Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
Mr. Duck Means Business by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Jeff Mack (Simon and Schuster, January 2011), tells the story of a very cranky duck who does not want his silent pond disturbed. When the nearby farm animals begin using his pond for their weekly swim, Duck is not happy. That is until he realizes how much he
In 999 Tadpoles by Ken Kimura and illustrated by Yasunari Murakami (North South, May 2011), the frog parents of the 999 babies soon find that there is simply not enough space in their little lake for their family, so the entire family leaves the lake in search of a new home. With the dangers of snakes and owls,
Over in the Meadow illustrated by Jill McDonald (Barefoot Books, April 2011) comes with a singalong CD (sung by Susan Reed) so of course, my son loved it! In the past, we have checked out a different version of the “Over in the Meadow” folk song. I loved this illustrated version, which is a digital collage
I’ve got to admit that I love a great large, sprawling picture book that lets a little one (or myself) sink into the artwork on each page. Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Kevin Waldron (Candlewick, November 2010), is one such book. Although there is little text in comparison to the oversized picture book pages,
Where’s Walrus? by Stephen Savage (Scholastic, February 2011) is a wordless book about a Walrus who escapes from the zoo. As the zookeeper searches for him around town, Walrus cleverly hides wherever he can find a place, blending in with the town workers and scenery. My son loved finding Walrus on each page. Although the
My favorite part of Melvin and the Boy by Lauren Castillo (Henry Hold, March 2011) is its breathtaking lovely illustrations (acetone transfer with markers and watercolor), which so gently captures a boy and the wild turtle he’s adopted as his own. The boy has always wanted a pet, and when he sees a turtle at the park, he
No Dogs Allowed by Linda Ashman and illustrated by Kristin Sorra (Sterling, August 2011) is a mostly wordless story of a small café on a street corner where there are no dogs allowed. As one very unusual day progresses, the café owner finds that he must adapt the rule to include other animals, from cats to kangaroos
Wiener Wolf written and illustrated by Jeff Crosby (Hyperion, July 2011) features a friendly looking dachshund who is tired of the same old things as a pet at home with Granny, so he sets out in the world. His new friends are wolves, and at first it’s quite nice having new friends. But it only takes a
In Reading to Peanut by Leda Schubert and illustrated by Amanda Haley (Holiday House, August 2011), Lucy is determined to learn to read and write so she can write a birthday card for her dog, Peanut! As she learns her letters with help from her mom and dad, they also work on planting a vegetable garden. By the
Charlie the basset hound is the laziest dog around, but not the way he tells his story in Charlie the Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond and illustrated by Diane deGroat (HarperCollins, April 2011). Charlie likes bacon, sleep, and eating and sleep, and while he takes credit for all the chores around the ranch, the illustrations help us see
Argus by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Andrea Wesson (Candlewick, February 2011) is about learning to be okay with being different, particularly when Sally has a very different kind of pet. From the first day when Sally got her assigned egg from her science teacher, she thought something was different. And when everyone else’s eggs
In A Pet for Petunia by Paul Schmid (HarperCollins, January 2011), Petunia is determined to get her desired pet, a pet skunk, despite her parent’s advice against it. Of course, no amount of begging works, so Petunia sets out to find her own skunk … with an incredible surprise to Petunia! The book has delightfully
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