Picture Books

Pantaloon

| Tasha

Pantaloon by Kathryn Jackson, illustrated by Steven Salerno

A re-illustrated classic Golden Book that was first published in 1951, this book gets a charming new look.  Pantaloon is a dog that loves to eat baked goods.  So when a job opens at his local bakery, Pantaloon thinks he will be perfect for it.  But the baker doesn’t.  He thinks that Pantaloon will eat more than he bakes.  Pantaloon even tries a disguise to get the job, but he’s discovered.  While Pantaloon is in the barber shop getting his hair cut and trying to come up with his next plan, the baker heads out for more sugar.  Unfortunately, he trips over Pantaloon’s bicycle on the way and ends up in bed.  Pantaloon eagerly steps in and ices the cakes and delivers all of the goodies to customers.  What will the baker say when he returns?

Jackson’s text has an old-fashioned feel to it.  It has very nice repeating lines that really tie the piece together.  Pantaloon yearns for baked goods in a series of lines and the goodies at the bakery are listed in a winning way each time they are featured.  Salerno’s illustrations have a retro feel to them, nicely complementing the feel of the text.  His use of bright colors makes the book feel fresh and vibrant.

A very nice read aloud for food or dog story times, this is a retro sugar-rush of a book.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Also check out the images on Steven Salerno’s blog of the old and new versions.

The Sandwich Swap

| Tasha

The Sandwich Swap by Queen Raina of Jordan and Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Tricia Tusa

Lily and Salma are best friends.  They do a lot of things together very happily.  But one thing they did’t agree on was the sandwiches they had for lunch.  Lily brought peanut butter and jelly on white bread every day.  Salma brought hummus on pita bread every day.  Each girl thought that the other girl must be suffering eating that icky looking sandwich every day.  One day, Lily blurted out what she thought of Salma’s sandwich and then, feeling very angry, Salma told Lily that her sandwich looked gross and smelled bad.  The two girls didn’t play together that day.  Their argument started a larger one in their school and then a food fight!  The next day, they sat together and each offered the other a taste of their sandwich which once again led to the whole school getting involved.

The writing in the book has a delightful rhythm to it, using nicely subtle repetition to underline how similar the girls are even in their differences.  The glimpses of their home life as each girl thinks about how their sandwich is made by loving hands adds a lot to the story as well.  Tusa’s illustrations are done in her signature style with plenty of emotion.  They also have a lovely interplay of white space and color washes that make them eye catching and work well when placed with little text or a page filled with text. 

Highly recommended, this book is ideal to start a discussion of differences in a classroom, especially cultural ones.  I love that the book uses food to bring children together, because it can be such an ambassador for different cultures and even different families in the same culture.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

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One Drowsy Dragon

| Tasha

One Drowsy Dragon by Ethan Long

One sleepy dragon wants to get some sleep, but his little dragons are making too much noise.  In this rhyming counting book, readers will find one dragon after another making all sorts of noises.  There is marching, dancing, screaming, jamming in a band, and much more.  Throughout, the adult dragon becomes more and more frazzled and exhausted until the end of the book when the ten little dragons are tired too and ready for bed.  But then the adult dragon is making so much noise snoring that they can’t get to sleep!

Filled with great sounds to make when reading aloud, this book is ideal for a pajama party.  It has a jaunty rhyme with plenty of shouting from the frustrated dragon adding to the frenzy.  The illustrations add even more appeal to the book with their bright colors and humor.  Just the look on the adult dragon’s face will having readers giggling as well as how oblivious the young dragons are to the situation. 

Bright and funny, this is a great counting book combined with dragon appeal and a bedtime theme.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

All Star!

| Tasha

All Star!: Honus Wagner and the Most Famous Baseball Card Ever by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Jim Burke

This is the story behind the most valuable baseball card in the world.  Honus Wagner was born to a poor coal mining family and began working in the mines himself at age 12.  He had Sundays off and would play baseball after church.  He was strong from working in the mines, very fast despite his bowed legs, and could snag balls with his long arms.  At 16, Horus joined the semipros.  His brother was already playing professional ball.  As his career progressed, he became one of the most unforgettable players in history.  But even that is not what made his baseball card so valuable.  You will just have to read the book to find that out!

Yolen uses beautiful, evocative language in her verses.  At the same time, her verse reads in a frank, honest way.  The language is not flowery, but lends depth to the book as a whole.  Burke’s illustrations are done in oil on board.  He has captured the time period with grace and style.  His paintings often show unique perspectives that make the book very interesting visually.

The book touches on many issues, including child labor in the coal mines and the power and importance of sports.  Yolen is especially fine when speaking about the power of sports.  This is a fine book about a legend in baseball but it offers more appeal and interest than that thanks to its fine execution.

A book for baseball fans, certainly, but others will enjoy the story of a legend too.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Philomel.

Also reviewed by The Booknosher.

Where Is Tippy Toes?

| Tasha

Where Is Tippy Toes? by Betsy Lewin

In the morning, everyone knows where Tippy Toes the cat is.  Even the mouse is aware Tippy Toes is right outside his mouse hole.  But once night falls, Tippy Toes sneaks around, blending in.  In fact, only one person knows where Tippy Toes disappears to late at night, but readers are invited to find out!  A very child-friendly format with cut-outs on the heavy pages that will have children engaged immediately, this book is sure to be enjoyed by fans of Spot.

