Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton (Candlewick, 2012) is a book I can’t quite bring myself to like, and yet my son loves it! Part of my dislike relates to the computer-rendered modern images: the bright orange and red illustrations remind me of computer drawings I attempted years ago and the typeface is also rather
Alice Dagliesh’s The Thanksgiving Story (illustrated by Helen Sewell) is nonfiction picture book about a child’s family traveling to Plymouth. Because it is has dated illustrations, it was not a favorite for my son. Ironically, The Thanksgiving Story won a Caldecott Honor for its illustrations. The Thanksgiving Story has lots of details, and we read it over
My son (age 5) and I learned about the departure of the pilgrims and the voyage of the Mayflower in Tattered Sails by Verla Kay and Dan Andreasen. Although Kay never mentions either the Mayflower or the pilgrims by name, in her book, she depicts children in a crowded and dirty city, a crowded and dirty boat, and then
I read a number of Cybils nominees again this week, but today I bring you just one. It is unlike any other picture book I’ve read this year! In a bizarre twist of storytelling, Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown (Simon and Schuster 2012) is a ridiculous story about carrots who
Olive and the Big Secret by Tor Freeman (Templar Books, 2012) tells of one girl’s challenge to keep a secret her best friend told her! I’m sure many kids can relate to knowing a tantalizing secret that just dares to be told. The mixed media illustrations of a group of animals friends give it a
Two friends see events in strikingly different ways in Good News Bad News by Jeff Mack (Chronicle Books, 2012). Using those two phrases, Mack tells the story of a rabbit who wants to picnic with his friend mouse. However, every time Rabbit sees something that he calls “good news,” Mouse has to find something wrong.
Squid and Octopus: Friends for Always by Tao Nyeu (Dial Books, 2012) is almost a Frog and Toad friendship for the aquatic world. Squid and Octopus are almost indistinguishable (something I also thought about Frog and Toad when I was a kid) and they are best friends. In four brief chapters, they have a silly
A Home for Bird by Philip C. Stead (Roaring Brook Press, 2012) is one of those picture books that requires the illustrations to get the full story. Vernon the frog is a very determined friend, who wants to help Bird find a home, even though Bird is shy and does not respond to any of
I’m Bored by Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi (Simon and Schuster, 2012) is simply fantastic in every way. I’m Bored kind of defies all description. In this book, a bored little girl begins a conversation with a potato, in which she finds she must convince the potato that no, kids are
Pilgrim Cat by Carole Antoinette Peacock and illustrated by Doris Ettinger (Albert Whitman 2004) is a historical fiction picture book written in prose. It does not read as well as Tattered Sails (reviewed here), but it does provide a different perspective on Thanksgiving. It tells a story of traveling on the Mayflower, settling in Plymouth, working,
Which leads us to No Bears by Meg McKinlay and illustrated by Leila Rudge (Candlewick Press, 2011), a book about a girl named Ella who wants to tell a wonderful fairy story for kids that has no bears in it. I liked how the story showed her story inside of the story, on spiral pages,
Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead (Roaring Brook Press, 2012) is another distinctive picture book by the team that brought us A Sick Day for Amos McGee, Caldecott Medal winner in 2011. Ms Stead’s illustrations are likewise distinctive, but in a very different way from
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