Picture Books for Children

by Mary Northrup

  Hurd, Thacher 3–8 years

  THE WEAVER

  Illustrated by Elisa Kleven

  New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2010 | 978-0-374-38254-4

  A dreamy dance of a story, this book takes the view of the world from high above, where the weaver spins and dyes and works her threads into a beautiful tapestry that illustrates life on earth. The delicate and detailed illustrations fill the pages with happy scenes of families, animals, cityscapes, and elements of nature. The beginning features the rising sun and light-filled pages. As the story progresses and the day wears on, the illustrations begin to fill with a dusky blue. The weaver completes her work throughout the story, finally pulling her handiwork across the earth as people settle down to sleep and she rejoins her family for her own bedtime. These gorgeous illustrations present a soothing calm, matched by the poetic language of the text, which is filled with gentle rhythm and words of color and love. A note at the beginning explains a backstrap loom, the type portrayed in the illustrations.

  Ichikawa, Satomi 3–7 years

  MY LITTLE TRAIN

  Illustrated by Satomi Ichikawa

  New York: Philomel/Penguin, 2010 | 978-0-399-25453-6

  Beautiful watercolor artwork spreads over each page as a toy train makes its way with cars carrying stuffed animals. As they board, the animals announce where they want to go—the pond, the field, the forest, the mountains—and make animal noises. This provides opportunities for participation as listeners can chime in on the quack-quacks and the baa-baas, not to mention the whoo-whoos of the train. As the story rolls on, the train drops off each animal and continues on its way to Central Station. A wonderful blend of fantasy and reality, this story also shows how text and illustrations can contradict yet integrate. The pond where the duck stops is a fish bowl, the forest where the monkey disembarks is a large plant, and mountains are large pillows on the sofa; the illustrations provide the reality while the text names them as the animals do. A comforting journey story for young train lovers, this little train will take listeners to a satisfying conclusion and a happy reunion between two of the animals.

  Johnson, Angela 5–9 years

  THE DAY RAY GOT AWAY

  Illustrated by Luke LaMarca

  New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010 | 978-0-689-87375-1

  For those who wonder where those big parade balloons go when they are not floating tethered along the street, this story offers an imaginative tale of one balloon who made his plan to finally get away. Acrylic illustrations portray the balloon warehouse and the parade scenes all neatly enclosed in bordered squares and rectangles. As the story progresses, the ropes and balloons extend beyond these borders until, at the end, an unframed two-page spread shows Ray in his final escape. Interestingly, unlike the other balloon figures, Ray is never shown completely; bits of him are seen through windows or in the corner of an illustration. Even in that last picture, where he is whole, he appears as a black shadow in the twilit night. Young readers and listeners will enjoy the humorous illustrations and the balloon escape, while older readers may consider this a meditation on freedom.

  Kneen, Maggie 3–8 years

  CHOCOLATE MOOSE

  Illustrated by Maggie Kneen

  New York: Dutton/Penguin, 2011 | 978-0-525-42202-0

  Kneen has created a book for chocolate lovers. In this fanciful story, a moose takes a job at a bakery owned by Mrs. Mouse. Even as Moose does everything wrong and makes many messes in the kitchen, Mrs. Mouse, with her many children, finds something that he can do well. Beautifully textured illustrations give readers a moose and mice that look pettable. Cakes, sandwiches, and pancakes also have this touchable quality. Sound words such as squish, slurp, and splat are part of the text in just about every other page spread, where they appear in color and in a different font from the rest of the text. Readers and listeners will delight in the actions of the large but friendly Moose and the tiny mice. The word chocolate and illustrations of chocolate appear on many pages, even the endpapers. Yum!

