Digger Dog, written by William Bee, illustrated by Cecilia Johansson. Wow, do Johansson's illustrations, with their mix of polka-dots and construction vehicles, pop off the page. This book practically begs to be read to large groups of kids bound to find Digger Dog's quest for a ginormous bone enormously entertaining. The canine hero loves to sniff for and uncover bones. One day he smells something good under the ground. An ordinary shovel cannot reach what is bound to be a tasty treat ("the ground is too hard/and the bone is too deep"). So Digger Dog has to employ a digger to help him, but the construction vehicle is too small, so he needs to use a bigger one and so on and so on. Cleverly rendered flaps capture the enormity of the situation, leading to a surprise ending that will have young readers shouting with joy: Keep Digging Digger Dog!!!!
The Baby Tree, written and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Blackall's distinct, gorgeous illustrations please the eye in this story of a boy wanting to know where babies come from, and receiving a bunch of bizarre answers that puzzle him more than enlighten. After his parents tell him a "new baby is coming," the young protagonist first asks for more cereal, but then after a second helping of cocopops searches for an answer to his baby-related query. His sister says they come from a Baby Tree, and we see him imagine a tree with babies instead of leaves (the cover image). Grandpa says there's a stork involved, the mailman says they pop out of eggs (causing the boy to see a baby hatching out of an egg in a nest). Finally his parents give him a proper scientific explanation, one that gives him confidence to set Grandpa straight. Lovely and whimsical.
Because I Stubbed My Toe, written and illustrated by Shawn Byous. Vibrant cartoonish illustrations add hilarity to this cause and effect story that grows more outlandish as it goes along but, phew, results in a happy ending for our poor hero. After he stubs his toe on an ill-placed red chair, a boy's anguished reaction triggers a wild series of events. A dog scares a cat who jumps out the window, landing on a girl who drops her ice cream cone on the road causing an accident, and so on. The characters' expressions tickle the funny bone as bouncy houses are destroyed and zoo elephants are released. A fun, rollicking romp.
I Am Otter, written and illustrated by Sam Garton. I think otters rock, so I was very happy to make this hapless otter's acquaintance. Garton's wildly original tale introduces us to a furry little creature who shows up mysteriously on a guy's porch one day. The otter dubs the human The Otter Keeper and grows to like the man after some trepidation. All is well until the Otter Keeper has to go to work on Mondays, and poor otter flips out, not wanting him to leave. Left to his own devices, the otter, along with his toys, decides to be productive and open a toast restaurant. Why not? Who doesn't love toast! But it all goes very very wrong in hilarious ways. I love the way Garton draws the otter, an instantly lovable character endearing even when he's being a bit of a klutz. His toys are also quite amusing--I love the toy pig's surprised expression, and how the robot and giraffe both look guilty of the crimes otter accuses them of.
The Farmer's Away! Baa! Neigh!, written and illustrated by Anne Vittur Kennedy. This farmyard frolic might need a little bit of practice before reading out loud, but Kennedy gives it all a bouncy beat that is quite infectious. After a farmer leaves for the day, the farm animals cannot contain themselves--they burst with joy. Kennedy then gives the reader a tour de force in animal noise revelry. The text is completely animal sounds, but done in a cool, comical, rhyming style. For the spread showing the animals enjoying a picnic: "arf neigh cluck cluck/cock-a-doodle doo/mama mew mama mew/splish neigh moo" (the splish referring to a fish splashing around in horse's juice glass). I love what the animals are doing in this book: roller coaster rides, waterskiing tricks, and so on. Jubilant, the kind of book that will have kids shouting "again! again!"
How to Lose a Lemur, written and illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. Some of the very best nonsensical children's picture books operate on their own inner-logic. Take this one for example. In the wonderfully strange world of this tale, lemurs become stalkers: "Everyone knows that once a lemur takes a liking to you, there is not much that can be done about it" says the narrator, and the image accompanying this text shows a lemur presenting a concerned-looking boy with an uprooted flower. The boy tries to outrun and outwit a growing group of lemurs who won't leave him alone. He tries climbing trees, zooming away on his bike, but those clingy lemurs won't leave him be. Preston-Gannon's dynamite illustrations are beautifully rendered, packing in funny details. And I love how the story's arc comes full circle, reversing the journey the boy has just taken. Sweet ending too.
