Five New Story Time Delights

The Bus Is for Us!, written by Michael Rosen, and illustrated by Gillian Tyler.  Perfect for story times, this delightful tribute to various modes to transportation offers large vibrant illustrations, bouncy rhymes, and a catchy refrain ("But the best is the bus.  The bus is for us.") that will encourage kids to chant along.  We see three children each enjoying a different kind of transport:  a boy riding a bike, a girl going "far in our car," and another child on a train to get out of the rain.  When we hit the "bus is for us" refrain, we see the three child hopping on a bus with a cool license plate that reads "Bus4Us."  As the book continues, more children enter the picture, and their ways of getting around become more dreamy--riding on the back of a fish or "for a dare, a ride on a bear" or flying to the moon in a hot-air balloon (love the surprised moon!).  When we see ALL the kids together on the final bus spread, the celebratory mood is contagious.  This will surely become a story time fave.

My Bike, written and illustrated by Byron Barton.  Another fun salute to the joys of traveling, Barton's charmer seems simple, but actually has a surprise ending that encourages the person reading the story to children to ask questions that build some cool suspense.  Where is the boy Tom going?  He says he's going to work, what kind of job does he have?  After Barton introduces Tom, as well as the parts of the bicycle, we see him riding diligently in the Bike Lane, passing trucks and buses and lots of cars.  The crystal clear font changes colors from page to page, and Barton's child-like illustrations (done in Adobe Photoshop) convey a real sense of progress and motion.  Where is Tom heading?  I won't spoil the surprise, but details in the background provide clues.  When you know the ending, a re-visit has you saying "Of course."  But the lad's profession still surprises me every time I get to the end.  A charmer.

Sniff!  Sniff!, written and illustrated by Ryan Sias.  Using very few words but plenty of visual cues and gags, this hilarious romp shows a boy dealing with a wildly energetic and messy dog.  Sias emphasizes and exaggerates the pooch's large nose as the pet sniffs something it considers delicious or fun.  Readers know that the kid will be in one for bumpy day before the story even begins.  Although the boy lovingly hugs his dog on the title page, and then we see the lad reading to his loving companion on the next, the dedication page shows the dog tearing apart said book!  Yikes!  In a great touch, whenever the dog sniffs, sniffs, smelling something tasty, we see thought bubbles above its head (bacon, pancakes, an orange).  A flip of the page shows the dog destroying the breakfast with a chomp, chomp.  The dog sniff, sniffs again (and I love how big the words Sniff! Sniff! are on the page) and we see thought bubbles above the dog's head (flowers, a shovel, a tomato)--uh-oh, you can ask children what do you think the dog will wreck next.   Can this out of control dog ever be tamed?  It all leads to a sweet conclusion that encourages lots of doggy hugs.

Stick and Stone, written by Beth Ferry, and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld.  Ferry's clever friendship tale introduces a lonely stick and an equally lonely stone.  Thanks to Lichtenheld's ever-fantastic illustrations (done in pencil, watercolor, and colored pencil), these two characters emerge as a fully expressive and captivating creations; you feel every moment of their emotional journey.  For example, I love the expressions he gives Stone when it tries to get on a swing (its tongue sticking out with determination, and then its wide-eyed terror as it falls to the ground).  When a Pinecone bullies Stone, Stick stands up to the brute, and a friendship is born.  The book then shows the wonderful things the titular characters do together (wandering, exploring a cave, lazing by the shore).  Ferry's concise text makes this perfect for story times, and Lichtenheld fills each illustration with touches both comical and endearing.  A moment of peril comes along that helps Stone return the favor to Stick and become a hero, all leading to a final visual touch that makes the book, well, a perfect 10.

Sweep Up the Sun, by Helen Frost and Rick Lieder.  Extremely beautiful bird photographs and a lovely inspirational poem work together to create a beautifully designed and emotionally satisfying book.  Right from the very first photo of two baby birds in a nest, kids will be captivated.  The various bird species (identified in the excellent back matter) illustrate lines from Frost's poem.  A blue jay caught in mid-air, looking quite triumphant, accompanies the line "Rise into the air/on the strength of your wings" for example.  The words are very child-friendly, direct and fun, but filled with bird imagery.  The poem encourages to go out to play in the sky, take off in a new direction--swoop and soar, and so on.  It can easily be paired with books like Oh, the Places You'll Go!  even warning readers that yes, there will be bumpy moments in life, but things will work out and you will still soar.  Very very striking.