Picture Book of the Day: Tap the Magic Tree, written and illustrated by Christie Matheson

I have done this story with several groups and they simply love it.  Tell them right from the start that this is a "magic tree" and they are hooked.  And then tell them that it is up to them to help the tree be magical and then they exude enthusiasm.  Matheson goes through the year of the life of an apple tree.  At first it's a "bare brown tree", but she asks the reader to tap it once and turn the page to see, and voila! the tree now has one leaf.  Tap four more times and a turn of the page reveals FIVE leaves.  When in storytime I tell the kids to clap instead of tap and they do love to clap.  The book allows more audience particpation--rubbing the tree leads to buds forming, wiggling fingers makes the buds fall, shaking causes apples to kerplop, and so on.  This simple but vivid illustrations grab the eye, and each turn of the page prompts a "wow" from the crowd.  A truly fun interactive adventure.

Picture Book of the Day: Ah Ha!, written and illustrated by Jeff Mack

After giving us the hilarious Good News! Bad News! last year, Mack returns with an action-packed book that tells a fun story with very few words and only two letters (the letters "a" and "h").  A frog only wants to enjoy a peaceful swim ("aaaaah" it sighs contentedly) but soon a pesky kid harshes its mellow by catching it in a jar ("aaaaaah!" it screams).  The frog escapes this imprisonment ("ah ha!") but soon finds itself in the clutches of various animals (a turtle, a gator, a flamingo) who yell "Ah ha!" when they attack.  The slapstick comedy builds to a wild conclusion as all of this creatures close in, but frog gets the final laugh ("ha ha!") when it makes one last escape.  The book, with its eyepopping cartoonish illustrations that are perfect for storytimes, comes full circle and children love seeing the frog sigh with contentment once again.  A great near-wordless book that can be paired with the newly released Moo!

Picture Book of the Day: Carnivores, written by Aaron Reyonlds, illustrated by Dan Santat

With this hilarious book just out and the wild Battle Bunny around the corner, well, it's been a fun season for outlandish, subversive humor.  Aaron Reynolds does a great job spoofing those stories where a predator wonders why other creatures don't like him and then does something to prove that he can be trusted.  A wolf, lion, and shark experience an existential crisis when their prey run away, refusing to play with them.  Feeling friendless, they decide to embrace vegetarianism...and that doesn't exactly work.  In a moment that joins the list of funniest great all-time moments in a comical picture book, they join a self-help group, led by a proud yet doomed Owl who teaches them it's OK to say I'M A CARNIVORE!!!  The book gleefully turns the whole message of self-acceptance on its head.  Even though I'm a vegetarian myself, I found this book absolutely nifty and laugh-out loud funny.  Dan Santat's illustrations burst with zest and are packed with clever touches (the shark wears a helmet filled with water when on land, the fact that the bunnies the wolf eats look goofily arrogant, and so on).  Bon appetite!!!

Picture Book of the Day: Mr. Tiger Goes Wild

Picture Book of the Day:  Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, by Peter Brown

I have been a fan of Brown's for a long time and this has now emerged as my favorite book by him.  In this witty tale of embracing your wild side, a tiger all dressed in Victorian clothes becomes tired of his oh-so sophisticated and socially restrictive society.  All the animals (elephants and monkeys and such, clad in similar attire) stand on their hind legs and exchange dull niceties that bore our hero, and any animal child showing any signs of wildness receives a verbal warning from their elders.  Unable to take it anymore, Mr. Tiger (in a brilliant spread that shows him going lower and lower on the page) decides to--gasp!--walk on all four legs and roar his way to heavenly wildness, all the while still wearing his fancy clothes.  But these duds soon fall off and this causes his friends to banish him to the wilderness where Mr. Tiger gladly races off the page to go.  What follows are spreads containing the most breathtaking work Brown has ever achieved:  beautiful drawings of the wilderness with waterfalls and wonder.  Seriously, these illustrations could hang on a museum wall.  Everything leads to a lovely conclusion that offers Mr. Tiger a chance to don an awesome Hawaiian shirt and his city folk peers now happily joining him in the rumpus.  A delightful book, one of the very best picture books of this year, an instant classic.
 

Picture Book of the Day: This Is Our House

Picture Book of the Day:  This Is Our House, by Hyewon Yum

In this delightful story, a young girl shows how important her cozy house is.  The first spread shows her immigrant grandparents arriving at the front doorstep, suitcases in hand.  The girl's mother is born and the reader follows the child through a variety of milestones (learning how to walk) and day-to-day activities.  The charming child-friendly illustrations capture the loving antics of the mom and her siblings as they grow up, sipping warm soup in the kitchen, running down the stair to go to school.  Soon the mother grows up, leaves for college, and returns home with "the boyfriend who would be (the narrator's) father."  We then see the couple preparing a room in a house for the narrator's arrival.  After the narrator is born, the reader enjoys watching her go through many of the same milestones as her mother.  This poignant book has a surprising power that makes it feel universal.  And although it is serene, filled with little gentle moments, Yum laces the illustrations with comical details that make this intergenerational slice of life story accessible for young readers.

