A Trio of Idiosyncratic Winners

The Hueys in None the Number, written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers.  Jeffers, he of the human characters with round bodies and stick figure arms and legs, turns the typical counting book on its head with this whimsical celebration of the concept of "none."  With not a moment to spare, the blue-clad Huey begins by pointing at an empty space and asking his white-clad co-star "How many lumps of cheese do you see just there?" to which the perplexed pal answers "Um...I don't see any."  A counting lesson (from 1 to 10) ensues which each spread asking readers such things as three chairs, four temper tantrums, nine seagulls, and so on.  On the climactic spread, objects appearing or mentioned during the counting lesson all appear but disappear with a flip of the page, leaving, you got it...NONE!  A fun charmer of a book, sly, another Jeffers gem.

Rules of Summer, written and illustrated by Shaun Tan.  Lush, surrealistic, nightmarish, and witty, Tan's latest, about two brothers playing in a bizarre landscape filled with robots and strange creatures, is an instructional and etiquette book like no other.  A rule appears on the left page, while a brilliantly rendered painting illustrating the consequences of breaking the rule fills the right.  Some of the rules make perfect sense.  "Never leave the back door open overnight," for example--yes, who would want to let in the giant lizards and overflowing plants that can take over the house?  But others tickle the brain and eye--"never step on a snail" more than implies that if you do so, a raging tornado will come your way.  Some of the very best books for children have their own internal dream logic that children are wise enough to understand, and this is one of them. 

Two Parrots, written and illustrated by Rashin, inspired by a tale from Rumi.  Once upon a time in Persia lived in a wealthy globe-trotting merchant who received, as a gift, a beautiful parrot who, despite living in a shiny golden cage, cannot stop being sad.  As the merchant tries to figure out a way to make his parrot happy, Iranian-born author/illustrator Rashin delights with her colorful and comical artwork that jumps off the page, and her darkly funny storytelling that tickles the funny bone.  There's a twist halfway through that might startle young listeners (I know I gasped), but all ends well...if not for the merchant, then for his feathery prized possession.  I cannot wait to see more from this gifted illustrator!