The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book one hundred and seventy-one

Camping season is here, and for today's picture book I have a story about five little ducks who go camping. Though it is true that they are camped in a backyard rather than in the wilderness, they still have a wonderful and memorable time. Little children are sure to feel an instant kinship with the sweet little characters in this story.

Duck tents

Lynne Berry

Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata

Picture Book

For ages 2 to 4

Henry Holt, 2009, 978-0-8050-8696-6

   It is a sunny day and five little ducks at pitching five duck tents in a backyard. Happily they store their camping gear in their tents and they head for the fishing hole. Off they go wearing straw hats and carrying brand new fishing poles, chairs, mats, snacks and books.

   At the fishing hole they bait their hooks and wait, and wait, and wait. Then, at last, one of the ducks gets a bite on his line. He yanks on his pole trying to land his catch, without much success. Soon he is joined by the others. “Five ducks heave and five ducks haul,” but in the end this is a battle the ducks cannot win, and the fish gets away, fishing pole and all. Are the ducks going to be discouraged by this setback?

   This is the third book about five ducks who have some wonderful adventures together. Little children will enjoy seeing how they deal with their problems, and how they manage to have a great camping experience despite the obstacles they experience.

   With charming watercolor and ink illustrations to compliment the rhyming text, this is a picture book that young readers are sure to enjoy.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book one hundred and seventy

Sometimes two people find it just about impossible to get along. They fight about everything and anything. It is almost as if they get into the habit of arguing, and they don't know how to relate to each other in any other way. In today's picture book you will meet a pair of teddy bears who have this problem, and whose owner is driven to distraction by their bickering. 

Brown Bear, White Bear

Svetlana Petrovic

Illustrated by Vincent Hardy

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 7

Eerdmans, 2005, 978-0-8028-5353-0

   One day Alice’s grandmothers each give her a gift. One grandmother gives her a white teddy bear, and the other gives her a brown teddy bear. The bears are identical except for their colors. It isn’t long before the two grandmothers begin to argue about the bears, each one insisting that Alice likes her bear the best. Alice loves both the bears, but unfortunately the two bears do not like each other at all, and soon they are arguing too, just like the two grandmothers.

   The two teddy bears fight when Alice is at school, and when she goes to sleep at night. They fight when Alice plays her games, and they even have a food fight when Alice takes them outside for a picnic. This is the last straw. Angrily Alice gives the two bears baths and then she splits them up. Brown Bear is put on a high shelf, and White Bear is put inside a closet and the door is closed. What Alice does not know is that White Bear is afraid of the dark and Brown Bear is afraid of heights. What are the bears going to do now?

   In this charming picture book, Svetlana Petrovic explores the tempestuous relationship between two teddy bears who cannot get along. Children will be delighted to see that the two furry toys are not all bad, and that the nicer side of their characters come to the fore by the end of the story.

   Vincent Hardy’s wonderful illustrations perfectly compliment the text in this memorable book.

   

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book one hundred and sixty-nine

When my daughter was very little she decided that she wanted an elephant birthday paty. She was going to invite elephants to her party, and then all the children would ride on the elephants "all day long." Needless to say, this elephant party did not take place. There was a clown instead. This did not stop her from deciding the following year that she would have her party on a train.

In today's picture book you will meet a little girl who, like so many young children (including my own) have fabulous birthday party plans.

The best birthday party ever

Jennifer LaRue Huget

Illustrate by LeUyen Pham

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 7

Random House, 2011, 978-0-375-84763-9

   In just five months, three weeks, two days, and eight hours a little girl will be celebrating her birthday, and she is very very keen to start planning her party. She is determined that “it is going to be the best birthday party ever.” She is going to make her own invitations and she is going to invite fifty-seven friends as well as sundry other people.

   On D minus four months, two weeks, five days, and seven hours, the little girl announces that she is going to have nine thousand pink balloons at her party, and everyone will have bowls of ice cream (seven scoops) and all the toppings that they could ever want.

