Picture books for the fall

Where did October go? Somehow the picture books are piling up, so here are a few to start with!
Monsters are big in books for young readers and listeners. Here are two new ones:

Some Monsters are Different by David Milgrim

A book of opposites told from the perspective of silly, colorful monsters.  Beginning with “Some monsters are afraid, some are not…” and continuing, “Some monsters like to play outside, some like it outside.” The tale goes through many ways that monsters are different, but ends with “All monsters are absolutely, positively, completely, perfectly wonderful…just the way the way they are!” A lesson we need to keep on learning every single day.

Monstergarten by Daniel J. Mahoney, pictures by Jef Kaminsky

 

One of my favorite new books is  When it Snows by Richard Collingridge

 

A small boy holding his teddy bear is in for an adventure at the first snow. What starts out as a realistic story about the first snowstorm, turns into a magical walk/ride over the fields and through a forest, ending up at what looks like Santa’s village in the north pole. The look of delight on the boy’s face is pure magic in itself. While the story line is extremely brief, with very few details, the magic of the illustrations reminds me of The Polar Express. Read this one in December!

Another story that appeals to the adult as well as the child is  This Is Our House by Hyewon Yum

The story of a house that is passed from one generation to the next. The grandparents and mom are Korean American and the dad looks to be of Irish heritage. The narrator is a young girl telling about the house where her Mom was born, grew up and went away to college. Then the cycle starts again when her Mom and Dad moved into the same house and began their own family. Refreshing look at a simple story with Asian characters. 

And finally, one for the 2 year old in your heart as well as your home: 

Patch by David Slonim

A young, blond boy narrates this story of his relationship with his dog, Patch. Patch is a mutt who is not very obedient and even pees on the floor. But, the little boy loves him anyway, in spite of his less than stellar doggie performance. For any boy who has loved a dog, this book is a perfect companion. The artwork consists of simple line drawings with dabs of bright watercolors, very eye-catching and appropriate for the topic.