Picturebook: Follow the Line Through the House

This award winning book is a graphic masterpiece. A single black line creates most of the shapes through the whole house, and kids are invited to start on the first page, and follow the line as it bends and angles through the kitchen, basement, bedrooms, bath and more. The sharp illustrations are reminiscent of 50's art, and kids will be challenged to trace the line's tangled path through the rooms. A very engaging and unique book, probably best for 4 year olds and up, and definitely a good choice for building eye sequencing and fine motor skills.

Picturebook

4-8 years

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Alphabet Book: Bad Kitty

Bad Kitty used to be a good kitty. That is, until her owner ran out of cat food, and all there was left to eat was Asparagus, Beets, Cauliflower, Dill, Eggplants, Fennel, Garlic, Horseradish...well, you get the idea. Not the first choices for a finicky cat. So Bad Kitty decided to be bad, and she Ate my homework, Bit grandma, Clawed the curtains...again, i'm sure you see where this is going! Bad kitty wreaks havoc all the way through the alphabet, but has an ABC change of heart when her owner brings home some lovely alphabet treats from the grocery store. A very appealing introduction to the alphabet! Sequel Poor Puppy is coming soon...

Alphabet Book
Preschool-Kindergarten
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Poetry: Rumble in the Jungle

Another poetry book to build rhyming skills, but this time Giles Andreae has created an oversized menagerie to enchant kids who love animals. The silly rhymes are very short, but they are perfectly suited to reading aloud in groups or one on one. If you like this one, make sure you check out the companion book, Commotion in the Ocean!

Preschool

Poetry

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Poetry: Ook the Book

As well as providing 24 pages of silly fun, this nonsense book builds phonemic awareness skills by emphasizing the rhyming parts of words. Preschoolers and kindergarten kids will howl with laughter when you read the silly rhymes, and anyone who likes Dr. Seuss is sure to enjoy this slim volume. Here's an excerpt:

I am ook,

Ook the book.

Do you see me

In my nook?

Will you stop and take a look?

You will see, I'm one good book!

Poetry

Preschool-Kindergarten

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Picturebook: The Bunnies Are Not in Their Beds

Three little bunnies are not sleepy at all, in this clearly illustrated picturebook from Marisabina Russo. Bright paper collage illustrations are offset by lots of white space, and kids will sigh with recognition as the bunnies find many things to do in their bedrooms after they are supposed to be sleeping. The night ends with mom and dad asleep in their beds, and three tired out little bunnies piled on the couch!

Picturebook

Preschool-Kindergarten

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Board Book: Skippyjon Jones Up and Down

This book is a great introduction to opposites, as Skippyjon zooms back and forth, up and down, over and under, and in and out. Based on the wildly popular picturebook series for preschoolers, this short version for babies and toddlers is brightly illustrated and sure to please.

Board Book

Ages 6 mos to 3

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Picture Book: City Signs

Zoran Milich's simple book of signs is a great I spy book for kids when they travel around town. Many ordinary street signs are left out of this book, but signs like "rail crossing" "taxi" and "construction" are sure to be familiar. Clear, attractive photographs allow kids to easily identify the sign with its object.

Picture Book

Ages 2-4

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Picture Book: The Growing Story

First published in 1947, this classic story has been beautifully reillustrated by Helen Oxenbury. A boy, and his puppy, and some chicks are all very little. In the spring, the boy notices that the flowers and the grass are all growing: "Will I grow too?" he asks his mother. "Of course!" she replies. The story progresses through the seasons, and by fall the little boy despairs of every growing bigger. He is only convinced when he puts on last winter's warm clothes, and lo! They're too small! The real joy of this book is in the lovely, delicate watercolour illustrations. It took me twice as long as it should have to read this sweet story, because sometimes I just stared at the pictures for a few minutes!

Picture Book

Ages 3-6

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Picture Book: I.Q. Gets Fit

This adorable nod to healthy living starts when Mrs. Furber's class signs up for their school's Health Month competition. I.Q. is the class pet, and he knows right away that he wants to pass the fitness test, and win a gold ribbon! When I.Q. doesn't do as well as the other students on the fitness test, he's worried he won't pass; but as the month goes on, I.Q. learns about healthy habits such as eating a balanced diet, exercising, and getting enough sleep. At the end of the month, I.Q. takes the fitness test again, and after a moment of suspense, it turns out that he's won the award for most inproved student! The pictures of the tiny mouse exercising his heart out are so endearing; you'll be cheering so hard for I.Q. that you won't even notice you're learning as you read.

Picture Book

Ages 4-7

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Picture Book: Museum Trip

Wordless picturebooks are one of my favourite formats, and Museum Trip doesn't disappoint. There's plenty for older preschoolers to talk about in this simply drawn tale of a boy's class visit to the museum. A boy is separated from his group when he stops to tie his shoe, and his solitary wanderings lead him to a secret room filled with mazes! Your child will enjoy tracing the path through the maze almost as much as they'll like the surprising ending.

