Picture Books

Dinosaur vs. the Potty

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Dinosaur vs. the Potty by Bob Shea

Dinosaur does not need to use the potty.  He makes lemonade and wins!  No need to use the potty.  He splashes in the sprinkler and wins!  No need for the potty.  He drinks lots of juice and wins!  No potty for him.  He plays in the swimming pool and wins!  No potty.  He splashes in puddles and his victory dance becomes something else instead.  Now the question is whether Dinosaur can make it to the potty in time!

A delight to read aloud, this book takes child humor and brings it to potty training.  Leaving going to the potty until too late is a tale that every parent knows far too well.  Shea uses his competitive framework to great effect here with Dinosaur winning and roaring all the way to the potty.  Used in a group setting, preschoolers will enjoy participating in the roars and the cheers for Dinosaur.  Shea’s illustrations are wide-lined, bright-colored and raucous.  They match the text of the book perfectly, adding to the child appeal and the humor.

A great choice for potty training children, this will also be appreciated by children beyond that phase thanks to its appeal.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Zen Ghosts

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Zen Ghosts by Jon J. Muth

The wonderful Stillwater the panda returns for a third time with another picture book filled with Zen.  In this book, Stillwater spends time with the children as they prepare to go trick-or-treating.  Then after they are finished, he brings them to a place where a panda tells them the story of Senjo.  In the story, Senjo is in love with her best friend from childhood.  But when her father gets ills, she is forced to marry a wealthy man.  Ochu, the man she loves, leaves the village because he cannot bear to see her marry someone else.  But as he is leaving, he sees Senjo on the bank and they run off together.  Years later, Senjo feels she must try to reunite with her father.  When they return to the village, Ochu speaks to her father and then discovers that Senjo has been ill in bed since the night Ochu left years ago.  The two Senjos meet and merge together into one.  So the question asked is which Senjo is the true one?  It is a marvelous Koan that is not meant to be solved.  Modern children may be frustrated by this type of story, but all the more reason for them to hear it.

Muth takes the setting of Halloween, combines it with a ghost story of sorts, and turns the holiday into something new.  The children in the story are always talking about their candy and their costumes.  Just as in the other Zen books by Muth, the children remain children completely.  They ponder new ideas and discover new ways of thinking, but they are children still.  Muth’s water colors are rich and autumnal here until the story within the story begins and the colors fade to whites and grays.  Muth offers several great double-page spreads that really capture autumn and Halloween.

This is a very different Halloween story, but one that really has a place in every library.  It is beautifully written, illustrated with elegance and offers a new perspective for readers.  What more could one want?  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

Alpha Oops! H Is for Halloween

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Alpha Oops! H Is for Halloween by Alethea Kontis, illustrated by Bob Kolar

The mixed up alphabet antics continue in this second Alpha Oops book.  A isn’t ready to go on, but H has to start a Halloween book anyway.  H starts with Halloween, and the other letters join in for a Halloween-themed alphabet that is not in any particular order.  As the letters reveal themselves, poor B keeps on trying to get his word in but is upstaged each time.  He tries to be a buccaneer, but P is wearing the same costume for pirate.  X has trouble finding the perfect word too, but S is there with a great idea.  Keep an eye on the bottom of the page as the alphabet fills in with pumpkins bearing the letters that are in alphabetical order.  You will just have to wait until the end of the book to find out what B has in store for you!

This book is filled with laughs thanks to the underlying story of the letters putting on a show.  The asides from the different letters are very funny, offering a deeper story to this book than just the alphabet and letters. It turns this book into one that children too old for regular alphabet books will really enjoy. 

Kolar’s illustrations are filled with great deep colors from an eerie yellowy green to vibrant reds to glowing orange.  The book fairly pops with color and action.  Make sure to take the time to look at the illustrations because he has filled them with critters, candy and plenty of additional laughs. 

