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.