Saturday, November 1, 2008

Unimpressive Picture Books

Okay, so I don't want to take a lot of time reminding myself in length about picture books that don't jump out at me. But I DO want to remember that I've read them and that I wasn't incredibly impresseed. So I'm going to list them, with the cover, just to jog my memory. What memory? It's getting foggier and foggier every day. Hmmph.

by Mary Amato
Illustrated by Delphine Durand
2008
Ugliest kids I've ever seen. Story's cute, two older sisters convince the youngest that she's a chicken so she goes to live with chickens. Cute story, really ugly kids. Don't like the illustrations.





by Jim Averbeck
Illustrated by Tricia Tusa
2008
All Alice wants is a blue room, but nothing in it is blue. But when her mother shuts out the lights, blue moonlight comes in and turns everything blue. I was bored. And the illustrations certainly didn't make my heart flutter. Sorry.



by Antoinette Portis
2008
Simple stick-like illustrations that do nothing for me, personally. "Be careful with that stick" -- then the illustrations shows how this....pig?.....uses it imaginatively. Waaaay too simplistic and negative-spacey for me.


by Nancy Van Laan
Illustrator: George Booth
2008
Great rhythm, story builds and repeats in a cute way, but there's such a negative connotation to having lice/"cootie"s, it wouldmake me uncomfortable to share with kids, because it continues this stigma. The whole family tries different methods to get rid of them, but they appear to be sort of a hillbilly family, which just seems to keep the old negative stereotype going... It just can't imagine reading this to kids, am I off track here?

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