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.

Picture Book - Pippa's Passover Plate by Vivian Kirkfield

Illustrated by Jill Weber

2019, Holiday House

HC $17.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.26 - 87 ratings

My rating:  3
Endpapers:  simple line drawings of Passover and Jewish-related items (red on peach)

1^st line/s:  'Hurry, scurry, Pippa Mouse, .
washing, scrubbing, cleaning house.
Passover starts at six tonight,
Seder meal by candlelight."

My comments:  The story is cute, rhyming, and fun!  But other than cleaning the house and talking about the Seder plate in general, the book tells nothing more of Passover.  It's written for very young kids, but even for Jewish kids, there's not very much about Passover or even why you'd need a seder plate.  And I have one huge unsolved question - how did the Seder plate get in the water?
     I also love the alliteration of the book title!

Goodreads:   An irresistibly adorable mouse tries to find her Passover plate before sundown when the Seder begins in this colorful Jewish holiday story.
          An enchanting mouse scours her cozy, miniature home for her Passover Seder plate with no luck. Sundown is near and the Passover celebration will begin soon. Pippa Mouse must venture out and be brave to ask a cat, a snake, and an owl for help. To her surprise not only are the animals helpful in tracing her plate to the pond, they become her Passover Seder guests. A spread at the end of the book shows the Passover plate with its six essential symbolic items: zeroah (a roasted bone), beitzah, (an egg), maror and charoset (bitter herbs), chazeret (mortar or paste), and karpas (a spring vegetable). 

Picture Book - Cicada by Shaun Tan

Illustrated by the author

2019 Arthur A. Levine Books

$19.99 (ridiculous anymore!)

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.12 - 1853 ratings

My rating:  2

Endpapers:  (Front) gray city blocks with no personality (Back) the forest and a beautiful sunrise/sunset

1^st line/s:  
    " Cicada work in tall building.
      Data entry clerk.  Seventeen year.
      No sick day.  No mistake.
      Tok Tok Tok!"

My comments:  This poor cicada works for seventeen years for low pay, zero respect, and is constantly bullied and discriminated against.  Okay, I get it.  The ending, yes, is a treat.  But the message is bleak and depressing and much more for an adult than a kid.  And what on earth is "Tok Tok Tok?"  Am I missing something?  Is that supposed to be the sound a cicada makes??  Sorry to say, this book didn't do it for me.  And the jury's out on how most kids would enjoy it.... (I really did like the little guy and felt so sorry for him for those 17 years!)

Goodreads:  From the visionary Shaun Tan, an inspirational story for older picture book readers and beyond
          Cicada tells the story of a hardworking little cicada who is completely unappreciated for what he does. But in the end, just when you think he's given up, he makes a transformation into something ineffably beautiful. A metaphor for growing up? A bit of inspiration for the unappreciated striver in all of us? Yes, yes, and more.

PICTURE BOOK - A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss

Presented by Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Illustrated by E G Keller

2018 Chronicle Books

HC $18.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.75 - 9380 ratigs

My rating: 5

Endpapers: Marlon Bundo's bowtie and Wesley's glasses

 

1^st line/s:  "Hello.  My name is Marlon Bundo, and I am a bunny."

My comments:  Oh my gosh, this is wonderful!  Never mind that this gay bunny is owned by our current Vice President (Pence!) but he wants to get married to boot.  Lots of wonderful issues are treated  clearly, fairly, and with wonderful fun... and every cent earned goes to a charity that helps with better treatment for the LGBTQ community.

Goodreads:  HBO's Emmy-winning Last Week Tonight with John Oliver presents a picture book about a Very Special boy bunny who falls in love with another boy bunny.
          Meet Marlon Bundo, a lonely bunny who lives with his Grampa, Mike Pence - the Vice President of the United States. But on this Very Special Day, Marlon's life is about to change forever...
          With its message of tolerance and advocacy, this charming children's book explores issues of same sex marriage and democracy. Sweet, funny, and beautifully illustrated, this book is dedicated to every bunny who has ever felt different.
          100% of Last Week Tonight's proceeds will be donated to The Trevor Project and AIDS United.  

