picture books

By Brian Lies

This is a really great picture book about a colony of bats who fly into the library and make all sorts of amazing discoveries. They do lots of funny things... like photocopy themselves and bath in the water fountain. They also read a lot of books. What's great about this book is the illustrations. Although they are dark, they aren't scary. There are also opportunities to look for familiar literary characters (like Little read Riding Hood or Peter Rabbit).

By Jon Scieszka

The first book in Jon Scieszka's new series, Trucktown, Smash! Crash! tells the story of two rowdy trucks - Jack and Dan - who love to smash/crash into things. Jack and Dan speed around town, fleeing a booming voice from above, and proceed to smash/crash into everything they find.

This is a great book for read aloud - the kids in storytime loved it. Jon Scieszka heads the "Guys Read" initiative that encourages boys of all ages to read. Scieszka's books include the Time Warp Trio series and a bunch of fractured fairytales (Stinky Cheeseman, Frog Prince Continued).

By Danielle Simard

This is a beautiful story about how a little girl helps her grandmother remember words. The grandmother is growing older and having trouble remembering the names of things. The daughter and granddaughter have developed tricks to find the missing words. It's just a really lovely story, very heartfelt. After reading this book, I had to take it home and get everyone else in my family to read it.

By Polly Dunbar

WARNING: Don't be fooled by this cover. What looks like a cute book (the illustrations are fun) is a disaster waiting to happen. When Ben unpacks Penguin - Ben is ready to play. But Penguin won't play - Penguin says nothing. Ben proceeds to terrorize Penguin - sending him to outerspace, feeding him to a lion. Until... I can't go on... you'll just have to read it yourself.

By Vicki Churchill

Sometimes I like to curl up in a ball, so no one can see me because I'm so small.

Sometimes I like to jump high as I can, to see how much noise I make when I land.

This is a great book about a little wombat who likes to do a lot of different things - like jumping, screaming, walking - for a lot of different reasons. I love reading this book during storytime - it's fun to act like wombat. It's a great book for toddlers too!

By Melanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrel is back for some summer fun. In the third book of the series, our timid friend has decided to build himself a beach (because the real beach is too much of a dangerous place - especially with its jellyfish, seagulls, pirates and falling coconuts). All is well until Scaredy Squirrel discovers that something is missing from his safe squirrel-made beach: the sound of the ocean waves. So Scaredy Squirrel decides to make a quick trip to the REAL beach to find a shell that will hold the sound of the waves.

By Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Little Hoot likes a lot of things: he likes going to school; he likes playing with his friends, and he even likes practicing his staring. But there's one thing Little Hoot doesn't like ~ BEDTIME! While all his friends can go to bed as early as they like, Little Hoot has to stay up late. Owls are nocturnal you know.

By Rufus Butler Seder

This is one of the most interesting books to come across my desk this year. Gallop is a series of simple questions: Can you gallop like a horse? or Can you spring like a cat? What makes it so unique is that for every question asked, there is a moving picture to go alongside it. Open and close each page to see an animal move forwards and backwards across a small screen inside the book. You can watch a butterfly open and close it's wings. You can see a monkey swing across a series of branches.

By Ellen A. Kelley

My Life as a Chicken tells the story of Pauline Poulet, a plucky chicken who goes on a grand adventure in an effort to escape the dinner plate. With great pictures and a rich vocabulary, this book is perfect for reading aloud. Join Pauline as she escapes from the farm only to fall into the clutches of a hungry fox and later, some pirate cats. Will Pauline prevail? Find out more by reading My Life as a Chicken.

By Bill Grossman

"My little sister ate one hare/ We thought she'd throw up then and there/ But she didn't” An original rhyming book about a little sister whose appetite is matched only by her cast-iron stomach. She can eat bats, mice and lizards. What will defeat this little girl’s stomach?