Tuesday, August 27, 2013

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.
 

Thursday, August 8, 2013

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. 

Thursday, August 1, 2013

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.