*Playing Right Field (1995)

*Playing Right Field by Willy Welch (1995) is a unique story made even more special because it’s in rhyme and made fabulous by Marc Simont’s illustrations. First of all, a simple picture book about baseball sure is fun. There’s only four lines at most on a page. Often only two lines captures the essence of standing far away from the action. “Playing right field can be lonely and dull. Little Leagues never have lefties that pull.” The writing is excellent, the rhyme works, and the vocabulary assumes a familiarity with baseball. Simont fills the book’s large pages with acres of dandelion covered fields. Right field feels miles away. The ending is authentic. The kid who ends up in right field doesn’t suddenly display awesome, until now hidden, athletic talent. But he’s a hero anyway. 

Swim the Silver Sea Joshie Otter (1993)

Swim the Silver Sea Joshie Otter by Nancy White Carlstrom (1993) is a boring book that left me with a curious afterthought. The illustrations by Ken Kuroi are nothing to write home about. I realize this is a harsh review, but I’ve read similar books that actually add story to the themes of journey and getting lost. All we get here is an introduction to creatures that live near Joshie Otter. My afterthought is that the lesson here, if there is one, is that mothers should play with their children. Joshie Otter leaves home after his mother refuses to play. On the last page (of course he gets home ok) they are playing, “Joshie and Mother, two otters at play.” 

*Khalil and Mr. Hagerty and the Backyard Treasures (2020)

*Khalil and Mr. Hagerty and the Backyard Treasures by Tricia Springstubb (2020) is a truly lovely story. And I enjoyed Elaheh Taherian’s collage illustrations. Everything about this book is heartwarming. There’s no conflict. There’s no drama. Candlewick Press doesn’t drag readers uphill through anxiety towards some kind of conflict resolution. This is a gentle tale of inter-generational friendship. A young child named Kahlil  lives upstairs from an elderly gentleman named Mr. Haggerty. They share a backyard and get to know each other. Springstubb subtly weaves a theme of words across her pages: Kahlil needs help reading some words in his books, and Mr. Haggerty needs help remembering the names of things. The story ends with “One of the best words of all.” 

*Amos: The Story of An Old Dog and His Couch (1987)

*Amos: The Story of An Old Dog and His Couch by Susan Seligson (1987) is a Weekly Reader Book published by Little, Brown & Company. I imagine it was fun to receive a Weekly Reader story. This book is a thin 8 ½ x 11 paperback stapled at the spine. And it’s such a fun story! Amos’ owners go out a lot and leave him home alone and lonely. One day, Amos accidentally discovers that his old couch can move, fast. Amos follows his owners when they drive away. In one hilarious scene, they’re all at a yard sale where Amos’ owners recognize their couch. Since we need a bit more drama, Amos drives around on his own and. . . no, he doesn’t get lost. . . he gets stuck in rush hour traffic! The ending is sweet and reminds us that dogs are family. Bowie Schneider’s illustrations are just perfect. 

Snowball The Bear Who Saved Christmas (2012)

Snowball The Bear Who Saved Christmas by Jerry Gamache (2012) is written in Spanish and English. The Spanish translation is by Silvia and Carla Puky. Snowball is a young bear who gets lonely one extremely cold winter when his parents say he can’t play outside. So what does he do? He sneaks out and gets lost, of course. It happens to be the night before Christmas Eve and Snowball accidentally finds Santa’s workshop. Suddenly, it’s covered by an avalanche! Now the story writes itself. Snowball’s parents find him and together they dig through an avalanche of snow to free Santa and his elves. How does Santa reward Snowball? You guessed right! 

*Clifford We Love You (1991)

*Clifford We Love You by Norman Bridwell (1991) is timeless. I wonder if Bridwell consulted child development specialists when he wrote about Clifford. “Clifford was feeling down-in-the-dumps.” I found it genuinely unsettling to see Clifford wearing a sad expression. He stops eating and howls at night. The vet finds nothing wrong with Clifford. I wanted to know why Clifford was distressed, but, of course, dogs can’t talk. It’s any dog owner’s nightmare. The children in the neighborhood try to cheer Clifford up, but nothing works. Finally, Emily Elizabeth writes a song for him. A key feature of her song is that it celebrates who he is and what he does. The music and lyrics are on the last page. 

*Said The Little Raccoon to the Moon (1974)

*Said The Little Raccoon to the Moon by Miriam Morton (1974) is a one-of-a-kind find for me. It’s old, worn appearance, dark palette, and woodcut cover image made it easy to pass over. But it peaked my curiosity. Not many picture books have illustrations from woodcuts. And this book’s copyright is owned by the Xerox Corporation. It’s a Level 5, Unit 4 book from 360 Magic Circle Books Reading by Ginn and Company. I’ve listened to hundreds of webinars about reading programs over the last three decades.  My, how reading instruction has changed, and backtracked, and manifested in rubrics and pedagogy by university professors and publishing companies! Here is an example from the 1970s. The text is repetitive, the story sequence of actions by a young, lonely raccoon. This little critter asks the omnipresent moon to play. “The moon did not say no.” I admire Jon Provest’s woodcuts. I wonder if a contemporary young reader would give this book a second look given the brightly colored, digital art they often see today.