MOVIE - Peter Rabbit

PG (1:35)

Wide Release 2/9/18

Viewed Thursday, March 22, 2018 with Tristan in a Carlisle recliner, fun!
IMBd: 6.4/10

RT Critic: 60   Audience:   61
Critic's Consensus:  Peter Rabbit updates Beatrix Potter's classic characters with colorfully agreeable results that should entertain younger viewers while admittedly risking the wrath of purists.

Cag:  3/ liked it, and Tristan liked it a lot

Directed by Will Gluck

Columbia Pictures

Based on the book by Beatrix Potter

My comments:  I went to this thinking it was animated (and dreading it).  However, it wasn't animated, the faces on the animals were a RIOT! and the movie itself was entertaining.  Not boring or snooze-worthy at all!

RT/ IMDb Summary:  Peter Rabbit, the mischievous and adventurous hero who has captivated generations of readers, now takes on the starring role of his own irreverent, contemporary comedy with attitude. In the film, Peter's feud with Mr. McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson) escalates to greater heights than ever before as they rival for the affections of the warm-hearted animal lover who lives next door (Rose Byrne). James Corden voices the character of Peter with playful spirit and wild charm, with Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki, and Daisy Ridley performing the voice roles of the triplets, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail.

26. Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz

Illustrated by Brian Floca
Listened on Audible AND read the BOOK
2017 Candlewick Press
74 pgs.
Mid Grades Fairy Tale
Finished  3/21/18
Goodreads rating:  4.01 - 1029 ratings
My rating:  4

First line/s: When Princess Cora was born, her mother and father thought she was as perfect as a snowflake."

My comments:  I purchased this book through Audible for a ridiculously low price - can't remember how low, but like maybe 99-cents.  Because I've loved everything I've read by Laura Amy Schitz previously, I couldn't pass it up.  Oh, does Davina Porter read this beautifully!  She has the easiest-to-understand British accent and is just a joy to spend time with.  The story is adorable, but I really think that I need to see the illustrations - that's the only problem with an audio book that has illustrations.  So I won't make an actual review of this until I have sat down with the book itself and take in the pictures.  5/5 I have done that now.  They've really fun.

Goodreads synopsis: A Newbery Medalist and a Caldecott Medalist join forces to give an overscheduled princess a day off and a wicked crocodile a day "on." 
Princess Cora is sick of boring lessons. She's sick of running in circles around the dungeon gym. She's sick, sick, sick of taking three baths a day. And her parents won't let her have a dog. But when she writes to her fairy godmother for help, she doesn't expect help to come in the form of a crocodile, a crocodile who does not behave properly.

Christmas Storytime at the Library

I read three books aloud to preschoolers today, I chose ones with three different animals as protagonists. Then we glued sequins for ornaments, drew garlands with glitter crayons, and topped the pre-cut green construction paper tree with a sticky star.  Very cute, and manageable for little hands.  I had eight books to choose from and the ones I chose were big hits:

Merry Christmas, Merry Crow
by Kathi Appelt
Illustrated by Jon Goodell
2005, Harcourt, Inc.

     "Wind's a blowin'
Sky's a snowin'
     Where's this feathered
               fellow goin'?"

The crow glides through each double-page spread, collecting all sorts of tinsel and trinkets he finds laying around, to decorate a tree for all his flying friends.  Gorgeously illustrated, with no white edges (I love edge-of-page to edge-of-page illustrations), the continuous snowfall and merry Christmas shoppers and carolers make this a happy, fun book to share with kids.
     Goodreads rating:  3.93 - 87 ratings

Stowaway in a Sleigh
Written and illustrated by C. Roger Mader
2016 Houghton Mifflin

"It was the darkest hour of night when Slipper heard strange footsteps in the house."

Well, of course she went to investigate, and discovered Mr. Fuzzy Boots...and crawled into his now-empty cozy red bag. After she was whisked away to the North Pole where she made new friends, Santa made a special trip back to Slippers' house to return her.  My little listener was at first a little distressed when she realized that Slippers might not be able to get home again, but enjoyed the story and the illustrations greatly.  Again the gorgeous illustrations covered each entire double-page spread from edge to edge and accentuated the story superbly.
     Goodreads rating:  4.15 - 161 ratings

Bear Stays Up for Christmas
by Karma Wilson
Illustrated by Jane Chapman
2004, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster

"The day before Christmas,
snuggled on his floor,
Bear sleeps soundly
with a great big snore."

