Picture Book - Together We Grow by Susan Vaught

Illustrated by Kelly Murphy
Endpapers:  Front:  storm coming as animals head to the barn

                     Back:  Outside after the storm with clear skies

2020 Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster

HC $17.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:   3.79 - 284 ratings

My rating:  4

1^st line/s:  "Lightning gash!  Windy lash!"

My comments:  Great illustrations, wonderful message, "meh" rhyming text. This might have been more fun as a wordless book (sorry Ms. Vaught...)  And a family of foxes are the protagonists!

Goodreads:  From award-winning novelist Susan Vaught comes a poignant picture book that celebrates inclusivity, acceptance, and the importance of rebuilding a community in the wake of disaster.

Lightning gash!
Windy lash!

A storm drives all the farm animals indoors except for a lonely fox family. The barn isn’t their home. But where will they go for safety?

This stunning picture books explores themes of acceptance and belonging:
Large or small,
Short and tall,
There is room,
There is room,
There is room
For us all.

Poetry Picture Book - Bark in the Park! Poems for Dog Lovers by Avery Corman

Illustrated by Hyewon Yum

2019, Orchard Books

HC $17.99

40 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  3.79

My rating:  4
Endpapers:A drawing of each of the different dogs in the book, on cream background

My comments:  39 rhymes about 38 different kinds of dogs fill this book.  They're short poems.  Very short.  Two lines, , three lines, or four lines.  They all rhyme.  Most are really cute.  A few are a bit forced to make them rhyme.  But they're fun! (See a few below.)  I like the illustrations a lot.

Goodreads:  Go on a walk to the park with all different kinds of dogs and their owners in this funny and charming poetry picture book.
Enjoy Avery Corman's canine poetry for an Afghan hound, basset hound, beagle, bloodhound, Daschshund, boxer, greyhound, and more as they stroll with their owners to the park.

Pug
Is the Pug cute?
Or is the Pug ugh?
Mostly, people love
The little Pug's mug

Hyewon Yum captures the unique characteristics of the owner and his pet as she beautifully illustrates the humorous walk from each dog's home to the park and back.

Basset Hound

For things she can smell,

She's a comer and goer.

She's much like a Begle,

But longer and lower.

Chihuahua

Super frisky, never whiny,

Even though he's teeny tiny.

Dachshund

She's a happy, little squat dog

Who looks like she's a hot dog.

German Shepherd

He's a police dog for some

Because he's so clever,

And a most loyal chum

Forever and ever.

Poodle

The Poodle is quick to learn a trick.

You might say a Poodle can use her noodle.

Greyhound

She's not an easy dog to chase

Because she'll beat you in a race.

Poetry PICTURE BOOK - Sweet Dreamers by Isabelle Simler

Translated by Sarah Ardizzone
Illustrated by the author

Published originally in France in 2017
America, 2019 by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

HC $19.00

72 (thick) pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.26 - 135 ratings

My rating:  5 - for the artwork alone, but the translated poems are great, too
Endpapers:  Moon over mountains and water, two different views
ARTWORK:  Digital!  Scratched picture.  Incredible.

See Betsy Bird's outstanding review, description, and discussion of the digital art here.

My comments:Wow.  Just wow.

Goodreads:  A gorgeous bedtime book from an award-winning creator
          From the celebrated creator of Plume and The Blue Hour comes another enchanting animal book. Countless cozy animals are settling in for the night, but they all sleep in different ways. A bat dreams upside down, a hedgehog snuggles into a pile of leaves, and a humpback whale spins in its sleep like a ballerina.
          With its poetic language and lush illustrations, Sweet Dreamers will dazzle young readers as they drift off to sleep themselves.

    Slung like a hammock,

        the sloth dreams

  of spring-loaded sprinters,

      of rockets blasting off,

of pump-action spinning tops,.

  When the stopwatch starts,

          our dreaming racer

              doesn't move

                  an inch.

   The horse dreams standing up,

           in the middle of the herd.

       She never loses her footing,

    although her thoughts break free.

          Puffing up her feathers

              in a quilted hollow,

  the grouse dreams under the snow.

         She spends the night in secret

       beneath that great white sheet.

