Tikki Tikki Tembo (1968)

Tikki Tikki Tembo retold by Arlene Mosel (1968) left me confused, maybe because it is “retold” by Mosel. I always wonder what’s been lost and distorted in a retelling. Two brothers each take a turn falling into the well that we see on the front cover. A man with a ladder, also on the cover, saves each sibling. This story seems to be about the mother’s adherence to a cultural norm and how it more severely impacts one of her sons. The first born receives a very lengthy name at the beginning of the story, but this tradition changes at the end of the story. Blair Lent’s illustrations have a limited palette that may reflect the printing processes more than 50 years ago. They picture the tale well enough. What would life be like if other well established traditions were this quick to change? 

*No! (2011)

*No! by Marta Altes (2011) was simply fun. Here’s a simple idea that somehow works brilliantly. No wonder it received the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Best Book Award. Also the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award. Technically, the illustrations are not my favorite–and yet, they’re fabulous. Altes captures the enthusiasm of a dog who aims to please. Anyone who owns a dog will recognize many of the scenarios in which “No!” applies. There’s magic here and I don’t know how Marta Altes managed to package it into a paperback. 

First Day Jitters (2000)

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg (2000) caught me by surprise, I’m happy to say. I should have seen the hilarious ending coming, but I didn’t. I fell for the traditional expectation all the way to the end. Judy Love’s illustrations perfectly complemented the humorous text. A passionate family dog contrasts with the severe family cat. The persistent, demanding, yet encouraging father succeeds in getting a reluctant female out of bed, dressed, fed, and transported to school. No, I can’t reveal the ending. Hopefully, you’ll laugh out loud too.

The Wolf the Duck & the Mouse (2017)

The Wolf the Duck & the Mouse is another collaboration of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen (2017). I don’t think there’s a lot to say here about the book. This is a popular contemporary duo that speaks to a new generation of young readers. The story is short and clever. Punchy. “Ha-Ha”, as the kids text these days. The illustrations are simply nothing to write home about, IMHO. The single sentence on the dust jacket pretty much says it all, “This story is about a mouse, and how he got swallowed up by a wolf, and who he met down in his belly, and what happened after that.” The title tells us he met a duck. I need a young child to explain to me why Candlewick published this book. (Ouch!)

*My Town (1998)

*My Town by  William Wegman (1998) is much more than just dogs dressed in people clothes. It’s a terrific, well written story. It’s for anyone who faces a deadline. It’s for anyone who must produce an open-ended project and doesn’t know where to start, anyone who’s stared at a blank page or stood before a blank canvas. What to  do? The clock is ticking! Where to begin? My  favorite thing about this book is how the solution evolves naturally. Chip has a report due  tomorrow. He  wanders through town talking with members of his community in search of a good idea for a report. Librarian Castleberry puts Chip to sleep with her lengthy description of the library’s resources. Coach Lombardo tells Chip to keep his eye on the ball. As Chip  questions a  policeman, postman, fireman, and others, he takes pictures. And in the end, his report is finished.

Shadow (1999)

Shadow by Jill Newsome (1999) is for children facing the challenge of a family move. Rosy must leave behind her home, school, and friends when her family moves to a new house. She is angry and lonely. She has insomnia and nightmares. Then one day, she brings home an injured rabbit. Claudio Munoz's palette fills with color as Rosy heals the rabbit and it becomes her pet. It follows her everywhere, hence the name Shadow.  When Shadow wanders off, Rosy posts signs in her neighborhood. The classmate who finds Shadow becomes Rosy's friend. The text is large print and spare. The illustrations are just enough to represent the story. This book is a quick read.

All Things Bright and Beautiful (2004)

The edition of All Things Bright and Beautiful by Cecil Frances Alexander (2004) that I found was illustrated by Anna Vojtech. The cover art is certainly bright and beautiful, and so is every page of this book. Two children and a dog explore a countryside that’s home to numerous birds, flowers, insects, and other creatures. The well-tendered landscape is a lush green with brilliant red strawberries and plump orange pumpkins. It’s truly a happy place of fresh air, sunshine, and big star-studded evening skies. I wonder how many children will recognize such a location. I hope that humans will protect places like this for future generations to sing about.

Dogs As I See Them (2015)

Dogs As I See Them by Lucy Dawson (2015) is a lovely book of drawings. A brief introduction reads “Lucy Dawson’s friendly, sympathetic portraits of dogs so delighted readers of numerous English andAmerican periodicals that they finally were gathered together to make a book.” Ann Patchett’s forward adds the information we need to coalesce this collection of dog sketches. She writes, “Lucy Dawson’s genius...is her ability to draw the personality of every dog she met.” The book is designed to convey an atmosphere of dignity and historical importance with its cream-colored pages. A short paragraph and several sketches accompany each completed drawing. Indeed they are quite nice. Lately, I’ve seen so many excellent portraits of pets that I hesitate to place Lucy Dawson’s work high above them. 

Our Ocean Home (1997)

Our Ocean Home by Robert Lyn Nelson (1997) is a tour of the ocean given by Honu, a sea turtle. The ocean is home to butterfly fish, monk seals, sting rays, humpback whales, and many more creatures. Nelson’s world famous paintings show scenes above and below the sea. His brightly colored palette is full of light that filters down into the deep blue water and shines on the marine life. Water glistens. Streams, rivers, and waterfalls send clean, fresh water into the ocean. “We all share this world, the ocean creatures and you. We are family.” Listen to Robert Lyn Nelson here. 

*Survival of the Flutist (2015)

*Survival of the Flutist by Marianne Gedigian (2015) is a story that is appropriate for a child who wants to be any kind of successful artist. The child at the beginning of this story “wanted to succeed in music more than anything else.” Success was defined as becoming principal flute, attaining fame, and receiving adoration from their peers. (This is the first picture book I’ve read that uses the third person for the gender pronoun.) After graduating from university, this person found that success didn’t appear as they expected. The journey to success involved trial and error, discovery and growth. At the end of the book, “They started things, finished things, and stuck with things in that long slow middle.” Success took many forms. “Our flutist was awake, alive, and grateful.” Hear the author talk about this picture book here.

High as a Hawk (2004)

High as a Hawk by T. A. Barron (2004) is based on the true story of Enos Mills, a famous mountain guide who founded the Rocky Mountain National Park. While doing research on Mills, the author came upon a letter written by an eight-year-old girl named Harriet Peters. Turns out Mills guided Harriet to the summit of Longs Peak. In September 1905, she became “the youngest person ever to reach the 14,255-foot summit of Longs Peak.” 

Ted Lewin’s paintings are lovely. They capture the people and the majesty of the trail. Mills and Peters encounter “surprises” on their journey: a herd of elk, winds, rocks that wobble beneath their feet, and even snow. Just as Harriet is about to give up, they’ve reached the top. Harriet feels “‘High as a hawk.’”

My Shadow, a poem by Robert Lewis Stevenson (1990)

My Shadow, a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, became a picture book by Ted Rand (1990). Rand’s  watercolors are filled with light by  necessity because with light there are shadows! The illustrations show children from around the world experiencing the poem. One child plays on a tire swing attached to an enormous tree, and her shadow in the grass includes all three: child, swing, and tree. A huge shadow fills the wall of a  child’s bedroom, cast by a table lamp, for the line, “And I see  him jump before me, when I jump  into my bed.” What  does it mean when Robert Lewis Stevenson writes “he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.”? Rand shows us a child and adult looking down at small shadows around their feet because the sun is directly overhead. This book is a great way to introduce young readers to a famous poem.