Picture Books

The Very Best Pumpkin

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The Very Best Pumpkin by Mark Kimball Moulton, illustrated by Karen Hillard Good

This is a great fall story that focuses not on Halloween, but on pumpkins and autumn.  It is a story about how one perfect pumpkin can create a new friend.  Peter lives with his grandparents on Pumpkin Hollow Farm.  They grow different crops other times of the year, but in the fall they specialize in pumpkins.  Peter helps care for the pumpkins throughout the summer.  One day when out in the field, he noticed a vine that went out of the field.  Following it, he found a pumpkin all by itself.  He started taking care of that pumpkin too.  Nearby, a girl, Meg, moved into a new home and noticed Peter caring for his special pumpkin.  But she stayed out of sight so he wouldn’t notice her.  Peter also thought that no one was seeing him and his pumpkin.  When it was time to harvest the pumpkins, Peter offered his special pumpkin to Meg and they both realized that this one secret pumpkin had already made them friends.

Moulton portrays an idyllic farm life in this book.  Peter does work hard and diligently throughout the summer, so children will see that farming and growing plants does take time and care.  There are several touches that make this book work very well.  One is that the pumpkin is not the largest, but a special one that is perfectly round.  Another is that there are wonderful moments in the text where pumpkins and autumn are dwelled on.  The prose fills out with descriptions of the vines, the growing pumpkins, and the joy of the harvest. 

Good’s illustrations bring a winning element to the book.  Her illustrations are done on paper that is wonderfully splotched and textured, creating a real feeling of autumn as well as intriguing textures.  On top of this interesting background, her illustrations are done in crisp black outlines and warm earthy colors.  The friendly characters pop against the very natural feel of the book. 

A great addition to fall story times and units, this book celebrates autumn in all of its colors.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

Thanking the Moon

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Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival by Grace Lin

Join a Chinese-American family as they head out into the night to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.  They bring a night-time picnic and set up the moon-honoring table.  There are glowing lanterns and tea to drink.  There are also special mooncakes to munch.  Then everyone thanks the moon for bringing them together and make secret wishes.  This will have every child wishing that they could celebrate the Moon Festival too.

A gentle and simple story, Lin offers a glimpse of Chinese heritage in this picture book.  With just one or two lines of text per double page spread, she invites readers to the picnic and the celebration.  Her illustrations are jewel-toned and delightful.  She fills the night time sky with swirls and plays with other patterns throughout as well.  From the plate to the tea cups to clothing and lanterns, everything has a touch of pattern to catch the eye. 

This short, simple book concludes with some additional information on the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival that will answer any questions that readers may have.  Lin has once again created a book that is inviting, interesting and culturally fascinating.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

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Dog Loves Books

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Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates

Dog loves everything about books.  He loves their smell, their feel.  In fact, he loved them enough to open a bookstore.  He worked hard to prepare for the Grand Opening, but when he threw the door open no one was there.  Some people do come in, but they aren’t interested in buying books.  Dog was all alone with his books.  So what’s a Dog to do?  Read the books to pass the time!  So he doesn’t even notice that he’s alone anymore, but when a real customer is ready to buy a book, he is more than ready.

Yates has created a simple but spirited picture book that captures the love of books perfectly.  Her writing is brief and child-friendly, telling a complete tale in just a few words.  Her illustrations tell the rest of the story, including the mood of Dog who moves from great exuberance to near despair, his posture along showing his emotions. Nicely, the moments that Dog loses himself in stories are shown in double-page spreads with full backgrounds while the real life moments are shown in rounded illustrations with white space surrounding them.  This change again demonstrates the appeal of reading without ever becoming didactic about it.

A simple and cheerful book, this is one to add to your own book pile and share with other book lovers.   Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

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Mimi, Welcome a New Toddler Book Series

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Mimi Loves to Mimic by Yih-Fen Chou, illustrated by Chih Yuan Chen

Mimi Says No by Yih-Fen Chou, illustrated by Chih Yuan Chen

These two books capture the essence of being a toddler and the ups and downs of their days.