Picture Book of the Day: The Long, Long Line

Picture Book of the Day:  The Long, Long Line, by Tomoko Ohmura

This joyous book sparks curiosity right from the start.  We see 50 animals waiting in line...for what?  What's the surprise?  Ohmura treats us to a reverse counting book, we countdown from 50 to 1.  As a little bird flies overhead, the animals engage in word games and exchanges to keep themselves occupied.  Ohmura keeps throwing in twists to the action:  a traffic jam is caused by a sheep afraid of an animal we cannot see.  When we flip the page, we see a wolf turned back, licking its licks.  A hyena with googly eyes plays peek-a-boo to charm a crying kangaroo joey.  And pensive creatures take part in a goofy Word Chain game to pass the time.  The animals' expressions are comical and delightful.  And what's great is the book has a wonderful payoff:  the animals wait in line...for something extremely cool.  This exhilarating charmer will invite repeat visits.
 

Some Great Picture Books of 2013 (so far)

Some Great Picture Books of 2013 (so far)

 2013 so far has been a great year for picture books.  In earlier posts I sung the praises of the hilarious Count the Monkeys (written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Kevin Cornell), the divine Flora and the Flamingo (written and illustrated by Molly Idle), and the cozy nighttime romp  Steam Train, Dream Train (written by Sherri Rinker, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld).  And we still have more excellent books from Peter Brown (Mr. Tiger Goes Wild), David Wiesner (will Mr. Wuffles earn him yet another Caldecott Award?), among others, on the way. 

 

It's time to catch our breath and look at a mere sampling of the fun books that came out in the first 7 months of 2013.   First off, Lizi Boyd's exquisite Inside, Outside is a striking wordless innovative achievement that follows a child through the seasons.  Thanks to clever design and die cuts, we see inside when we're outside the house, and vice versa.  The book is a gentle delight.  I wouldn't be surprised if Boyd receives some year-end Caldecott love for this charming, intricate book. 

For pure hilarity, nothing beats the great David Ezra Stein's Ol' Mama Squirrel in which a mother squirrel tells anyone--no matter how big and small--in no uncertain terms if you come near her kids you're in trouble, buddy.  Stein's hilarious artwork (he's a master of comic timing) is also impressive in its detail--readers love watching the mother squirrel in action, chattering and chirping in a menacing manner.  This joins Interrupting Chicken as one of his very best books.

 

Another fun and inventive book is Mordicai Gerstein's How to Bicycle to the Moon to Plant Sunflowers.  A child decides he will perform the titular task and hilarity ensues.  What's amazing about the book is how suspenseful it is.  Even when the events become, uh, outlandish to say the least, readers will be hooked:  will he be able to do it?  Watching the plan come together delights.

 

A joyful addition to the bedtime shelf is Marcellus Hall's delightful Everyone Sleeps in which a bubble-eyed little pooch cannot fall asleep.  The poor canine creature frets, hearing its family's zzzzzzs, worried that sleep will never come.  The dog starts thinking about a wide variety of animals dozing and snoozing, and a lesson follows about how various species sleep.  Hall's lulling rhymes perfectly complement his amusing illustrations of horses who sleep standing up, and snoring snakes who sleep lying down.  The dog's looks of surprise amuse.  A surprise ending reveals that the dog isn't alone in its nocturnal quest for rest. 

 

One of the most exciting books of the year is Eva Moore's Lucky Ducklings, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter.  This tale, based on actual events, pays homage to  Make Way for Ducklings, following the journey of a mother duckwith five ducklings in tow.  After the quacking quintet fall through a storm drain though, it takes a bunch of humans to help her (much to her chagrin).  Watching the community come together to save these feathered creatures is delightful.  And listeners love the fact that the mother, not understanding that people are helping her, quacks up a storm, threatening them like a certain mama squirrel we just discussed. 

Classic Picture Book of the Day: My Friend Rabbit

Classic Picture Book of the Day:  My Friend Rabbit, written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann

I recently had the pleasure of taking part in the ALSC member profile for the ALSC blog.  One of the questions asked was "What is your favorite Caldecott book?"  I have so many favorites (Where the Wild Things Are, The Snowy Day, Kitten's First Full Moon, others), but I have a personal connection to Rohmann's wondrous, slapstick-packed tale of a well-meaning rabbit who always causes problems for his mouse friend.  When I first saw this book I predicted it would win the Caldecott.  And at a library-related reception, months before the award was announced, I made my prediction to Mr. Rohmann himself (whom I had just met).  He was completely surprised by my prediction.  After the Caldecott winner was announced that morning, we spoke and I laughed and said "told you so."  It was very cool.  Personal anecdote aside, this book simply rocks--not only as a one-on-one book, but also incredibly well as a storytime favorite.  Yes, it seems simple at first glance but those woodcuts, upon further inspection, are actually quite intricate.  Every time I go through the book it feels like an advenutre--the plane goes into the tree, mouse cries, rabbit helps by dragging an assortment of animals much larger than him to make a tower.  After the tower of animals tumbles, it looks pretty grim for rabbit but mouse comes to save the day.  What's great about the book, other than its effortless artistic quality, is it has a great sense of humor.  Note that the hippo sleeps through the entire escapade for example. 

