A Korean children’s book, Magic Bottles, published by J’aimimage, has won the Ragazzi Award at this year’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair.  The article goes on to talk about another incredible children’s book, The Cloud Bread, that also impressed everyone at the Fair. 

Rabbit Pie by Penny Ives is a sweet bedtime picture book. The text reads like a recipe for rabbit pie:  “Find six small rabbits, if you can!  Take off any dirty bits and place in warm soapy water.”  But it really is the story of a bedtime routine for a jolly family of rabbits wrangled capably by a kind mother rabbit.  The joy of the book is that these little toddler bunnies are able to be noisy, silly and purely children as they get ready for bed.  Ives has created a little world filled with crunchy carrots, warm beds and lots of love that makes readers want to move right in.  This is the perfect quiet bedtime book for sharing when your rabbit is freshly washed, milky warm and ready to let rest until morning. 

Honey: A Gift from Nature by Yumiko Fujiwara, illustrated by Hideko Ise is a Japanese children’s book newly published in the U.S.  It is a story told from the point of view of a little child who could be either a boy or girl.  The father in the family keeps bees for honey and takes the child with him to gather it.  Children listening to or reading the book learn about how honey is made, how beekeepers approach the bees, and how different flowers change the flavor and color of the honey.  The illustrations in the book are gorgeous paintings that are deep with color, evoking the wonder and joy of honey.  This is a nonfiction picture book of a high quality.  Share it with children interested in insects.

The Hiccupotamus by Aaron Zenz is a vibrant picture book filled with a sense of humor that bounces off of the pages along with the colors.  A hippo has a severe case of the hiccups and accidentally angers an elephant by hiccuping nearby.  She chases after him and on the way they encounter a whole group of animals bothered by his hiccups.  The text is done in a rollicking rhyme that will appeal to toddlers and preschoolers as well as the adults reading and listening.  This book is quite simply a lot of fun.  I would save it to pull out and brighten a rainy day.

For adults, Zenz’s humor continues onto the final page of the book with the Cast Bios.  My favorite is that “the part of the buffalo was played by a groundsquirrel named Arlo.”  For librarians, check out the subject headings, all rights reserved statement and other funny bits on the copyright page.  Laugh-out-loud funny! 

I’m a Pill Bug by Yukihisa Tokuda, illustrated by Kiyoshi Takahasi is a book perfectly designed for children.  It not only has child-friendly illustrations done with paper art, but also presents science in a very child-focused way.  All of the terms are fully explained and each concept is presented in a very accessible way.  Add to that that we all have pill bugs living around us, and this science book gets young children interested in identifying other tiny creatures they can find.  Share this in preschool classrooms doing insect units or in a general story time.  It is a perfect book for introducing nonfiction to small children. 

This book was originally published in Japan and has been brought to the U.S. by Kane/Miller Book Publishers.  I love seeing books from around the world brought to children in the U.S. 

Oink? by Margie Palatini, illustrated by Henry Cole is a wonderfully silly book.  Thomas and Joseph are two very content pigs.  But their neighbors, the rabbit, duck and chickens are not content at all.  They see the pigs as a pair of lazy louts who do nothing at all and simply cannot be happy that way.  So they decide to give the pigs some jobs to do that will improve their lives.  But things don’t turn out the way the busybody neighbors expect.

This book’s illustrations add to the humor.  The simple happiness on the pigs’ faces is countered by the anger and frustration of the neighbors.  The text is great for reading aloud with plenty of pizzazz.  This is definitely one to share with a group, especially with its lack of an anti-laziness message.  Embrace your inner pig.

Fuse #8 Production has been one of the blogs I read for some time, and I have added her to my blogroll as well.  This librarian at The Donnell Central Children’s Room in New York City has a great job and also has a phenomenal style to her postings.  She is not shy with her opinions and makes for great reading.  This is definitely a must-read children’s lit blog!

Yesterday I attended my favorite workshop of the year.  It is something I look forward to each spring, the CCBC Choices workshop where we get to not only hear about the books on the Choices list, but we get to touch and look at each one.   This an incredible perk of being a librarian in Wisconsin.  But those outside of Wisconsin can order a copy of the list as well, and it is well worth the $10 charge.

Choices always has books that I have never heard of before, and I hope to get many of them on interlibrary loan and review them here.  Many of their titles are multicultural and serve children as either a window to a new culture or as a mirror of themselves.  This is so very important!   Choices also never shies away from controversial topics and titles, evaluating them on the basis of the research and quality rather than the topic.  Also a very important perspective in evaluating children’s literature.

Kudos go out to those who put the 2006 batch of titles together.  I was thrilled to see some of my favorites of the year on the list! 

Ten-Gallon Bart by Susan Stevens Crummel, illustrated by Dorothy Donohue is a great western picture book, perfect for sharing.  Sheriff Bart has been the sheriff of Dog City for ten years and now is ready to retire.  But on his last day as sheriff, Billy the Kid heads to town.  Bart stands up to the angry goat, but is knocked out.  Then the rest of Dog City comes to the sheriff’s rescue.  The illustrations by Donohue are paper art, adding their own humor and sense of style to the text.  The dialogue is snappy and filled with puns, and the rest of the text will have you getting your western drawl dancing on your tongue.  Great fun for everyone from first grade on down.  This is definitely one to keep in your storytime stable.