I’m the Best Artist in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry.

All hail the triumphant return of the giant blue squid.  This time he is declaring his status as best artist and demonstrates his great skills over and over again.  The illustrations are as charming as the first book and the text is equally fun and silly.  Sherry continues with his large format, simplicity that manages to capture perfectly the hubris and zest of a toddler or preschooler.

Highly recommended as is the first book.  Perfect for ages 3-6, and a winner for beginning readers as well.

Monkey with a Tool Belt by Chris Monroe.

I am late to the table with this one.  You have probably read the chorus of positive reviews across the Kid Lit Blogs.  But let me add my voice to it.

Chico Bon Bon is a monkey with a tool belt.  He can build all sorts of things and loves to fix things too.  Then one day, Chico sees a tempting banana split across the street and heads over too it.  Before he realizes it, he is trapped!  An organ grinder has caught him in a box and taken him to the circus.  Never fear though, Chico has a plan and of course it involves his tool belt.

This is smart picture book, celebrating intelligence and ingenuity.  The text is so much fun to read with its made-up terms and great pacing.  The pictures complete the book perfectly.   They are quirky, funny and just like the text do not talk down to the child audience.  What a treat!

Highly recommended especially for tool-loving girls and boys.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Sally and the Purple Socks by Lisze Bechtold.

Sally the duck is very excited to get her new purple socks in the mail.  When she opens the box, the socks are way too small.  Then she finds a note that says that they will grow to the size ordered.  Sally wonders if she told them her size, but soon the socks fit perfectly.  Unfortunately, the socks aren’t through growing yet.  And as they grow, Sally comes up with new and inventive uses for them other than socks.  Will they ever stop growing?

The charm of this book is in its simplicity and humor.  The story is simply told with a matter-of-fact style that matches the illustrations well.  Sally is an engaging figure on the page.  Her obvious delight is apparent as is her positive approach to problems. 

A charmer of the story, add this to your shoe and sock story time.  Simple enough to be used with three year olds, this will appeal to children through age 6 because of the humor.  Make a matching pair with New Socks by Bob Shea.

Max’s Bunny Business by Rosemary Wells.

You can’t ever go far wrong with Rosemary Wells!  Ruby and her best friend Louise must raise enough money to purchase Fire Angel flashing rings.  They have to make $2.00.  They decide to sell lemonade at 10 cents a cup.  Of course, Max wants to help too.  But Ruby and Louise don’t want his help, so he decides to open a stand of his own.  He finds his old Halloween candy, displays it on the sidewalk, makes a big sign, and opens for business.  Ruby and Louise have more business than they can handle, and all Max needs his Grandma’s business to be a success.

Wells once again brings her classic Max and Ruby style and humor to a picture book.  Max is the classic younger brother who is pesky, messy and very bright.  While Ruby is a wonderful older sister with plenty of patience but a need to do her own thing.  Wells’ art is her own unique style, less finished than the TV show and even more charming. 

This story works really well and will be a great read aloud for preschoolers and children in kindergarten.  It nicely combines math and finance with story. 

Manfish: a story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Eric Puybaret.

Learn the story of the journey of Jacques Cousteau from a young boy to the scientist and filmmaker through this vibrant picture book.  Cousteau was fascinated by both film and the sea from a young age, dreaming of breathing underwater as a child.  It was his invention of the aqualung that made all of his exploration possible.  This is also the story of the Calypso and Cousteau’s best friends who worked with him throughout his life. 

Berne’s words make this a vibrant book.  Her ability to tie Cousteau’s dreams of the ocean to children of today is powerful.  The tone of the book is one of wonder at Cousteau’s accomplishments, completely appropriate for a figure of such discovery and adventure.  Puybaret’s illustrations continue this tone as we venture underwater visually.  There is a whimsy about them, a playfulness that was also part of Cousteau’s own work.  And again there is the sense of wonder that matches the text so well.

Recommended as a great biography for elementary students.  This could be used in science classes about the environment or when studying different habitats.  It should also be given to those children who shun picture books in favor of nonfiction, because it is a lovely blending of the two.

Trout Are Made of Trees by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Kate Endle.

