Jake Starts School by Michael Wright

This second Jake book by Wright follows Jake as he starts on his first day of school.  Jake happily gets ready for school but is very surprised by how many kids are at the school, how huge the door is, and by his teacher too.  He grabs his parents around the knees and refuses to let either of them go.  So there is no other choice, all three of them have to attend class together while Jake holds on.  But Jake can’t do much while holding onto his parents, and though it takes awhile, he is finally able to let go.

Wright has taken the classic first-day-of-school-book and turned it into a screamingly funny picture book.  His characters are long-faced and often quizzical.  They emote wonderfully and often there are small touches that add even more humor.  The text is rhyming, once more evoking traditional picture books, but again Wright merrily decides to add gas passing and popular gags to the text.

This book is not ideal to use with kindergarten children heading to their first day because it really is not aimed at easing fears.  But first and second graders will howl at the humor and adore this book.  Recommended for ages 6-8.

Sandy’s Circus: a story about Alexander Calder by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Boris Kulikov.

Alexander Calder is known for his incredible mobiles like the one on the right.  But this book focuses on one of his first creations, from sketches and wire designs to his amazing circus built from wire.  The circus worked through springs and levers, sending the wire characters through their acts. 

Through play and wonder, this book captures Calder at his most elementary and most childlike.  The story is captivating and vividly written, letting children understand that though Calder did not consider himself an artist, he certainly was one.  Kulikov’s art perfectly captures the time period and Calder’s art.

A perfect book to share with art classes in elementary school, this is a great introduction to Calder and his art.  Recommended for ages 4-8.

Jake’s Best Thumb by Ilene Cooper, illustrated by Claudio Munoz.

Jake loves to suck his thumb.  People in his family worry about it, but he continues to do it.  When Jake starts kindergarten, he depends on his thumb to get him through the day.  But one child in his class calls him a "thumb sucker" in a mean way and his teacher suggests that it might be best if Jake not suck his thumb in school.  Jake tries, but isn’t always successful.  But the bully is there whenever he does to tease him.  Jake makes friends with Nell, a girl who has a stuffed cat that she takes with her to school.  When Cliff the bully teases them both, he drops a scrap of material from his pocket.  It’s his blankie.  Jake seizes the fabric and demands that all of the teasing stop before he will return it.

One of the pleasures of this book is how authentically it reads.  Jake’s problems are not easily solved, there is no magic moment where he suddenly stops sucking his thumb.  The bully is not evil at any time, just teasing and mean.  And Jake’s family is nuanced in their reactions to the thumb sucking.  Munoz’s art is bright, friendly and fun.  Cooper’s text reads aloud well and offers great discussion points for teasing, bullying, and dependence on comfort objects.

Recommended not as bibliotherapy, but as a great read-aloud to share with many types of children.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Market Day by Carol Foskett Cordsen, illustrated by Douglas B. Jones

A merry day at the market is made all the more interesting by a hungry cow.  The Bensons get a late start on market day and have to rush.  They pick the apples they are going to sell and then rush out of the farm gate, not closing it behind them.  In their hurry, they have also forgotten to feed the cow, who sees the open gate and follows along behind.  When they all reach the market, the cow causes all sorts of trouble before finding her family and finally getting fed.  Apples, of course.

A wonderful, warm autumnal title, readers will enjoy the traditional feel of the illustrations paired with the rhymed couplets in the text.  The rhymes are not forced at all, but instead seem effortless.  With the speed of the story and the rush, the use of rhyme works well. 

A wonderful book to share when doing either cow or apple stories.  It is the perfect read on a fall day or when a class is heading to an orchard for a field trip.  Recommended for children ages 3-5.

Vunce Upon a Time by J. Otto Seibold and Siobhan Vivian

Dagmar was not a normal vampire.  Instead of drinking blood like other vampires, Dagmar eats vegetables.  When his veggies don’t grow fast enough, he can always turn to his stash of candy.  Now he is down to his very last gummy worm.  Luckily a skeleton tells him about the holiday called Halloween which will help him replenish his supply, but Dagmar’s parents refuse to let him go.  Upset, Dagmar heads out anyway in bat form and discovers that not everything you see on Halloween night is to be believed.

