Picture Books

The Everything Machine

| Tasha

The Everything Machine by Matt Novak

On planet Quirk, they have an Everything Machine that does all of the work.  The machine cooks, cleans, gardens, paints, and even colors in the children’s coloring books and scratches people’s backs.  But one day, the machine stopped working.  There was no noise from its gears and whirring.  The people tried to fix it, but nothing worked.  Then they found a label that told them to call a repairman from Planet Bing Bong.  He immediately arrived and took the machine apart.  But now what were they to do!  They tried to help themselves but it was very hard to suddenly have to care for yourself.  Eventually it got easier and then it became fun to cook, garden, and color.  After months and months, the machine was finally fixed.  The problem was then that the people liked doing things themselves, so what could they do with the Everything Machine?

A brilliant statement on modern life and technology, this book is filled with humor both in its text and illustrations which keeps it from becoming heavy handed.  Novak’s illustrations feature cartoon-like aliens which are very human except for their single antenna topped with a red ball.  Novak excels at framed illustrations that show the people struggling to do things for themselves.  Nearly wordless, that two-page spread is pure vaudeville humor that every child will love. 

Highly recommended, this book has Everything and humor too.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

A Friend Like You

| Tasha

A Friend Like You by Tanja Askani

Through photographs taken at her animal shelter and rehab center in Germany, Askani explores friendships.  The photographs are unusual pairings of animals from pigs and dogs to owls and squirrels.   The book has one line of text per photo making it very child-friendly though the textual content never matches the quality of the photos.  It is the photos and the afterward that is filled with details about the relationships of the animals that really make this book special.  Children will page through it again and again, and even adults will want to share the image of the bunny sticking his tongue out at a hedgehog.  OK, I want one for my office wall.

Don’t let it’s cutesy cover and text fool you, this is a charming book with lots to offer.  The book features wild animals as well as domesticated, making for some of the most intriguing photographs.  Readers will ignore the text provided, and instead have conversations about the animals and friendships of their own.  No one will miss the message that no matter how different we seem, we can be friends. 

Recommended for libraries where the photographs will easily get this into the hands of animal-loving children.  This won’t work well for a story time, because the pleasure is in the end pages and the personal discussions, but children will love having a chance to pore over the pages and share their favorite images.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by 4IQREAD.

Tell Me a Dragon

| Tasha

Tell Me a Dragon by Jackie Morris

Explore the world of wondrous dragons that come in all sizes and colors.  There are huge white dragons that fly through night skies, dragons that breathe flower petals not flame, and enormous dragons with tails as long as rivers that share cupcakes.  There are also tiny dragons, dragons made of fire, dragons that whisper stories and songs in your ear, and dragons that curl around you in your bed.  So the question is, with so many dragons what does yours look like?

Morris has created a book that is a lyrical song in honor of individuality and imagination.  Her dragons are all very different but all have curling talons and gleaming eyes in their combination of feline and lizard.  Dragons here are not to be feared but adored as the illustrations show.  The range of dragons from ice to water to fire and beyond is a delight to page through. 

This book is a great conversation starter or would serve as a wonderful basis for dragon art where children could draw their own dragon.  My 8-year-old is often unwilling to indulge in the questions of picture books anymore, but this one really spoke to him.  By the end, he had his own large dragon firmly in mind, a combination of all of the elements with all sorts of fire and ice breath and a deep blue-black color.  He was also eager to look at the end pages of the book and select which of the eggs his dragon would emerge from. 

A book that is beautiful in its own right and one that also demands that children participate, dream and wish on their own as well.  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Featured on 7-Imp.

Snore, Dinosaur, Snore

| Tasha

Snore, Dinosaur, Snore! by John Bendall-Brunello

Three little dinosaurs wake up from sleeping on their mother’s spiny back.  But their mother is still asleep.  She doesn’t move when they prod and pinch her.  She just continues to snore.  They try tickling, clawing and elbowing her.  More snores.  Then they roll her over and slide her down a hill!  Snores.  After rolling down and splashing into a muddy puddle, she just might be waking up.  But they won’t be sure until those snores turn into ROARS!

Simple and perfectly paced for a toddler audience, this book has the appeal of dinosaurs mixed with silliness and giggles.  The little dinosaurs are mischievous.  Children will delight in the thought of rolling a mother down a hill and into mud.  And the reaction at the end is just loud and surprising enough to cap off this fun romp of a book. 

Appropriate for ages 2-4, this book will be welcomed by young dinosaur enthusiasts and should not snore for long on any library shelf.  Not with little dinosaurs around! 

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Gracias / Thanks

| Tasha

 

Gracias/Thanks by Pat Mora, illustrated by John Parra

In this bilingual book, a boy tells the readers everything he is thankful for as he goes through his day.  He starts his day by being thankful for the sun that wakes him up.  He is thankful for things in nature, people in his life, music and food.  At the end of his day, he is thankful for his soft pajamas and the crickets in the garden.  This book is thoughtful and joyous look at life and everything small and large that we have to be thankful for.

There is a thoughtfulness in Mora’s writing that shows the depth of the gratitude for each item mentioned.  I particularly appreciate the fact that nothing the boy is thankful for takes money to achieve.  We can all be thankful for these passing moments in our lives, making this a universal book.  Parra’s illustrations done in acrylic have a timeless and rustic feel, often showing signs of wear on the paint that add to the vintage quality.  The young boy is multiracial adding another layer of depth to the story.