Poetry Picture Book - Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold by Joyce Sidman

Illustrated by Rick Allen

2014 Houghton Mifflin Harcoart

HC $17.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.24 -  1179 ratings

My rating:  5
Endpapers: Solid purplish-gray

My comments:  There are twelve lovely poems in this collection, and each of them has a qualifying, informative explanation in prose (example follows).   Very nice for the winter-hater and poetry-lover in me!

Goodreads:  In this outstanding picture book collection of poems by Newbery Honor-winning poet, Joyce Sidman (Song of the Water Boatman,Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night), discover how animals stay alive in the wintertime and learn about their secret lives happening under the snow. Paired with stunning linoleum print illustrations by Rick Allen, that celebrate nature's beauty and power.

What Do the Trees Know?

What do the trees know?
          To bend when all the wild winds blow.
          Roots are deep and time is slow.
          All we grasp we must let go.
What do the trees know?
          Buds can weather ice and snow.
          Dark gives way to sunlight's glow.
          Strength and stillness help us grow.

"Trees, the giants of the plant world, survive winter in two very different ways.  Coniferous (evergreen) trees have thin, was-covered needles that tolerate freezing temperatures and remain on the tree all year round.  Deciduous (leafy) trees, on the other hand, sprout large, flat leaves every spring that are perfect for gathering sunlight to produce energy.  Deciduous trees grow like mad while the weather is warm, but in winter they essentially shut down.   They shed their luxuriant leaves, which would freeze anyway and suck much-needed water from the tree.  The tiny buds, which will hold next year's leaves, develop a tough, scaly coating to protect them all winter.  As the temperatures drop, the living tissue in the tree's trunk undergoes a process called hardening, in which cells lose water and become more resistant to freezing.  An early cold snap - before a tree has hardened - will damage its branches.  But after hardening, the tree will spend the winter months dry, cold, and protected - waiting for spring to swell those hardy buds."

Postcards of Animals of the Wild Variety

2054.  Brisbane, QLD, Australia

I am sorry this is a generic letter, but time means I must!  I live in Brisbane, QLD, Australis.  It is a sub-tropical city with rainforest covered mountains to our west and the ocean to our east.  It is very multicultural with people of all nations making their home here, so we have great dining opportunities and many festivals to join in with throughout the year.  It is warm here generally with temperatures from 35 degrees C in summer to around maybe 10 in winter.  It is very liveable, but often very humid in summer with damaging storms and cyclones possible.  I enjoy reading, camping, spending time with family, friends and my animals (2 dogs, 2 rainbow lorikeets and 4 chickens).  I am currently reading the Robert Galbraith series and am on book 4, "Lethal White."  I am enjoying the series a lot.  I work with special needs teenagers at a local high school, I have been there for 12 years and am now looking for a career change!  I hope this card finds you and your family all well and COVID safe.  Take care, Maree.

1194.  Malaysia

An Orang Utan, means "person of the forest."  These long-haired, orangish primates are highly intelligent and are close relatives of humans.

Hello, A simple hello could lead to a million things.  Wish you luck and may all your dreams come true. Remember, we grow great by dreaming.

1125.  Brunei

 Hi Chris, I'm hoping probiscus monkeys hanging out on a tree branch, looking down as if they're posing for a "candid" shot is quirky enough!  

Brunei is 70% covered with rainforest.  Our population is small - around 400,000, and that's including foreigners.  If you're a fan of mosquitoes, please do come to Brunei!  Take care, Nisa Said

674.  East Germany

Hello Chris, My name is Sylvie.  I'm 34 years old and I live with my husband and little son in East Germany.  I love to travel, too, and to explore new countries with their cultures and religions.  I've just started with Postcrossing one month ago.  I heard about it from a friend of mine.

644.  Russia: Lynx on the Tree

My name is Anna.  I'm 16.  I live in a small town near Moscow which is called Ivante-euka.  I hope you will like this Lynx card.  Greetings, Anna

639.  Malaysia

Dear Chris, greetings from Malaysia!  So sorry to send you this PC which you unlike, but it was so adorable, right?  All the best, Onh See Min

567.  FINLAND

Hello Chris,

About 1500 this kind of bears live in our forests.  I hope I don't meet one when I go to pick lingonberries.  I work in home care as a nurse.  Mostly take blook samples from elderly people who can't go to the lab.

