and jumps that work to set a nice pace. The tone is one of information mixed with simple life lessons making this very readable.

Bloch’s illustrations are almost comic format but without the framing. He has dynamic loose line that creates characters who pass through the penny’s life quickly. Real pennies and other currency are used in the illustrations.

Funny and informative: that’s my 2 cents. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Rabbit Magic by Meg McLaren

| Tasha

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Rabbit Magic by Meg McLaren

The key to a great magic show is picking the right assistant. Houdini, the white rabbit, was the perfect assistant until an unfortunate magical accident which turned the magician, M. Lapin, into a rabbit. Now it was up to Houdini to carry on with the show and he got so good at it that he became a real star. But even as he created more and more elaborate magic tricks, he realized that the magician was never happy being a rabbit. It may be time for Houdini’s greatest trick of all,  giving someone else a turn in the spotlight. Literally.

McLaren uses words very judiciously here, creating a picture book that is marvelously approachable for preschool audiences. The text is used just enough to keep the story flowing forward and to keep the pacing as brisk as any good magic show. There is also plenty of humor throughout the book, keeping readers entertained with rabbit antics and plenty of magic.

The illustrations are such a part of this book. Words appear sometimes as part of the pictures and other times the illustrations are telling the full story. The magic is shown with stars filling the page and transformations are depicted in stages. The style has a wonderful vintage cartoon feel that is warm and nostalgic.

A funny bunny picture book with enough action and magic to keep everyone happy. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

XO, OX: A Love Story by Adam Rex

| Tasha

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XO, OX: A Love Story by Adam Rex, illustrated by Scott Campbell

A romantic ox writes a letter to a gorgeous gazelle professing his love for her. At first, he only receives form letters back, but Ox is determined. He commends her for how smart she must be to send two identical letters to him. Gazelle finally does reply in person, still aloof. The two begin a letter correspondence filled with Gazelle’s not-very-subtle insults to Ox and Ox returning only compliments. Gazelle insists that the letters have to stop, but Ox continues writing. He sees only humor in her replies. Finally Gazelle has had enough. Or has she?

Rex’s writing is a joy. Using only the letters they write as text in the book, he captures both animals’ personalities. Each is far more complex than they seem at first and just as they learn about each other in their letters, the readers learn about them as well. It would have been easy to set the Ox up as hero and the Gazelle as villain, but Rex is more subtle and skilled than that.

Campbell’s illustrations are done in watercolors and colored pencil. Just as with the letters, there is a wonderful difference between the illustrations of either animal. Ox is rather rougher and wears the same outfit in all of the illustrations. Gazelle changes outfits in almost every scene and is surrounded by opulence rather than the simplicity that surrounds Ox.

The joy of letter writing and receiving letters is captured in this picture book romance. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Heart to Heart by Lois Ehlert

| Tasha

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Heart to Heart by Lois Ehlert

Ehlert makes a picture book entirely from rebuses and puns that is completely endearing. Filled with the same bright graphics as the cover, this picture book is a small square size perfect for a gift or for little hands. Various fruits and vegetables make appearances in the puns, adding a yummy twist.

The simple premise of the book gets challenging unless you read the riddles out loud. Suddenly turnips and beans make sense in the sentences and everyone is sure to smile when the sentence is decoded. The playfulness here is as bright as the colors used in the illustrations.

This book is just right to share one-on-one with someone you love. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Harry and Clare’s Amazing Staycation by Ted Staunton

| Tasha

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Harry and Clare’s Amazing Staycation by Ted Staunton, illustrated by Mika Song

Released February 7, 2017.

Brother and sister, Harry and Clare, aren’t going anywhere for their spring break plus it’s raining. But they manage to visit exotic locales anyway, using their imaginations. Their living room turns into the volcanic surface of Mars. The next day they raced cars in the grocery store. The third day, they went to the local pool and Harry was forced to walk the plank. In fact, every day Clare decided on the game and then managed to eat Harry’s snack along with her own. As the week went by though, Harry started to plan a way to keep the snacks for himself and decide on the game.

The dynamics between these two siblings are wonderfully honest and accurate. The older sister who knows all and manages to be tricky too. The younger brother who loves the games that he plays with his sister at first and then slowly realizes that he wants some decision-making power too. The two children are the only real characters in the book with parents along the periphery but nothing more. Harry himself figures out the way to get his sister’s attention through food and then how to insert his own point of view into their play. It’s done gently and intelligently without drama.

Song’s illustrations embrace the imaginative play of the children, showing how a playground transforms into a jungle and a couch becomes the way to the volcano. The pictures have a playful lightness. The hair of the children is wonderfully wild, exactly the way that children’s hair really looks, particularly while on school break.

Perfect for your next staycation or any time that children are spending time at home, this picture book is exactly the snack kids will want. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from e-galley received from Netgalley and Tundra Books.

 

 

Egg by Kevin Henkes

| Tasha

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Egg by Kevin Henkes

Henkes returns with another winner of a picture book. This time he uses a graphic novel format ideal for preschool picture book fans. The book is utter simplicity, using repetition to show each of the four eggs: one pink, one yellow, one blue and one green. At first they are whole, then three begin to crack. Soon three chicks have emerged! Still, the green egg stays whole and quiet. There is lots of waiting and the three chicks return to help the final egg start cracking open. Then they are the ones who get a surprise when the egg hatches!

Simple and completely wonderful, this picture book graphic novel is great fun to read. Children can help by repeating the phrases the right number of times along with the adult reader. There is a lovely rhythm created by the repetition, almost swinging along with the beat. The limited vocabulary is also welcome for new readers.

The art by Henkes stays simple as well. With firm lines and soft pastel colors, the book is ideal for springtime (or those of us dreaming of spring). Even the illustrations get in on the repetition, using similar panels to repeat as the different eggs wait, hatch and then wait once more.

Clever and warm, this is a very welcome addition for emergent readers and springtime story times. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from HarperCollins.