Highly recommended, this book could be used in classrooms to lead gratitude exercises.  It also makes a great conversation starter for families about what is most important, even the smallest things.  At the same time, for younger children it is a wonderful quiet book about a boy’s day and its details.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by HappyNappyBookseller, Latin Baby Book Club, A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy, and featured on 7-Imp.

Namaste!

| Tasha

Namaste! by Diana Cohn, illustrated by Amy Cordova

Nima lives in Nepal where her father works a few weeks every year as a mountain guide.  When he leaves this year he promises to return with a story and she must have a story for his as well.  On Nima’s long walk to school in the village, she greets the people she passes with “Namaste.”  She wishes that she could help people like her father does.  That would make a wonderful story to tell him on his return.  Before heading home after school, Nima greets her father’s friend Tenzing, who is a trader.  After her greeting, Tenzing thanks her with honey telling her that she brightens his day whenever she says Namaste!  So with every greeting, Nima is helping people. 

This book exudes the feel and style of Nepal.  The meaning of Namaste is explained to readers early in the book, so they will understand what Nima is really telling people and why it is so special.  The story is simple and gentle, filled with the daily rhythms of another part of the world which allow us a glimpse into what is similar and different.  Cohn’s prose is sprinkled with words that work well in the context and can be looked up in the glossary as well.  Cordova’s art really ties this book to Nepal through traditional art motifs and iconic images such as the prayer flags. 

This book is a fast and fascinating way to make a quick visit to Nepal and see it through the eyes of a little girl.  It is a book that celebrates the simple and the profound at once.  Namaste!

Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

Below you can take a look at a video with the author and illustrator talking about the book:

Have You Ever Seen a Sneep?

| Tasha

Have You Ever Seen a Sneep? by Tasha Pym, pictures by Joel Stewart

Does a Sneep steal your picnic the minute you turn your back?  Does a Snook ruin your quiet time by being so loud?  Have you swung out over the water and landed in a Grullock’s throat?  Have you been surprised by a Floon?  Chased by a Knoo?  You haven’t? 

This funny and charming fantasy features a boy who lives in a land filled with creatures we have never seen before.  They are humanoid but strange with purple skin, large beaks, and many legs.  It is a great juxtaposition of a normal boy in what seem to be normal settings doing normal things and then an unusual creature arrives and the entire scene shifts.  Pym’s rhymes are effortless as they swing readers through the book.  Stewart’s art suits the subject perfectly with its gentle feel combined with wacky characters in wild colors. 

Highly recommended for preschool or toddler storytimes.  Children will love the fact they are being asked if they have seen such a creature themselves.  Adults reading aloud will find the pacing impeccable.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Red Ted and the Lost Things

| Tasha

Red Ted and the Lost Things by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Joel Stewart

This is a picture book graphic novel.  It is best described as sweet and quiet, two words that are rarely associated with graphic novels!  Red Ted has been lost on the train by Stevie who loves him as much as she loves cheese.  He is put on the lost and found shelf next to a green crocodile who has been there so long he can’t remember who lost him.  Red Ted doesn’t want that to happen to him, so he decides to escape.  The crocodile goes with him, jumping off the shelf and following the signs out of the station.  Once outside, they meet a cat who smells the cheese on Red Ted and then helps him find his way to Stevie by following the smell of cheese. 

The adventures they have on the way are not frightening, focusing on things like rain and dogs.  This book has a quiet story that combines an old-fashioned feel with a modern format.  It is a very good first graphic novel for young children who will enjoy the speech bubbles and the frames that they see in older siblings’ books.  Rosen tells a complete and charming story in just a few words and snatches of conversation.  Stewart’s art works really well here with the bright and bold colors of the main characters contrasting with the gray tones of the backgrounds. 

A graphic novel for the preschool set, this book has a charm about it that will find it happy owners.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Featured on 7-Imp.

Cezanne and the Apple Boy

| Tasha

Cezanne and the Apple Boy by Laurence Anholt

Paul had not seen his father for some time and then he got a letter inviting him to join his father in the countryside of Provence.  Paul took a train all alone and found his father partway up a mountain painting.  Paul had the same name as his father, Paul Cezanne.  When Paul found his father, he was alarmed because his father was so big, so wild looking.  But his soft voice spoke quietly to Paul, though his father would not shake hands because he hated touching other people.  The two traveled together, drawing and painting the countryside, but no one was interested in Cezanne’s new style of painting.  Until one day they met an art dealer who took all of the paintings off to his gallery.  Just as Paul and his father were running out of money, the art dealer returned with funds from selling the paintings and encouraged Cezanne to create more. 

This is a book that celebrates so many things all at once.  It celebrates the connection of father and son, the undoubting love of a child and their faith in their parent.  It celebrates Cezanne himself and his art.  It celebrates the countryside of Provence.  And it celebrates determinedly following your passion and gift even when the rest of the world doesn’t understand.  It’s a lot for a picture book to carry, but this book does it very well and with apparent ease.

Anholt has written a well-rounded and complete story from a summer in Cezanne’s life.  Though the story, he reveals the art of Cezanne, mimicking the Cezanne style in his own depictions of the Provence landscape. The illustrations are a pleasure as they reveal so much of the story told in the text as well as the story of the art itself.

This book will work well for elementary art classes studying Cezanne.  In fact, most children will want to see Cezanne’s work after reading this glimpse of a fascinating painter and his son.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

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