A bright, funny alphabet book that is a perfect Halloween treat.  No trick.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

The Halloween Kid

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The Halloween Kid by Rhode Montijo

In a unique mix of wild west action and Halloween treats, this book tells the tall tale of the Halloween Kid.  The Halloween Kid keeps Halloween safe for all children going trick-or-treating.  Riding his trusty steed, he is able to truss up toilet paper mummies, wrestle vampires, tickle ghosts into submission.  He was so good at it that Halloween was quiet for some time.  But then the Goodie Goblins came to town and folks started talking about canceling Halloween entirely.  The Halloween Kid hadn’t had to fight off baddies for a long time, so he was rusty.  Unfortunately, that made him the target of an ambush.  Now who can save The Halloween Kid?

Montijo has written a book in a slow drawl that is filled with plenty of action and lots of Halloween creatures.  While the Halloween Kid is the powerful hero of the story, so are the children in the book.  This is a book all about kid power and courage.  The illustrations are done in a limited autumnal palette of oranges, yellows and black.  They have a real cartoon appeal to them.  Interestingly, they have been marked up a little as if printed on newsprint that has transferred to other pages.  It makes for a book that feels timeless and well loved. 

A Halloween story perfect for preschool audiences who would like a few monsters but almost no scares.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

Mary’s Penny: A Feminist Folk Tale

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Mary’s Penny by Tanya Landman, illustrated by Richard Holland

A feminist retelling of a classic folk tale, this book combines a stylish modern feel with the classic feel and tone of a folk tale.  A farmer needs to decide which of his children he will leave his farm to.  Will it be the brawny Franz or the beefy Hans?  He doesn’t even consider his daughter Mary because she is a girl, though Mary does have something her brothers lack: brains.  The farmer gives each of his sons a single penny.  Their challenge is to purchase something with their one penny that will fill the entire house.  Franz heads to the market and purchases lots and lots of straw, but he cannot manage to fill the entire house.  Hans heads to the market and purchases lots and lots of feathers.  Though he fills the house further than his brother, he too fails.  Now the farmer is in despair until Mary asks to try.  And you will just have to read the book to find out how Mary spends her penny and fills the entire house.

Landman’s text here sets just the right tone.  She plays with the repetition and rhythm of the traditional folk tale, yet injects a modern sensibility about the role of women in society.  Thanks to the traditional features of the book, it is a pleasure to read aloud.  Holland too plays with the traditional and modern.  In his case, he uses sleek modern lines and modern illustration techniques yet still manages to have something vintage in them.  The illustrations have lots of white space and textures and patterns that make them very interesting and unique.  They also have a flatness that hearkens back to traditional folk art. 

A skillful combining of the traditional and the modern, this book should not languish on your folk tale shelves.  Get it into the hands of parents and teachers.  It would also make a great choice when librarians visit elementary classrooms, because its modern edge will draw slightly older children into the story.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Read to Tiger

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Read to Tiger by S. J. Fore, illustrated by R. W. Alley

Turn on the light, curl up on the couch, open your book, you are ready to read.  But what’s that noise?!  A tiger is behind the couch chomping on gum!  This little boy has one naughty tiger to deal with just as he is settling in for a great read.  After the tiger stops chewing him gum loudly, the tiger growls pretending to be a bear.  Then the tiger starts practicing his karate, with great yells and high kicks.  The tiger then choo-choos past on a train.  And finally picks up the couch itself to look for his whistle.  Finally, the little boy has had enough but just then, the tiger gets a glimpse of the book the boy has been trying to read and its picture of a tiger.  Which may finally be what it takes to keep tiger quiet: a great story shared with a friend.

The humor of this book is evident from the very first encounter with the tiger.  Wonderfully, the zaniness increases as the story goes on, and children are definitely going to be laughing out loud by the time Karate Tiger leaps onto the page.  Fore has tapped into the glee that readers feel when they see the humor in a situation before the narrator in the book does.  They will delight in it.  Fore also has a wonderful pacing to the book with the tiger doing something disruptive, the boy correcting him, and then settling again to read his book, only to have the tiger do something even more outrageous.

