I Heard Said the Bird (1995)

 I Heard Said the Bird by Polly Berrien Berends (1995) is a unique twist on a story about a new baby sibling. I picked it up because of the cover art, which reminded me of the cover of Earthquack illustrated by Barry Moser. All of Brad Sneed's pictures remind me of Barry Moser. The bird on the cover of this story flies about a barnyard telling the animals "'there's  a NEW ONE coming.'" And so we see a cow, hen, horse, goose, duck, rabbit, pig, and so on. There's only one of each creature and there's very little text.  It's one of those books that make be wonder why the author's name appears above the artist's name. And then, a young boy walks into the barnyard and talks with the animals! He leads the animals to an open window through which then all gaze upon a baby in a crib. I like this kind of illustration, so I think this is a fun book to spend time with. 

Half a World Away (1988)

Half a World away by M.Twinn (1988) is a powerful story of compassion, action, and justice. Illustrations by Arlette Lavie consist of silhouettes which contributes to the book’s timelessness. Children in a land of plenty learn about a land half a world away in which children are sick and hungry. They react to the crisis. They demand that adults do something. “The parents, ashamed, understand at last. ‘You’re right. The time for selfishness is past.’” When enough people demand that the government send help, it does. “We must change the law. Our new policy shall be to help the poor!” With food, medicine, and technical assistance, the land a half a world away flourishes. It’s a story for our time. It’s a story for every time. 

I could not find this book listed anywhere except on Etsy. 

*Never Trust a Squirrel

*Never Trust a Squirrel by Patrick Cooper (1998) is a classic tale of a little creature, this time a guinea pig, venturing out into the world. A squirrel coaxes William out of his hutch to play. Despite his mother’s warnings, William tries playing games with the squirrel until a fox appears. The squirrel runs away up a tree and leaves William to fend for himself. His mother saves the day. Catherine Walters's pictures are perfect and the reason I made this one of my favorites. The scenery is full of wild flowers. The simple, furry faces of the squirrel and guinea pigs have expressions. The squirrel sticks its tongue out at the mother guinea pig as it scampers off with her son! A scene with the fox is truly frightening. 

Night and day (1985)

Night and Day by Catherine Ripley (1985) is the kind of story I never fully appreciated as a child. This entire book describes the forest as the site of hungry creatures hunting down one another for dinner. As an adult, these woods sound terrifying to me. Maybe it was illustrations like these by Debi Perna and Brenda Clark that created scenes of peaceful coexistence—in direct opposition to the text—that contributed to my delusion.  There’s no killing in the text, except for a woodpecker’s beak full of insects. But “Soon the meadow is full of many hungry animals.”  Although an owl closes in on prey, “The mouse jumps to safety just in time. . .Tonight, the owl will stay hungry.” Even the absence of death is distressing. All the animals except for the porcupine and rabbit appear to be carnivores. 

Night Noises (1989)

 Night Noises by Mem Fox (1989) is a story about Lily Laceby, an elderly woman who lives in an old cottage. She is "nearly ninety." One evening, Lily falls asleep in her cozy chair "by her fire, snug and warm, she drifted off to sleep and began to dream." Her dog, Butch Aggie, naps at her feet. Lily dreams of moments in hr life. The older I get, the more I love stories like this one. There are noises outside, and Lily doesn't hear them but her dog does. He dog gets progressively more alert and then defensive with each page turn. When a simple knock at the door doesn't wake Lily, people bang on the door and shout at the windows. Butch Aggie barks and barks. Finally Lily awakens and wonders who could be outside. The answer is a happy one. Terry Denton's illustrations are brightly colored and somewhat comic. They lighten the growing tension and he succeeds in portraying Lily at different times in her life. 

*Is That You, Eleanor Sue? (2018)

* Is That You, Eleanor Sue? by Tricia Tusa (2018) is a fun story because of Eleanor Sue's mother. Not only does Eleanor Sue love to dress up, her mother plays along. When this little girl wears a wig, jacket, and purse she climbs out her bedroom window and knocks on her own home's door. Eleanor Sue introduces herself as Mrs. McMuffins, a new neighbor; her mother invites her in for tea. When Mrs. McMuffins transforms into a witch, her mother  fixes lunch. She listens as this witch explains how she flies around. Eleanor Sue returns as a wizard, a bear, a delivery person, and a kitty. The story has a delightful ending. 

Very Last First Time (1985)

Very Last First Time by Jan Andrews (1985) scared me to death. Eva is an Inuit who lives in northern Canada; "ever since she could remember she had walked with her mother on the bottom of the sea." What?! This is the story of the very special day in which she would walk on the bottom of the sea all by herself. Again, I say, what?! Eva and her mother bundle up warmly, and each pull a small sled that holds a shovel, a long ice-chisel, and a musel pan. They walk to the shore when the tide is out. They dig a hole in the thick sea ice, and Eva goes down into the hole alone. Eva lights candles in order to see the mussels she collects. Readers get a brief tour of the sea bottom. Then, Eva hears the lap, lap of waves. The tide is coming in. Her candles are burning down, and she looks for the mussel pan she left behind when she went exploring. As she climbs out of the ice hole, I'm a little unsure if she will do this again alone. Illustrations by Ian Wallace shows the eerie underwater landscape and Eva's expressions of resolve and fear.