The title will immediately have children puzzled and intrigued.  Fish made of trees?  Will they be wooden fish?  What could it possibly mean?  Is this another of those strange surreal books mommy sometimes finds?  But slowly and lyrically the story is told of tree leaves falling into the stream, settling to the bottom, bacteria feeding on them, and then small creatures eating the leaves.  The cycle of life is right before our eyes as the trout feed on the creatures and the leaves become part of them. 

The author has created a book that is pure fascination.  Even if you know the book is about the cycle of life, it’s impossible to not want to follow the story.  The illustrations are an interesting combination of cartoon friendliness and detailed naturalism.  They manage to be warm and factual at the same time.  The text walks this same line, creating a story where pure fact could have been cold and impersonal.

Highly recommended for elementary science classes looking at the life cycle.  My children immediately realized that we too are made of trees and started listing all of the other things we are made of: grass, rocks, and much more.  I love any book that immediately sparks such interested conversation and animated sharing of ideas.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

I’m Bad by Kate and Jim McMullan

The creators of I Stink and I’m Dirty, the stories of a garbage truck and backhoe respectively, now turn away from trucks and to another very popular subject: dinosaurs!  Here we meet a T-Rex with plenty of attitude, showing off his huge teeth, big claws, stomping feet.  But he becomes less impressive as he tries again and again to catch something to eat.  It takes his much larger mother dino to come to the rescue with "takeout." 

In this book the McMullans continue their trade-mark dialogue style that will have readers flexing, brandishing and showing off with abandon.  It is impossible to read their books aloud without style and a new persona.  This makes them not only great fun to read aloud, but mesmerizing for audiences.  Equally successful are the illustrations that fairly pop from the page with greens, oranges, blues and plenty of action too.  The words and illustrations have obviously been created together because they work effortlessly together. 

Highly recommended as a staple in your dinosaur story times or units.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Guess What I Found in Dragon Wood by Timothy Knapman, illustrated by Gwen Millward.

Told from the point of view of the dragon, this is the story of finding a boy in the woods and trying to figure out what to do with him.  It doesn’t seem to be hungry for fish and worms.  They aren’t sure if he can sleep in a bed.  And instead of breathing fire, he leaks water out of his eyes!  When the boy begins to describe his own magical land, the dragon is amazed.  The boy teaches the dragons soccer and then finally is returned home where the dragon is met with less than a warm welcome.

The text and illustrations here really work well together, setting a light and humorous tone.  The boy, Benjamin, is a fluffy-haired blonde with a constantly worried expression.  The dragons are huge, multi-colored but not scary in any way.  Their confused looks and engaged expressions make sure that no one would be frightened by them.  The text is very funny with just the right touches and tone.  The illustrations are busy, colorful and worth the time to explore fully.  They often have small arrows pointing out details, making it all the more enjoyable.

A great read-aloud, this one can be added to your dragon story time.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Skunkdog by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Pierre Pratt

Dumpling (the dog) and her people move out into the country where she has room to run, a woods to walk in, and absolutely no friends!  One special characteristic of Dumpling is that she has no sense of smell, making it very hard for her to relate to other dogs.  So when Dumpling was digging under a bush and was sprayed by a skunk, she doesn’t really notice.  But her people do!  They try one way after another to get rid of the stench, but nothing works until they try tomato juice.  When Dumpling is finally clean and stench-free, they release her to the backyard admonishing not to play with the skunk again.  But Dumpling misses the skunk and when she can’t find the skunk she starts to get sadder and sadder.  In this tale of unlikely friends, there is of course a happy ending, except maybe for the people who have to smell Dumpling.

This book is charming.  Dumpling is a round dog with a long nose, made all the more silly by the fact she can’t smell.  The family is wonderfully cartoony, with a round-faced boy, angular mom and square dad.  But the skunk steals the show with the big pink nose and always lifted tail.  Jenkin’s words are equally successful as they tell the story of loneliness and unusual friendship.  The text may seem long for a picture book at first glance, but it is very easy to read aloud and never drags.

Highly recommended for children ages 4-7.  Add this to your dog story times, friendship story times, and to your pile of books that kindergarteners and first graders will enjoy hearing read aloud.