ANOTHER CALDECOTT CONTENDER?

Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Other Poems written by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Carin Berger is an illustrated poetry collection.  In this imaginative work each page features a different exotic (and bogus) creature that was supposedly discovered by the author during his travels to remote places. The creatures, a blend of real and inanimate objects, are given names such as JollyFish (cheerful jellyfish creatures) and Fountain Lions (large cats with fountains atop their heads) and are accompanied by several verses of Prelutsky’s signature style humorous poems.

Illustrator Carin Berger uses a mixed media collage style to represent the 16 creatures found in the book. The creatures are playfully displayed as if they are part of a crazy museum exhibit, with specimen boxes and figure numbers lending an air of authenticity to the images. These creatures would be right at home in the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Berger cleverly incorporates the creatures' characteristics in each illustration using a mix of vintage engraved images, specimen tags, and 3-dimensional objects like buttons and ribbon. The BrainDeer have oversized craniums and are placed in front of a chalkboard of mathematical equations. The Slobster displays his slovenliness by being surrounded with a mess and clutching dinnerware in his claws (the lobster wearing a lobster bib is a nice touch).

The illustrations are definitely unique and charming in their own weird way, and the Caldecott has been awarded to collage style illustrations in the past (1995’s Smoky Night illustrated by David Diaz). So, there is a very real possibility that the Caldecott committee will be smitten with this title, too!  

For readers in 1st grade and up.  

GREAT PICTURE BOOKS. CALDECOTT WORTHY?

Flora and the Flamingo
wordless 
exquisite 
glowing
by Molly Idle







Mr. Wuffles
almost wordless 
playful 
hilarious
thrilling
by David Wiesner 

READING IS SO DELICIOUS... REHASHED

These three beautifully illustrated rehashed fairy tales are hilarious and in one instance, someone is literally eaten.  Read them and see if you can figure out who it is. 

Corey Rosen Schwartz and Dan Santat have created an over the top rework of The Three Little Pigs as martial arts warriors defeating the Big Bad Pig with their moves.  The Three Ninja Pigs is worth a few chuckles while being read-a-loud to the family.  




In Goldilocks and Just One Bear, Leigh Hodgkinson sets Baby Bear on a path through the city where he becomes  lost and accidentally stumbles upon an old friend's house and their friendship is renewed, but does Baby Bear really belong in the city?    


Each two page spread has a different nursery tale character in the middle of a crime.  Now that you are familiar with the classic rhymes, you'll love reading these twists on them.  Who Pushed Humpty Dumpty? And Other Notorious Nursery Tale Mysteries by David Levinthal and John Nickle is a hilarious romp for everyone. 

FUN PICTURE BOOKS FOR ALL

Every so often, some great picture books will get published.  What make them great is the combination of the story and the illustration.  Here are some of my recent favorites.  Enjoy. 

Mustache written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Kevin Connell is HILARIOUS!  It's about one vain king and a town filled with people out to make him look silly by drawing mustaches on every single one of his images.  A book that will have everyone laughing and poring over each page of artwork.  

A cat and a bird are not suppose to be friends but when Tom finds a lost baby bird, he can't find it in himself to torment it, so he protects and cares for the poor little thing  just like a mother bird would.  Tom's Tweet by Jill Esbaum and illustrated by Dan Santat make for a fun read with the family.

Dog In Charge by K.L. Going and illustrated by Dan Santat has poor dog in charge of five cats who do whatever they want in the house while the people are away.  Dog is exhausted by having to constantly reign in, clean up and keep an eye on all the cats.  Great illustrations by Santat and a hilarious romp through the house reminiscent of aTom and Jerry cartoon.  

COWBOY BOY

A new neighborhood, a new school and a new nemesis are just a few things that Ricky V. (“Very Afraid”) has to deal with when his dad gets a new job and the family has to relocate.

Ricky has to think and come up with different ways to fight the evil bullies who are prepared to do everything and anything to make his life miserable...
Instead of turning himself to any kind of a superhero, he decides to transform himself into a Cowboy! Hence the name of the book Cowboy Boy!

Now... Imagine all the tricks and the gimmicks that can be pulled as a cowboy to fight the nemesis… This is a fun and adventurous story that will capture you attention. Additionally, the book is filled with humorous illustrations/cartoons which add a fun twist to the story. COWBOY BOY is written by JAMES PROIMOS.

For grades 3rd-6th.

LOIS LOWRY STRIKES AGAIN!

I am beginning to think that Lois Lowry can write about anything. Author of award winning books like Number the Stars and The Giver, not to mention the Anastasia Krupnik series among other greats, she's managed to pen a fabulous story for the "dark comedy" genre that will remind you of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket! THE WILLOUGHBYS is an atypical story about a miserable family with misearble parents who decide they don't like their kids anymore, hire a nanny and leave town. The oldest boy is the bossiest kid you'll ever meet, the twins have the exact same name but alternate days they can wear the one sweater they own, and the only girl is really the smartest but is too shy to say anything. Down the street lives a miserable candy bar inventor who lost his family. But the two families intertwine in very strange ways, and make for a delightful tale. For grades 4 and up.

THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR TOYS LIVES...

Lumphy, Stingray and Plastic are back again with their toy friends for new adventures. They meet a shark friend, made of rubber, that they stuff with garbage before they realize he's a nice shark. They escape out the window into a big drift of snow as they try to hunt for the little girl that loves them. But the best story yet is when they go to the basement for a dance party to celebrate the repair of their friend the dryer! TOY DANCE PARTY by Emily Jenkins is the sequel to Toys Go Out, and is just as entertaining. The hilarious actions of these toys bring them to life and give each one some very human characteristics. Good for 2nd - 5th grade readers.

WHO IS CESAR CHAVEZ?

HARVESTING HOPE: THE STORY OF CESAR CHAVEZ written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Yuyi Morales is a beautifully illustrated, very wordy picture book about the life of Cesar Chavez, starting from when he was a very young boy enjoying life with his family in Arizona. The text does a good job of retelling Chavez’s history, and appeals to audiences of all ages. There are a lot of good vocabulary-building terms, and readers will come away with more than a story of Cesar Chavez's life. The illustrations were given the Pura Belpre honor, and the beautiful artwork incorporates hand-made stamps and computer generated cut-outs. The scenes are realistic and the colors have deep earth tones. Not all picture books are for small children, and this title is perfect for 3rd grade and up.

NATURE'S BEAUTY AT IT'S COLDEST

Wilson A. Bentley, a.k.a. Snowflake Bentley, becomes fascinated with snowflakes at a very young age. As a boy, Wilson tried to draw the snowflakes he inspected with his microscope, but they would always melt before he could capture what they truly looked like. When he turned seventeen, his parents bought him a special camera with a microscope built in so that he could photograph the snowflakes and show the delicate designs of each one. This biography tells the story of an interesting man from the late 1800s, but Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin reads like historical fiction. On the sides of each page are random facts that add to the story. This is a Caldecott Medal winner for the fantastic woodcut illustrations by Mary Azarian. A wonderful story for third grade and up.

LET IT SHINE

The illustrations in this book are so well done that at first glance you think you are looking at an art book but the book is really three classic, well loved spirituals beautifully illustrated with colorful and intricate papercut collages. After reading LET IT SHINE by Ashley Bryan you may be inspired to create your own papercut collages.

For ages four through eight.