The Secret Life of Walter Kitty by Barbara Jean Hicks, illus. by Dan Santat

There are some picture books where I like the drawings. In other books, it is the story that captures my interest. I also enjoy when I come across a book that has a bit of humor. The Secret Life of Walter Kitty by Barbara Jean Hicks has it all. This book can be enjoyed not [...]

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The Wizard by Jack Prelutsky, illus. by Brandon Dorman

It is impossible to walk past The Wizard without picking it up.  On the cover, a wizard, with his arms stretched wide, is zapping a frog with his wand.  Bright green and yellow, this image catches your eye.  The detailed paintings throughout will grab the attention of young readers. This rhyming story, by Children’s Poet [...]

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Wonder Bear by Tao Nyeu

The bright colors and polar bear on the cover caught my attention and caused me to open this wordless picture book. This is a magical work that will engage a child’s imagination. At one point the polar bear is blowing bubbles that transform into the shapes of lions that are capturing monkey-like peanuts. At another [...]

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The Treasure Bath by Dan Andreason

Have you ever read a book that is wordless? More importantly, have you ever had a wordless book read to you by a child? The incredible joy in having such a book “read” to you is rooted in the emerging abilities of the child. For the non-reading youngster, this is an incredible opportunity for him [...]

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The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, the Bard by Gregory Rogers

I love words.  I savor reading words silently and out loud.  I appreciate their meanings and the ideas that they can convey.  A word can stand alone to create dramatic effect or when combined with others can produce images and new ideas.  I most assuredly love how words are joined into sentences and those sentences [...]

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Pete & Pickles by Berkeley Breathed

When you look at the cover of Pete & Pickles you cannot help but wonder, “Why is there a singing pig dressed like a gondolier standing on top of an elephant floating in a pond with bright blue inflatable tubes?”  This question can only be answered by reading the story. One night, Pete, the pig, [...]

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Someday is Not a Day of the Week by Denise Brennan-Nelson, illus. by Kevin O’Malley

Most picture books are written for children, but some are written for the adult in the child’s life.  One such book is Someday is Not a Day of the Week. As Momma Beaver is sitting at the kitchen table writing down her to-do list, her son Max thinks of all of the things that he [...]

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Chowder by Peter Brown

Chowder is a bulldog that does not fit in with other dogs. The first page makes this abundantly clear when it shows Chowder using a human bathroom. Chowder’s owners Madge and Bernie Wubbington are crazy about him. They let him play on the computer and listen to music, and do all sorts of human activities. [...]

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Pest Fest by Julia Durango, Illust. by Kurt Cyrus

If you had to pick the “Best Pest of the Year,” who would you pick? Perhaps a spider or a water-strider? A beetle or a butterfly? That is what the insects in Pest Fest must decide when they gather for their annual talent show. All of the insects, but one, feel that they deserve this [...]

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Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French, Illus. by Bruce Whatley

The Diary of a Wombat should be boring. After all, usually a wombat only sleeps and eats, and that is how this diary begins. On Monday, the wombat sleeps then eats. On Tuesday, he sleeps then eats then does something new: he scratches! On Wednesday, he sleeps… and then the real excitement begins. The wombat [...]

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