Curious George at the Aquarium (2007)

Curious George at the Aquarium by Margret & H.A. Rey (2007) has little monkey George--you guessed it--creating havoc at an aquarium. Can George wait (alone) for the man in the yellow hat to buy tickets for them? Of course not! George climbs over a wall to follow the sound of a splash and he delights in discovering Beluga whales, a variety of fish, a “do not touch” display of live crabs, and so on. He joins the penguins to share in their comical play, and that’s when the predictable drama takes off. We can smile because Curious George redeems himself in the end. 

My Buddy (1992)

My Buddy by Audrey Osofsky (1992) is about the relationship between a service dog and a wheelchair-bound child. The child begins with “Buddy is my golden retriever. He looks like the sun is always shining on him…But Buddy is more than my friend. He’s my arms and legs.” This child has muscular dystrophy. There’s a brief description of how difficult it was to train Buddy. The rest of the book is about the many ways Buddy helps out. This dog turns on lights, opens doors, pushes elevator buttons, and fetches items from store shelves. When accompanying this child to school, Buddy wears a sign that says “Don’t Touch.” After school, he runs around in the child’s yard; Buddy gets time to play. Ted Rand’s watercolors capture the warmth of this child-canine companionship. He dedicates the book to Canine Companions for Independence in Santa Rosa, California. 

Too Many Dinosaurs (2011)

Too Many Dinosaurs by Mercer Mayer (2011) was an exciting library book sale find. It's always fun to discover another of his books. In this one, dinosaurs appear on land and in the air. On the cover, a child holds a baby triceratops in the foreground while another child runs away in terror in the background. Mercer Mayer is an illustration genius, but you don’t need me to tell you that. Here’s a simple yet clever story with colorful, detailed pictures--a masterpiece. The main character, wisely gender neutral, wants a puppy. This might be a tired premise in the hands of another author. But not for Mayer. Mayer’s  protagonist buys a dinosaur egg at a yard sale, and it hatches. A single action results in multiple dinosaurs. With no other obvious ideas, that same action causes them to fade away. (But they reemerge!) And the child gets a puppy. Pretty novel way to solve the problem of convincing mom to buy a dog. 

House Finds a Home (2022)

House Finds a Home by Katy S. Duffield (2022) personifies a house. I love the idea. This story gives readers a sense of time beyond their own bubble. Illustrations by Jen Corace have a cool, modern crispness. They show minor differences between each family that moves into the house. They all seem to have a mother, father,  and children. There’s a nod to racial diversity and a grandparent. As families come and go, more houses fill the neighborhood. There’s no significant repairs or additions made to the house. Maybe that’s because the focus of this story is the love that inhabitants bring. In the end, I personally found the premise a little creepy. 

Mama Cat has three kittens (2002)

In Mama Cat has three kittens, Denise Fleming found a way to showcase her art and create a simple story with a satisfying twist. Very young children will love the bright yellows, greens, browns, and even blacks that fill large two-page spreads. A black mama cat (brightened with blues, purples, and white) has a black, calico, and orange tabby kitten. Two kittens copy Mama doing typical outdoor-cat things (except hunt), but the tabby naps through it all. Every page is energetic. This book is so brilliant that it could be read at a nursery school circle time and the children would see the action easily. I recall watching a presentation that described Fleming’s complex process of illustration. She puts a lot of work into her pictures and the results are stunning. 

Fezzel's Story: History of a Rock (1998)

Fezzel’s Story: History of a Rock by Leigh Ahlgren (1998) won a “Kids are Authors” award. Ahlgren was a middle school student when she wrote this story. It’s an ingenious premise which Ahlgren succeeds in developing through rhyme. Tom Chesek turns this unusual tale into an engaging read with his cartoonish illustrations. The rock in question is all face. It’s two eyes and mouth show a wide range of emotions. This rock has a volcanic birth. “I was minding my own business Under the crust one day, When suddenly I was pushed up And out of the way.” It lands in a pool of water, is swallowed by a dinosaur, gets squashed in an earthquake, and is mined for aluminum cans. This drama is less than half way through the story! I’ve never read a book about rocks that was so much fun. 

*Smokey (1962)

*Smokey by Bill Peet (1962) is another example of this author’s special "something". What is it that infuses magic into his storytelling? Maybe it’s the rhyme. His lines glide easily from page to page. His characters have personalities. A train is partially submerged in a pond on the cover of this book. Its eyes effectively communicate anxiety about its predicament. Ducks smile at the train. A frog, turtle, some dragonflies, and a fish look on with curiosity. Inside the book, big diesel trains actually look arrogant. Retired engines look worn, abandoned, and sad. Work horses lean into the hard labor of hauling hay. Smokey is an aging engine that puffs black smoke into the air. It’s the end of the line for him. After a long life of dedicated service, Smokey’s about to join his old colleagues rusting in a field. But, Smokey’s story has a happy ending. We can count on Bill Peet to write a happy ending.