Talking about the wordless illustrations really supports your child's narrative skills; every page is an opportunity to ask, "what's happening here?" It would be fun to read this book before or after your own family's museum outing!

Wordless Picture Book
age 4-7
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Picture Book: I Love Trains!

For kids who are train obsessed, Philemon Sturges classic picture book provides a very simple, rhyming introduction to the different types of cars and what they carry. The subject matter alone makes this book very popular!

Picture Book

Ages 2-5

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Nonfiction: Jump into January: a journey around the year

Jump into January is a calendar I-Spy book with a glorious double page spread for each month of the year. The relatively simple gouache pictures have lovely colours, and show friendly kids doing seasonal activities. Along the bottom of the pages, there is a list of things kids can look for in the month's spread. Kids will enjoy finding the objects, and parents will have a great conversation about what other things their family or school might do or find during the month. A great concept book.

Nonfiction

Preschool to Kindergarten

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Picture Book: The Great Graph Contest

This book is packed with great information about graphs! Although the book is written as a story (Gonk and Beezy have a contest to see who can make the best graph) the information is communicated clearly.

Gonk and Beezy each make three different types of graphs. This gives kids a great survey of some of the basic varieties they might encounter in elementary math. The appealing pictures and storyline add interest to the lesson. This book would fit in very neatly with units on graphs up to grade 4 or 5. I have to admit, I learned some things about graphs from the "make your own graphs" section at the back of the book!

Loreen Leedy has authored several other books about math concepts, and they are definitely worth a look.

Picture Book/Nonfiction

Grades 1-5

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Picture Book: When Daddy's Truck Picks Me Up

This is a great picturebook for preschoolers or early elementary kids. The little boy wakes up excited, because today is Daddy's day to pick him up from school. Even better, Dad is a tanker truck driver! The rhyming text and pictures show the day alternately through the eyes of father and son, as they both go about their daily activities. At the end of the day, Dad picks up his son (just a little late because of a traffic jam) and they go zooming off in the big red tanker truck, just as promised.

Although I occasionally found the rhymes in this volume forced, I loved it for many other reasons. The dad depicted is not the clean cut, vapidly grinning dad of most picture books; he's a grease stained, tattooed, ponytailed truck driver who nevertheless loves his son like crazy and keeps his promise to pick him up. What a great stereotype to shatter! Also, this book would work very well for boys in split families who may not see their dads as often as they would like. The boys excitement about his day with dad is really realistic, and would reflect the experience of many kids. Finally, it's a truck book! A very strong choice for families to read.

Picture Book

Preschool to grade 2

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Picture Book: Tippy Tippy Tippy Hide!

This new picturebook is the sequel to Candace Fleming's very popular "Muncha Muncha Muncha!". Summer is over, and Mr. McGreely is pleased that he won't have to share any more carrots with those three tricksy bunnies. He conscientiously prepares his house for winter, but as soon as he plops himself down in his easy chair...knocka knocka knocka! three teeny bunnies want to come in where it's warm!

The rest of the book follows the format of the first. Mr McGreely erects increasingly bombproof barricades around his house, but the little bunnies always manage to find a way in! The pictures are very funny, and attentive kids will be shouting to point out the bunny ears poking up in most frames. In the end, Mr. McGreely does manage to keep the bunnies outside in the snow...but soon spring breaks, and he finds that what he has really done is barricaded himself in! Kids will like the satisfying ending, and yes, the bunnies do forgive grumpy Mr. McGreely.

Picture Book

Preschool to kindergarten

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Picture Book: Celebrity Cat

This picture book is quite a chameleon. On the surface, it's an engaging tale of Felissima, a cat who decides to take action after she finds no cats in the paintings at the Art Gallery on Cat Visiting Night. Felissima is a talented artist, and she paints cats into many of our most famous artworks. Her work is lauded by cats worldwide, and Felissima becomes a celebrity cat. But, at the end, she comes to understand that cats are not in the pictures because they choose not to be. (how catlike.)

The illustrations in this book are amazing. Felissima and her fellow cats are painted in vibrant hues, while the real-life paintings (such as the Mona Lisa and Van Gogh's Chair) are faithfully recreated. This book would be a wonderful jumping off point for conversations about art in history.

Picture book

Preschool to grade 2

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Nonfiction: Birdsongs

Birdsongs, by Betsey Franco and Steve Jenkins, is a counting-down picture book about the sounds birds make. On the first page, the red-capped woodpecker is working on a hole-pocked pine tree. Tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat! The gorgeous collage illustrations lead kids on a fascinating journey through ten other birds, giving just a little bit of information about each one. The text is concise but poetic, and lends itself to a hushed reading. At the end of the book, once all the birds have settled down to sleep at dusk, a two page spread gives a little more information about each bird. This lovely book would be at home in either a picturebook or easy nonfiction collection, and is an excellent numeracy support.