Bear has such a tough time staying up once his friends awaken him for Christmas...it is time for his "big sleep" after all, but when it comes time for them to doze off on Christmas Eve, he has a wonderful time preparing surprises for them to find in the morning.  A very cute story, again with many double-page spreads.  Three winners today!
     Goodreads:  4.28 - 6,938 ratings



   

PICTURE BOOK - Finding Christmas by Lezlie Evans

Illustrated by Yee Von Chan

2017 Albert Whitman & Company, Chicago

HC $16.99
Simpson Library

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  3.75 - 24 ratings

My rating: 3

Endpapers:  a medium solid evergreen color

Illustrations are very sweet.  The entire book is sweet. 

1^st line/s:  The Little Burrow was nearly ready for Christmas.  Hare sang as he decorated the tree, Squirrel sprinkled sugar on the hazelnut cookies, and Mouse scurried out the door."

My comments:  This was a quiet, sweet story of three friends who share a home.  It's about sharing, and doing for others, and a little bit about procrastination, to tell the truth!  I'm not super big on anthropomorphism, so my rating may be a little slanted.  It really is a sweet story, and the illustrations are very nice.  There's lots and lots of white space on the pages, which is also a bit of a turn-off for me, but I did enjoy it.  Recommended.

Goodreads:  Squirrel, Mouse, and Hare are getting ready for Christmas. While Mouse is out looking for the perfect gift for Hare, she finds Swallow sick in the snow. The three friends bring Swallow home and try to nurse the bird back to health. Squirrel and Mouse realize their Christmas gifts will help Swallow get well. As they give up their presents to help Swallow, they find the Christmas spirit.

PICTURE BOOK - Snail Mail: With Pull-Out Postcards by Sharon King-Chai

Illustrated by the author

2016, Hodder Children's Books (UK)

32 pgs. with 6 x 8 envelopes containing heavy-stock postcards

Goodreads rating: 5.0 - 2 ratings

My rating:  5

Endpapers: A map of the world with the "snail trail."

1^st line/s:  "Hi there!  I'm Sam, the Seashell Snail.  I live by the seashore."

My comments:  

I vacillated between a 4 and a 5 for this one, mainly because my adult mind questioned how snails could travel the world, and so quickly. But the premise of the book. - similar to the idea of the Jolly Postman books and Vera Williams' Stringbean's Trip to the Shining Sea - and the information presented are top-notch. So are the fun and fanciful Snail family and friends. Actually, the whole package is just plain FUN! It would fit perfectly into any sort of epistolary unit that a teacher may do in I vacillated between a 4 and a 5 for this one, mainly because my adult mind questioned how snails could travel the world, and so quickly. But the premise of the book. - similar to the idea of the Jolly Postman books and Vera Williams' Stringbean's Trip to the Shining Sea - and the information presented are top-notch. So are the fun and fanciful Snail family and friends. Actually, the whole package is just plain FUN! It would fit perfectly into any sort of epistolary unit that a teacher may do in school, too. Two thumbs up.

Goodreads:   Sam the Seashell Snail is too young to go surfing around the world with his brother, Tiger. Not wanting Sam to miss out on the adventure, Tiger sends him Snail Mail from Brazil, America, India, Japan and France. Tiger's last Snail Mail has a very special birthday surprise!
          With pull-out postcards to pore over, this fun and charming picture book will captivate even the most tech-savvy of children.
          A Jolly Postman for this generation.

PICTURE BOOK - Library Mouse: A Museum Adventure by Daniel Kirk

Library Mouse #4
Illustrated by the author

2012, Abrams Books for Young Readers

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  3.57 - 190 ratings

My rating:  3

Endpapers:  red

1^st line/s:  "Late one night, Sam the Library Mouse was hard at work.  His friend Sarah dropped in and asked, "What are you doing, Sam?  Writing a new book?"

