Picture Book Roundup - Una princesa, bears with cares, and a wolf who despairs

Picture Book Roundup - Una princesa, bears with cares, and a wolf who despairs

It's been a while since I've done a picture book roundup.  Here are a few newly or soon-to-be-published favorites. 

La Princesa and the Pea
by Susan Middleton Elya
Ill. by Juana Martinez-Neal
Penguin Young Readers, 2017


The highly successful duo of Susan Middleton Elya and Juana Martinez-Neal (La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes for Los Niños) has teamed up again for another re-working of a classic children's story.  In La Princesa and the Pea, Martinez-Neal uses acrylics, colored pencils and graphite on handmade paper to create Peruvian-inspired illustrations that burst with expression and humor, yet have an air of gentle softness and beauty.  It's a fine mix.  The rhyming text is sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases highlighted in red text.  A group of "strong workers," (which includes a girl and two small kids! 😃) stacks veinte mattresses while the queen munches  from her box of bombones.

The queen ate her treats.  The bed was stacked high, and right when they finished, la niña came by.

"Here is your cama, a place you can sleep."
"Thanks!" said the girl. "I won't even count sheep."

 It would be a wonderful story even without the surprise ending! Great bilingual fun with many humorous illustrated details to find.

A Glossary and A Note from the Illustrator are included.  Helpfully, the Glossary appears in the front!

Full disclosure: This was my favorite fairytale as a child.

The Curious Cares of Bears
by Douglas Florian
Ill. by Sonia Sánchez
Little Bee Books, 2017

I've long been a fan of Douglas Florian.  His books are poetic and nature-inspired.  His books on the four seasons (Autumblings, Winter Eyes, Summersaults, Handsprings) are favorites of mine, as is Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars.

The Curious Cares of Bears is a fanciful look at a year in the lives of bears.  Each double-spread illustration contains a short, rhyming explanation of the season's activity.

Some, like the one above, are mostly accurate (although I'm not sure a full-sized bear would venture out on the comically thin branch!).  Other activities are pure fancy,

In autumn there's playing in leaves all day long,
then building a campfire and sharing a song.

The illustrations are mixed media that appear to be a combination of charcoal sketches, simple brushwork, and digital enhancements.  The bears and their environs are portrayed simply with a measure of whimsy, and a reverence for nature. The combination of crafted rhyming and delightfully simple illustrations is beary likeable.

When a Wolf is Hungry
by Christine Naumann-Villemin
Ill. by Kris Di Giacomo
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2017


A hungry wolf decides that he has a hankering for a rabbit,

Not just any ordinary cottontail, though. What he craved was a grain-fed, silky-haired rabbit, one with just a hint of sweetness.  A city bunny.

So with knife in paw, Edmond Bigsnout heads to the city to find his rabbit. As it turns out, the perfect rabbit lives on the 5th floor of an apartment building.  Every time that Edmond gets close to the apartment, a friendly neighbor appears and begs to borrow Edmond's instrument of death - knife, chainsaw, rope. The story is full of rich and language and dialogue,

"Delighted to meet you.  Oh, look, you have some rope! Any chance I could have it? This great big package is such a nuisance."
Drat!
"I suppose so," sighed the wolf.
The skunk was so pleased that he let out a little air.

Why do the neighbors need these items and where is Max Omatose, miniature rabbit?

A humorous ending will make everyone happy—perhaps there is something wonderful about living in a big city neighborhood. The double-spread illustrations in this generously-sized book are comically suspenseful.  Edmond rides a bicycle while wearing a black suit and bow tie. A middle-aged cow in a flowered dress and pearls eyes Edmond's pot hopefully.  A beautiful neighbor wolf, Miss Eyestopper, is straight out of film noir.

When a Wolf is Hungry is a perfect book for sharing with slightly older kids. I'd take this one on a school visit any day.



My review copies of La Princesa and the Pea and The Curious Cares of Bears were provided by the publishers at my request. My copy of When a Wolf is Hungry was obtained through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.

