Picture Books Archives - Page 6 of 9

The Wildest Brother

by Cornelia Funke

Ben is one wild little boy. All day long he pretends to be a wolf or a monster. He battles dragons, goblins, foxes and other ferocious beasts. Engaging his sister in these exuberant adventures (sometimes a giggling willing participant, other times protesting!) he\’s brave and strong and fearless- at least until darkness falls. When nighttime brings strange noises in the house, suddenly Ben needs his big sister to feel safe. I know a crazy little boy like this, and it\’s nice to remember there\’s a tender side under all the wild activity.

Rating: 3/5 24 pages, 2004

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Jessica\’s Children\’s Literature
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Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Current Reads, Picture Books

Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen

by Carl Best

A girl and her bike. Sally Jean starts out riding behind her mom, then gets a tricycle, and finally her very own real bike. She learns to ride solo (no training wheels) and do some tricks. She loves her bike so much she gives it a name. As she gets bigger, her parents show her how to adjust the seat and handlebars. But eventually Sally Jean outgrows the bike, and her parents can\’t afford to buy a new one for a while. What will Sally Jean do? Other kids offer her rides, but as the Bicycle Queen, she needs her own bike. She tries to earn money, but it\’s not enough. Her final solution really tickled me: Sally Jean finds some used parts and makes her own bike. Then she kindly hands her old bike down to another kid who\’s outgrown his tricycle. Great story, even though I don\’t really care for the illustrations (very loose, sketchy style).

Rating: 3/5 32 pages, 2006

more opinions:
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Tags: 3/5- Good Read, Current Reads, Picture Books

Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel

by Leslie Connor

Miss Bridie\’s story begins as she steps off a ship into a new land, carrying a shovel. She doesn\’t bring with her a chiming clock or pretty porcelain figure into the new world, but a useful, utilitarian object. And throughout her life, the shovel serves her well. She uses it to plant gardens, dig fence posts, clear snow for ice skating. The shovel digs wheels out of the mud and puts fuel into her kitchen stove. When a fire levels her barn, she finds the shovel blade and makes a new handle, continuing on. I did not expect to find this quiet, unassuming story so moving, but suppressed a tear when she used to shovel to bury her beloved husband, and plant a tree on his grave. The book closes with the shovel still in use, clearing snow for her grandchildren to skate now. Illustrated with a lovely woodcut style.

Rating: 4/5 30 pages, 2004

more opinions:

A 3 Acre Farm

the booknosher

Tags: 4/5- Great Book, Historical Fiction, Picture Books

Extra Yarn

by Mac Barnett

While I was away, my mother took the children to the library several times, as evidenced by piles of unfamiliar picture books in my apartment. I\’ve been enjoying reading them with my three-year-old. My favorite has to be Extra Yarn. The sparse, expressive illustrations by Jon Klassen are delightful, and the story even more so.

It starts like this: a girl named Annabel who lives in a cold, gray town, finds a box filled with colorful yarn. She knits a sweater for herself and her dog. Then for her friends, her classmates, teacher, eventually all the pets and people in town (even a guy who doesn\’t want a sweater- he wears shorts in the snow- gets something: she makes him a hat). Every time she finishes knitting, there is still yarn left in the box. So she knits sweaters for things that don\’t usually need them- trees, houses, etc. The town becomes very colorful! Now Annabel becomes famous, people come to see the knitting and the marvelous box and a rich duke who loves clothes wants to buy it. Annabel won\’t sell, for any ridiculous price. He steals the box of yarn, but of course it all turns out well in the end. I love the way the pictures tell the story, and the final message. Lovely.

Rating: 4/5 40 pages, 2012

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Tags: 5/5- Loved It, Current Reads, Picture Books

Bedtime for Frances

by Russell Hoban

Like many kids, Frances the badger doesn\’t want to go to bed. She finds endless reasons to delay- needs a song, needs a drink, needs a special doll or toy to hold. Then of course keeps getting out of bed when she hears strange noises, and her parents patiently deal with all these interruptions to their evening. When even later in the night Frances wakes her sleeping father he finally looses his patience and reminds her that everyone in the family has a job to do- he has to go to work in the morning, she has to go to sleep now, and if she doesn\’t, she\’ll get in trouble. This time Frances finally stays in bed, finds a way to distract herself with little songs, and succumbs to sleep. Darling as always.

Rating: 4/5 48 pages, 1960

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Tags: 4/5- Great Book, Current Reads, Picture Books, Re-reads

A Baby Sister for Frances

by Russell Hoban

Frances understandably feels confused when her parents bring home her new baby sister. She is frustrated that the household doesn\’t run as smoothly as it used to, and of course feels left out when the baby gets more attention. She decides to run away- announcing this to her family- and after packing a bag retires to a cozy spot under the dining room table (not too far away from the kitchen, in case she runs out of cookies!) There of course she can overhear her parents talking in the living room where they discuss Frances\’ good qualities, how important big sisters are, how much they miss her, that it\’s just not a family without Frances around. So she runs home to a hug and agrees how nice it is to be the big sister. Very cute story, including the little songs that Frances makes up about her situation.