All the best, Marja-Leena

528.  Geo Photo from GERMANY

Hi Chris,

My name is Susanne and I love all kinds of wildlife.  I like watching birds or even ants.  Buytterflies and dragonflies are so fascinating.  Of course,  cheetahs are pretty powerful, fast, strong, yet I find them very graceful, too.  I wish you a smooth transition to Pennsylvania.  I hope you can enjoy every day of your free time!  Best wishes, Susanne

417.  The Squirrel by photographer Sergey Belkin

My name is Nastya, I'm 25.  I live in the south of Russia, at the foot of the (???) Mountains.  In my window at work I can see Elbmus - the highest mountain in Europe.  13.05.2016

338.  Kang Xinyu - Tree

2015.6.8

(There was no number on this card so it could not be registered, but it looks like it comes from last June or August - although the postmark looks like 2016 03 01)

Hello Chris, I'm a university student living in China.  This is the phot I pictured in my hometown.  My hometown is a peaceful place living with many panda.  It is such a great place for me.  Hope you will like it.  Yours, Tree

336.  Miyajima Public Aquarium, Japan

Greetings from Hiroshima, Japan.  Hope you like this card.  Happy Postcrossing!  Michiko

324.  Chamois in Germany

08.05.16

Hi boys and girls,  In the sout of Germany in the gib mountains there are many of these typical animals called chamois.  Do you have them in the United States, too?  Wishing you all the best, Martina

299. Think Skink

Ontario, Canada

Common Five-lined skinks have the ability to "drop" their tails if grasped in order to escape.  The moving tail gragment will distract the predator while the skink escapes.  The missing tail with grow back over time, but will not be the same colour or length as before.  The Common Five-lined Skink is Ontario's ONLY lizard and they are a species at risk. 

Hello!  I love telling people about Canada.  I hope that some day you can visit the "Great White North".  I love camping at Pinery Park!

31% of Canada is forest...

Canada has more lakes than all other countries combined!

and...

20% of the world's fresh water is in Canada.

61. I've Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky

illustrated by Jackie Urbanovich
read the book - from Bosler Library
2012 Greenwillow Books
144 pgs.
Kid's Poetry
Discovered and read on 10/10/17
Goodreads rating:  3.89 - 277 ratings
My rating:4

Some of the poems I liked to follow comments, below

My comments:  I was greatly surprised to see this book pass through circulation at the library....I'm very familiar with other Prelutsky books that "look" the same - A Pizza the Size of the Sun, New Kid on the Block, Something Big Has Been Here. - but this was totally a new one to me.  There were lots of poems that take two words (one being an animal) and combining them:  Pelicantaloupes, Crabacus, Asparagoose, and Wiguanas to name a few, where he goes on his usual silly explanations that no one else can get away with.  And there are six haikus!  CAMEL:  I have one large bump,/ Two long, beautiful lashes,/ And a foul temper.  His vocabulary usage, as usual, is superb, introducing what I am sure are many new words to unsuspecting young'uns.  Lots of fun!

Goodreads synopsis: Some of the animals in this book are real. They include:
the hippopotamus (she's missing)
the elephant (he's artistically talented)
the octopus (it's great at multitasking).
          Others may not be quite so real. These include:
the wiguana (very hairy, for a lizard)
the halibutterfly (there's something fishy about it)
the gludu (quite clingy).
          In the tradition of Jack Prelutsky's classic poetry collections The New Kid on the Block, It's Raining Pigs & Noodles, and A Pizza the Size of the Sun, here is a book packed with more than 100 funny poems and silly pictures. Most of the poems are about animals—some are big and some are small, some have unusual interests, and some are just plain unusual.

A handful of haiku: (!!)

Camel

I have one large hump,

Two long, beautiful lashes,

And a foul temper

Frog

All evening I sing.

Happy on a lily pad,

Celebrating spring.

Mole

Tunnel!  I tunnel!

I never see my tunnels,

Yet they comfort me.