  Lehman, Barbara 5–8 years

  MUSEUM TRIP

  Illustrated by Barbara Lehman

  Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006 | 978-0-618-58125-2| library binding

  This wordless book follows a class on a field trip to an art museum, where one boy becomes separated from the group. As he wanders, he discovers a room with a display of small mazes in a glass case. Through the magic of fiction, he enters the mazes and solves them, running from one to the next. When he finally exits the mazes and room, he reunites with his class, and any question about whether his adventure actually happened is answered on the last page. With illustrations rendered in watercolor, gouache, and ink, Lehman delivers spare drawings of the human characters as colorful, with a bold black outline. The main character in a red sweatshirt stands out in each scene. Notice the perspective of space used: deep in some scenes, shallow in others. Adults who share this book with children may identify famous works of art that appear. Both adults and children will want to trace their way through the six mazes that the young boy solves. For another wordless adventure that involves a bit of magic, see Lehman’s Rainstorm (Houghton Mifflin, 2007).

  Litwin, Eric 3–8 years

  PETE THE CAT: I LOVE MY WHITE SHOES

  Illustrated by James Dean

  New York: HarperCollins, 2010 , c2008978-0-06-190622-0

  Ideal for read-aloud, this story joins the title character as he walks down the street and gets into some messes. The shoes of which he is so proud turn colors, but that doesn’t bother Pete, who keeps on walking and singing. The repetition in his song and the question asked after he steps into various things—not to mention identifying what he steps into—will make this a very participatory book for groups. The artwork beams with glorious color, especially in blue, red, and brown. And those white shoes, those ever-changing shoes, take center stage on the feet of Pete.

  Lord, Cynthia 3–7 years

  HOT ROD HAMSTER

  Illustrated by Derek Anderson

  New York: Scholastic, 2010 | 978-0-545-03530-9

  Young NASCAR fans will want to take this one out for a spin. Combining fast cars, charming animals, and humorous images, this story is a winner. Every other two-page spread features the hamster’s friend, a large dog, asking him to make choices about size, color, and parts for his car. When Hamster is finally helmeted and ready to go, he faces larger competitors and bigger cars, but guess who wins? The acrylic illustrations, bright and colorful, feature mice mechanics and the inherent humor in animals putting together a race car. The front endpapers feature a race poster, while the back ones show the winner and his trophies. The questions about choice throughout will have young readers and listeners volunteering their own choices. Full of action, just like a race, this story doesn’t stop until it reaches the finish line. For more driving fun, see Kristy Dempsey’s Mini Racer (Bloomsbury, 2011), which features animals racing a variety of wheeled vehicles.

  Mahy, Margaret 3–7 years

  BUBBLE TROUBLE

  Illustrated by Polly Dunbar

  New York: Clarion, 2008 | 978-0-547-07421-4| library binding

  The rhyming title gives just a sneak peek at what readers and listeners will find within: an exuberant story told in lilting rhyme and rhythm. A little girl blows a bubble, which somehow captures her baby brother. As he floats through the air, out of the window, and through the town, more and more people follow behind. These adults and children, who have first or last names that rhyme with each other or that contain similar internal sounds, make for quite an audience as the little guy floats higher and higher. With a well-aimed pebble in a slingshot and a catching quilt, several people save the baby. The watercolor-and-cut paper illustrations, full of jocularity and bright colors, mingle wonderfully with the humorous verse. The illustrations take up both pages in each page turn, with the baby usually in the far right corner, a dotted line showing his progress across the sky and page. First published in the United Kingdom, this story rolls along in a jol
ly blend of fantasy and fun.

  Manushkin, Fran 5–9 years

  THE SHIVERS IN THE FRIDGE

  Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

  New York: Dutton, 2006 | 978-0-525-46943-8

  A family, living in a cold place, tries to keep warm and be brave, especially when a monster—a giant hand—comes in and removes items. The family finds itself surrounded by whipped cream towers, hills of oranges, and broccoli trees as they huddle in their little box. One by one, they go out to search for a warmer place to live. This book provides a wonderful example of the text relating the story on one level and the illustrations, comical and sly, completing that story. Each page abounds in humor, but some stand out for laugh-out-loud zaniness, including the scene where Mama jumps into what she thinks is a warm lake, but that eventually gels and has her stuck. All ends well as the family escapes the cold place, finds its rightful spot, and becomes once more warm and useful. The endpapers of the book, as well as the title, should give readers and listeners clues to what will happen, but the strength of the story and the illustrations can make those hearing it for the first time wonder what is really going on. Fantasy at its crazy, warmhearted best!

