Two Delights

A Pet for Fly Guy, written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold.  Fly Guy and his human owner Buzz have enjoyed major success as an easy reader series for years now.  Now they make their Picture Book Debut (cue trumpets) and the results are hilarious.  We see the inseparable couple playfully head off to enjoy a picnic in the park.  And in the park they see a bunch of people with their pets.  And in Tedd Arnold's wacky world, these are not ordinary pets, but kids hanging out such creatures as an octopus or a porcupine.  Fly Guy realizes that he too would like to pet, so it's off to the pet store.  Which pet will Fly Guy choose?  The story reaches a delightfully odd conclusion that is truly inspired.  I read to this several groups and the kids loved it.  Pair it up with Arnold's No Jumping on the Bed! and Huggly Takes a Bath.

Number One Sam, written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli.  The 2014 Geisel winner (The Watermelon Seed) is back with this charmer about a race car-loving dog (team him up with Hot Rod Hamster, written by Cynthia Lord and illustrated by Derek Anderson) who loves to win!  Sam experiences extreme existential angst when he--gasps!--loses a race.  He spirals into the doldrums.  What I love about this book is its twist towards the end, which I do not want to spoil.  Let's just say this is bibliotherapy at its best, that Sam learns a lesson about the importance of doing good deeds, that some things are more important than winning, in a clever, sweet, child-friendly manner.  Go Sam Go!!!

Six Humorous New Picture Books: From Baby Trees to Outwitting Lemurs

 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.

Three Wild New Picture Books

Some Bugs, written by Angela DiTerlizzi, illustrations by Brendan Wenzel.  Even those who fear or loathe these little critters will find much to enjoy in this delightful tribute to bugs.  DiTerlizzi's bouncy, terse, rhyming sentences tell the reader "Some bugs click. Some bugs sing.  Some bugs do a buzzing thing."  Meanwhile, Wenzel's truly wonderful, humorous illustrations give the reader an eye-popping array of insects:  crickets with open mouths singing, colorful lines filling the air, or squiggles surrounding buzzing bees to indicate a buzzing motion.  All of the stinging, biting, stinking, fighting bugs come together on one dynamic spread.  DiTerlizzi then instructs us to kneel down close and look very hard for bugs in our backyard.  One last, informational spread reveals all the bugs introduced in the book.  I love love love Wenzel's drawings!

Weasels, written and illustrated by Elys Dolan.  This might not be the best for a group share.  The illustrations, packed with hilarious and brilliant comic details, invite one on one reading.  The book shows us the shocking and mysterious world of weasels:  following the orders of a leader who looks as if it came straight from a Bond movie, these coffee-addicted creatures secretly plot world domination!  With an amazing machine!  That suddenly goes kaplooey!  Humorous asides and dialogue fill each page, and every illustration is a feast of comic inspiration.  Will they figure out how to fix their machine and take over the world?  Hey, I'm not one to give away a spoiler--I don't want the weasels mad at me!

Princess Sparkle-Heart Gets a Makeover, written and illustrated by Josh Schneider.  In this rather startling tale, a red-haired girl lavishes attention on her dainty Princess Sparkle-Heart doll.  Meanwhile, her envious dog spends the first half of the book growling with intense hatred at the toy:  "Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" fills each spread (actually the dog is so angry the "Grrrrrrrr" continues from one page to the next).  There's only one thing for this canine to do?  You got it.  Tear Princess Sparkle-Heart to shreds!  The distraught girl must now repair her doll...and get even with her pooch.  Schneider (a Geisel winner for Tales for Very Picky Eaters) gives us a surprise in this book that truly made me gasp and then laugh quite hard.  His unique style works beautifully for this story.  I love the little penguin that reacts to the tale's drama.

 

 

 

Three Fun New Picture Books About Birds!

Flight School, written and illustrated by Lita Judge.  This sweet, very funny story tells of a penguin with the "soul of an eagle" who travels (by boat) to flight school to learn how to fly.  There the incredulous birds (love the bespectacled feathered teacher) kindly tell the Penguin it might be impossible, but let the excited pupil stay.  After some ill-fated attempts that cause the Penguin to walk away dispiritedly, the helpful flock hatch a plan to get our hero soaring through the air.  It all leads to a great surprise ending.  Judge's charming, cartoonish illustrations capture the highs and lows of Penguin's turbulent trek.  A joy from start to finish.  This resilient Penguin deserves to stand proud next to Helen Lester's and Lynn Musinger's ever-lovable Tacky.

