Thursday, May 3, 2012

various and sundry picture books

I get to feeling all smug and noble when I have scheduled blog posts well in advance only to discover all too soon that I am behind once more. Time to catch up on some reading from April.




A SONG FOR MY SISTER by Lesley Simpson with illustrations by Tatjana Mai-Wyss (Random House 2012) begins as a familiar story: a new child in the house, one long wanted by older sister, Mira, is not quite what she expected. The new baby is noisy and takes all of her parents' time and attention. Just when Mira thinks perhaps it is best for the baby to go away, she discovers that she has a special gift for the new baby, one that influences the name she will be given on her simchat bat. Tie this one to Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes and Peter's Chair by Ezra jack Keats. <226>




When Lily mistakes an animal in her garden for a doggy (he is actually a bear escaped from the zoo), she is thrilled to finally have a pet. SILLY DOGGY by Adam Stower (Orchard Books 2012) recounts Lily's experiences with her silly doggy. There is a lovely twist and surprise awaiting readers at the end of the book. There are many possible connections to this book about mistaken identity. <227>




A BUS CALLED HEAVEN by Bob Graham (Candlewick Press 2012) manages to bring together the residents of a city neighborhood. A young girl discovers an abandoned bus whose destination sign reads "heaven." Before long, the neighbors are cleaning it out and cleaning it up and making a lovely neighborhood center from the old bus. Of course, there will be complications, courtesy of the city which wants it moved to a junkyard where it belongs. Can everyone pull together to save "heaven"? Graham's simple text and the soft, almost gentle, watercolor illustrations blend perfectly ion this story of community. Tie this one to SEEDFOLKS by Paul Fleischman. <228>

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