Picture book roundup - Library books

September, National Library Card Sign-Up Month, is almost over, but if you're still looking for a good book to share, here are two new ones:

• Kohara, Kazuno. 2014. The Midnight Library. New York: Roaring Brook. 

By the time this month is over, I will have visited thirteen kindergarten and four preschool classrooms to promote Library Card Sign-Up Month.

It doesn't matter what other books I have in my bag.  When kids see The Midnight Library, it's the one they want to hear!  Apart from Kazuno Kohara's eye-catching linocut illustrations in three colors, here's why I like it:

• It features a library that's open all night long.  I wouldn't want to work there, but it makes for a really good story!
• It highlights the fact that libraries are adaptable.  The squirrel band needs to practice some new songs for an upcoming concert?  No problem!  The library has an activity room they can use.
• It features one of a librarian's favorite activities - reading stories.  Wolf is crying because her book is sad?  No worries! The librarian reads it with her.  It has a happy ending!
• It's absolutely perfect for Library Card Sign-Up Month!  Tortoise can't finish that 500-page book before the library closes at sunrise? A library card is what he needs!

See this and more interior artwork at the publisher's website.

• Becker, Bonny. 2014. A Library Book for Bear. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton.

I've loved the Bear and Mouse series ever since it came out, and while this one is not my favorite (I still love A Visitor for Bear best!), it's a good addition to your collection of library-themed books.  You really can't go wrong with Bear and Mouse.

Picture Book Roundup: Historical fiction edition

Here are two fiction picture books that feature days gone by.  Both books should tickle your fancy and make fun read-alouds for school-aged children, K-2.

• Kulling, Monica. 2014. The Tweedles Go Electric. Ontario, Canada: Groundwood. Ill. by Marie Lafrance.

The year is 1903, and the Tweedles are "a bunch of fuddy-duddies," according to their neighbors.  Even when they finally decide to purchase a car, neighbors still tease them,

"People don't want that.  They want noise.  They want smoke." ... "They want a car to sound and smell like a car." 

But rather than the latest in gas-powered autos, the Tweedles purchase a smart, green, electric car.

With a wink and a nod to the future of "green" transportation and women's empowerment, it is the youngest of the Tweedles, Frances, and the "green" car that save the day when an emergency arises.  Marie Lafrance's illustrations accurately evoke the era and are reminiscent of the style of Hergés Tin Tin.

• Beebe, Katy. 2014. Brother Hugo and the Bear. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.  Ill. by S. D. Schindler.

With an illuminated capital I and leafy, gold flourishes, Brother Hugo and the Bear begins firmly planted in the monastical world of the Middle Ages,

It befell that on the first day of Lent, Brother Hugo could not return his library book.

As the reader soon discovers, a bear has eaten the monastery's beautifully illuminated copy of St. Augustine's letters.  It becomes Brother Hugo's job to painstakingly recreate the massive, illustrated tome —a job that "would have been full easy to endure if it had not been for the snuffling."  The source of the snuffling, we soon discover, is the bear, who has not yet had his fill of letters.  Written and illustrated with great reverence for the early art of book-making, Brother Hugo is humorous as well.  Both the monk and the bear are earnest and joyful.

Based loosely upon a true story, Brother Hugo, in combination with its included Historical Note, Glossary, Author's Note, and Illustrator's Note is illuminating for both children and adults.

  A Discussion Guide for Brother Hugo and the Bear.

Picture book roundup - Dynamic Duos

Here are two great new picture books with dynamic author/illustrator pairings.  Enjoy!

• Ray, Mary Lyn and Marla Frazee. 2011. Stars. New York: Beach Lane.

Stars combines childlike simplicity with the grace of a poet. As children face the wide expanse of the universe, they are not afraid.  Instead, they exhibit a sense of quiet, contemplative wonder.

The illustrations, “rendered in graphite, gouache, and gel pen,” are both whimsical and philosophical. When shown outdoors, children are the focal point of the illustrations - sitting pensively in the seat of swing, blowing dandelion seeds to the wind, holding a basket aloft to a star-studded sky; yet they are small and insignificant amidst the vastness of the world.

