CREEPY UNDERWEAR: SO CREEPY! SO COMFY!

It’s been a superb year for picture book sequels, and I would be absolutely remiss if I didn’t highlight Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown’s latest collaboration: a long-awaited follow up to the amazing Creepy Carrots! For those unfamiliar with the original (please rectify this situation ASAP), the spooky story centers around young Jasper Rabbit, who, after enjoying one too many tasty carrots from a nearby field, suddenly finds himself relentlessly and creepily pursued by the vegetables in question. Noir-styled black and white illustrations enhance the spook factor, while the premise (creepy... carrots, um really?) and text lend an air of ridiculousness to the whole affair. This book makes a fantastic read-aloud for grades 2-5, and was such a hit with Children’s Room staff, that we even dressed up as the titular characters one Halloween.

The sequel, Creepy Pair of Underwear!, shares the same combination of spooky + ridiculousness, as Jasper Rabbit, now a “big rabbit,” goes underwear shopping with his mother. Yielding to Jasper’s cajoling, mom agrees to purchase one pair of Creepy Underwear for him in addition to his standard Plain White. Unbeknownst to the no-longer-a-little-bunny, however, properties of the the new Creepy Underwear include: glowing a ghoulish green, alarmingly replacing other underpants on his body despite deliberate removal, and eerily reappearing everywhere after being thrown out and snipped into pieces. Will Jasper Rabbit ever succeed in ridding himself of unwanted Creepy Underwear?

Share Creepy Pair of Underwear! with one and all--you can be sure this children’s librarian will!

Grades 2+

EVERYONE LOVES TACOS

It’s a crisis! A catastrophe! A calamity of epic proportions! Quick, do something RIGHT NOW, because tacos have just gone completely extinct!

And, as you may recall from author-illustrator duo Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri’s first book: Dragons Love Tacos. (If you haven’t read the original book, you might also glean this tidbit from the informative titles of both books. You should really read the original, though, because a little more context could certainly help. Plus, it’s hilarious.) Dragons love all kinds of tacos: big tacos, little tacos, beef tacos, chicken tacos-- just not the spicy tacos (that’s kind of an important detail). Yes, the dragons are deeply enamored with tacos, and the current state of emergency has rendered them completely hysterical; they’re sobbing, pacing, rolling on the ground in fits.

There’s only one solution to this problem, and I’m sure you already know what it is.

Yes, you guessed it: fire up the ol’ time machine in the garage, return to a period in which tacos were plentiful, avoid spicy salsa, quickly rescue a few dozen specimen before the dragons gobble them all up, and bring them back to the present to replenish the taco reserve. Easy peasy, right? I mean, it will be once you’ve figured out how to operate the time machine.

Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel is an enjoyable and wacky picture book ready to be shared aloud with kids in kindergarten through third grade. Just make sure you read the original too!

CLANK, BLUB, BUZZ, SPLASH

“The Wimbledons were sleeping. It was very, very late, when Wilma heard a spooky sound, which made her sit up straight.”


If you’ve ever had a dog (or lived next door to one) you might not be surprised to hear late-night barking. For the sleeping Wimbledon family, however, their pet’s soulful howling is only the first of a series of increasingly bizarre circumstances that continue to disrupt their sleep. As clanking, blubbing, buzzing, and splashy noises echo through the night, the Wimbledon children file into their parents’ bedroom one by one. Little Wendy is followed by Willie, who is even later followed by Wanda and Wylie in turn. 
As the book title suggests, Mr. Wimbledon dismisses his family’s escalating concerns after each investigation with a blithe “It’s only Stanley…” Meanwhile, Stanley is revealed to be a dog of many talents as he switches from allegedly “fixing the oil tank” to “making catfish stew.” Walter’s interpretations predictably miss the mark. As for Stanley’s true intent, let’s say it rhymes with “KABOOM.”
In It’s Only Stanley, Jon Agee has created a humorous, noisy picture book mystery. With even rhythm and rhyming, it’s a lovely book to share with a group or one-on-one. Best appreciated by preschoolers and older.

THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES

I can’t deny that I have a weakness for humorous, metafictional, crowd-pleasing read alouds with stunning illustrations. B.J. Novak’s The Book With No Pictures only meets 3 out of the 4 criteria, but what it does with those 3 is more than enough to compensate. Have you ever paused to consider: what is a picture book without pictures? 

This one, at least, is hilarious. Filled with hijinks, nonsensical words like BLORK and BLUURF, and declarations that the reader (that’s you, by the way) is a self-taught robot monkey reading in a robot monkey voice, this book presents itself as a gift to young children to savor the written word at the expense of its (often adult) readers. The premise that readers must say aloud every single word without exception is hardly unexplored territory, but this book is truly masterfully attuned to its young audience. By the time it finishes explaining “how books work” it is already eliciting giggles; the kids are in on the joke. 

