Not all children’s picture books are created equal.
There are the GOATS: Where the Wild Things Are. Goodnight Moon. Madeline. Anything Sandra Boynton has ever written or will ever write or is thinking about writing. (This is a secret Sandy B fan page. Stay tuned for a future love letter, I mean, post about that.)
And then there are the duds. I will not name names here because reading is personal, and I don’t want to yuck your yum. (Maybe you think Sandy B is a hack. You’re wrong, but I respect your right to think that. Also, read Fifteen Animals. Or Blue Hat Red Hat. Or But Not the Hippopotamus. Or How Big is Zagnodd?) But we all know it: Some books just miss the mark.
Thus: Welcome to my monthly-ish roundup of picture books we read and liked. So far, I’ve discovered these just by browsing our library shelves and pulling things that appeal to Foster’s current interests (at almost 2 years old, that’s animals, vehicles – especially trains – and, for some reason, the moon).
Animals Go Vroom! by Abi Cushman
If there are three things Foster loves in life, it’s animals, vehicles, and noise, so this book seemed like a winner. This book pairs animal sounds with vehicles in a traffic jam – so a goose driving a taxi honks and a snake driving a car gets a hissing flat tire. The best part? There is a full world going on in these illustrations, and I discovered something new and charming every time we read it – which was a lot.
And shout out to Abi Cushman, whose website includes printable activity pages, an online memory game, and a paper plate craft based on the book.
Lion, Lion by Miriam Busch
Foster: Requests this book multiple times before every nap, yelling, “laaaaa la” (or “lion, lion”) like they do in the book. Also pretends to tickle the lion’s throat and to sneeze.
Pressley: Thinks this book is OK. Starts a thread about a picky eater lion, then switches to a new one where a pet cat is inside a lion’s stomach? The illustrations are probably a 5/10. Enjoys the pretend sneezing and the ending that points to continuing cat escapades.
Tanner: “It’s total nonsense. There’s a mouse there for some reason. It’s not a story. Don’t pick it up because your kid might like it and you’ll have to keep reading this stupid book.”
Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie H. Harris
A critter of some kind (it has cat ears but monkey-like feet? That’s not the point, but every time I read this, I study this little creature, trying to figure out what the illustrator was trying to make it look like. I DIGRESS) is snuggled up in bed with his book, which “mysteriously” disappears after he yawns and stretches while reading. He then imagines that each one of his stuffed animals has come to life and absconded with the book in various ways. A hit in our house because we act out each animal’s sounds and motions.
Field Trip to the Moon by John Hare
There are no words in this book, which I occasionally dread. I don’t want to have to make up a story: the beauty of reading, especially reading aloud, is that someone’s already done that for me. But these pictures – and the story they tell – are so charming that I give this one a pass. A class goes on a field trip to the moon, and one student is left behind after drifting away from the group. The student uses crayons to charm some new alien friends. (And don’t worry, the bus comes back!) Feels like a Pixar short: sweet, creative, and special.
Want more? NPR has a series called Picture This, where authors and illustrators talk about the creative process behind their new children’s book (or revisit a classic). We heard the segment on Buffalo Fluffalo this week and are now on our library holds listalo for it. (So sorry. Had to do it. Forgive me, Sandy B.)