It may help to have on pajamas.
Then you look up. Almost always you will find one. And another, and another, and another.
And if sometimes you can’t see them, they’re still there.

(The font was hand-lettered by Marla Frazee.)

One of the year’s best picture books. A stellar collaboration! 

Read a graphic excerpt here.

(And keep this one in mind for next year’s collaborative summer reading theme, Dream Big.)

• Becker, Bonny. 2011. The Sniffles for Bear.  Ill. by Kady MacDonald Denton. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Rarely do follow-up picture books measure up to the success of the original, but The Sniffles for Bear, the fourth in this wonderfully charming series, is nearly as delightful as the original!  It is by far the best of the Bear and Mouse sequels.

Bear is sick, and the ever-cheerful, ever-helpful, bright-eyed Mouse is trying his best to comfort the ailing bear, who is decidedly unwilling to be comforted.

“This is impossible, intolerable – “Bear started to roar.
But he was too weak.  “Look!” Bear wheezed.  “Look how my paw is trembling. You must help me to my bed.”
And indeed, Mouse was most helpful.

(picture Mouse, trudging backwards up the banister, pulling on the finger of Bear who is dramatically and theatrically feigning an inability to mount the stairs on his own)

Bear is at his funniest when his mood is at its darkest.  But of course, when Mouse becomes ill, his sour mood will turn to one of concern.  They are, after all, the best of friends.

This may be a well-used plot, but Becker and Denton play it to perfection.

July picture book roundup

Between BEA in May and ALA in June, I've been happily swamped in books!  I have so many to read over and review, but here a few quick reviews of titles that have found their way into my book bag.

Maloney, Peter and Felicia Zekauskas. 2011. One Foot Two Feet: An EXCEPTIONal Counting Book. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

I've been carrying this one around for too long (as a matter of fact, I think it's overdue!). A many-faceted book, I like it more each time I read it. It's a counting book, it's a color book (brightly colored "frame" pages offer a sneak peak of each illustration), it's a hidden picture book (find the plane!), it's a vocabulary book (one is a foot, two are feet, one is a die, six are dice), it's simple enough for toddlers, yet sophisticated enough for preschoolers.  In short, a winner!

Littlefield, Bruce. 2011. The Bedtime Book for Dogs. New York: Grand Central.
(Advance Reader Copy from LibraryThing)

Come. Sit. Stay.  I want to tell you a story.  I think you'll like it.  It's about a treat.

 A cute concept, this truly is a book to read to your dog. Because the words are so simple, perhaps a struggling reader might enjoy reading it aloud.  Who can resist reading to a dog?  And yes, I read it to my dog.  She loved it!

Dewdney, Anna. 2011. Llama Llama Home with Mama. New York: Viking.

Anna Dewdney's rhymes are pitch-perfect, her illustrations are expressive and funny, and she's darned nice, too! (She signed my book at Book Expo America) A perfect book for a sick day. Everyone loves Llama Llama!

Klassen, Jon. 2011. I Want My Hat Back. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Candlewick sure knows how to find 'em!  This is the first book that Jon Klassen has written and illustrated, and it's a winner.  Written in softly, color-coded  dialogue, Bear searches for his missing hat, stopping to ask the other denizens of the woods,

Have you seen my hat?
I saw a hat once.
It was blue and round.
My hat doesn't look like that.
Thank you anyway.

Have you seen my hat?
What is a hat?
Thank you anyway.

The surprise ending requires a sense of humor as a certain hat-filching rabbit may just end up slightly flattened. This book would make a perfect home-grown puppet show!  (Jon Klassen is another friendly author/illustrator who affably signed my book @ BEA- thanks!)


And yes, it's Nonfiction Monday, but unfortunately, I forgot to bring home a nonfiction book to review this weekend!  Please stop by anyway.  Today's Independence Day roundup is at Bookmuse.