Picture Books: Recent Faves

This is a post I've been meaning to write for a while. I picked up some great books this summer and another one on our trip to London. They've proven themselves as some of my favorite books to read to the kids--and they like them too. Here they are, in no particular order:





Blackout, by John Rocco

This book depicts, in graphic novel style, the night of a blackout in New York City. The illustrations are fun, and the words are limited, which, as parents know, is great because on nights when you miraculously have energy reserves, the illustrations become catalysts to snuggly conversations wherein you get to tap into your child's mind.










The story helps remind us to shed our busywork in favor of the often rushed quality time with our family. When the blackout removes all of their electronic distractions, the family reconnects with one another and their neighbors.











Cars Galore, by Peter Stein and illustrated by Bob Staake











The story has colorful pages and fun, snappy, rhymes. My vehicle-obsessed two year-old loves it for the motion and variety of all these cars. My four year-old daughter likes the silliness of these cars and spotting them on the road as I read their description.









A Sick Day for Amos McGee, written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead








The illustrations are what really do it for me in this story. The slightly worn-looking sketches done in subdued colors make this a very soothing book to read. And of course it has, what I'm beginning to sense is a trend in children's books about zoos, the balloon, that both kids love to spot on every page. Oh, yeah, and there are buses for Auric, like this one for example, which is helping him learn what the number 5 looks like.








This Plus That, Life's Little Equations by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jen Corace










I love this book! It's so simple--so silly at times, and other times poignant. The drawings are childlike but sophisticated at the same time. I have to admit, I sometimes get choked up at the end. (I have a ridiculous problem with this. So don't avoid this book because you think it's a tear-jerker. It's not. I'm absurd.)










Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld










Guess who I got this one for? But seriously, it's a winner, with both kids. The rhymes are smooth and fun. And to boot, the kids and I learned some of the terms for the trucks, (e.g.) the long arm of the crane truck is called a "boom." See, I would've just called it the long arm.












Cake Girl, by David Lucas






This is a fun story about how making friends is contingent on being a nice person. The witch makes a cake girl to entertain her on her birthday, "And then I'll eat you," she says. The matter-of-factness of her tone never fails to get a little chuckle out of me. So Cake Girl has to think fast. She realizes that the witch is just lonely because she doesn't have any friends. So the second half of the book shows Cake Girl teaching the witch how to be nice. It's got some great magical elements that are fun for the kids.


Thora loves this right now. In fact, this is her new favorite book to read aloud. She's memorized the entire text. Here's Thora in action. She misses a few key lines, like when Cake Girl asks the witch not to eat her, or a couple of the magic tricks the witch does at the end, transforming Cake Girl and the witch into whatever Cake Girl requests. But as usual, we're always amazed when she can memorize entire books just from the pictures, without ANY written cues. Enjoy!





And finally a book that I picked up at the awesome gift shop in the even more awesome Museum of London:

A Walk in London by Salvatore Rubbino









It's a sightseeing book of London and it was instrumental in helping the kids remember all that they'd seen on our jam-packed trip in September. The illustrations are clear and detailed, while still having a distinct style and whimsy. What I love about this book is that you can read the story of a girl and her mother seeing the sights, but you can also supplement it with all sorts of great details supplied in smaller font size all over the page. These pages at the right, for example, were Auric's favorite page because it gave him a close-up of the marching guards. So while I let Auric gaze to his heart's content, I could read to Thora all sorts of interesting trivia about Buckingham Palace. For anyone traveling to London with young kids, this is a must-have. He's also written and illustrated A Walk in New York, which I think we'll have to get, given how much time we've spent in NYC with the kids.

Thora's Current Favorite Books

These are the books that Thora goes to again and again. In order of my preference:

Lemony Snicket's The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming. This is very funny, but she rarely lets me read it. It's her go-to book when she's reading to her brother, probably because she feels it gives her license to scream. (Not a traditional picture book.)

Amy MacDonald's Little Beaver and The Echo. This is a very sweet book, a nice one to read aloud.

Cressida Cowell's That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown. I love books that show girls doing all sorts of imaginary play. Emily Brown takes her rabbit, Stanley, on adventures in the rain forest, in outer space, deep sea diving along the Great Barrier Reef, etc. Another funny book with a sweet ending.

Anna McQuinn's, If You're Happy and You Know It. This has fun, quirky illustrations and a nice, multicultural message.

Helen Cooper's Tatty Ratty. This isn't my favorite of Cooper's. I like almost everything we find of hers, particularly Pumpkin Soup, and the first one we ever encountered, The Boy Who Wouldn't Go to Bed. However, of the books we have on loan from the library, this is our only Cooper book. And as expected, the surprising layout and illustrations make the read dynamic. Also a cute story, with the added bonus that it gives parents an idea of how to remedy the dreaded situation of a lost "lovie."

And lastly, Goldilicious, by Victoria Kann. I have to say that I won't be sad to return this one to the library. And of course, since it's a book about a girl named Pinkalicious, Thora loves it. My initial dislike of it has to do with personal taste: everything is pink! And she only does girly things, like dress her unicorn for a fancy-dress ball, practice her ballet, and have a tea party. Again, nothing inherently wrong with these activities--just not my idea of fun. And while I'm not a fan of pink and drowning little girls in all things pink/purple, the reason for my dislike of this book has more to do with what seems like lazy writing. The story line is disjointed at times (even moreso than what I think is the intentional mimicry of a girl's unbridled imagination). And I find the dialogue frustratingly laid out, so that it took me several reads to be able to anticipate and appropriately attribute dialogue.