Nonfiction

Preschool to grade 1

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Picture Book: Llama Llama Red Pajama

"Llama Llama Red Pajama" is the rhyming story of a young llama who is not so good at waiting for his mother's attention. Although baby llama goes to bed on time, he finds that he misses his Mama. This starts off a hilarious chain reaction, where Mama's absence produces a series of increasingly agitated reactions in the baby llama. The rhymes are well crafted and the incredibly accurate expressions in the illustrations will enchant kids. The alliteration in this book lends itself very well to phonemic awareness exercises, and kids who are learning to read will find it an excellent choice (after they ask you how to pronounce "llama", that is!).
Picture Book
Ages 3-6
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Picture Book: Smash! Mash! Crash! There Goes the Trash!

Children who are obsessed with large machines will absolutely love this book. The bright illustrations follow a garbage truck as he smashes and crashes through his trash route. The catalogue of moldy dinners and stinky garbage will revolt and fascinate children, and the onomatopoeic rhyming text invites noisy participation from listeners. My favourite part is the expression of greedy anticipation on the garbage truck's face as it opens wide to chomp up a broken chair. Although there is absolutely no underlying message in this book, it will prove a wildly popular choice for kids who love noisy, enormous machines.
Picture Book
Ages 3-6
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Picture book: Silly Suzy Goose

Suzy goose looks just like all the other geese in her flock. "I wish I could be different," she thinks. The simple text follows her as she imagines hanging upside down like a bat, splashing like an elephant, swimming like a seal, and roaring like a lion. Inspired, Suzy tries out a "Rroarrrhonk!" on a snoozing lion, and races back to the flock just in time to blend in with her identical friends, and escape being eaten. She ends the book by deciding that sometimes it's nice to be like everyone else; but not always.
The simple text and large amounts of white space in this book make it an excellent choice for toddler read alouds. Kids will enjoy looking at the cartoonish paintings of familiar (and not so familiar) animals, and the message is a good one. Definitely a fun choice for storytime.
Picture Book
Ages 2-5
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Picture Book: My Father the Dog

This picture book is aimed at a slightly older reader, as the joke is a somewhat sophistocated. A little girl provides the reader with evidence of the similarities between her newspaper fetching, sore-losing, napping, ball chasing dad, and their dog. The bright cartoonish illustrations are very attractive, and older kids will giggle as dad and the dog both pee in the bushes, and drink from the hose at the same time. It's a good thing mom says the family can keep him.
Funny and simple, this book is a lightweight read that most kids will really enjoy.
Picture Book
Ages 4-7
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Picture Book: Carrot Soup

"Carrot Soup", by John Segal, is an excellent picture book for Spring or Easter themed storytimes. Spring is rabbit's favourite season, and he plans his garden (full of only carrots) very carefully. The delicate watercolour illustrations follow his hard work as he plants and tends the garden, until he finds that there are...No Carrots!?
It's clear someone has stolen them, so rabbit goes and asks all his friends in turn if they have seen the missing harvest. Of course, every animal denies any knowledge of the theft. Attentive kids will notice that in the background of every spread, rabbit's friends are wandering around with wheelbarrows full of the missing carrots, and party supplies galore. All this leads up to a surprise party for rabbit at his burrow, where the meal of honour is, you guessed it, carrot soup. An excellent picture book with a warm ending, and kids will love being in on the joke as rabbit searches for his carrots in vain.
Picture Book
Ages 4-7
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Picture Book: Mr. Pusskins

This delightfully sour faced cat is Mr. Pusskins, a pet who has absolutely no appreciation for his loving owner. Emily adores Mr. Pusskins, but he barely tolerates her thoughtful brushing, praise and bedtime stories. In fact, he becomes so bored with her constant "Blah-de-blah blah blah" that he nips out the cat door one night, and does lots of naughty cat things on his own.
At the end of the night, however, Mr. Pusskins finds himself alone and cold, missing Emily dreadfully. He comes across a missing cat poster with his own face on it, and dials up Emily, meowing piteously into the phone. Of course, Emily comes and scoops him up, and he realizes how lucky he is and reforms.
The text is just a little bit saccharine, but the absolutely hysterical illustrations more than make up for this. It was a shame that Mr. Pusskins had to reform so absolutely, but kids will appreciate the message that sometimes you don't realize how lucky you are until you lose something. Older readers might prefer another bad cat in Rotten Ralph, a very easy First Fiction book about a cat who never does reform.
Picture Book
Ages 3-7
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As you can see, Milo is just a little bit different than the other bunnies. His enormous size and general goofiness make him a laughingstock with all the fluffy little white bunnies, and Milo's dearest wish is that he could do something to fit in. When he sees a contest for an Easter Bunny Helper, Milo springs into action! During the contest, his best efforts go sadly awry, and Milo slinks home in defeat.
On Easter morning, Milo just stays in bed depressed. Suddenly, there's a knock at the door! The Easter Bunny needs Milo's help to make his deliveries in the huge storm that has blown up. In a sweet ending, Milo saves Easter, and finds his place in Bunny society.
The stylized pictures are wonderful, and the message that everyone has a talent and a place is well delivered. A great book.
Picture Book
Ages 4-7
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