Kathleen Odean | New Book Recommendations

NEW CHILDREN'S BOOKS RECOMMENDED BY KATHLEEN ODEAN

picture books | novels | poetry and non-fiction

Wild about Books by Judy Sierra. Illus. by Marc Brown. Ages 3-8. 2004
Wonderful in every way! This has a perfect read-aloud text with clever wordplay and rhymes, all about the joys of books. Marc Brown (of the well-loved Arthur books) creates a cheerful setting as a librarian, Molly McGrew, takes books to the zoo. "In a flash every beast in the zoo was stampeding/To learn all about this new something called reading." Rush out and get this book at your library or buy it for a child in your life.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems. Ages 3-8. 2004
Slapstick comedy in book form, this creative book speaks right to the readers. When a bus driver has to step away from the bus for a moment, he says, "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus." But the pigeon is determined to get permission from the readers, sounding very much like a child pleading with an adult. The pictures, too, look at first glance like simple, childlike drawings, but in fact took the kind of skill that won them a Caldecott Honor Award.

What Shall We Play? by Sue Heap. Ages 2-6
In a slice of life for toddlers, three friends negotiate about what to play in this lively picture-story book. Lily May keeps saying, "Let's play fairies," but Matt and Martha overrule her. First, they play trees, reaching for the sky. Then cars, fast, bumpy, and new, beeping in a traffic jam. Then cats, followed by "wibbly-wobbly Jell-O." Finally, Lily May prevails and the other two succumb to the magic of being fairies. Childlike mixed-media illustrations convey the pleasures of imaginative play.

My Car by Byron Barton. Ages 2-5
Bold colors, geometrical shapes, and unusually sturdy pages make this an excellent choice for the very young. The brief text introduces Sam and his car, both rounded, chunky figures. Sam, who loves his red car with its purple tires and green hubcaps, demonstrates how he cares for it. Young vehicle fans will especially appreciate the picture that separates the car out into its basic parts, with labels attached. They may also be surprised that, when Sam drives his car to work, it turns out he is a bus driver, a fitting job for this dedicated driver.

Hungry Hen by Richard Waring. Illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church. Ages 3-6
The classic plot of a fox raiding a hen house takes on a new dimension in original tale. A smirking fox perches on a hill, watching a hungry little hen eat. Each day he starts down to nab her, but decides to wait one more day, so she’ll be even bigger. Humorous paintings on exquisite hand-made paper lend personality to the greedy fox and the seemingly clueless hen. The animals and then the typeface expand on the page as the clever story reaches a satisfying, unexpected end.

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert. Age 4-8
This celebration of butterflies describes their life cycle with glorious, colorful illustrations and a simple rhyming text in large typeface. The creative design starts with small pages set in a meadow, then switches to larger illustrations when the butterflies hatch and fly away. Ehlert’s dazzling collages, perfect for their subject, burst with reds, oranges, yellows, purples and greens when the butterflies land in a flower garden. The final pages identify the butterflies and flowers, explain more about the butterfly life cycle, and give advice on starting a butterfly garden. A joy from beginning to end.

Winter: An Alphabet Acrostic by Leslie Evans. Illustrated by Steven Schnur. Ages 4-8
The beauty of a snowy winter contrasts with the warmth of a cozy, country home in this playful picture book. On each page, a winter-related word provides the basis for an acrostic that reads like a short poem. For the letter “C,” the verse reads, “Crystals/Of ice as delicate as/Lace ring the/Duck pond,” forming the word “COLD” in upper case letters. A striking, linoleum print hand-colored with a delightful palette illustrates each small boxed acrostic. A girl and her black dog appear in many of the pictures as they do in the author-illustrator team’s similar books, Spring, Summer, and Winter. As the season progresses, she sleds and skates, then snuggles up inside by a fire. The final illustration launches her into spring with a soccer ball. Younger children will enjoy studying the details and spotting the dog, while older ones may be inspired to try their hand at the pleasure of acrostics.

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner. Ages 5-10
In this playful transformation of a traditional tale, the initial illustrations appear in panels, surrounded by white frames. When the wolf huffs and puffs, he blows the pigs out of the panels and into the white space. There they play with flat book pages scattered around them, folding one into a paper airplane. They soar happily through white space until they crash near other books, which they pass through on their way to a happy ending. Wiesner’s beautifully illustrated romp, which breaks the conventions of book design and storytelling, will inspire readers with a fresh view of picture books.