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.