In Mimi Loves to Mimic, Mimi copies whatever the grownups in her family are doing.  She throws things away, puts on lipstick, plays the trumpet, makes “soup” and even shushes people.  When Mimi kisses her mother after being kissed, the other adults share some kisses too.  Just like Mimi.

In Mimi Says No, Mimi does the classic toddler trick of saying no to absolutely everything.  She wants to dress herself, pour her own milk, walk alone, and slide down the slide on her own.  But when she ends up getting hurt a little, she finds her own way to get a hug from her mother.

Chou’s words are brief and simple.  Yet they have a wonderful rhythm to them, refrains that repeat, and a steady structure that toddler will enjoy.  Chen’s art may have readers wondering just what kind of creature Mimi is, but that only lasts for moments before the story pulls you in.  The art is friendly, clear and very child friendly.  Children will see themselves in the picture books, but they are not here to teach lessons.  Rather they are a celebration of toddlerhood itself.

These books have been translated into 14 languages from their original Chinese. Their appeal is universal and will surely find a place in American toddler’s reading.  Appropriate for ages 2-3.

Reviewed from copies received from Independent Publishers Group.

Where the Sunrise Begins

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Where the Sunrise Begins by Douglas Wood, illustrations by Wendy Popp

Wood’s poem asks the question “Where does the sunrise begin?”  He then offers ideas of where it might begin.  Perhaps the mountains?  Maybe the treetops?  Could it be the marsh, the lake or the sea?  Maybe different regions of the world?  The Middle East, Africa or the Far East.  In the end, readers will be warmed by his answer of where exactly the sunrise begins.  Written in beautiful language, this book truly celebrates our world and each one of us. 

Wood has written a lengthy poem that is ethereal and beautiful.  At the same time, he doesn’t rely on large words to convey his message.  His writing is simple yet compelling.  The use of the question as a refrain offers a necessary structure to the poem, giving young readers a place to return to and start again on another quest for the answer. 

Popp’s illustrations really make this book glow.  Each page is a powerful image, filled with light and softness.  The images are done in conte crayon and pastel that have a depth of color that is amazing.  The complex colors of daybreak are captured in the pages, with their pinks and blues that mix at no other time of day.  Popp has captured the special texture and weight of this light.

A beautiful book, this is a poem worth reading combined with illustrations that elevate.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

The Fantastic 5&10 Cent Store

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The Fantastic 5&10 Cent Store: A Rebus Adventure by J. Patrick Lewis and Valorie Fisher

Something new has appeared at the end of town.  Benny Penny sets off to find out what it is and discovers a five and dime store that is filled with unusual items.  The only thing missing at the store are customers and Benny Penny has an idea of how to bring them in!  Pure silliness, this book celebrates the hodgepodge of an old-fashioned dime store with its amazing mishmash of offerings. Told in rebus format, this book is not designed for emerging readers because the rebus clues are rather difficult.  Instead hand this one to reluctant readers who are a bit older and will enjoy deciphering the story. 

Lewis has written a poem filled with the strange and zany.  It is perfect fodder for a rebus because it offers so much to draw from for the clues.  Fisher’s illustrations and her rebus creations are very colorful and creative.  They have a combination of vintage prints, physical items and modern illustrations.  The mix is refreshing and fun, just like the rest of the book.

The puzzles in the rebus can be difficult to decipher, but that just makes it all the more rewarding and fun to try.  Readers can also use context in the sentences to help with figuring things out. 

An unusual and adept book that will have readers puzzling things out with smiles on their faces.  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

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In Front of My House: A Circular Journey of Imagination

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In Front of My House by Marianne Dubuc

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened this book.  It’s not a normal picture book size, being rather square and short.  But it was the length that threw me most of all.  It’s much longer than most picture books, having the heft of a chapter book.  But oh how I enjoyed this squat little book.

