Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
Timna by Lucille Travis (Herald Press, 2009) shares the story of the wife of Shem aboard the ark as the world is flooded. With supposed Biblical accuracy, this middle grade novel also captures the perspective of two dogs who “stowaway” to enter the ark along with the other animals. The dog’s developing faith echoes that
The picture book Wild Symphony by Dan Brown, illustrated by Susan Batori (Rodale Kids, 2020) is a combination of so many genres it astounded me the first time I found it. It is a set of animal poems, an app with related musical pieces, a seek-and-find book, and a scrambled letters puzzle. Although it is
One girl goes on a very unique trip to Grandma’s house in The Bus Ride by Marianne Dubac (Kids Can Press, 2015). At first, as she boards a bus with her mother’s watchful eye, the reader may believe she is just any kid traveling to Grandmother’s house. To the reader’s surprise, this girl enters a
A Friend for Mole by Nancy Armo is about a mole who stumbles out of his hole and feels lonely because he’s afraid of the light, as well as a wolf who got lost from his home in the middle of the night and is afraid of the dark. Since they are afraid of the opposite
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet (published 1948) won the Newbery Honor upon publication. It is an adventure story about a child and geared for a child. In this story, a child named Elmer Elevator (called “my father” throughout the book) befriends an alley cat, who tells him of a captured dragon forced to
In Stop, Thief! by Heather Tekavec and illustrated by Pierre Pratt (Kids Can Press, August 2014), the farmer entrusts Max the dog with a special mission: find the thief that is stealing all the carrots, berries, beans, and cherries. Full of confidence, Max chases a bug, believing it to be the thief. Of course, when he
Starring Me and You by Geneviève Côté (Kids Can Press, March 2014) and Goodnight, You by Geneviève Côté (September 2014) are the two most recent books in the adorable Piggy and Bunny series, this time focusing on putting on a play and having a nighttime camp out, respectively. In all the books in this series,
It’s always fun when picture books play on words to get your attention. When my son (age 5) first started reading Pig and Small by Alex Latimer (Peachtree, August 2014), he commented, “The author should have called this book Big and Small because Pig is big and the bug is small! They are opposites.” He
Beautiful illustrations tell the story of a creative flying mouse in Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse by Torbin Kuhlmann (North South books, 2013). When new mouse traps and an abundance of cats overrun the city where a clever (unnamed) mouse is living, he decides he must go to America for freedom. His creativity
Penguin wonders how he can contribute to the community talent show in Penguin’s Hidden Talent by Alex Latimer (Peachtree, 2012). Predictably, he finds he does have a talent, and his friends greatly appreciate it in the end. Although Penguin’s Hidden Talent follows a predictable format, it is still a heartwarming book about finding your place in a community as
Now that he’s reading a mile a minute, it’s time to hear from my six-year-old again! The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary. Ralph is a mouse. Keith is a boy. Ralph and Keith meet in a hotel. Keith gives Ralph a motorcycle. It is a toy motorcycle. If Ralph makes a sound, it moves! I
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
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