Three Little Cajun Pigs by Mike Artell, Illus. by Jim Harris

Everyone knows and loves the story of the Three Little Pigs. This Cajun twist on the tale maintains the integrity of the original, while introducing a bit of Louisiana culture. Here the three pigs are kicked out of their mother’s house, and build new houses out of straw, sticks and bricks. Unlike the original tale, [...]

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It’s Fall! by Linda Glaser, Illus. by Susan Swan

I love absolutely everything about fall – the changing leaves, the crisp air, the anticipation of a yummy Thanksgiving meal and football. As such, it’s only fitting that I publish a review about my favorite time of year. This is a beautiful book about autumn that talks about everything from leaves to migrating geese to [...]

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I’m Really Not Tired by Lori Sunshine, Illus. by Jeffrey Ebbeler

This is a cute book that attempts to answer the question that most kids have had – what really happens in the house after you go to bed? Young Sam is convinced his parents have all the fun once he falls asleep, and he is determined to catch them in action! Children will enjoy seeing [...]

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Ghosts in the House! by Kazuno Kohara

Inspiring a Halloween feel by using a basic color combination of orange, black and white, the illustrations in Ghosts in the House! are able to create a story that is simple and yet surprisingly striking in design.  It also makes for an engaging story for toddlers and preschoolers as this color combination  is crisp and [...]

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The Perfect Pumpkin Pie by Denys Cazet

What better way to get into the spirit of Halloween than with a tale to send a bit of a shiver through your youngsters’ bones while spreading a smile on their faces. The Perfect Pumpkin Pie tells the tale of the ill-tempered Mr. Wilkerson who dies one Halloween night just as he is about to [...]

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The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz

The Ugly Pumpkin is a retelling of the classic Ugly Duckling story done against a Halloween backdrop.  The Ugly Pumpkin is oddly shaped and well, ugly. He wanders throughout the month of October looking for someone to take him home, a place where he will be accepted.  Along the way he is teased and rejected [...]

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Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy by Denise Fleming

A favorite author-illustrator of mine is Denise Fleming. Her newest creation–a bedtime story–is illustrated in her instantly recognizable artwork done in pulp painting. It is another story of baby animals getting ready to go to sleep. Fleming uses very simple, repetitive text, in her books. In Sleepy, Oh so sleepy, the little animals look sleepy [...]

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Time for Bed by Mem Fox, illus. by Jane Dyer

Another beautifully illustrated, bedtime book that works well is Time for Bed by renowned international literature expert, Mem Fox. Each page in this book shows a different mother animal getting her baby to sleep. The extremely, large illustrations make this a good story for a group reading. It would be very special as a bedtime [...]

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Ten in the Bed by Jane Cabrera

If you are having trouble getting the children to go to bed, try this bedtime story – Ten in the Bed! Jean Cabrera’s re-telling of familiar nursery rhymes such as this one are wonderful for toddlers and pre-schoolers. The vividly colored, large illustrations worked well at the library for our twilight Bedtime Stories event. Cabrera [...]

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Fire Drill by Paul DuBois Jacobs and Jennifer Swender, illus. by Huy Voun Lee

This will be a handy book for teaching preschoolers the fire drill routine. Simple, rhyming text and bright, cut-paper illustrations tell how students calmly line up, march outside and then wait to go back to class, where everybody gets a sticker. Although this book is a bit small, the pictures are big enough to use [...]

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