Oyster

I’m clearly no gem,

But in my interior

I’m growing a pearl.

Peacock

I am glorious!

My tail has a thousand eyes

For you to admire.

Zebra

Black white black white black.

I am a striped illustion,

A horse in disguise.

Cupcakes

I’m very fond of cupcakes

And love to eat them up,

But I’ve never found a cupcake

That came inside a cup.

I Played a Game of Golf Today

I played a game of golf today –

I’d never played before.

I wasn’t ery good at it

And won’t play anymore.

I shot a sixty-seven,

Which was surely not my goal.

My score was even higher

When I played the second hole.

I’m Gazing through My Telescope

I’m gazing through my telescope

At something in the skies,

Something I could never see

If I just used my eyes,

Something that’s so far away

I wonder haow the light

Can even reach my telescope

Sop I can see the sight.

Somewhere in the universe,

As distant as can be,

I now extraterrestrials

Are looking back at me.

Of course, I can’t detect them,

And in fact, I have no hope,

If they can see me, the must have

A Better telescope.

A Centipede Was Thirsty

A centipede was thirsty,

But to satisfy its need,

It drank too much for it to hold ---

And so the centipede.

My Pencil Will Not Write

My pencil will not write,

My crayons do not draw,

My lantern cannot light,

My saws refuse to saw.

My toothbrush is too soft,

My football can’t hold air,

My kit won’t stay aloft,

I’ve lost my underwear.

My songbird has no song,

My you-you doesn’t work,

My calendar is wrong,

My clock has gone berserk.

My TV won’t turn on,

My hat falls off my head,

My cat’s meow is gone ---

I’m better off in bed.

My Snake Can Do Arithmetic

My snake can do arithmetic,

My snake is far from dumb,

My snake can take two numbers

And come up with a sum.

She can’t subtract, which makes her sad,

And two things make her sadder . . .

She can’t divide or multiply ---

My snake is just an adder.

BOARD BOOK - Llama Llama Hoppity-Hop by Anna Dewdney

Illustrated by the author

2012 Viking/Penguin Young Readers

$5.99 - 7 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 3.89 - 441 ratings

My rating: 5 stars

My comments:  I've not read many board books in my time, and I read this one during our Baby Time at the library this week.  It's absolutely delightful!  Rhyme and rhythm.  Easy actions that kids can do as they read along (hop, jump, thump, touch, tap, clap, stretch, bow and hug!) Perfect.  Simple, sweet, and oh-so-rhythmic. Gotta find some more Llama Llama books!

Goodreads:
Llama Llama TOUCH!
Llama Llama TAP!
Llama Llama Red Pajama
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!

Can you move like Llama Llama? Watch Llama hop, stretch, touch, and tap in this third board book by Anna Dewdney. Then you can do it, too!

POETRY PICTURE BOOK - Flutter & Hum by Julie Paschkis

Aleteoy y Zumbido: Poemas de Animales
Illustrated by the author

2015, Henry Holt & Co.

HC &$17.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 4.03

My rating:  5

Endpapers: Green

Title Page Single page, decorated with animals from the poems

My comments:  Ah, Julie Paschkis.  One of my all-time favorite illustrators.  And in this gorgeous picture book, she wrote all the poems, too - in two languages!  Some of them just sang out to me.  Others didn't.  She wrote them first in Spanish, then translated to English.  Her illustrations are luscious.  A feast for the eyes.  The few poems that weren't fives for me sounded GREAT in Spanish, even though I couldn't understand a word!

Goodreads:  All sorts of animals flutter and hum, dance and stretch, and slither and leap their way through this joyful collection of poems in English and Spanish. Julie Paschkis's poems and art sing in both languages, bringing out the beauty and playfulness of the animal world.

Snake
Slithering
through
the grass
the sinuous snake
is writing
a slippery poem
with his body.
But his alphabet is
too simple.
He only knows
one letter:
sssssssssss.

Crow
On this gray day
on the gray street
the black crow caws.

He hops,
        stops,
          and stares
at a yellow umbrella --
the only sun shining
today.

Owl
The moon is a lantern
in the branches.
A shimmer.