   The closer her birthday gets, the more outrageous this little girl’s plans become. She wants a cake that is the tallest cake in the world. She wants to have two magicians and all the girl guests will get to wear “a real tiara.” The little girl decides that each child will get a hamster as a party favor. There will be a castle with a moat, camels and pony rides. She expects to gets congratulatory letters from the President of the United States and the Queen of England. There will be flybys, a parade, and fireworks. How is this little girl going to cope when she finds out that she is not going to get the grand party that she is concocting in her imagination?

   Little children who have GRAND plans for their birthday parties will really appreciate this amusing picture book. Grownups will laugh out loud as the little girl’s plans get more and more elaborate, and everyone is sure to be amused by the clever ending. 

Poetry Friday: A review of Oh How Sylvester can pester

Trying to convince children that manners actually have a point can be difficult. Most of the time they think that manners are just rules that adults have come up with so that they can torture children with them. For today's poetry title I have a book that shows, using humorous and clever poems, that manners really do have a point.

Oh how Sylvester can pester and other poems more or less about manners

Robert Kinerk

Pictures by Drazen Kozjan

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 7 to 10

Simon and Schuster, 2011, 978-1-4169-3362-5

   Learning manners is a bore. Who wants to be “someone all proper and prim?” What is the point of it all? This is what Sylvester thinks, and he is not afraid to voice his opinion. His mother explains that manners really do have a point. “They’ll help you to treat me the way that I like,” she explains. She agrees to make a “concession” with her son. “You be nice to me; I’ll be nice to you.” Could it be that manners are more than anything about learning to get along with others?

   Sylvester is not the only one who struggles to remember his manners. His friends are in exactly the same situation that he is in. Here is a boy who talks while he chews, making everyone at the table (including the cat and dog) angry and even sick to their stomachs. Then there are those people who interrupt others when they are talking. Generally speaking, unless “lightening is flashing its blots from the sky,” it is not acceptable to interrupt a grown up.

   Claymore B. Tate is “the best in the state” when it comes to knowing about etiquette. He knows what to do with a napkin at table, how to eat soup politely, and what to do if you burp. One thing he does not know how to do is how not to lecture people. It never occurs to him that his lecturing is actually impolite because it makes people feel frustrated. He has no idea that manners are there to “help folks become easy with you.”

   In this amusing and cleverly written collection of poems, young readers will meet all kinds of children who are rude, ill-mannered, or simply ignorant. As they read the poems and the stories about Sylvester and his friends, readers will come to appreciate that manners really do have a point. They make it easier for people to get along with us, and they even make us more likeable.

   With humorous rhyming poems and funny illustrations, this is a book about manners that children will actually enjoy reading and looking at. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book one hundred and sixty-eight

When I was growing up I was sure that I would choose a job and that I would then do that job for the rest of my life. That was what most of the people I knew did. Nowadays it is hard to find anyone who stays in one job of work long. People change their minds about what they want to do, businesses go under and employees have to adapt to the market.

In today's picture book you will meet a fairy who encounters technical problems with her wand, and as a result she has to consider changing her job. The story is funny, and it will resonate with anyone who has had to make a drastic life change.

Gone with the wand

Margie Palatini

Illustrated by Brian Ajhar

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Scholastic, 2009, 978-0-439-72768-6

One day Bernice Sparklestein, “once the best Fairy Godmother in the entire universe and beyond,” is having tea with her friend Edith. B. Cuspid - Tooth Fairy Second Class - when she tells Edith that she is in trouble. She has lost her ability to cast successful spells. There is no doubt about it either. Bernice is having a “bad wand day.” Edith is determined to do what she can to help her friend, and the two fairies go to Edith’s house because Edith has a large collection of fairy outfits. Maybe they can find something that will suit Bernice.

   Bernice tries on a Fairy Dusting outfit, but it soon becomes clear that she is allergic to fairy dust. She likes the look of the Snow Fairy costume but she finds the work too cold. The Sugarplum outfit doesn’t work either and poor Bernice is feeling very upset. “What does a Fairy Godmother do when her wand is really gone?”