My comments:  I love Sam the library mouse, and the first book in this series is still one of my all-time favorites. In this, the fourth book about Sam - book writer and art lover extraordinaire, - he and his friend, Sarah venture next door to the museum.  Here they find that all their preconceived notions about cats being scary are wrong.  The museum cat has created a gallery of paintings depicting animals...like mice!  Sam insists that Sarah bring a journal, even though she doesn't want to, and discovers that it was an excellent idea.  Somehow, the whole journal thing felt a little flat, as did the meeting up of other animals in the museum.  It didn't touch me like the previous titles have. Still enjoyable, though!

Goodreads:  Sam the library mouse and his friend Sarah are off on a new adventure. This time they leave the library behind and go to a museum so Sam can make sketches in his explorer’s journal. Sarah isn’t so sure that explorers have the time or the interest to write in journals. But Sam shows her that a journal can contain anything, from a ticket stub to drawings of cool things like dinosaurs and ancient Egyptian mummies. As they explore the museum, they see all kinds of art and unexpectedly make friends with another artist. The latest book in this bestselling series is sure to entice readers to come along on the museum adventure.

19. Mouse Scouts by Sarah Dillard

1st in a series
Library Book
2016, Alfred A. Knopf
118 pgs.
Fantasy - Anthropomorphism - Early Chapter Book
Finished 4-2-17
Goodreads rating:  3.67 - 123 ratings
My rating: 5
Setting: Contemporary anywhere, USA

First line/s:  "Violet placed her acorn cap on her head.  It made her forehead itch and her ears stick out, but that didn't matter!"

My comments:  There are three reasons that I really like this beginning chapter book.  First, it's about mice that are scouts....every Daisy and Brownie in the US can relate to this, the song, the pledge, the handbook, the uniform (including the acorn hat!).  Second, at the end of each chapter are step-step directions...for kids....about how to go about beginning and growing a garden, including taking care of pests!  It's like a nonfiction book written in fiction form.  I'm not a nonfiction lover, but would sit down to read this informative book in a second as a kid.  And third, I love some of the language that Sarah Dillard uses.  Although written for really young kids, she uses words that can be understood just from the context of the sentence in which they're written.  Looking forward to reading another in this series to see whether she follows the same format, because it's wonderful.

Goodreads synopsis:  Meet Violet, Tigerlily, Hyacinth, Petunia, Junebug, and Cricket, six new Mouse Scouts who are trustworthy and strong, thrifty and brave . . . and destined to be friends to the end! Best friends Violet and Tigerlily can’t wait to start earning their merit badges. But their troop leader, Miss Poppy, is one strict rodent. And earning their first badge—planting a vegetable garden—is hard work. Will the troop drive unwanted pests from the garden and earn their Sow It and Grow It badge? And will they ever get Miss Poppy to smile? 

PICTURE BOOK - School's First Day of School by Adam Rex

Illustrated by Christian Robinson

2016, Roaring Brook Press

HC $17.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 4.17 - 1597 ratings

My rating: 3

Endpapers:  a birds-eyeish view of a concrete playground with various white-line-painted games being played by kids

Illustrations: Acrylic paint and collage, very simple, lots of white

1^st line/s:  "That summer, they dug up the big field, and poured the foundation, and set brick on top of brick until they'd built a school"

My comments:  Many people had talked about this being a possibility for the Caldecott, which surprises me since that's an award for illustrations.  The story and illustrations do well together, but I'm not sure whether the illustrations would be of Caldecott level....though I usually don't agree with the award choices. (He did win the Caldecott last year! Shows how much I know or agree!) The story, though simple, is sweet and will engage kids well.  And no mention of why it's named Frederick Douglass Elementary, which would have been nice even if it is geared towards kindergarten kids... A great example of anthropomorphism that is not an animal.

Goodreads:  It's the first day of school at Frederick Douglass Elementary and everyone's just a little bit nervous, especially the school itself. What will the children do once they come? Will they like the school? Will they be nice to him?
     The school has a rough start, but as the day goes on, he soon recovers when he sees that he's not the only one going through first-day jitters.