Now imagine their reaction when you’re forced to admit that your only friend is a hippo named BooBooButt. 

Though there aren’t any pictures (see: book title) typography goes a long way to provide visual interest and subtext. It’s a great book both to teach print awareness (understanding that words have meanings) to pre-readers and to cultivate an appreciation for the written word, particularly in young readers who are transitioning to books without illustrations and possibly feeling daunted by the prospect.

For another book featuring the funny things readers can't help but say, see We Are In a Book! by Mo Willems.

THIS BOOK JUST ATE MY DOG!

It starts with a walk on an unexceptional day in a dusty gray city. Bella and her dog are ambling along when her dog mysteriously vanishes between the double-spread pages. Wait-- what just happened? Did this book just--? 
Yes, it did.

Subsequent rescue attempts lead to a chain of disappearances into the gutter of the very book you’re reading. Because, you’ll soon learn, this is no ordinary book. This is a book that eats pets. And people. And emergency response vehicles. Really, it’s not too picky as you can tell. Not all is lost, however. With a little guidance from our plucky heroine, you can help shake some sense into this book and save the day!

This Book Just Ate My Dog! by Richard Byrne is a perfect, humorous read aloud for preschoolers. With just a few words per page, it’s short and snappy, accompanied by adorable, emotive illustrations. It strolls into a genre of interactive metafictional books and dangerous-book books, and it finds a cozy seat (and a tasty snack). But compared to some of the more sinister anthropomorphized books out there, this Book is merely naughty: a mostly harmless, possibly petulant, jokester. Not to mention it also presents a superb opportunity to discuss the anatomy of a book.

For more dangerous picture book reads, try Open Very Carefully by Nick Bromley, Warning: Do Not Open This Book by Adam Lehrhaupt, or The Book That Eats People by John Perry. Fair warning, though, The Book That Eats People is especially devious, ravenous, and carnivorous; only the bravest (or most foolhardy) readers should attempt to subdue it.

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Apparently, moo is the word. In this hilarious book, the cow goes on to his amazing journey and gets in trouble and expresses his troubles and his sorrows in the most beautiful way possible.  He uses the word Moo, or Moo-Moo or Mooooooooo or Mooooooooooooooo.  

This very rhythmic and repetitive story allows the reader to see what with just one word, so many different emotions can be expressed, be it excitement, sadness or pure joy.  The cow, who we have established that loves the word Moo, is always in the center of the page, always doing or saying something to make us all laugh out loud.   Even though the book literally has the word Moo, the reader will feel as though a full story was developed and written for the little once.  Really fun read and highly recommended.  

Moo!  by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

For Pre-k -1st

KIDS READ! ARTEMIS FOWL

Here's a review by 6th grader Grace of the Montrose Branch:

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer is a book about magic, fairies, and deranged criminal masterminds. Most of the time when you pick up a book and read the word fairies or magic, you would set the book back down. When you read that word, you instantly picture tiny little creatures with wings and flower dresses. Not Eoin Colfer's version. He brought together both fairies and criminal masterminds to make a whole different kind of book. In this book these "fairies" are not wand-carrying Tinkerbells,  but highly advanced creatures who can do magic and are extremely dangerous. This criminal mastermind and his bodyguard set off to find the "People" and attempt to steal their gold, which involves a dangerous plan, luck, and a certain female LEPrecon captain. 

Once you get a hold of this book and start reading you can't put it down. Eoin Colfer has concocted a book with a pinch of humor, a dash of magic, a sprinkle of adventure, and a whole lot of fun. So keep calm and read on!

For readers in 4th-8th grade.

WHAT A GOOFBALL

Growing up, Jeff Butler always did funny things, and that is where he got the nickname “Goofball.”  Ever since the first grade, he and his friends Brian, Mara and Kelly, started solving mysteries and expanded this into “the Goofball private eyes.”   From one case to another, the goofball private eyes kept themselves very busy solving small mysteries around town.  When Thunder, a pony, goes missing, his owner Randall Crandall asks them to help find his pony.  Will the Goofball private eyes find Thunder and bring him back home?   Will they be able to gather all their clues in time to find Thunder, or will this remain one mystery that stays unsolved?

Goofballs: The crazy case of the Missing Thunder by Tony Abbott is the first in the series.  This is a pleasant story for children who enjoy reading mystery and detective stories with elements of humor.  For 2^nd grade and older.