  McDonald, Megan 4–7 years

  HEN HEARS GOSSIP

  Illustrated by Joung Un Kim

  New York: Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2008 | 978-0-06-113876-8

  Although young children may not have heard the word gossip, they will understand it after hearing this story. The barnyard animals pass along a secret from one to another, until it becomes clear that each one hears and tells it a little bit differently. Then it goes all the way back again until they find out the truth. The mixed-media illustrations, simple yet effective, include elements of collage and repetitive design almost like wallpaper on some pages. Of course, in every illustration, the animals’ mouths are open, adding to the imagery of constant yakking. Teachers may want to play the telephone game, where children in a circle whisper a phrase from one to another, then see how much of it changes from the first person to the last. McDonald’s story is a humorous introduction to a problem that can lead to hurt feelings. Pair with Marjorie Dennis Murray’s Hippo Goes Bananas! (Marshall Cavendish, 2008) and The Jungle Grapevine by Alex Beard (Abrams, 2009).

  McNaughton, Colin 5–8 years

  CAPTAIN ABDUL’S LITTLE TREASURE

  Illustrated by Colin McNaughton

  Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 2006 | 978-0-7636-3045-4

  Avast, mateys! This pirate book starts out with a bang. Someone fires on Captain Abdul’s pirate ship and leaves a treasure chest. When captain and crew discover a baby inside, left by Abdul’s wife, Doris, they take to babysitting with all the verve that they put into pirating. The rowdy bunch dresses, feeds, entertains, and teaches the mini-pirate in a series of humorous scenes. The ink-and-watercolor illustrations, featuring humorously nasty-looking pirates, combine with a text full of piratespeak and pirate songs. Each page features a very large word or two at the beginning of the sentence, with numerous words and sentences in bold throughout. Adult readers can let their inner pirate out as they “Arrgh!” and “Yo-ho-ho!” their way through this hilarious yarn. Other humorous pirate stories include Laura Leuck’s I Love My Pirate Papa (Harcourt, 2007) and Melinda Long’s Pirates Don’t Change Diapers (Harcourt, 2007).

  McPhail, David 4–8 years

  WATER BOY

  Illustrated by David McPhail

  New York: Abrams, 2007 | 978-0-8109-1784-2

  When a young boy learns that humans are composed mostly of water, his imagination veers to extremes. Soon he refuses even to take a bath. With his mother’s help, he overcomes his fear and from there, the story becomes a fantasy, with water from a faucet spelling his name and the force of his hand stopping waves. Eventually he learns to distill water and sunlight and finds a way to clean up rivers and oceans. This gentle book captures a child’s fears, imaginings, and love of nature. The message that rivers need to be cleaned up is never overbearing, but integrates into the story of the boy’s coming to understand the wider world. McPhail’s soft illustrations appear in squares on most pages, but three scenes take the full two pages each, and these depict the boy in bigger settings: on beach cliffs, on the shore, and on a bridge overlooking the river. The endpapers, too, depict shore scenes that go off the edges of the page and feature the wildlife of the area. This book is smaller in size than the typical picture book, making it ideal for one-on-one reading and sharing.

  Meschenmoser, Sebastian 4–8 years

  WAITING FOR WINTER

  Illustrated by Sebastian Meschenmoser

  Tulsa, OK: Kane Miller/EDC, 2009 | 978-1-935279-04-4

  An imaginative look at the beginning of the cold season in a forest, this German import features animals who think, talk, and imagine. A squirrel, a hedgehog, and a bear find ways to take up time while waiting for snow to fall, including exercise and singing. Eventually, they search for this white, wet, cold, soft substance they have heard of and find some unusual substitutes. The illustrations of a fall of toothbrushes, socks, and tin cans come as humorous surprises. The text itself is not overly long, and many pages feature no words at all. Line drawings in muted black and white, with some brown and orange brushing the animals, reflect the bare winter season. The illustrations expand the text, which never mentions the odd items the animals find, and depict them realistically. When the real snow finally arrives, it is beautiful, and spread wordlessly over five full pages.

