Picture Books

Captain Small Pig

| Tasha

Captain Small Pig by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Susan Varley

Spend a day on the lake with Old Goat, Turkey and Small Pig.  Small Pig is the youngster who is eager about everything and wants to do things himself.  Turkey automatically responds with a no to every request while Old Goat allows Small Pig to do what he asks.  Small Pig gets his own turn to row, gets to try to fish for a whale, and declares himself to be Captain Small Pig!  Old Goat and Turkey shepherd him safely through the day and into the evening, even carrying a dozing Small Pig home to bed.  This book is gentle, reassuring and a beautiful way to spend a day on the water with friends.

The dynamics between the characters is an integral part of the success of this book.  Turkey may seem stern, but he is the one who carries the sleeping child home wrapped in a warm blanket.  Old Goat is doting and exactly what every child needs in their life.  The skill of Waddell is that the two adult characters’ relationship is never clarified.  So readers can see it as they wish.  They could be two grandfathers, two uncles, or two fathers. 

Waddell has built a world of safety and contentment in the this book.  Varley expands that feeling with her pen and ink illustrations that use soft colors and have a timeless feeling to them.   Readers will yearn to be on this outing with these characters, fishing, gliding and just spending time.

A lovely addition to library collections, this gentle story will float its way to bedtimes and quiet reading corners.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Peachtree Publishers.

Also reviewed by Becky at Young Readers.

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A Very Big Bunny

| Tasha

A Very Big Bunny by Marisabina Russo

Amelia is a very big bunny, the largest bunny in her class.  She stands out in a crowd, but wishes that she was a more normal size.  At recess, no one will play with her because she is too tall for jump rope, her feet are too big for hopscotch, and she is too heavy for the seesaw to work.  So she spends recess standing at the edge of the playground, listening to the wind and watching the clouds.  When Susannah joins their class, she is the smallest bunny.  The children won’t play with her at recess either because she is too low for jump rope, too small for hopscotch, and too light for the seesaw.  So Susannah tries to join Amelia at the fence, but Amelia rebuffs her.  Susannah though does not give up, and so Amelia slowly transforms into a big-hearted friend for a small bunny.  She also learns that it’s not that bad standing out from the crowd.

Amelia is a bunny that I can completely relate to.  I was always one of the tallest children in my class, too heavy for the seesaw.  And I too had to learn, just as all children do, that it’s OK to be different.  In fact, it’s downright essential!  Almost every child is different from the crowd in some way, Amelia’s difference is size, but she will be easily related to no matter what difference the reader may have.

Russo’s writing reads aloud wonderfully with its natural cadence.  The pacing is wonderful, especially when the friendship between the two girls is developing.  I really appreciated that it was slow and steady, making their friendship more real.  Russo’s gouache illustrations are filled with bright colors and capture with confidence and ease the differences of the bunnies without making it comical or extreme. 

Embrace your inner big bunny and stand out with this book!  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

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Here Comes the Garbage Barge!

| Tasha

Here Comes the Garbage Barge! by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Red Nose Studio

This is the true story of what happened in 1987 when the town of Islip had 3,168 tons of garbage that they had no room for.  So it was placed on a barge to be taken to North Carolina.  Captain Duffy St. Pierre used his small tugboat to pull the barge down to North Carolina, but it wasn’t that simple.  North Carolina refused to take the garbage!  Captain Duffy was then sent to New Orleans.  Nope, they didn’t want it either.  Mexico?  No.  Belize?  No.  Texas?  No.  Florida? No.  The garbage was getting older, smellier and more horrid by the day.  Finally Brooklyn agreed to take the garbage and incinerate it.  It was 162 days after the barge first set out. 

This book could have been a dry look at recycling, garbage and waste, but it definitely is not.  Instead Winter and Red Nose Studio have created a book filled with humor and character that tells the garbage story with more style than the facts could have offered.  Winter’s writing is ideal for reading aloud.  There are plenty of accents, lots of exclamations that fill the book with energy and fun.  Red Nose Studio’s art is three-dimensional, witty and filled with found objects.  His art is humorous, detailed and a delight to look at.  It is a testament to Winters’ writing that it is a great match to this art. 

A perfect book for Earth Day or any eco-friendly event, this book will get children thinking about how many pounds of garbage they create and exactly what happens to it.  Even if it’s not headed for a garbage barge.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Check out the video below of the making of the art for the book:

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose

| Tasha

A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, illustrated by Linzie Hunter

Amelia wants a dog, specifically a small brown dog with a wet pink nose.  But her parents don’t think they are ready for a dog.  At first, Amelia tries begging every day.  When that doesn’t work, she begins to ask different questions.  What could the dog’s name be?  Where would he live?  If he got lost would they look for him? Could Amelia walk and feed him herself?  A few days later, Amelia imagines that she has a dog like the one she dreams of.  She makes sure he can’t escape out the door, plays with him every day, and is warmed by him at night.  That is until the morning she wakes up and he is missing.  Now her parents had assured her that if they did have a dog, they would search for him if he got lost.  So off they go.  Will they find him?

Amelia’s actions in the book could be seen as manipulative, except she shows real emotion when she is imagining her dog and when he is lost.  I read it as a strong wish turned into a pretend dog that becomes real to her.  Stuve-Bodeen’s writing is simple and offers repetitive elements that will work well for sharing aloud.  Hunter’s art is filled with details that make this a book best shared one-on-one or with a small group.  Done digitally, it exudes a warmth and friendliness throughout. 

A crash course in advertising and PR, and imagination, this book is sure to be a hit with children who think they need a dog in their house too. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by A Year of Reading and What’s Carol Reading?