Lewin keeps the words to a minimum here, using just enough rhyme to be enjoyable and just enough verse to keep the story moving.  It is an ideal amount of text for toddlers who will love the rhythm of the verse, they rhymes, and the game of turning the pages to find Tippy Toes.  Lewin’s illustrations are done in strong lines and bright colors that will work well with a group of children.  The pages are heavy enough and sturdy enough to withstand checkouts at a public library too.

Add this one to your collection of books to pull out when the toddlers get squirmy.  It is sure to get them settled again and ready to listen.  Appropriate for ages 1-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum.

The Village Garage

| Tasha

 

The Village Garage by G. Brian Karas

Follow the activities of the workers from the village garage as the seasons change.  In spring, the workers are cleaning up sticks, creating mulch, and washing the trucks.  In summer, they are fixing the roads, picking up garbage, and mowing the grass.  They even deal with the effects of a summer thunderstorm that takes out a bridge.  In autumn, they suck up the leaves.  In winter, work is slower until the snow starts and then they wish for spring to come again.  The book mixes the interesting tools and machines the workers use into the story.  Readers will learn what the machines are called and what they do.  This is a rare book that reads beautifully but also has lots of machinery for children to learn about.  Too often they read like lists of tools rather than stories.

Karas perfectly captures small town life along with garage work.  The use of the seasons to frame the story works particularly well with the seasonal nature of their work.  Karas’ art is friendly and also has that same small town feel and a genuine enjoyment for the machines themselves.  Karas incorporates women and people of color throughout his illustrations.  The book offers great sound effects to read aloud, which children will happily help with.  Chains rattle, the leaf truck sucks noisily.  He also weaves a nice sense of humor throughout the book with small touches. 

Ideal for machine story times, this book will also be a great addition to seasonal stories.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from book received from Henry Holt.

Also reviewed by 100 Scope Notes.

Chavela and the Magic Bubble

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Chavela and the Magic Bubble by Monica Brown, illustrated by Magaly Morales

Chavela loves chewing gum and blowing bubbles.  One day she finds a kind of gum in the store that she has never seen before: Magic Chicle.  Her mother explains that gum is made from the sap of the sapodilla tree, called chicle.  Her mother’s father was a Chiclero who harvest the chicle and care for the trees.  When Chavela popped the gum in her mouth, she was able to blow a huge bubble that carried her out of her room and from California into Mexico to Playa del Carmen.  There she got to see the sapodilla trees and met a little girl with a special doll who greeted her warmly.  The two girls played until dark when Chavela had to chew chicle to return home again.  Once she got home, her mother told her that she too knew of the magic, and showed her daughter the special doll she had had when she was a girl.

Brown’s prose reads aloud nicely and the story has plenty of action and interest to carry it along.  Children will love seeing where gum came from and will also enjoy the magic of the gum.  The real star of the book is the illustrations, done in candy-bright colors that also have a great depth to them.  The author’s note at the back offers more in-depth information on chicle and gum. 

A treat of a book that is nicely seasoned with Spanish, this book will appeal to candy-lovers of any language or background.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by TheHappyNappyBookseller.

Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?

| Tasha

Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Daniel Jennewein

If your buffalo has a backpack, then he is certainly ready for Kindergarten!  This book takes a silly look at first-day Kindergarten jitters through the eyes of a student who is sure to be unique.  Buffalos may have trouble with certain rules, like No Grazing at recess, but your buffalo will also be great at hide-and-seek and serve as a comfy place to snuggle in to listen to stories.  He will also learn about sharing with others and not losing his temper and butting them with his head.  There’s a lot to learn in Kindergarten, especially if you are a buffalo!

This is a hilarious look at Kindergarten that is sure to have children giggling.  Ideal to share with Kindergarteners on that first day, or with your preschooler who is headed to Kindergarten.  Vernick has written the book with an eye towards laughter, but also shows the daily routines of Kindergarten and the various issues that can arise.  It is a very balanced look at Kindergarten done with a lot of humor.  Jennewein’s illustrations are comic and wonderful.  He captures the pure silliness of the huge buffalo at school using simple lines and nice strong colors.  The illustrations will work well with a group.

Highly recommended for all Kindergarteners and their parents, this is a great book to read in August to get your buffalo ready for school.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Big Night for Salamanders

| Tasha

Big Night for Salamanders by Sarah Marwil Lamstein, illustrated by Carol Benioff

On a rainy spring day, a young boy comes home hoping that this will be the Big Night.  After dinner, the boy gets his raincoat on and a flashlight covered in pink plastic to lessen the glare.  He and his parents head out to the wet road in the dark.  In the dark and the rain, the family help salamanders cross the road safely as they move from forest to pond to lay their eggs.  But some of the cars are going so fast that it is dangerous not only for the salamanders.  So the boy creates a sign that says “Go Slow, Salamander Crossing!”  It is indeed a Big Night.

The story of the boy is presented side-by-side with information on what the salamanders are doing.  Readers get insight into the animals, told in a much more poetic and flowing way than the human story.  It makes for a lovely contrast with one another where not just the font and the content tell the different stories but also the tone and writing style.

Benioff’s illustrations are equally at home with the humans and the salamanders.  It is a pleasure seeing a child of color in a story where there is no mention of it at all.  Her art is bold enough to work with groups, and this book as a whole is ideal for reading aloud in storytimes about spring or salamanders.  All children will reach the end of the book wishing that they too could shepherd salamanders across a road at night.

A lovely science story book, this book successfully marries science into a picture book story.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

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