Picture book reviews
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Each two page spread is illustrated with a different shade
of green, lime green, slow green, glow green, juxtaposed in a way to make a
rhyme. The pictures are richly painted with deep textures, designed to hold the
attention of even the youngest reader. In addition, each page has a small
cutout, cleverly showing a color from the next or previous page. Thoughtful and
evocative. This one goes on the grandson’s shelf.
Piggy Bunny by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Jeremy Tankard
Liam is a little piglet who wants to be an Easter Bunny. His
siblings ridicule him and his parents do their best to discourage him. But, his
grandparents get with the program and order him a bunny suit over the internet.
Go grandparents! You rock!
Another Brother
by Matthew Cordell
Little Davy, a cartoonish sheep, gets to be an only child
(lamb) for four years, then a succession of 12 brothers are born. The twelve
younger brothers want nothing more than to imitate everything Davy does to his
immense annoyance. Until they stop, and that is annoying, too. Davy is
surprised in the end by a sister who continues the tradition of imitating her
older brother. A nice book for siblings, even if you don’t have 14 children!
And then it’s spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin
E. Stead
A softly told and softly illustrated book about a little boy
who plants seeds, and waits for them to sprout. The brown earth holds them in
for several weeks and the wild animals do not heed the signs that say, “Do not
stomp here.” But, in the end, spring prevails and green overtakes the brown.
Bird Talk: What Birds are Saying and Why by Lita Judge
A Beautifully illustrated book about bird songs, dances and
mating behaviors. While not exactly the right book for story hour, this is a
fascinating resource for children in the primary grades who want to know more
about birds.
Kate and Pippin: An Unlikely Love Story by Martin Springett,
Photographs by Isobel Springett
Pippin is a female fawn, found in the forest, by Isobel
Springett. When Isobel puts Pippin next to Kate, a Great Dane, the two develop
a special relationship. Although Pippin is fed and cared for on the farm, she
does return to the wild. But, her friendship with Kate does not end and she
periodically comes by to visit Kate, her surrogate mother.
Forever Young by Bob Dylan, illustrated by Paul Rogers
The classic Dylan song illustrated mostly with pictures of
young men. Cleverly done and makes a good read, especially for those of us who
grew up in the 60s. However, the illustrations may be too focused on males and
not enough on females, who also can “build a ladder to the stars and climb
every rung, … grow up to be righteous and grow up to be true.”
Leo Geo by Jon Chad
Leo Geo sets out to explore the inner workings of the earth,
traveling from the surface in Argentina and ending on the other side of the
earth in Taipei. While Leo spouts scientific facts throughout the cleverly
designed, black and white cartoon style book, there are unacknowledged
inconsistencies. Like, how can Leo survive the high temperature at the center
of the earth, and why does he sometimes give the temperature in Celsius and
sometimes in Fahrenheit? Unless you are a true science aficionado, you will
find this book somewhat tedious.
Cool City by Sean Kenney
Sean Kenney is, according to the book flap, a “LEGO
certified professional.” His city is pretty cool, and comes with some diagrams,
building tips and a website where you can “order some extra LEGO pieces.”