  Monroe, Chris 4–9 years

  MONKEY WITH A TOOL BELT AND THE NOISY PROBLEM

  Illustrated by Chris Monroe

  Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 2009 | 978-0-8225-9247-1 | library binding

  For those who like their humor silly, yet detailed, this may be the perfect book. The title monkey, Chico Bon Bon, does indeed use a tool belt filled with both real and not-so-real tools. This busy little monkey fixes things around his house. As he searches for the source of a loud noise, he is pictured in various rooms in a detailed two-page spread. When he finally discovers the cause, it takes twelve panels of rectangular drawings to illustrate his plan to eliminate the noise. The brightly colored, humorous illustrations range from these large spreads to pages that have four or five small drawings. Chico takes precautions when he uses his tools, including donning a hard hat and earplugs, and he certainly demonstrates knowledge of all of the tools. The humor arises from the situations, which should provide lots of laughs. Chico makes his debut in Monkey with a Tool Belt. Pair with Marc Rosenthal’s Archie and the Pirates (Harper Collins, 2009), which also offers goofy fun and detailed drawings.

  Morales, Yuyi 3–7 years

  LITTLE NIGHT

  Illustrated by Yuyi Morales

  New York: Neal Porter/Roaring Brook, 2007 | 978-1-59643-088-4

  Luxuriant illustrations that cover each two-page spread draw the reader and listener in, embracing them as Mother Sky does with her Little Night. Even though a fantasy, the characters and their actions resemble those of any mother and child who are preparing for bedtime, with a little one who hides. Little Night insists that her mother find her, and Mother Sky obliges. In keeping with the theme of approaching nighttime, the colors gleam in deep roses, blues, greens, and purples, finally studded with stars. The crocheted-cloud nightgown, Milky Way mustache, and planet hairpins provide beautiful touches. Reminiscent of The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, this story celebrates the love of mother and child, with a mother who will always care for her little one.

  Muth, Jon J. 5–8 years

  ZEN SHORTS

  Illustrated by Jon J. Muth

  New York: Scholastic, 2005 | 978-0-439-33911-7

  Can young children understand Zen? They can, in an elementary way, through this meditative book. Three children find a large bear named Stillwater in their backyard. Each of them spends time with the bear, who tells each child an old story from Buddhist and Tao roots, which is just what they need at the time. The watercolor-and-ink illustrations contain color in the main part of
the story but become black and white on a light blue, green, or yellow background for the individual stories Stillwater tells. This device, the simple language, and the everyday situations (except for a large talking bear in the backyard!) go far to make Eastern philosophy understandable to young ones. From the illustrations only, one might be tempted to pronounce this book whimsical because it features a bear with a red parasol; that would cheapen it. Stillwater has a quiet elegance that fits perfectly with what he is trying to convey to the children. He appears again in Zen Ties (Scholastic, 2008), which introduces haiku, and Zen Ghosts (Scholastic, 2010), which features a Halloween setting.

  Nakagawa, Chihiro 3–7 years

  WHO MADE THIS CAKE?

  Illustrated by Junji Koyose

  Honesdale, PA: Front Street, 2008 | 978-1-59078-595-9

  Combine heavy machinery and birthday cake and out pops this delightful and detailed look at the construction of a dessert with construction equipment. Originally published in Japan, this book features a bevy of heavy trucks that mix the ingredients, pour the batter into the pan, and then bake it. After they frost and decorate the cake, it is presented to a little boy who, judging from his toys, loves construction machinery. From the illustration on the title page, it appears that the mother orders a cake from the construction workers. The text is spare—one line per page, just enough to tell what the machines are doing. Bright and mostly primary colors and the realistic-looking trucks will appeal to those who can’t get enough of front loaders, backhoes, and dump trucks. Little people scramble all over the place, helping and signaling, and even taking a break, just like real construction workers. Look for one who has fallen in each scene. A wonderful blend of fantasy and reality.