Alley’s illustrations add to the action and wild abandon of the book.  Alley’s use of subtle colors next to bright allows readers to feel the snuggly reading time and then to be jolted in turn by tiger and his red and yellow coat in full action.  So much of the humor is visual here, and very successfully so.

If you are looking for a book about the pleasures of reading that is funny and filled with plenty of action, this is it.  Even better, it is the sort of book that itself proves exactly why reading is fun.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Viking.

Broom, Zoom!

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Broom, Zoom! by Caron Lee Cohen, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

What is to be done when Little Witch and Little Monster both need to use one broom at the same time?  Little Witch notices the full moon and heads inside for the broom.  Little Monster needs to use it right then.  Little Witch still wants the broom, but when Little Monster shows her the mess, she lets him use it first.  She even helps him clean things up.  Now it’s Little Witch’s turn to use the broom to fly in the sky.  She invites Little Monster to fly with her, though he’s not really sure he wants to fly at all.

Told in very brief text that is entirely conversation, this book is a winner for young children. Spare and minimal, the text still manages to tell a clear story about sharing and taking turns.  Yet it never becomes didactic at all.  Ruzzier’s illustrations are bright, clear and vibrantly colored.  There is no white space here, just a saturated palette that makes for a compelling visual.

Highly recommended, this is a very sweet Halloween story that is sure to appeal to toddlers who are looking for monsters and witches with no scare.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from book received from Simon & Schuster.

The Gobble Gobble Moooooo Tractor Book

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The Gobble Gobble Moooooo Tractor Book by Jez Alborough

Alborough, author of the Duck in the Truck series, returns with a new cast of animal characters and plenty of mischief to keep young listeners entertained.  Early in the morning, when the farmer was still in bed, Sheep climbed onto the tractor and made the sound that the tractor makes when it’s starting up.  Ba-a-a-a.  Cat comes and can make the sound the engine makes when its starting to move.  Purr. Turkey arrives.  He can make the sound of the tractor when it heads down the road.  The three of them pretend the tractor is starting, running and heading off.  Then Mouse, Goose and Cow arrive with their own noises which combined make all of the sounds of the tractor driving away.  Which is just what the farmer thinks when he hears them all together!

The cacophony of animal sounds is great fun here, especially with the twist of them sounding like the motor, wheels and other parts of a tractor.  Children will love trying to make the noises of the animals sound like machinery.  Alborough excels at making picture books that are friendly and very accessible for children.  His text is simple and fast moving, taking readers directly to the humor and the action.  His bright colored illustrations are zippy and jolly.

Add this to any farm themed toddler story time for plenty of noise making fun.  It will also appeal to children who enjoy machines.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Kane Miller.

 

  

And I Love You

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And I Love You by Ruth Krauss & Steven Kellogg

A celebration of parental love, this book has verse that pairs large and small together in relationships.  The big forests love little trees.  Big seas love little shells.  And my favorite: Big stories love little words to fly around in.  Each large element is shown and then the page turns to reveal the other smaller element that matches it.  Krauss’ poem is lovely, gently showing the devotion of a parent in ways that are tangible and in relationships that children will understand.  The book will work equally well for any adult with a child, whether it is a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or guardian. 

Krauss’ poem is very brief, just a few words per page.  Her verse captures love in so few words that it is amazing, making it very accessible for young readers. 

Kellogg’s art has his signature style, but also an added dimension that is very interesting.  His usual characters with their bright eyes are featured.  On some of the pages, where appropriate, a texture has been added to the illustrations, sometimes organic like grass clippings and other times thicker paint that is built up for the background.  His friendly characters are shown on these textured pages as well, creating a wonderful mixed media picture book.

The perfect book for a new baby gift or for adoptive parents, this book would also make a great board book too thanks to its few words and gentle spirit.  Appropriate for ages 2-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.