A very friendly story with nothing scary in the storyline, this book has lots of great humor to match its fun illustrations.  The illustrations are done in a modern style paying homage to vintage picture books.  The colors are bright, the book will project well to a group, and the story is well matched.  The text is fast moving, interesting and silly.

Recommended to read to a group of children full to the brim with sugar.  This book is good enough to keep them listening.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Peekaboo Bedtime by Rachel Isadora.

A game of peekaboo leads to bedtime through the eyes of a precious toddler.  Set in the evening, the little one peeks and finds grandparents, the moon, a cat, a puppy, a rubber duckie, and finally blankie and bed.  Done with a wonderful spirit and gentle sense of fun, this book captures the surprise of peekaboo with a delightfully small group of words.

Isadora’s vibrant and luscious paintings are pitch perfect and capture glimpses of the child’s loving family and a gentle, caring feel.  With large fonts, few words and an endearing main character, this book is sure to be a hit with toddlers and babies.

The perfect bedtime snuggling book, this book is appropriate for sleepy or not-so-sleepy babies and toddlers.

Bandit by Karen Rostoker-Gruber, illustrated by Vincent Nguyen.

Poor Bandit, his entire home has been packed up around him.  No couch, no litter box, no food bowl.  He is put into a carrier and immediately knows that he is headed for the vet.  But instead he finds himself in an empty house with none of his beloved things!  So he heads back out on his own and returns to his house, curling up in the sunny spot he loves.  His owner comes to rescue him when the new family throws him out of the house, and when they return to the new home he finds all of his things waiting there for him.

This is a great book to share with small children about moving.  Bandit is a captivating character who doesn’t back down from anything and is constantly making side-remarks to everyone around.  While Bandit talks like a person to the reader, he is entirely animal-like in his behavior.  Nguyen’s illustrations are done in a comic-book style with thought and speech bubbles and frames.  The use of a newspaper-like background also adds to this feel.

Children will see their own worries about moving reflected here and will enjoy the light tone and the animal character.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell.

The team of Curtis and Cornell return with another great book for children.  Curtis may just be the sole celebrity children’s book author who really has street cred.  As with the rest of their books, this one is bright, funny and lifts children up rather than talking down to them.  Here they look at big words, words that will empower children to have their own discussions with grownups by using grownup words.  Big words like privacy, consequences, responsible, and respect.  All words that children will hear in school and will want to understand really well.

The illustrations are once again warm, silly and joyous.  The text embraces this same feel, allowing itself to be childlike and fun but not demeaning at all.

Recommended for sharing with Kindergarten classes early in the year so they understand school rules, but also for children who enjoy words too.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Sir Reginald’s Logbook by Matt Hammill

Sir Reginald is on a mission to find the Lost Tablet of Illusion hidden somewhere in the jungle.  He has to face many dangers on his quest, following the footprints of the huge beast who has snatched the Tablet from its resting place.  But nothing will stop him, not bats, a huge snake, a large baboon or even the Great Purple Angler-Fish!

The illustrations here are done in bright colors and the action is vividly captured.  These adventurous illustrations are done on lined paper as if pulled from the very journal Sir Reginald is keeping.  In contrast, what is REALLY happening is done on plain white paper in black ink.  So readers can see what the snake really is – a sock and what mundane other items are parts of Reginald’s creativity. 

Young readers will adore the parallels between Sir Reginald and Indiana Jones in their jungle adventures.  The realization that it is all pretend doesn’t take away from the story at all, it adds silliness and fun.  Hammill’s illustrations set just the right tone as does his text which never admits to the reality that the pictures are displaying. 

A rousingly fun read, this book should be given to children who enjoy adventure tales.  Better read alone than in a group, so that the pictures can be closely examined, this book is appropriate for ages 5-7.