Category Archives: Picture Books

The Sneetches and Other Stories

Posted on December 24, 2013 | Comments Off on The Sneetches and Other Stories

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This book is an utter classic and I’m guessing most of you already have it memorized.  (I recently met Peter S. Beagle at a screening of The Last Unicorn and we ended up reciting “Too Many Daves” in a sort of call and response together at his signing table.  It was a lovely, utterly odd moment.)  We love all the stories, from “The Sneetches” and “The Zax” to “What was I Scared of?”  Nothing quite compares to the best of Dr. Seuss, and this book may be his best of all.  If you don’t already own it, I suggest you find a copy immediately.

Author: Dr. Seuss
Illustrator:  Dr. Seuss

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Storm Boy

Posted on December 23, 2013 | Comments Off on Storm Boy

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A chief’s son
went fishing
alone,
and a terrible storm arose.

Deliberately patterned on universal archetypes and Northwest Coast Native motifs, this story contains many unexpected elements for both its hero and its readers.  The boys are fascinated by this one, and I suspect the unusual, almost frightening, images play a major role.  Recommended for slightly older children, especially those who enjoy tales of the sea.

Author:  Paul Owen Lewis
Illustrator:  Paul Owen Lewis

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The Big Pets

Posted on December 21, 2013 | Comments Off on The Big Pets

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The girl was small and the cat was big.
And on certain nights
she rode on his back
to the place where
the Milk-Pool was.

Another simple and beautiful bedtime tale.  This has role reversals, great illustrations, and lots of creativity.  Perfect for  a quick and cozy read before bed.

Author: Lane Smith
Illustrator: Lane Smith

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A Lot of Otters

Posted on December 20, 2013 | Comments Off on A Lot of Otters

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I’ve been meaning to write about a number Christmas books this holiday season, but somehow this sweet book keeps slipping to the front of the queue.  In short, a lot of otters find a baby and a book that belong to a very unusual (and yet ultimately very relatable) mother.  But the seemingly simple story quietly addresses being lost and found, bold and safe, curious and content (often all at once).

A Lot of Otters seems to have been inspired by a legend about otters and books that Ms. Berger explored in an earlier work, Animalia (which I expect will also show up here someday).  It is calming and soft, with beautiful illustrations that are perfect for for kids who are enthralled by otters (like my youngest).  I especially recommend it for bedtime.

Author:  Barbara Helen Berger
Illustrator:  Barbara Helen Berger

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Silly Sally

Posted on December 13, 2013 | 1 comment

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Silly Sally went to town,
walking backwards, upside down.

This book is all kinds of silly.  There are silly words, characters, pictures, and plot lines.  There are lots of chances for silly voices.  And tickling the listeners is all-but required.

If pure silliness isn’t enough to close the deal, there’s also plenty of repetition that makes it extra fun for the kids to join in and rollicking rhythms that it makes it a pleasure to read aloud.  And it is a great choice for a bedtime story when you want to end the day quickly, but on a high note.

We don’t have the big board book version (yet?), but it would a great choice for a reader not quite yet ready for paper pages.

Author:  Audrey Wood
Illustrator:    Audrey Wood

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The Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate

Posted on December 9, 2013 | Comments Off on The Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate

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A fierce little woman’s solitary life (filled with knitting, playing the bagpipes, and fishing) is suddenly interrupted by a self-proclaimed wicked pirate with an adorable parrot and an utterly unexpected, dark, secret.  A spirited standoff ensues with an surprising and very satisfying outcome.

The boys particularly love the parrot and pirate.  I’m partial to that fierce little knitting woman.  But we all love the very happy ending.

Author:  Joy Cowley
Illustrator:  Sarah Davis

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If I Built a Car

Posted on December 3, 2013 | Comments Off on If I Built a Car

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Jack, from the backseat, said to his dad,
This car is OK.  This car is not bad.
But it’s just a car.  Nothing great.  Nothing grand.
It’s nothing at all like the car I have planned.

This may be the perfect picture book.  The rhymes, cadence, and illustrations are irresistible (not for nothing did this book win the E.B. White Read Aloud Award).  Also, we all really, REALLY want Jack’s car.  (An instant snack bar?  A pool?  An impeccable safety record?  A built-in robot chauffeur?  The ability to sail, submerge, and fly?  SIGN US UP.)  This is the first book my oldest learned by heart; it is simply addictive.

Author:  Chris Van Dusen
Illustrator:  Chris Van Dusen

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The Chocolate Cat

Posted on December 1, 2013 | Comments Off on The Chocolate Cat

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Who can resist a chocolate cat?  Not us.  This sumptuous book begins by introducing a chocolate maker who lives in a “drab little place,” has nearly no friends (or customers), and has forgotten how to smile.  His only companion, a chocolate-colored cat, is rather lazy and grumpy.  But then–

One day, for no particular reason, the chocolate maker made something different.  Suddenly, there were chocolate mice with crunchy pink-sugar tails everywhere.

And everything begins to change.  This book inspires rapt attention and much wide-eyed dreaming as we watch an inspired cat transform an entire town.

Author:  Sue Stainton
Illustrator:  Anne Mortimer

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The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature

Posted on November 28, 2013 | Comments Off on The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature

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This book combines two of my not-so-favorite things (non-fiction kids books and the Berenstain bears) to make something that is actually… good.  Quite good.  A nearly 200-page monster that contains three books from the 1970s–The Berenstain Bears’ Almanac, The Berenstain Bears’ Nature Guide, and The Berenstain Bears’ Science Fair—The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature is informative, funny, and truly interesting for everyone.  Which makes me quite thankful.  Happy American Thanksgiving!

Author:  Stan & Jan Berenstain
Illustrator:  Stan & Jan Berenstain

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Mrs. Armitage and the Big Wave

Posted on November 24, 2013 | Comments Off on Mrs. Armitage and the Big Wave

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I’ve always associated Quentin Blake with his illustrations for Roald Dahl’s books, but Blake has both written and illustrated over thirty books of his own.  In his three-book Armitage series, a quirky character reacts to seemingly mundane situations in increasingly unusual ways.

In the Big Wave, the second Armitage book, the title character triumphantly turns a simple surfboard into something more akin to a flotilla, based on repeated discoveries of “what we need here” while waiting for the Big Wave with her faithful dog.  In the other Armitage books, Mrs. Armitage seems a bit scattered and disaster prone.  But the Big Wave shows Mrs. Armitage at her most creative, competent, and engaging.  (Mrs. Armitage, Queen of the Road is also popular in our house; Mrs. Armitage on Wheels is not.)

Author:  Quentin Blake
Illustrator:  Quentin Blake

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