A shadow whistles
through the grass.
A whisper.

Out of the darkness
an owl hoots.
An echo.

The night train
is leaving.

Man Gave Names to All the Animals - Bob Dylan

Illustrated by Jim Arnosky
Sterling, 2010
$17.95 - with CD of Dylan singing the song
32 pages
Endpapers - a gorgeous green wash

The 170+ animals drawn in this magical book completely cover each page in spectacular color. Mr. Arnosky can certainly paint animals! Kids will spend hours pouring over every double-page spread. And they can do it while listening to the song.

"Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning,
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago."

Dylan wrote the song in 1979. Why don't I seem to know it?

There are lots of beautiful picture books being produced right now to accompany special songs. (My favorite is still It's a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong's song, illustrated by Ashley Bryan). Think Let There Be Peace on Earth, The Marvelous Toy, All God's Critters, and Forever Young.

Tree Ring Circus - Adam Rex

Harcourt Inc., 2006
"the first book he's written"
$16.00
32 pages
Rating: 4.5
Endpapers: Thick, vertical two-tone yellow stripes

"One seed in the ground,
three miles out of town.
One dark little rain cloud,
then two clouds,
then three.
One fast-growing trteet where the seed used to be."

And ok, what a tree. As more and more animals -- and a clown -- perch in the tree, we see a traveling circus arrive. Now eight cages of circus animals get loose and join the tree-sitters. What happens next made me snicker out loud.

The way that Adam Rex illustrated the chanting, rhyming verse of all the animals together is a sight to behold.

"a cat who climbed up but can't find her way down,
3 chipmunks,
two sparrows,
a whopping big bee,
five mice and a raven
all live in the tree."

The 3 Little Dassies - Jan Brett

G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2010
$17.99
32 pages
Rating: 4
Endpapers: woven basketweave with bugs, butterflies, moths...

Yes, it's a cute fractured fairy tale. Instead of three pigs it's three cute creatures native to the Namib Desert in southern Africa. Excellent for comparing and contrasting, retelling. But it's Jan Brett's signature illustrations that really captivate. How does she draw like this?

Incorporating native fabrics, flora, and fauna, one barely needs the words at all. The clever illustrations tell the whole story. make sure to examine them carefully!

On a Road in Africa - Kim Doner

Tricycle Press, 2008
$15.95
A portion of the proceeds go directly to the animal orpahange
40 pages
Rating: 3.5
Endpapers: Illustration of the road in Africa with a rhino, a tree with a sisal bag full of pineapple hanging on it, and many Kenyan words

This particular road in Africa is in Kenya. The line "on a road in Africa, on a road in Africa" is repeated frequently. This would be like saying, "on a road in Europe" or "on a road in Asia." Would we not say "on a road in the Netherlands" or "on a road in Japan" instead? I do wish it would have been "On a road in Kenya, on a road in Kenya." Oh well.

The story is about a woman who runs an animal orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. She has many volunteers and apparently hits the road frequently to gather supplies for her orphans. Sometimes they are donated, sometimes they are given inexpensively. It looks to be long, hard work. The orphans are lions and cheetahs, warthogs and buffalo, monkeys and mongoose.....

Based on the true story of Chryssee Perry Martin, who has lived in Kenya for over thirty years, we get a wonderful glimpse at the road around and about Nairobi (which is Kenya's capital). It is diverse, and the author's illustrations are colorful, fill the page from edge to edge, and show lots of information. The illustrations are the strong suit of this book. The last four pages contain information and photographs of the "real" Mama O, Ms. Martin.

I read the book through once and had very little idea of what was really happening. Then I read the book flap and the afterward/s. When I then reread the book, I understood what the author was doing. If I were to read this aloud, especially to my class, I would prepare the kids for what was to come, giving information and details so they'd understand the verse of the story. As I reading teacher I know how important prior knowledge is, and that's what this story lacks.

"Baskets empty on the seat
Must be filled with things to eat.
Colored sisal, rought to feel,
Woven tightly, holds a meal.
On a road in Africa,
On a road in Africa.
Where you gonna go, Mama O, Mama O?
Where you gonna go, Mama O?"