    

Picture Book of the Day: Steam Train, Dream Train

Picture Book of the Day:  Steam Train, Dream Train, by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld

Tom Lichtenheld simply is one of the best illustrators working today.  Everything from his glorious "you can do it" tale Cloudette to his rollicking collaboration with Chris Barton, the hilarious  Shark Vs. Train, delights.  Throw in his books with Amy Krouse Rosenthal (including the mind-teasing Duck! Rabbit!) for more fun.  Steam Train, Dream Train works wonders as a bedtime story and a celebration of trains.  This cozy, atmospheric story serves as a worthy follow-up to the very successful Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, also by Lichtenheld and Sherri Duskey Rinker.  In Steam, a dedicated animal crew works on the night shift on the railroad.  A nice, bumpy, bouncy rhyming text mimics the sound of a moving train.  Lichtenheld's illustrations capture the antics of hard-working monkeys, dinosaurs, elephants, and others who engage in tasks that appeal to young readers (the hopper car is being loaded with basketballs, the reefer car with ice cream!!!).  Of course the animals become very very sleepy after such a hard night's work and they all start drifting off to dreamland.  Perfect for train storytimes, animal storytimes, and pajama time storytimes.

 

   



Storytime Classic: Go Away, Big Green Monster!

Storytime Classic:  Go Away, Big Green Monster!, written and illustrated by Ed Emberley

Every once in a while I will profile a book that is a surefire winner for me in storytime.  And Emberley's great, interactive, colorful book deserves to kick this series off.  This is one of those classics that has children yelling "Again! Again!" when you finish.  I have read this book a kazillion times (yes, a kazillion times) to a kazillion different groups and it has never failed to impress me with its ability to win over a crowd.  The children tremble with excitement as the monster becomes assembled--each page turn introduces a new part of the monster's face (big red mouth, scraggly purple hair, and not to mention that long bluish-greenish nose).  I have the kids count the sharp white teeth!  Then with joy they yell "Go Away!" to each dastardly facial feature.  Thanks to the book's brilliant design, a flip of the page makes that facial feature magically disappear.  When the monster goes away, the kids shout "AND DON'T COME BACK!" followed by the ultimate kid power moment, "Until I say so."  This book rocks.

Picture Book of the Day: Little Mouse

Little Mouse, written and illustrated by Alison Murray

As they quietly cuddle and read a book together, a mom calls her daughter "her little mouse."  But oh this girl is much more than that and this imaginative, interactive gem proves it!  Encouraging young listeners to roar, howl, and stomp, the narrator shows how she is anything but a little mouse:  she can make herself tall as a giraffe, trumpet like an elephant, scare off a lion, and chomp like a hungry horse.  Murray's nifty, crystal clear drawings capture this pint-sized dynamo in her full glory.  And if you look closely you will see a mice imagery on every spread.  Lo and behold, the book sneakily becomes a bedtime story, with the girl enjoying a bath, slipping on her pjs, and then happily cuddling up with mom like a little mouse as she falls cozily to sleep.

Picture Book of the Day: Monsters Love Colors

Monsters Love Colors, written and illustrated by Mike Austin

This vibrant introduction to mixing primary colors to make other supercool colors stars a bunch of crayon-wielding monsters who love to mix, mash, squish, and squash.  They also like to wiggle and dance, too.  The red, yellow, and blue monsters roar and growl, and perhaps even eat a crayon or two.  But most of all they love to join forces and turn their petite grayish monster pals into brand new colors.  Austin's joyful scribbles fill the page as new colorful monsters--green!  orange! purple!--emerge from the captivating chaos.  Young readers pick up right away that the littlest monster is getting a bum deal, being ignored by its peers.  However, a nice surprise ending finds that monster getting the mega color treatment it deserves!  Pair this up with Alan Baker's great White Rabbit's Color Book and Ashley Wolff's lovely Baby Bear Sees Blue for a colorful storytime.

