Our Ocean Home (1997)

 Our Ocean Home by Robert Lyn Nelson (1997) is narrated by a sea turtle named Honu. This is a large book and I appreciate that the 32 pages are numbered. The illustrations are brightly lit with a nearly neon feel. Tropical fish shine in multiple colors as they “glide through the blue-green, glittering sea” that really does seem to sparkle. Readers  meet monk seals, stingrays, whales, seahorse, dolphins, otters, and more. “In the whole  world there is more ocean than land, and the different oceans touch  each other.” Let this sink in and we feel the interdependence of the underwater community - and avian neighbors - that Honu asks us to keep clean and safe.

Gulls…Gulls…Gulls (1997)

 Gulls…Gulls…Gulls by Gail Gibbons (1997) has some fun alliteration. Page after page, this book is all about these seashore birds, plane simple. I learned that there are 43  different kinds of gulls in the world. The kind I  see is the herring gull. Gibbons’ illustrations fill most of each page and clearly show the  content of the text.There’s physical characteristics, settings and migration, communication, diet (gulls eat just about anything), behavior, and parenting chicks. Gibbons gives special thanks to Stephen Kress research biologist for the National Audubon Society. I bought this paperback at a library sale so I could cut  illustrations out for a collage. But I  liked it so much that I saved it on my personal bookshelf.

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig

 The Three Little Wolves and the Big  Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas has illustrations by Helen Oxenbury, so I had to take it home  from the library book sale. This is a satisfying revision of the story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf. The first house that the three pigs build is made of brick. The big bad pig destroys it, which means Trivizas must come up with two houses more impenetrable than brick. He does. But the fourth house is the kind we  wish for. The end of this story is the kind of lesson we want to teach young children.

Jeremy Quacks (1989)

 Jeremy  Quacks by  David  Scott Meier and Bruce Balan (1989) is another version of a young animal that talks in every language but its own. This time, the main character is a  duck. Very young children can oink, moo, bow wow, baaa, and tweet along with Jeremy. How can this very familiar theme end? I was pleasantly surprised when Jeremy says “meow” before finally quacking with  rest  the flock. The illustrations are light and airy and filled with  the barnyard favorites.

*The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (2007)

 The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís is a powerful picture book about the author’s childhood in Czechoslovakia. This autobiography serves as a history lesson.  "1948. The Soviets take control of Czechoslovakia and close the borders." Beside this text we see drawings of Sís as an infant and toddler. As a young child, he was required to learn lessons of Communism. He wears the red scarf of the Young Pioneers, waves a red flag, and draws tanks. Sís shares notes from his journal entries, drawings, and pictures from 1954 through 1977. We read about his discovery that life is much different on the other side of the wall. He dreams of freedom. "Sometimes dreams come true. On November 9, 1989, the wall fell."

Sís references art many times throughout the story. The first page reads, “As long as he could remember, he had loved to draw.” Page after page is about how Sís drew pictures all his life.  My FREE Picture Book Talk focuses on this art. 

The Wall is read aloud online by  Alicia Weber. She doesn’t read the many italicized notes in sidebars beside Sís’ drawings. She also doesn’t read Sís’ journal entries. Readers need the physical book to complete my lesson.

*My New Shirt (2007)

 My New Shirt by Cary Fagen (2007) is a  fun story with equally humorous illustrations by Dusan Petricic. The cover art caught my eye—the arms of a long sleeve, button down, collared, white shirt wrap around the neck of a worried child. It promises an unusual story inside. David’s grandmother gives him a starched white shirt every year for his birthday. This year, his gift mysteriously exits out the window and is dragged down block by his dog! Never fear, Bubbie knows how to wash it sparkling white again. The ending is too endearing to reveal here. This is one of my favorites.

*Suki's Kimono (2003)

Suki’s Kimono by Cheri Uegaki (2003) is a lovely book. I enjoyed the story and Stephane Jorisch’s illustrations. Suki is the youngest of three sisters, and she has priceless confidence. Suki wears a kimono, complete with obi wooden clogs. Of  course her sisters discourage this. Suki's classmates tease her. She has feelings; “her cheeks burn.” Yet this is not a preachy tale that includes a heart-to-heart pep talk. Suki is overflowing with poise. Her teacher is full of praise, which is what her  peers need—a role model of respect. The  ending is cute. I won’t give it away.

Birds from Head to Tail (2018)

 Birds from Head to Tail  (2018) is filled with gorgeous collage illustrations, just as the cover art promises. The pages pose questions and then answers. The first page reads, “What bird has a head like this?” We see the powerful head of a great horned owl. Its big eyes stare at us. Turn the page and we read a short paragraph with a few facts about this beautiful bird. Turn the page and the text reads, “ What bird has a beak like this?” Turn the page and we see the bird in its entirety, a hummingbird with its long beak dipping into a flower. And so it goes for an eagle eye, kiwi body, tern wings, flamingo legs,  blue-footed booby feet, and peacock tail. Each colorful bird appears with some environmental context. Stacey Roderick and Kwanchai Moriya created a  brightly colored, eye-catching book.

This book reminds me of What DoYou Do With a Tail Like This?  I wrote about this similarity in a WordPress post.

*Ira Wordworthy (1989)

 Ira Wordworthy by Stephen Cosgrove is a charming story about an old (badger) storekeeper who cannot read. When he’s gently confronted with this by young Rita (raccoon), his life changes. Rita teaches Ira to read. 

At the beginning of the story, Ira shoos away children who read books on his store porch. At the end of the story, his store is a haven for young readers. Also, Wordworthy Seed, Feed, and Mercantile is more organized after Ira can read product labels. “Ira’s mind was even better as he read book after book after book.” Cosgrove’s use of alliteration and flowery phrases creates a gentle rhythm. For example, Wordworthy’s Seed Feed and Mercantile was a “place where frumpy farmers could stand around and whistle in the wind about the weather and other wonders.” 

Wendy Edleson’s lovely, detailed watercolors draw us into a world of wildlife dressed in human clothing. Readers will spend much more than a moment gazing at the pictures. 

Although it’s touching to watch a young raccoon instruct an earnest, old badger, this is an opportunity to acknowledge the work of reading specialists. Learning to read is a complex process that requires specialized training. 

This book is read aloud online by Room 1041

My Picture Book Talk for this story is here.