Without prior knowledge, all you say is, "what the heck is this Mama O business? Read the flap and the afterward/s first.

Who Will Plant a Tree? Jerry Pallotta

Illustrated by Tom Leonard
Sleeping Bear Press, 2010
$15.95
32 pgs.
Rating: 3.5 ('cause I'm an info-freak and want a little more)
Endpapers: white (!)

This is a beautifully illustrated simple telling of the many different ways that trees get "planted" -- mostly naturally, by animals. Squirrels with acorns, bears and geese, dolphins and horses, beavers and monkeys, moose and ants, owls and pacu fish in the Amazon River, and camels and wrens. It ends with....kids (not the goat-type).

I wish there were a bit of information about germination, or the wind - but kids could take the book and add their own researched info as an afterword or author's-type note.

Tom Leonard's edge-of-page to edge-of-page illustrations are really wonderful.

Lousy, Rotten, Stinkin' Grapes - Margie Palatini

Illustrated by Barry Moser
Simon & Schuster, 2009
$15.99
32 pgs.
Endpapers: Grape-purple
Attractive cover

This retellling of the famous Aesop Fable "Sour Grapes" stars the wily fox PLUS a bear, a beaver, a porcupine, and a possum. Fox plans and plans, but his attempts to reach the grapes high in a tree (are the vines using the branches to twine around?) are futile. He interrups each of the animals as they are about to share a much easier way to reach the grapes, because he feels he is much more wily and sly than them. Wrong....of course.

The illustrations are lovely: Barry Moser.....need I say more? The story is a little repetetive and drawn out for me, but I think young kids would, for the most part, enjoy the repetition. A nice addition to an Aesop collection....but not vital.

Hot Rod Hamster - Cynthia Lord

Illustrated by Derek Anderson
Scholastic, 2010
$16.99
32 pgs.
Rating: 3.5
Endpapers: Front: Race signage
Back: Driving away with prizes

Colorful and "rollicking", this rhyming, rhythmic story will make an enthusiastic read aloud. A tiny hamster (I like hamsters better than mice, myself) goes to the junk yard to find and create a race car for himself. He adds tires, engine, a paint job, and he's ready to face event he largest competitors. He doesn't fret that he's so tiny. And rolling underneath another car, he's the first to go through the checkered flag at the end of the race!

"Smooth wheels, stud wheels, driving through the mud wheels,
Fat wheels, thin wheels, take her for a spin wheels."

The illustrations are bold and colorful - all the way to edge of the page. There's one that's really great - just before the race, Hamster is looking fierce and saying, "GRRR, I'm built for speed." Love the look on his face. Determination.

I'm not sure I like the speech clouds, but I love the couplets and the illustrations and the shiny font on the cover.

I just checked out Cynthia Lord's blog. She lives in Maine and has included some really intense SNOW photos. I love Maine. I loved living in Maine. But I don't miss the winter there, not even the teeniest, tiniest little bit. I do like her blog.

Yellow Elephant, a Bright Bestiary - Julie Larios

Illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Harcourt, 2006
32 pages
Rating: 4

14 poems about 14 animals, illustrated in bright colors on a white-framed page. Really lovely illustrations.

Orange Giraffe

Orange sun rising
over the savana --

Can you see the orange water

of the Juba River?
Can you hear the hyena's
high orange laugh?
Look!
On the riverbank,
an orange giraffe.

Turquoise Lizard

Thunder rolls

across the desert,

quieting the buzz

of the cicadas.

One worried lizard

zips quickly

under a rock.

When raindrops fall,

the small lizard,

turquoise tail curled,

stays bright and dry

in the wet world.

Green Frog

One thing for sure

about a green frog

on a green lily pad

on a green day

in spring:

One hop

and her green

is gone.

See how she swims,

blue frog now

under blue water.

The Circus Ship - Chris VanDusen

Candlewick, 2009
$16.99
40 pages
Rating: 5
Endpapers: 2-color yellow, wide vertical stripes - very subtle.

This is the picture book my grandkids are getting for Christmas. With clever rhyming, snazzzy words, bright, fun illustrations, and rhythm shouting from every page, any kid would enjoy this. That it takes place on an island off the coast of Maine (home sweet home for much of my family) is an extra special touch. This island is SO Frenchboro or Islesford or Great Cranberry - and has its roots in a true tale from 1836!