Picture Book of the Day: Count the Monkeys

Picture Book of the Day:

Count the Monkeys, written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Kevin Cornell

This book is already in the running for the funniest picture book of the year. On the title page, the narrator tells the kids that the time has come to count the monkeys! However, a flip of the page reveals not a monkey but 1 King Cobra wearing a crown and checking himself out in a mirror. We see the tails of the scared monkeys fleeing. The narrator tells the reader to turn the page very very slowly, very carefully as not to disturb this vain reptile. Do we find monkeys on the next page? No! We find 2 Mongooses (or is it Mongeese?) who have chased the King Cobra away, but no monkeys! Every spread promises monkeys on the next page, but instead we end up with posh crocodiles, gluttonous grizzly bears, and lumberjacks, oh, those lumberjacks who never ever leave. And on every spread the narrator instructs the reader how to make the monkeys appear (e.g., put your arms about your head and roar!). Barnett's interactive text begs to be read aloud, and Cornell's hilarious, joke-packed illustrations burst off the page. A delight from start to finish.

 

 

Picture Book of the Day: 

It's a Tiger!, written by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Jeremy Tankard

If you are looking for an action-packed story, then definitely check out It's a Tiger!, about a boy trying to outrun a tiger who keeps popping up in the most unlikely of places.  LaRochelle creates a cool meta atmosphere with his use of the word "we," suggesting that the author and the reader are on this turbulent trek together.  The child keeps mistaking the tiger for other things (a vine, a sea captain, and so on).  The author asks the readers to yell "A TIGER!" at frequent intervals whenever the fierce creature appears, and usually kids like to add an extra roar just to make things even more dramatic.  Tankard's expert illustrations help accentuate the wildness of these encounters.  As in a lot of recent picture books, the story ends on a sweet note with the tiger basically looking for a friend and a good cuddle or perhaps a bedtime story that takes us back to the beginning of the book, but with a new animal to keep us jumping out of our seats.  This would make an excellent companion to Candace Fleming's and Eric Rohmann's recent addictively entertaining tiger tale Oh, No!.

Picture Book of the Day:  The Sustained Excellence of Elephant and Piggie, written and illustrated by Mo Willems

This past year I had major storytime success with Mo Willems' latest Elephant & Piggie book, Let's Go for a Drive!.  Children love watching these two beloved characters enthusiastically make plans to go on a drive, joining in on such lines as "drive drive drivey drive drive".  It's amazing how much comical emotion Willems brings to these spare drawings (no backgrounds), and how the author can tell such intricate stories with so few words.  And the comic timing, ooh the comic timing...just perfect.  The way Piggie zips off the page to retrieve items and Elephant then addresses the viewer in an understated fashion about why the items are required for a drive tickles the funny bone.  The way the characters look at each other when a surprise announcement fills the air delights.  Willems keeps finding new hilarious adventures for these friends--it's quite a feat that the author manages to make their adventures so fresh and fun.  What's wonderful too is even after all the drama (a broken toy in one book, a hide and seek game gone wrong in another), that Elephant & Piggie realize that friendship prevails.

Picture Book of the Day: 

Flora and the Flamingo, by Molly Idle

There have been many great wordless books lately (Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd, for example) and this sweet story can be added to the list.  Young Flora, dressed in a pink bathing suit and yellow cap, wishes to dance ballet as gracefully as her friend the flamingo.  Lift the flaps expertly show the lead characters striking poses, with Flora emulating her feathered pal.  However, the bird is a bit of a diva, causing the girl to slip and fall.  It all ends with an apology, forgiveness, and a triumphant leap into a pond (or bath).  Idle's expressive characters leap off the page; her spare illustrations (some tree branches, some climactic suds) allow young readers to zero in on the eventful interplay between them.  The clever design enchants.

Picture Book of the Day: 

This Little Piggy, written and illustrated by Tim Harrington

You know the old rhyme "This Little Piggy."  According to the inventive Harrington, the toes/piggies on the other foot have become jealous of the piggies who went to market and had roast beef.  So they go on their own adventures, even topping the antics of the classic piggies by doing such cool stuff as flying into outer space!  This inspires the other piggies to do even wilder stuff like become a Super Toe who can battle villains like the Smelly Sock.  It all ends peacefully and restfully, encouraging little ones to go wee wee wee, all the way asleep.  The kids in my storytime enjoyed this quite a bit.  These piggies/toes rock!

Picture Book of the Day: 

If I Built a House, written and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

 

Some books work wonders in storytime and this creative delight, a follow-up to the author's award-winning If I Built a Car is one of them.  Van Dusen's young budding architect tells his mother about the kind of house in which he would like to live.  Using glorious retro style illustrations, the author then goes room by room as the boy enthusiastically describes the cool things you would find in his dream home.  Van Dusen taps into the kinds of things a kid would find cool:  a room that lets you defy gravity!  a room offering a ball pit!  rooms with gadgets galore that make life easier...and fun!  When I read this to children they respond with glee, shouting out that they too would love to reside in  a house like this.  Why this book hasn't received more attention just boggles my mind.