Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, illus. by Harry Bliss

This very entertaining and quirky picture book gives an amusing insight into life from the perspective of a worm family’s young son, as he goes to school and begins to learn what it means to be a good worm.  Diary of a Worm follows a young, baseball-cap-wearing worm’s various misadventures through one spring and summer, [...]

Read Full Post »

Traction Man Is Here! by Mini Grey

Oh no, who will rescue the Farm Animals from the Evil Pillows, and who will protect the Dollies from the Wicked Professor Spade?! Never fear, Traction Man is here! The latest Traction Man action figure arrives just before Christmas, equipped with his “dazzle-painted battle pants”, “combat boots” and an outfit for any occasion – including [...]

Read Full Post »

My Pig Amarillo, by Satomi Ichikawa

I’m ending this week with the story of a pet. Pablito receives a tiny pig from his grandfather. He names him Amarillo because of his yellow color. They quickly become best friends. One day Pablito comes home from school and can’t find Amarillo. He runs everywhere in the village looking for him, but no one [...]

Read Full Post »

Grandma’s Gloves by Cecil Castellucci, illus. by Julia Denos and Everett Anderson’s Goodbye by Lucille Clifton, illus. by Ann Grifalconi

Today’s reviews continue to explore picture books that deal with the death of a relative. Grandma’s Gloves is a colorful, sweet book about a little girl and her grandmother. Her grandma loves to garden and has made many lovely memories with her granddaughter. “Grandma has a way with flowers. She is always on her knees [...]

Read Full Post »

Tear Soup by Pat Schweibert and Chuck DeKlyen, illus. by Taylor Bills

I’m going to share some titles about dealing with the death of a loved relative or pet this week. It’s not one of those popular subjects that get a lot of attention, but when you need something to help explain a painful situation, you want some titles to draw upon. Tear Soup is the story [...]

Read Full Post »

Will You Carry Me? by Heleen van Rossum, illus. by Peter van Harmelen

What’s a weary mom to do when her tired toddler raises his arms toward her to ask for a ride? The young mother in this story never picks up her little boy, but she takes him on a delightful ride of the imagination all the way home. The child’s name is Thomas and he’s had [...]

Read Full Post »

Fred Stays with Me! By Nancy Coffelt, illus. by Tricia Tusa

An old friend who was recently divorced told me last month that her son and the dog spend alternate weekends with the boy’s dad. I immediately thought of Fred Stays with Me. “Sometimes I live with my mom. Sometimes I live with my dad. My dog, Fred, stays with me.” Those opening lines are the [...]

Read Full Post »

A Plane Goes Ka-Zoom! By Jonathan London, illus. by Denis Roche

This is a fun introduction to airplanes for little ones. It’s got no more than one short, rhyming sentence on each page, and simple, brightly-colored illustrations of biplanes, blimps, seaplanes, fighter-jets and even an airplane that carries other airplanes. The text conveys the simplest information, with lines such as, “Planes land on water. Planes land [...]

Read Full Post »

Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems

Here’s another great book by our pal, Mo Willems. Leonardo is a terrible monster – terrible at being a monster, that is. He’s not weird looking, he doesn’t have a thousand teeth and he can’t ever seem to scare anyone. So, Leonardo comes up with a plan to find the most scaredy-cat kid in the [...]

Read Full Post »

Watch Out! by Jan Fearnley

Wilf is a little brown mouse who is “full of busy,” always running, jumping, playing and climbing. And, like most little boys, he’s not always good at listening to his mother. Time and time again, Wilf crashes, bangs and wallops his way into some sticky situations. Mommy is tired after a full day of mishaps, [...]

Read Full Post »