Picture Book Update

Here is a small list of some picture books I have recently enjoyed:

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse
By Marilyn Singer
Illustrated By Josee Masse

Poems from Fairy Tales written from two perspectives (reversible text). Radical Change.

Personal Thoughts: Loved it!





Gods & Heroes
by Matthew Reinhart & Robert Sabuda

An Encyclopedia of mythological tales
Traditional Sabuda Pop-Up construction

Personal Thoughts: Engaging and educational tool to cross curricula. Fantastic!



City Dog. Country Frog
By Mo Willems
Illustrated by Jon Muth

A city dog's adventure in the country. Friendship, gentle example of a friend's passing. Seasons

Personal Thoughts: What a great combo...Willems and Muth. Not what we have been seeing from Willems, but absolutely wonderful.


The Chicken Thief
By Beatrice Rodriguez

Wordless picture book. Quick story of misunderstanding. Friendship and adventure

Personal Thoughts: I love almost any wordless picture book, and this one is right there.

Chester's Masterpiece
By Melanie Watt

Book Writing. Radical Change.

Personal Thoughts: Melanie Watt is quickly becoming one of my favorite author/illustrators. Loved the dialog in this book.




Happy Reading,
Dr. Quinn

Mock Caldecott: Allotment #4

Old Bear
By Kevin Henkes

Rating:

· Old Bear dreams of the seasons during his winter hibernation
· This book could easily be a wordless picture book
· Fantastic colorful water color and ink paintings
· The color vividly sets the mode for each season in Old Bear's dream
· Loved this book



The Pigeon Wants a Puppy
By Mo Willems

Rating:

· As always Willems sets up extends the book with its endpapers
· Traditional Willems Pigeon book, but just as good as ever
· A slight twist to the climax and ending of this story






Too Many Toys
By David Shannon

Rating:

· Spencer has too many toys and his mother is making him get rid of some.
· Another great book by David Shannon
· Shannon’s paintings are consistent with many of his latest books, such as Alice the Fairy & Good Boy Fergus
· A variety of perspectives and layouts are used throughout the book
· Readers will find classic toys as well as toys of the day
· Classic ending!



Not a Stick
By Anoinette Portis

Rating:

· A follow up book to Not a Box
· Creative uses for a stick
· Every child can relate to this one
· Very simplistic in text and illustrations






The Little Yellow Leaf
By Carin Berger

Rating:

· A leaf is not ready to leave his tree until he finds support in another leaf
· A story of apprehension and friendship
· Illustrations are done in collages
· Several collages use notebook, graph, chart paper
· Love the colors




Bees, Snails, & Peacock Tales
by Betsy Franco & Ill. by Steve Jenkins

Rating:

· A creative informational book about animals and insects
· Franco uses a rhythmic meter to share the information
· Jenkins created the collages that absolutely extend the text
· The text is creatively oriented several different ways throughout the book





Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
By Andrea Davis Pinkney & Ill by Brian Pinkney

Rating:

· “Blues infused tribute to the men and women of the Montgomery bus boycott”
· Great illustrations
· Colored inks on clay board
· Mode and tone are a strong point of this book




A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever
By Marla Frazee

Rating:

· Two boys spend a week at nature camp by day and at grandparents house by night
· Typical boys having fun together
· Illustrations were done in black prismacolor and gouache
· Illustrations definitely extend the text




Drive
By Nathan Clement

Rating:

· A young boy tells about his father’s day as a truck driver
· Simple text; usually one sentence per page
· Colorful pictures probably created with photoshop
· Unique perspective in the illustrations





The Dog Who Belonged to No One
By Amy Hest and Ill. byAmy Bates

Rating:

· A stray dog and a young girl find companionship together
· Two stories combine into one: story of the dog, story of the girl
· The text seemed a bit trite to me
· Warm watercolor pictures support the text.
· Nice detail in the paintings

Favorites

I am often asked if I have a favorite book or a favorite author. The answer is no I do not have one favorite, but I do have several authors that I enjoy most. I really enjoy (in no specific order): Mo Willems, David Shannon, Chris Van Allsburg, Avi, Laurie Halse Anderson, and David Wiesner.

Happy Reading,
Dr. Quinn