   Children are sure to love this extremely funny story about a Fairy Godmother who needs a new line of work. With comical illustrations and delightful characters, this is a story even non-fairy fans will find enjoyable. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book one hundred and sixty-seven

I have yet to meet a single person who is happy with their appearance. One friend feels her nose is too large, another says that her legs are too "chunky." We look in the mirror and find something that we don't like and that we wish we could change.

In today's book you will meet a dog who has no tail, and who feels very unhappy because he has no tail. He cannot enjoy his other assets and his good life because he is consumed by the fact that he, unlike all his friends, does not have an appendage that is wagable.

Henry the dog with no tail

Kate Feiffer

Illustrated by Jules Feiffer

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 7

Simon and Schuster, 2007, 978-1-4169-1614-7

 Henry is a dog, and more than anything in the world he wishes he had a tail. His friends Grady, Pip, and Larry all have tails, and Henry can see that they are wonderful things. He doesn’t care what kind of tail he has. Any kind of tail would do. Henry gets so depressed about his tail-less condition that his owners tell him to go and find a tail. They want their poor dog to be happy.

   Straight away Henry goes to visit a tailor because everyone knows that “When a dog goes in search of a tail, he goes to the tailor’s.” The tailor doesn’t have any tails in stock, but he is willing to try to make a tail for Henry, which he does.

   At first Henry is delighted with his new tail, but then he trips over it (it is rather long) and Larry points out that the tail cannot wag. Everyone knows that a tail that does not wag simply isn’t a proper tail. So Henry goes off to find someone or something that will make his tail wag. He is determined that he will not go home until he has a tail that can wag. Henry never imagines that a wagging tail might not be all that it is cracked up to be.

   This amusing book explores the idea that you should be careful what you wish for. You might just discover that what you crave the most might not suit you in the long run.

   With expressive illustrations and a charming story that is downright hilarious in some parts, this is a picture book that dog lovers of all ages will enjoy.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book one hundred and sixty-six

Trying to make friends can be complicated, no matter how old you are. Sometimes you just can't find the right people, and sometimes there just aren't that many people around. The main character in today's story, who is a fish,  desperately wants to have a friend, but he lives in a fish tank alone. Not surprisingly, trying to make friends is going to be a tad difficult.

Swim Swim

James Proimos

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 8

Scholastic, 2010, 978-0-545-09419-1

  Lerch is a little fish who lives in a fish tank, and he is lonely. He needs a friend, and so he sets off to try to find one. After a little bit of a swim, he asks the pebbles in the bottom of his tank if they will be his friends. For some reason, the pebbles refuse to respond. Lerch does not let their behavior get him down, and he swims off to find a friend somewhere else.

   Soon he comes across a little figurine of a diver who is sitting on the bottom of the tank. Very politely Lerch asks the diver if he will be his friend. No answer. Poor Lerch leaves thinking that the diver does not want to talk to him either.

   When Lerch meets a group of bubbles he even goes so far as to talk bubble to them when he realizes that they probably don’t talk fish. The poor fellow is devastated when the bubbles float to the surface and pop. Isn’t there anyone out there who loves him?

   Children will love the bright colorful comic book style art in this clever, funny, and ultimately sweet story. The author allows his audience to think that poor Lerch is heading for disaster, and then he turns everything around to give us a surprising and highly satisfying ending.

   

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book one hundred and sixty-five

Not long ago I was in the park watching a family enjoying a little time together. There was a little girl who was seven or eight years old, her parents, and her baby sister. The parents were cooing over the baby, praising her as she tried to crawl. The little girl watched these activities with a look of disgust on her face. I could tell that she was wondering why everyone was making such a fuss over the baby.

With this event fresh in my mind, I started to read today's picture book and it made me laugh. The main character in this story would have commiserated with the little girl in the park.

