A Trio of Fun and Quirky New Picture Books

Baby's Got the Blues, written by Carol Diggory Shields, and illustrated by Lauren Tobia.  The witty Shields (The Bugliest Bug) and gifted Tobia (Anna Hibiscus series) team on this beautifully conceived tribute to old blues songs.  You might find yourself singing this book instead of reading it, it just begs to be performed like a classic Muddy Waters tune.  Tired of hearing that babies have it easy, a put-upon infant wants to set the record straight:  it's tough being a little one--with the soggy diapers and all.  For instance, the baby complains:  "I'd like to eat some pizza/Macaroni, or beef stew/But I haven't got a single tooth/So I can't even chew".  Tobia's fluid artwork shows our bald hero comically lamenting his position in life.  Very very funny.

Maple, written and illustrated by Lori Nichols.  A delightful and lovingly illustrated addition to both nature and new sibling collections.  A couple name their little girl Maple in honor of the tree planted in the yard.  The child loves playing in, around, and under her beloved tree.  Nichols' gorgeous illustrations are beautiful to behold, and her prose mixes in some funny lines with the sweetness.  Some drama enters the picture when Maple notices a little Willow sapling next to the tree, and a little bulge in her mommy's tummy.  What could this mean?  Everything turns out OK, leading to a truly cute ending.  A charmer from start to finish.

 

Sparky!, written by Jenny Offill, illustrated by Chris Appelhans.  An inventive and wonderfully deadpan twist on a "let's get a pet" book.  Offill tells the tale of a girl who wishes to have a pet, but her mother has a bunch of rules:  she can have any pet she wishes, "as long as it doesn't need to be walked or bathed or fed".  A trip to the library helps the resourceful heroine discover that a SLOTH would be the best pet for her.  And so begins this hilarious anti-adventure:  the girl gives the creature the unlikely name of Sparky and he responds by endlessly sleeping or just sitting there staring straight ahead while she tries to engage him of games of King of the Mountain and Hide-and-Seek.  Offill's clever story leads to a sweet ending of acceptance, and Appelhans' drawings pack in a lot of very funny details that will tickle young readers.