Rating: 4/5 48 pages, 1964

Tags: 4/5- Great Book, Current Reads, Picture Books, Re-reads

Bread and Jam for Frances

by Russell Hoban

Some of my favorite childhood books are the series about a little badger family. Frances is the main character, a little girl who struggles with things like a new baby in the family, friends who don\’t want to share, managing her money when she gets an allowance and so on. This book is about being a picky eater (how many parents can relate!)

Frances likes bread and jam. She doesn\’t like the way her eggs are cooked, or her dinner either so her mom patiently just keeps serving her bread and jam. And then gives it to her for every meal- snacks as well, until Frances realizes she would actually like to eat something else. Your favorite food quickly becomes less appetizing when it\’s the only thing you eat all day! I thought it very clever how Frances\’ mom gave the kid exactly what she thought she wanted so that she changed her mind on her own. It\’s a cute story with lots of funny little rhymes that Frances makes up along the way (my kids do that too, so I find this charming).

Rating: 4/5 48 pages, 1964

Tags: 4/5- Great Book, Current Reads, Picture Books, Re-reads

Small Pig

by Arnold Lobel

Small Pig lives on a farm. The farmer\’s wife is doing a thorough cleaning of everything. Last of all she comes to the pigpen, and cleans up all the mud. She\’s satisfied and goes on her way, Small Pig is upset. He loves mud. He misses it very much. He\’s angry at the farmer\’s wife. So he runs away, looking for a new, comfortable muddy place. He finds mud in different places, but there\’s always someone or something to keep him from staying there. Finally he reaches the city and finds what he thinks is some nice, soft, oozy mud in the middle of a sidewalk. But it\’s not mud at all, and soon Small Pig is stuck! A crowd gathers, including the farmer and his wife who are out looking for their missing pig. They are shocked to find him there, get some help to release him from the sidewalk, and return to the farm. The farmer\’s wife apologizes and promises never to clean the pigpen again, and Small Pig is happy to be home. It\’s a cute, fun story. Arnold Lobel cracks me up.

Rating: 4/5 64 pages, 1988

Tags: 4/5- Great Book, Animals Fiction, Current Reads, Picture Books, Re-reads

Grasshopper on the Road

by Arnold Lobel

Finding books for my two-year-old at the library, I\’ve come to realize that we must read more Arnold Lobel. He\’s hilarious. My favorite is Small Pig, we\’ve read it so many times I thought I owned that one but can\’t find it on my shelf so must look again. Just checked this one out a few days ago. Almost left it at the library because when I started to read it my little one immediately disliked and pushed it away, but I found I just had to skip the first segment (about the morning club) and then she was enthralled.

The stories are always simple enough, but have some underlying messages that make it entertaining and thoughtful as well. Here Grasshopper is simply going on a journey, walking on a road to see where it takes him. Along the way he meets different bugs, each who have their own idea of what\’s important and try to get him involved in their activities. There\’s a group of bugs who have a club all about loving the morning (they get upset when they discover Grasshopper likes afternoons and nighttime just as well), a bug obsessed with cleaning everything, a mosquito who insists on ferrying Grasshopper across a puddle that he could well just step across (very funny scene), a worm living inside an apple who freaks out when Grasshopper tries to eat it, a group of butterflies who do exactly the same thing every day, and a pair of dragonflies proud of their speed in the air who don\’t have time to stop and look at anything. With each encounter Grasshopper is polite but unmoved by their fervor, the other bugs are puzzled or upset at his indifference to their passions! He continues on his way each time.

Maybe my kid just likes this book because it\’s full of bugs who do nonsense things. I find it amusing as well.

Rating: 4/5 62 pages, 1978

Tags: 4/5- Great Book, Animals Fiction, Current Reads, Picture Books

Little Black Goes to the Circus

by Walter Farley

Just like Little Black, A Pony, this story is about friendship, jealousy and finding new skills- although this time it is the horse who briefly leaves the boy for some exciting new friends! Little Black is out for a ride with his boy when they see posters about a circus coming to town. They go to watch the circus being set up, and see a circus horse doing tricks. Little Black wants to try the tricks, too, but he fails and the circus people laugh at him. He is ashamed and sad, so the boy helps him learn a trick of walking across a plank. Then the excited pony runs back to the circus to show what he can do. The ringmaster tests his skill and everyone applauds; they now want to make Little Black a circus pony. Now the boy is sad- will his pony want to stay with the circus?

Once again, the pictures are well done- especially the horses- and it is a good story. Sure to be a favorite with young kids, especially those who are crazy about horses!

Rating: 4/5 62 pages, 1963

Tags: 4/5- Great Book, Animals Fiction, Current Reads, Picture Books, Re-reads

Tag: Picture Books

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