Lazy Little Loafers

Susan Orlean

Illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 7

Abrams, 2008, 978-0-8109-7027-4

   How do babies get away with it? How do they get away with basically doing no work at all? In fact, how do they get away with being downright lazy? These are questions that one little girl has been puzzling over for some time. As she walks to school one day, she considers that some of the babies she sees, some of the ones wearing sunglasses, might be working in show business. Though, there can’t be “many roles for chubby little people,” and we all know that cute babies doesn’t stay cute for long because they grow so fast.

   Okay, so maybe a few babies are actors or models. What about the ones that seem to think their job is to push their stroller around? For heaven’s sake! That does not qualify as a job. Nor does staggering around trying to walk.

   While she is crossing Central Park, the girl sees lots of babies “all loafing around and looking as happy as clams.” Here she is having to go to school in “back-to-school clothes and stiff new shoes” with a heavy backpack on her back, and all they have to do is to have snacks, wave at dogs, and hang out with their friends. How unfair is that! It is only when she gets to school that the real answer to her question finally comes to her.

   Any child who has envied a baby its easy life will thoroughly enjoy this clever picture book. They will completely sympathize with the girl narrator, and appreciate her decidedly annoyed tone of voice as she assesses the situation. The surprise ending is sure to make readers of all ages laugh.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book one hundred and sixty-four

Children love to read stories where characters have what I call accidental adventures. These are adventures that happen and that are not planned. Without even meaning to, the hero finds him or herself catapulted into an adventure that is full of surprises.

Today's picture book is just such a title. What makes it special is that it is basically wordless, which makes it perfect for young children who cannot yet read on their own.

The red scarf

Anne Villeneuve

Wordless Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Tundra Books, 2010, 978-0-88776-989-4

   It is yet another gray day, and Turpin the taxi driver is off to work. He gives a lady a lift and then a gentleman, who is wearing a top hat, a long black coat, and a red scarf. Unfortunately, the gentleman leaves his scarf behind when he leaves the taxi. When Turpin sees the scarf lying on the back seat, he picks it up and runs after the gentleman.

   Turpin is about to follow the gentleman into a large colorful tent when a lizard riding a unicycle stops him. Turpin explains that he wants to return the scarf, and the lizard allows him to enter the tent. Almost as soon as he enters the tent, Turpin is almost run down by a polar bear on roller skates. Then he is eaten by a lion. Is this the end of Turpin?

   In this most wordless picture book (there are eight words at the beginning of the tale) Anne Villeneuve tells the story of a very extraordinary day in the life of a taxi driver. Children will love following Turpin’s circus tent adventures as he tries to return a piece of lost property.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book one hundred and sixty-three

There are many picture book stories out there about the little guy who prevails despite the fact that he or she is smaller/weaker/older than everyone else. The Little Engine that Could is a classic example of this kind of story. For today's picture book, I have a tale about a little hamster who wants to participate in a hot rod car race, and who has to overcome considerable obstacles to be able to do so. 

Hot Rod Hamster

Cynthia Lord

Illustrated by Derek Anderson

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Scholastic, 2010, 978-0-545-03530-9

   Imagine that you are a hamster and that you want to participate in a hot rod race. The biggest challenge you will face will be trying to find a car that is the small enough for you. This is exactly what happens to the hamster in this story. Eager to participate in a hot rod race, the hamster goes to a junk yard and he asks the dog there to help me build a car.

   The dog shows the hamster a “shiny painted blue car” and a rather rusty little green one. The green one is just about the right size for the hamster, so he, the dog, and the dogs little rat helpers set about giving the little green car a much needed overhaul. They choose new wheels, a new engine, and a paint job.

   At the raceway, the other competitors, who are all dogs, make fun of the hamster. “You’ll get lost in our dust,” one of the dogs says. This, not surprisingly, greatly annoys the hamster and he prepares to show them all what a hot rod hamster can do.

   Young children who like race cars are sure to enjoy this amusing story. Not only are there pictures galore of all kinds of cars, but they will get to meet a diminutive main character who pursues his dream despite the fact that the cards are stacked against him.

   With colorful illustrations and an engaging text, this is a picture book that is sure to amuse and entertain.