Higgledy-Piggledy Chicks

| Tasha

Higgledy-Piggledy Chicks by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Rick Chrustowski

Banty Hen lays seven beautiful brown eggs that hatch into seven chicks.  Only a few days later, the chicks leave the safety of the nest to explore, but they don’t have any idea what is dangerous and what is safe.  So Mama and the Auntie hens must keep a close eye on them.  They encounter a cat, a snake, and a raccoon.  Luckily, they have the shelter of Mama’s wings and the bravery of the Aunties to protect them throughout the day and into the night.

Joosse’s text is great fun to read aloud.  While it doesn’t rhyme, it has a great cadence.  The book is sprinkled with sounds too, so get ready to make plenty of chicken noises to warn the chicks.  It would be great fun to have children at a storytime help Mama call to warn the chicks when they spot danger.  Chrustowski’s collage art is perfect for using with a group.  He uses bright colors and clear images.  The various animals all have distinct personalities, including the winning chicks. 

Recommended for your next chicken story time, this book will fit right in with the flock.  It will also be a welcome addition to springtime units, no yolk.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

The Boys

| Tasha

The Boys by Jeff Newman

I only opened this book to get a feel for the sort of book it was.  I was immediately captivated by the art, the wordless story.  I set it down with misty eyes and a wide smile.  What a book! 

My problem is that I want you to discover it and I don’t want to mess any of its wonder of wordlessness up for you.  I’ve tried to put words to it, but it seems to minimize the story, as if pinning it down removes the life from it.  So I will briefly tell you the premise and proceed to gush about it in more general terms. 

A young boy moves to a new town.  He heads to the park with his bat, ball and glove.  He watches from behind a tree but is too shy to approach the playing children on the baseball diamond.  So he plunks himself down on a bench near some older gentlemen.  The story continues from there.  It is fresh, winning, and sweetly surprising.  There is a universal quality to it, a subtle humor, and a lovely simplicity.

Newman has created a book that is an instant classic.  His use of a vintage style works well with the subject, giving the book a timeless feel.  The only words in the book are the days of the week as time passes, otherwise all of the story is told in the illustrations.  Newman tells this story in the slump of shoulders, bowed head, glaring eyes, and a determined set of a jaw.  There is never any doubt what the young boy is feeling because it is shown so clearly and yet with subtle skill.

Get this book, read it, read it again (because you must) and then decide what lucky person you will hand it to next.  It is a book to read with someone on your lap, to savor and to simply enjoy.  Let me know what you think.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by Fuse #8.

I Am a Backhoe

| Tasha

I Am a Backhoe by Anna Grossnickle Hines

A perfect book for toddlers who love trucks, this book invitingly combines imaginative play and real trucks.  The little boy plays pretending to be a backhoe, a bulldozer, a roller, a flatbed truck, and more.  As he plays, he describes what he is doing and then the reader gets to guess what kind of truck he is pretending to be.  Printed on thick paper with bright, clear illustrations, this book is a welcome addition to even the most crowded of truck shelves.

Written in simple rhymes that have a gentle rhythm, children will enjoy guessing what truck the boy is pretending to be.  The digital art is simple and welcoming as well, especially for the youngest children who will quickly be able to “read” this book to themselves.  Done in rich and deep colors, the illustrations will work well with a group, thanks to the clarity of the illustrations. 

Ideal for toddler story time or for sharing one-on-one, this book is sure to find an audience in your library.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Older Than the Stars

| Tasha

Older Than the Stars by Karen C. Fox, illustrated by Nancy Davis

Celebrate the age of your atoms with this dynamic nonfiction picture book.  Starting with the lines:

You are older than the dinosaurs.

Older than the earth.

Older than the sun and all the planets.

You are older than the stars.

You are as old as the universe itself.

Through a traditional folktale format of cumulative rhyming lines, this book can be read in several ways.  The rhymes serve as a structure for the book, but the real pleasure is in the scientific facts that are presented with flair and an eagerness that make them fun to read.  Young readers will learn about the Big Bang, how stars were created, and how our planet and humans came about.  The book ends with a colorful timeline and a glossary of terms.

Fox’s rhyming is catchy and sound.  Her scientific information is interesting and a pleasure to read.  Featuring strong colors, deep contrasts and vivid design, Davis’ illustrations are dynamic.  They have a timeless feel that is very appropriate for the subject, yet they are definitely modern in feel as well. 

A great nonfiction picture book on a subject that will intrigue young readers, this picture book will not sit still on shelves for long.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Milo Armadillo

| Tasha

Milo Armadillo by Jan Fearnley

Tallulah wants a pink fluffy rabbit for her birthday.  But it wasn’t easy to find a pink fluffy rabbit.  They could find other pink stuffed animals, but not a rabbit.  They could find rabbits, but not a pink one.  Then her grandmother had a great idea!  She would knit Tallulah one.  She started with pink fluffy yarn, when she ran out she added other colors, and in the end she had created something very different from a pink fluffy rabbit.  She had created Milo Armadillo.  Tallulah was disappointed, but got to know Milo.  When she got together with her friends, they all had pink fluffy rabbits along and Tallulah longed out loud for one too.  Milo heard her and tried to be more bunny-like but it didn’t work, so he left.  Will Tallulah realize the value of Milo before it’s too late and he’s gone forever?

Fearnley has created a book that is a delight to read.  Her illustrations and text work seamlessly together, both working to tell the complete story.  She tells a real story without being too wordy.  The pacing is nicely done with just enough humor to keep it moving in a sprightly way.  The pages where Grandma creates Milo are very funny and will have anyone who knits or has failed at knitting laughing aloud.  Fearnley’s illustrations are a brilliant combination of mixed media featuring cut paper, paint and fabrics that really support the story and offer a vibrant and creative look.

A book about individuality, creativity and favorite toys, this is a book that will speak to a lot of children.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Planet Esme and Young Readers.