A circus ship, loaded with animals, hits a ledge while heading south to Boston. Fifteen animals escape and swim to a nearby island. A sparsely, yet cozily inhabited, island. When the exceedingly mean circus owner comes to reclaim the animals, they are nowhere to be found. At least, not by him - but a bit of pouring over the two-page sperack and careful young eyes will find them all!

Wonderful in every way.

Check out Chris VanDusen's website.

The Mitten - Jim Aylesworth

Illustrated by Barbara McClintock
Scholastic, 2009
$16.99 32 pages
Rating: 4
Endpapers: red
A very cute & cuddly winter story.

A "once upon a time" story. The expressions on the animal's faces alone are a good reason to read this book!

A young boy every year receives a warm hat, scarf, and mittens from his grandmother. He plays and plays in the snow...and loses a mitten. Because it's cold they decide to have some hot chocolate and check for the mitten in the morning.

Well. During the night a variety of animals cuddle into the bright red mitten to keep warm - it stretches and it stretches until it's so full of cuddlying animals that it explodes. Cute, very cute.
(And then of course Gram knits a new mitten.)

This is an old folktale from the Ukraine. I'm quite sure Jan Brett has also illustrated this story. Great for comparing versions. Also a great gift for a knitting gram to give her lovin' kiddo...a hat, scarf, mittens, the book, a package of hot chocolate, and a small stuffed squirrel (or bunny or fox or bear or mouse!)

Cool Cat - Nonny Hogrogian

A Neal Porter Book/Roaring Book Press, 2009
$17.99
36 pages
Rating: 3.5
Endpapers: (They actually begin this wordless story, 2 different illustrations framed in white)

This wordless picture book begins with a black and white cat (just like the "Mittens" we had when I grew up) in a rocky, brown, desolate place. The only vegetation is dead and broken, and the ground is littered with empty tin cans and a broken bottle. But the cat has a paint set in a wooden box, and slowly begins to paint the scene. Starting in the corner leaves appear, then a blue sky begins. A mouse comes to help...then a bunny, then a cardinal. The colors are now spreading from left and write as the animals are joined by a turtle, a squirrel, a goldfinch, a frog. A mallard duck appears to swim in the water that's been included. Butterflies flitter across the page, flowers appear, becoming more and more sluh. The animal friends celebrate.

Most of the two page spreads are made created as one long, horizonatal painting, with about an inch of white around the edges as a frame. More and more story comes into your head every time you take a trip through the pages. It really is a environmental/ecological story as well - to take your world from a dead, barren place to a live, green one...

The Big Snow - Berta & Elmer Hader

Caldecott Medal 1949
Simon & Schuster, 1948
$18.99
48 pages
Rating: 4.5
Endpapers: Aqua-y blue with different white 1.5 inch snowflakes

Although I've seen the cover of this book - it's a Caldecott after all - I don't ever remember reading it. It's actually a great introduction to the coming of winter for the animals in the northern climates for young kids - or kids who live in Arizona and don't have this sort of change of seasons!

The illustrations are beautifully rendered black and white (charcoal? pencil?) with lovely detail. Flora and fauna. Every few pages the illustrations are in color - watercolor - and a totally different look than the black and white. I wonder if the two author/illustrators each had their own media? (More research!) Although I like the black and white illustrations the best, the two page watercolor of the snow blanketing the world - a winter wonderland - is just lovely.

Although told somewhat in story format, this is more of an informational book about what happens to various birds and animals in the winter. Preparation, hibernation and migration are all included. Informative and interesting.

A surprising touch near the end - when the animals are getting a little desperate with hunger because the storm has been pretty major, covering even their stores of food - an elderly couple shovels out of their home and leave all sorts of food for the animals - thoughtfully including both winged and four-legged.

This is a very lovely book. I had no clue. I'm wondering why, in my mind, I was thinking the beauty and story in these older books would be of a poorer quality because they're "old." How ridiculous! I'm so glad I'm taking this journey through the Caldecott books!