MOVIE - Secret Life of Pets

PG (1:30)

Wide release 7-8-16

Viewed end of August, just before returning to Tucson for the last time, with Ella and Tristan

RT Critic:  74  Audience:  62
Critic's Consensus:  Fast-paced, funny, and blessed with a talented voice cast, The Secret Life of Pets offers a beautifully animated, cheerfully undemanding family-friendly diversion.

Cag:  3  Liked it

Directed by Yarrow Cheney, Chris Renaud

Universal Pictures

My comments:  Cute.  Didn't drive me too crazy. Both the kids enjoyed it.  Really not too bad.....

RT/ IMDb Summary:      For their fifth fully-animated feature-film collaboration, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures present The Secret Life of Pets, a comedy about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day. Comedy superstars Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet and Kevin Hart make their animated feature-film debuts in The Secret Life of Pets, which co-stars Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Jenny Slate, Bobby Moynihan, Hannibal Buress and Albert Brooks. Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and his longtime collaborator Janet Healy produce the film directed by Chris Renaud (Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2), co-directed by Yarrow Cheney and written by Brian Lynch and Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio.

Ten Things I Love About You - Daniel Kirk

Illustrated by the author

2013 Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin

HC $16,99

32 pages

Goodreads rating: 3.70

My rating: 4

Endpapers: blue & white illustrations of the path from Rabbit's house to Pig's house (and the surroundings)

Illustrations: Wide brown frames around pages - simple - made to look like crayon lines (or maybe they are!)
Title Page: Same wide brown frame, single page with Rabbit sitting on the floor, writing.

1^st line/s:
     Ring!
     Ring!
     Hello Pig,
     Hello Rabbit,
     Look at this ---
     I am making a list!

My comments:  A sweet keeper-of-a-book.  A book, actually, to give a friend!

Goodreads: Fans of Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie will enjoy Rabbit and Pig’s clever back-and-forth which shows the funny ways friends bounce ideas and feelings off each other.
      Rabbit just adores his friend Pig. So he is excited to make a list of all the things he loves about Pig. And who better to help him write the list than Pig himself? But Pig is busy, and keeps sending Rabbit away. But no matter what Pig does, Rabbit is inspired to add another thing to his list. When Pig says, “Rabbit, I'm starting to lose my patience!” Rabbit has #6—“I love Pig because he’s not afraid to show his feelings!” Fortunately, Pig’s dwindling patience is rewarded when Rabbit completes his list—and the two realizeexactly why they are such good pals.

Glasswings: A Butterfly's Story - Elisa Kleven

Illustrated by the author

Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin), 2013

HC $16.99

32 pages

Goodreads rating: 5.00 (But there are only three ratings to average so far- and mine's one of them)

My rating: 5

Endpapers: lime green with various sized outlines of Glasswing butterflies in white

"Claire was a Glasswing butterfly.

Her wings, as clear as windows,

let the world shine through."

But a huge wind sweeps her away from her family in the country to a street in the city, where there aren't many flowers from which she can sip nectar,  A friendly pigeon and ladybug show her a tiny community garden, but the flowers are sparse.  She sips and flits from flower to flower, day after day, and the garden blooms and flourishes with her help.

There's a prologue that tells a little about Glasswings (they inhabit Central and South America).  I wonder why it wasn't put at the end of the story?

I'm an Elisa Kleven fan, so perhaps I'm biased, but I love her work - her collaged illustrations are wonderful. On one page, the hillside of tall city buildings is created from cut rectangles from the insides of business envelopes and water colors. Mmmmm. The windows of the dull gray buildings are alive with colorful life - curtains, people, quilt-y shades and brightly colored clothing. I could just look and look and look. And, there's a happy, satisfying ending to a relatively simple, thoughtful story that also contains a message - and lesson - or two.

54. Following Grandfather - Rosemary Wells

illustrated by Christopher Denise
2012, Candlewick Press
HC $14.99
58 pages
not really an Early Reader, more of a read aloud, I think....
Goodreads rating:  3.46
cag:  3.5 (the writing is gorgeous, much of the storyline is exquisite, but the premise of her "seeing" her grandfather a couple of times after his death almost seemed thrown in....some changes here would have made it a 5 for me.....

Setting: mid-20th century Boston
First Line/s:  "Down at the very end of Revere Beach, where the people never go, the mice of Boston spread their towels and plant their beach umbrellas in the sun.  Grandfather and I were among them every summer Sunday."

