Grandpa's Slippers (1989)

 

*Grandpa’s Slippers by Joy Watson (1989) is a fun story concept. Grandpa wears a pair of slippers that are so old and worn out that grandma buys him a new pair. Grandpa refuses to wear the new pair of slippers because he says that his old ones are fine. So, grandma tries many ways to dispose of the old slippers. For example, she hides them in a cupboard, almost gives them away, buries them in the compost. The text is repetitive but grows gradually as grandma as reasons for why the slippers should go. You can guess the ending, but that’s OK. This is still quite a fun book. Illustrations by Wendy Hodder include the family cat and the scenarios in which grandma tries to dispose of grandpa slippers. The pallet is colorful, but with the muted feel of age.

Red Wolf Country (1996)

 

Red Wolf Country by JonathanLondon is a picture book with purpose, poetic prose, and illustrations that are beautiful two-page-spread paintings. A mated pair of endangered red wolves travel through coastal wetlands, possibly the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. She-Wolf’s secret invites us to turn the pages. Daniel San Souci’s gorgeous art is another reason. Then, there’s the journey, which London marks explicitly with words and structurally with transitions from late winter into summer. We witness the wolves’ struggle for survival. Hunting for food is not always successful. When a “nervous farmer raises a rifle”, the pair must evade bullets . . . and alligators! They head high into the hills. Finally, they find a home beneath a fallen tree, and Souci rewards readers with a sensational image of a red wolf  mother with her newborn pups.

Readers may want to talk about the pros and cons of wildlife protections.

This book is read aloud online by Asheville Farmstead School

My Picture Book Talk lesson for this story is here. 

I was so pleased with Jonathan Landon's poetic prose that I requested three more of his books about wildlife from the library. Jackrabbit  (1996) with illustrations by Deborah Kogan Ray, touched my heart. Ice Bear Little Fox  (1998) with illustrations by Daniel San Souci and Little Fox in the Snow  (2018) with illustrations by Daniel Miyares  did not amaze me in the same way that Red Wolf Country did. For me, the prose lacked magic and the stories were somewhat depressing survival scenarios. 

Bee & Bird (2011)

 Bee & Bird by Craig Frazier is a wordless picture book. The illustrations are unlike any other book I've seen. They encourage readers to think visually. The first two-page spread is a a series of black and yellow vertical stripes. What? The next two page spread is a step back to reveal a bumble bee. But where could it be? We see a huge red area of bright red with a curved boundary and an orange triangle on one side. Turn the page and we see, with another step back, that it's the head of a bird! And so images continue to reveal themselves in a clever story. A bee and bird travel over land and water to find the bee's home. I just love this book for anyone of any age who is interested in illustration. 

Bats at the Library (2008)

 Bats at the Library by Brian Lies will delight any youngster who finds it difficult to sit still and be quiet while visiting a library. There's so many more ways to have fun in a building full of books. Lies' bats will show readers the possibilities! In addition to a wealth of books--the bats find a book about moths--there's shadow play with the overhead projector, photos with the copy machine, splashes in the water fountain, and pretending inside popup books! Brian Lies' fine art paintings are awash in joy. And the story is in rhyme, which adds a happy feeling of song. I can imagine any child who's read this book will look all around for a tiny bat that didn't make it out at dawn with the rest. 

Animals should definitely not act like people (1980)

 Animals should definitely not act like people by Judi Barrett is loads of fun. Drawings by Ron Barrett capture the silliness implied in the text. Each page shows a creature attempting a human activity. A worm uses both end of its wriggly body to hold up a dumbell, an octopus wears four baseball gloves, and a hippopotamus has a bathtub stuck to it's rear end. That hippo would "have to have a heap of help" to use a human bathtub! Each illustration is accompanied by a lot of alliteration. I love the giraffe standing at the top of a ladder attempting to paint its house. The last picture is startling. A variety of animals peer into a cage as if they are visitors in a zoo--and the reader is in the cage. 

The Sign Painter (2000)

 

I wonder if The Sign Painter by Allen Say contrasts times in his own life. This is the story of an older gentleman who paints for pay. We meet him by way of a young adult at the beginning of his artistic career. This young man drops into a small town in search of employment and spends about a  month painting the same billboard repeatedly as the sign painter’s assistant. The cover art for this book may summarize the story: the boy looks at the blank canvas of his future while the elder looks down at the design he’s paid to put there. This book demands readers read between the lines.  There are few “correct” answers in this lesson. Most questions require readers share their own interpretations of the story. The vocabulary is not difficult, but the content is for the older reader.

 Say’s last illustration in the book references the painting Nighthawks (1942) by Edward Hopper.

 This book is read aloud online by Read Alouds.

My Picture Book Talk lesson for this story is here.

Clever Toroise: A Traditional African Tale (2000)

 

In Clever Tortoise:A Traditional African Tale by Francesca Martin (2000), all the animals are living happily beside a lake until Elephant starts to brag about how strong it is. Then Hippopotamus brags about how strong it is. This frightens the other animals, so they play a trick on the two giants. They invite each one to play tug-of-war. Of course, Elephant and Hippo think they will win this game easily. But the smaller animals weave a long rope that goes from Elephant all the way to Hippopotamus. Consequently, Hippopotamus and Elephant are the competitors without realizing it. They pull and pull and pull until Tortoise secretly cuts the rope and both animals crash. Elephant and Hippo are stunned that the smaller animals could possibly have beaten them. And they live happily ever after.