The book starts out on a hill under a tree with a house.  In front of the house is a rosebush.  On the rosebush is a little bird.  Above the bird is a window.  Head through the window, and the into the room, open the book of fairy tales and your journey really begins.  This is a very engaging book with short sentences that bridge the page turn so that the next step of the story is hidden until you turn the page.  It is a very simple concept, but one that mirrors a child’s imagination so closely that it reaches beyond that simplicity and becomes something more.  One really never knows what is around that next page turn…

Dubuc keeps her sentences very basic, using only a single adjective at times and plenty of prepositional phrases.  Her illustrations have the same simple approach with plenty of white space that allows the object itself to really be highlighted.  The book design is exceptional.  The words curve, blast, stand vertical like a tree, hang upside down.  It is a dynamic book that is delightful to read. 

This is a book that will inspire circular story telling in children and will work to get creative juices flowing.  What other book has vampires, werewolves, a whale, a dragon, a bear, and a lost baby penguin?  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Kids Can Press.

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Ivy Loves to Give

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Ivy Loves to Give by Freya Blackwood

Ivy is a little girl who loves to give gifts.  She gives a snail a shoe, glasses to the dog, tea to the hen, and a pacifier to the cat.  Wait, that doesn’t feel right.  Sometimes she does get it all right.  The baby gets his pacifier.  Her mother gets her tea, now with an egg in the cup.  Her grandmother gets the glasses.  Her father gets his shoe.  But there is one thing that Ivy doesn’t want to give away, even though it’s not hers to keep.  But she has just the right gift to say thank you for something given to her.

Blackwood keeps this book short and very sweet.  Her brief lines of text are ideal for toddlers who will understand both the love of gifting and the love of keeping all wrapped up together.  While the concept of the book is simple and will have children laughing at the mix-ups, Blackwood nicely ties the end together with something a bit more complicated.  Handled very successfully, the topic of giving and taking is secondary to the family relationships we see at work in the book.

Blackwood’s art is done in pencil and watercolor, giving it a beautiful softness.  The layout of the book is done with attention to the way it will read, offering plenty of white space beyond that needed for the words themselves.  This expansive feel makes the book feel welcoming and warm.  Her colors are vibrant and work to create illustrations that will function well with a group.

A solid choice for toddlers, this book is appropriate for ages 1-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

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The Last Train: Take a Trip into History

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The Last Train by Gordon Titcomb, illustrated by Wendell Minor

Based on a song by Gordon Titcomb, this book celebrates the days of the steam engines and small depots.  A modern child visits the decrepit old depot in his town, the rusty tracks that no long gleam.  He thinks about his grandfather and father and the work they did on the railroad.  He dreams of huge engines and shiny cars streaking past.  His box of memorabilia has plenty of memories stored inside of the glory days of the railroad.  Titcomb’s words are enduring as he speaks to the wondrous power of the steam locomotive and the days when they ran.  Minor’s art brings both modern days and history to life in warm colors, allowing young train enthusiasts to dream along with him about the power of steam.

Titcomb’s song and this book really celebrate the steam engine and the magic that those days still hold for modern children.   The entire book is nicely summed up in the final lines:

A blast of steam,

the whistle screamed its mournful last refrains,

Long silent, though its echo still remains.

The words are poetry, they rhyme and dance, chugging along at times, at others sleekly gliding past.  He captures the joy of the rails perfectly.

Minor’s art is celebrates the trains too.  From the engine in the darkness under a star-filled sky to the caboose disappearing as the snow blows in.  But he also celebrates a child’s relationship with trains.  His old depot is filled with details that bring it to life.  His meadows of flowers serve as a backdrop to the aging railyard.  His flattened coins remind us all of sunny days and the surprising warmth of a smashed coin after the train goes by.  In short, he shows us just why we all love trains.

A beautiful book, this is sure to be enjoyed by train lovers old and young.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from illustrator.