Picture Books for August

Picture books for August

Summer Days and Nights by Wong Herbert Yee

A sweet rhyming story that tells all the things a young child can do on a summer day. The characters are of Asian descent.

Red, White and Boom! By Lee Wardlaw, illustrated by Huy Voun Lee

A saucy, brightly colored picture book that tells the story of July 4^th with short , spiky rhymes: “Oohs and Ahhs/Cheers, applause/Shoulder sighs/Drowsy eyes.” Plenty of diversity in age, race and gender. Very well done!

Creature Count: A Prehistoric Rhyme by Brenda Huante, illustrated by Vincent Nguyen

Prehistoric monsters are anthropomorphized and rendered quite cutely in this simple counting book. The rhyme is quite rhythmic and could be sung to the tune of “Over in the Meadow.”

Some Cat by Mary Casanova, illustrated by Ard Hoyt

Violet is an abused cat who needs a new home. When she is adopted by a couple with two dogs, Violet causes all kinds of trouble for Zippity and George. But, when a pack of stray dogs go after Violet, Zippity and George come to her rescue and then all is right with the world. Great illustrations. Maybe a little too simplistic in the plot line.

Flabbersmashed about You by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Yumi Heo

What happens when your best friend chooses another friend as a playground buddy? Katie Honors finds out and it does not feel good. While this story has a happy ending, and not all playground disasters end happily, this is a great book to use when kids need some help making and keeping friends. You might consider reading  You Can’t Say You Can’t Play by Vivian Paley, a book about how to keep kids from being mean to each other, even at a very young age.

Mom, It’s my First Day of Kindergarten! By Hyewon Yum

A five-year-old is more than ready for his first day of school, but is his mother? Very clever tale of the first day, with the illustrations portraying the mom as tiny, compared to her brave boy. Great story for the first day in Kindergarten, maybe even something that can be shared with parents. I love this one!

Just a weird thing to notice:

Of these six books, five have either an author or illustrator who is of Asian descent. Hyewon Yum is Korean American, Vincent Nguyen is Vietnamese American, and I am not sure of the heritage of Yumi Heo, Huy Voun Lee, or Herbert Lee. But, it is interesting to note. Three of the six books have Asian children represented within them. Go diversity!