*Hey, Al by Arthur Yorinks (1986) is a fun story with illustrations by Richard Egielski that earned a Caldecott Medal. The book in my hand is the seventh printing (1993). “Al, a nice man, a quiet man, a janitor lived in one room on the West Side with his faithful dog Eddie.” One day, they argued about their poor living conditions (yes, Eddie talks). The next day, a giant bird pops its head through Al’s bathroom window and offers to take him and his dog to a better life. That better life is on an island in the sky. They’re warmly greeted by a variety of birds, which, after finishing the book, feels a little creepy. In fact, the two-page spread illustrating this welcome has a single, subtle clue about what is to come. The island is paradise, until it’s not. Al and Eddie make it back home. The final sentence reads, “Paradise lost is sometimes Heaven found.”
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Frederick by Leo Lionni values the imagination. While Frederick's family gathers food supplies for the winter, Frederick sit... -
Molly and the Sword by Robert Shlasko, (1996) is unoriginal and tedious. Molly is a good daughter who demonstrates qualities one mi...