 

Christmas Makes Me Think (2001)

Christmas Makes Me Think by Tony Medina reminds readers that Christmas is a time for helping others. It’s a brief story in which a child redefines the holiday.  Medina’s main character challenges the tradition to decorate a cut evergreen and dine on ham and turkey. Some children don’t have toys, and not everyone has food and shelter. This child notices the world around them and thinks of ways to share the holiday differently. Chandra Cox's illustrations are as minimal yet effective as the text. 

Honestly, it took several readings for me to appreciate this very short story. I was unfamiliar with the choice of a single run-on sentence on each page. I longed for punctuation. Cox's illustrations seemed so basic as to have phoned them in. But then I noticed the clarity of the main character's expressions. Cox captures the concept of thinking in both facial expression and gesture in her cover art. The child appears both questioning and skeptical as he looks over at a decorated tree. He's surprized and dismayed to discover that Christmas trees are cut down from a tree farm. His face shows wonder at homeless people while his friend is head down playing a video game. This book is minimalist and powerful. 

This book is read aloud online by Sarah Sabbatini.

My Picture Book Talk for this story is here. 

Friends (1982)

 

Friends written and illustrated by Helme Heine (1982) is another lovely book about friendship:  Charlie Rooster, Johnny Mouse, and Percy are best friends. On the first page, we learn that good friends always stick together. Then they go out and have fun. The three of them ride a bicycle together--wind in their hair (and feathers) and smiles on their faces. They play hide and seek and they play pirates. When they eat cherries off a cherry tree, they naturally negotiate how to share. In the evening, they pledge their friendship. It’s just a darn fun little book with no rising action and no conflict. It’s really just a day in a life that’s all about going out and having some fun.

What are friends for? (1998)

 

What are friends for?  by Sally Grindley and Penny Dann (1998) is one of my favorite books. I love the characters. They are distinct personalities. J B, Jefferson Bear, is a great big, round, brown bear. Figgy Two Socks is an energetic fox with two white front feet. J B tells Figgy Two Socks that a friend is for playing, so they play hide and seek. Jefferson Bear says that best friends share their favorite things, so Figgy Two Socks searches for blackberries to share. When Jefferson bear pulls a thorn out of Figgy Two Socks’ paw, we learn that friends are for helping one another. When JB gets angry because Figgy Two Socks wakes him up from a nap, it's feelings that are hurt. Jefferson Bear must look, and look, and look to find his friend, who has hidden away, worried their friendship is over. Jefferson Bear apologizes because friends are forever.

Hondo and Fabian (2002)

 

Hondo and Fabian by PeterMcCarty. (2002) is a day in the life of a dog and a cat. Peter McCarty’s illustrations are soft, translucent images in a range of  beige.  Maybe we’re seeing the difference between a dog and a cat at play. Hondo goes to the beach and runs around in the ocean waves with another dog. The cat stays home and as playmate for a toddler. Fabian’s idea of fun is to unroll the toilet paper. I never knew you could create such a simple picture book. Yet, it earned a Caldecott Honor. I don’t really understand this book except to say that a young child might love it. There is no rising action, no conflict, no resolution. It’s a slice of life.

The Christmas Boot (2016)

 The Christmas Boot by Lisa Wheeler is a story about isolation. Hannah lives in a ramshackle cabin in a wooded, mountainous countryside. One day, she finds a boot in the snow, and it fits her foot perfectly. When Hannah speaks to the boot, it grants her a matching one and warm mittens. It’s the magic of Christmas! Soon after, Hanah hears a knock on her door.  A man with a white beard and wearing a red suit is looking for his lost boot.  This surprise guest stays for tea and conversation. Then, he gifts her warm mittens and boots of her own.  As he flies off in a sleigh pulled by reindeer, Hannah finds another happy surprise.

There are no elves or bright-eyed Rudolf in this Christmas story, no tinsel or pile of ribbon-wrapped presents. However, Jerry Pinkney’s lush and thoughtful paintings bring to life this Christmas story for the older reader. Isolation is a topic for our time.

This book is read aloud online by MettaThoughts.

My Picture Book Talk lesson for this story is here. 

Salamander Dance (2016)

 

Salamander Dance by David Fitzsimmons describes the lives of spotted salamanders, with an emphasis on vernal pools. The book is beautifully illustrated with two-page spreads by Michael DiGiorgio. The content is presented in chronological order. In late winter and early spring, the melting snow and rains create valuable breeding habitats for salamanders and wood frogs. These pools are home to insects and plankton, food for salamander larvae and tadpoles. Readers learn about the astonishing metamorphosis that salamanders undergo as the vernal pool disappears in summer. To adapt to life on land, they lose their gills and grow lungs! Included at the end of book is more information about vernal pools and  spotted salamanders. There’s a glossary on the last page. Salamander Dance introduces young readers to narrative nonfiction and subject specific vocabulary.

This book is read aloud online by Wild Learning Project.

My Picture Book Talk for this story is here. 

The Black Book of Colors (2006)

 The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosanna Faria is all black. Each page is black. The sparse text is white and in Braille. The illustrations are raised images intended to be felt rather than viewed. It’s difficult to explain and must be experienced.