Peggy, written and illustrated by Anna Walker.  In this beautifully rendered comical story, a chicken named Peggy loves living in a small house on a quiet street, with sunflowers in her yard.  She enjoys her morning routine which, we see in a series of Polaroid-type illustrations, includes breakfast, jumping on a trampoline, doing pull-ups on a sunflower (or at least that's what I think she's doing).  Drama occurs when a giant gust wind blows Peggy far, far away to the noisy, crowded city.  Lost, she tries to find her way home.  Walker's illustrations are packed with details for young readers to explore, and kids will love the fact that Peggy spends much of her quest sitting on an unsuspecting human's head.  Walker introduces a fun friendship element when a flock of pigeons come along to help our heroine.

Mama Built a Little Nest, written by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Steve Jenkins.  Packed with Jenkins' excellent illustrations (he truly is one of the best), this lovely informational picture book shows readers various kinds of nests for various kinds of birds.  Strange but true facts about hummingbirds and cuckoos and others pop up and kids will be fascinated by their nest-building behavior.  Ward's rhymes soar off the page, and there are also facts sprinkled about each nest throughout.   Going through this I learned so much about our feathered friends.  My jaw dropped a few times.  It's quite simply a stellar example of non-fiction picture book writing for a younger age group.

Picture Book of the Day: The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend

The Adventures of Beekle:  The Unimaginary Friend, written and illustrated by Dan Santat.  This magical and highly imaginative charmer offers illustrations packed with lovely and humorous details that readers will enjoy exploring.  The story feels inspired by Miyazaki, yet it is its own unique self.  The tale begins with the little marshmallow-like (with legs and friendly waving hands) creature being born on the island where imaginary friends wait to be beamed up to the real world, paired with children.  But no kid dreams up this poor little guy.  Instead of giving up and waiting around, he takes matters into his own hands and travels "through unknown waters" to the real world, one that perplexes the critter.  Santat then gives us human society through the protagonist's eyes, and he gives us moments that are both sad and satirical.  Will Beekle ever find a child who will embrace him as an "imaginary friend"?   Santat has illustrated many fun books for children, but this might be his finest achievement yet as a picture book artist.  Funny, poignant, rich in detail, a real keeper.

3 Terrific New Picture Books: One Featuring an Old Friend

Dangerous!, written and illustrated by Tim Warnes.  There are many words to describe this vocabulary-building romp, a British import:  lively, funny, touching, suspenseful.  A word-loving mole enjoys creating labels and sticking them on everything he sees:  mushrooms, flint, ladybug, even poop!  (Kids go ewwww on the latter and then guffaw.)  One day he comes across a bizarre green object that has him churning out label after label:  lumpy, chunky, muddy, ribbed, peculiar, whopping, and many others.  Turns out to be a crocodile and this terrifies the mole.  Instead of snacking on our hero, the croc starts munching all the labels and this ticks off the mole, leading to a confrontation that results in a delightful, satisfying twist.  A charmer.

 One Busy Day, written by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Jessica Meserve.  Packed with lovely illustrations, this ode to sibling drama is a delight from start to finish.  It's also a tribute to the imagination as Mia tries her best to engage her older brother Spencer who always claims to be to busy to play with her.  So she entertains herself by painting, dancing, and exploring.  The effective book design shows Mia engaging in an activity, and then revealing how she sees herself on the next page.  One page, for example, says "She danced" and we see Mia alone in her room posing in front of a mirror, and then with a flip of the page we read "like a twirly, whirly ballerina" and we see Mia in front of an adoring crowd in a fancy theatre.  She's truly a special character, and Spencer rediscovers this about his cute, multi-talented sister, becoming more and more curious in what she is doing.  This emerges as a moving story, an excellent match of text and art, sweet without being too cloying.

The Pigeon Needs a Bath!, written and illustrated by some guy named Mo Willems.  : )  This new addition to the Pigeon saga is quite simply the best Pigeon book since Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!.  I read to this to a class the other day and the kids would not stop laughing.  I had them yell "TAKE A BATH!!!" at the Pigeon and they more than willingly obliged.  After a romp in a mud puddle, pigeon has become so dirty it scares off the flies.  "Take a bath dude," one of them buzzes as it soars off the page.  Pigeon refuses to hop in that tub, goes through an amazingly complex routine of making the water too cold, too hot, too lukewarm, too hot, too deep, too shallow, too packed with bath toys, too not enough packed with bath toys, and so on.  Will this persnickety feathered creature learn to love baths?  The answer amuses.  Everything about this book delights, from the brown colored backgrounds to the interactive way the pigeon stands up to the readers ("maybe YOU need a bath!!!").  This will satisfy Pigeon's many fans. 

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.