Ah, the snobbish Henry Cabot Lodge and Saltonstall mice, the Swan boats and other Boston locales, the truly lovely writing....just wonderful.  Yummy vocabulary, some even unknown to me (which isn't saying much, believe me)....ummmm, crenallated?  What a cool word.  However, this is a simple book written in large font, looking like the perfect book for an early reader.  Wrong.  This is one to be read aloud.  I'm going to do just that to my fourth graders and will add comments afterwards.

Red Knit Cap Girl - Naoko Stoop

Illustrated by the author
2012, Megan Tingley Books/Little Brown Co.
32 pgs.
HC $15.99
Goodreads: 3.87
I liked it a lot (4)

Endpapers:  Blue wash on wooden board, speckles of white paint - NIGHT SKY
Illutstrations:  Acrylic, ink, and pencil on plywood.  No white.  Simple.  Beautiful.  Eyes are dots.  Backgrounds are gorgeous washes of color..
1st sentence/s:  "In the forest, there is time to wonder about everything.  Red Knit Cap Girl wonders about flowers, butterflies, leaves, and clouds."

Red Knit Cap Girl wonders about the moon and how to talk to her.  She tries different way,s appealing to Mr. Owl ,and with the help with animals friends, discovers that if the night is dark enough, the sky is gorgeous.

I wasn't completely enchanted with the story, but the premise -- and the illustrations -- are just lovely.  What a nice book to share with a young child at bedtime, then, with the lights off, gaze out the window at a clear sky.

Illustrator:  Naoko Stoop grew up in Japan and now lives in NYC.  She participated in "Earth Hour" (shutting off the lights for one hour), realizing how easy it is to enjoy the beauty around us.

Little Owl's Night - Divya Srinivasan

Illustrated by the author
2011, Viking
HC $16.99
Goodreads rating:  3.77
My rating:  5 - I really loved it
32 pages

Endpapers:  Both are different - FRONT:  raccoon and squirrel in tree, huge black sky, BACK: raccoon sleeping and squirrel gathering acorns, both at the base of the tree, daytime.
1st Line/s (Actually, 1st three double-page spreads):  "Little Owl was having a wonderful night./He watched the funny possum family waddle along in a neat row./By the river, beavers gnawed at trees.  turtle hid in her shell as fireflies danced all around."
Illustrations:  Dark black sky - paper cuts and paint? - hard to say.  I really love 'em...it was the cover illustration that forced me to pick ut up in the first place.
Illustrator:  www.pupae.com . This is her first book.  She loves nighttime and lives in Austin, Texas.

I was just going o take a quick flip through this book to peek at it, but slowed down to admire the illustrations.  Then I went back to read it and discovered some beautiful language.  Font is white on black (which I love).

Otis & Sydney and the Best Birthday Ever - Laura Numeroff

Illustrated by Dan Andreasen
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2010
$16.95
32 pages
Rating: 4/5
Endpapers: Light blue

This is a very cute story about friendship, about best friends, about enjoying the company and companionship of just each other - needing no other entertainment.

When Otis plans a surprise birthday party for this BFF Sydney, he puts the wrong date on the invitations....and no one shows up, of course, on the right date. All his planning doesn't go to waste, however. The two friends dress up and play and eat and have a blast together anyway.

Once again, it's the illustrations that I love most. Beautfiully inked black lines create the pictures, then they're colored in. The texture, the patterns, the facial expressions, the happiness, are all expressed in the illustrations. My favorite illustrations so far this year, I think!

This would be a great book for adults to give to their own BFFs!

Dog Loves Books - Louise Yates

Alfred A. Knopf, 2010
$16.99
32 pages
ages 3-6
Rating: 3.5
Endpapers: 8 pale blue watercolors of 8 different dogs

Dog loves books. So he opens a bookstore. But he has no customers! (This should really be a book about the benefits of advertising!) So instead of being bored, he begins to read his books. And after experiencing a few adventures in the story, a customer arrives and Dog's able to suggest the perfect title.

Pencil and watercolor illustrations cover the entire page. They're simple - and perfect for this charming story.