Tag Archives: picture books

Bear Feels Sad

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Written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman

Bear is SAD! All of his friends are off doing other activities, like digging holes and writing poetry and he is alone and lonely. He eats a snack. But, just doesn’t taste the same without friends. He builds a fort and it isn’t fun either. Bear decides to take a walk to pass the long, dreary hours and discovers a field filled with lovely flowers. He find the perfect flower for Mouse and then picks a bouquet of flowers for his friends. He doesn’t feel quite as sad as he walks home to his den with his flowers. Bear hears his friends as he nears his den and they are there to give him gifts from their day. He hands out their flowers and they listen to Raven’s poem. And, Bear is GLAD to be with his friends.

Karma Wilson is the author of several books about Bear and his friends and each rhyming story is more lovely than the one before it. These woodland creatures care for each other and share a wonderful, friendship. This story is a testament to that friendship. The rich, bright colors of the accompanying illustrations are perfect and convey Bear’s melancholy to happiness shift in a natural way. Add this to your library collection!

Bookie y Cookie

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by Blanca Gómez

Bookie and Cookie are best friends with very different tastes. Bookie loves books and is surrounded by books at his home. Cookie loves cooking and baking and his home is shown with a kitchen and table central to the illustration. They always hang out at Cookie’s and Bookie suggests they change and go to his place. Cookie doesn’t want to do something different and a disagreement occurs. Both parties end up alone and unhappy in their own spaces. Bookie bakes some cookies and they come together at his home for a snack. Then, they read together at Cookie’s home. They work out their differences and their friendship is preserved.

Text is spare and conveys the main points of the story succinctly. Illustrations are colorful with lots of white space, which provides a clean background for the story. Emotions are clearly noted as the characters’ relationship becomes strained with even a few tears. Their happiness at the resolution of their disagreement is also shown. Characters are diverse. Reviewed copy in Spanish as translated by the author. Recommended.

Where Are You, Brontë?

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Written by Tommy dePaola and illustrated by Barbara McClintock

Tomie de Paola’s last story has been published posthumously with illustrations by Barbara McClintock. Tomie shared the life of his canine companion, Brontë, from their first moment meeting at the airport when Tomie picked him up. Their twelve years together are detailed, from sharing many walks to snuggling together in Tomie’s bed. The story is from Tomie’s point of view as he raises an energetic puppy (in a cute pink collar) to adulthood and into his senior years and slow decline, losing his eyesight and eventually passing. Tommy is so sad until one day when he’s out for a walk and realizes that Brontë is with him in his heart and always will be. He rushes home, creates a picture of Brontë to frame and places it next to his bed, where he dreams about their wonderful times together.

I LOVE this book! Tomie’s gentle, loving story is a tribute to Brontë and the bond they shared. Their happiness together is clearly depicted in Barbara McClintock’s accompanying illustrations. Tomie’s grief is genuinely addressed and his eventual realization that Brontë will remain in his heart is comforting for the reader as well. There is a note after the story and Barbara describes her work – wanting to honor Tomie’s rich talent while still putting her own touch on the artwork. The addition of some of Tomie’s own characters at the spaghetti dinner was a thoughtful nod to Tomie.

This book needs to be in every library for many reasons. It will serve as a comfort to those that are grieving loss of a loved one. It will remind us of the rich literary legacy that Tomie left behind. It will be on the shelf with Strega Nona, Big Anthony and all the other wonderful books by this prolific author/illustrator. And, it will become a treasured story for many, many readers to come. Buy this book now! Highly recommended.

Cows and Sheep and Chicks That Cheep

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by Douglas Florian

Farmyard animals and their home star in this lyrical collection of poems. Twenty-three short poems (four to six stanzas) opposite accompanying full page illustrations flow easily through this picture book. Poem topics range from the barn and farm stand to cows and llamas. Young readers will chuckle when they see the the cow ‘chilling’ in a chair or read about the pony only to discover at the end that it’s a toy. Surprises and some added silliness make this a fun read. The illustrations are reminiscent of children’s drawings. Use of colored pencils, water colors and crayons add to that perception. And it all works well together!

Buy this book to add to your poetry section. Young readers will love it! Highly recommended.

Eat Like a Bear

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Written by April Pulley Sayre and illustrated Steve Jenkins

The life of a brown bear from month to month is detailed in text and illustrations in this informative picture book. In April, the bear awakens and wonders what to eat, because she is famished after a long hibernation. Each month, new foods are available from cow parsnips and dandelions to ants and trout. Finally, in November, the bear goes into her den to hibernate. Midwinter brings a surprise – two cubs. And, the seasons continue. The end of the book includes numerous facts about bears and an author’s note.

Beautiful collage illustrations pair with short, repetitive sentences to present solid information about the diet, life and habitat of a bear in fictional form. Kids will be enthralled with the variety of her diet and her determination, even when she doesn’t get the meal. You can almost feel her fur in the illustrations and hear the crunch as she munches the cones and moths. Buy this book for your nonfiction collection. The kids will love it! Highly recommended.

I’m Sorry You Got Mad

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Written by Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Julie Kwon

Jack has to write an apology letter to Zoe, because he knocked down her block castle. Over several rewrites, Jack works through his feelings, sharing with his teacher along the way as she guides him through the process. He finally arrives at the right words to use and Zoe accepts his apology. The story ends with Jack’s new letter to Zoe, saying how much fun he had playing with her in her new castle along with hopeful plans for tomorrow.

This book is a treasure! It methodically moves along with a young character as he opens up about why he did what he did and shows a growing empathy for the girl he hurt by destroying her block castle. Told through his repeated attempts at writing an apology to his classmate, Jack becomes a better friend and his feelings are acknowledged as well. Illustrations provide additional “oomph” to Jack’s feelings as he writes and his frustration and eventual calm are shown in the use of color and expressions. Characters are diverse. In the end, it was a deeper story and a satisfying conclusion for all concerned. Highly recommended.

Let’s fly : Barrington Irving’s record-breaking flight around the world

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Written by Barrington Irving and Chana Stifle; illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice

Barrington Irving is the first Black man and (at the time) the youngest person to complete a solo flight around the world. His life and inspirational flight are detailed in this picture book biography. Barrington, born in Jamaica and living in Florida, played football in school as a way to move past the “badgering” of his classmates. One day, his life changed when he met a Black pilot at his parents’ bookstore. The pilot, Captain Gary Robinson, asked “Have you ever thought of becoming a pilot?” This changed Barrington’s life. Captain Robinson gifted him his first lesson and after that Barrington worked hard, studied hard and practiced, earning his pilot’s license. Captain Robinson challenged him to help others like he had helped Barrington and he created an after school STEM program. He didn’t stop there, though. He wanted to inspire kids even more. So, he decided to fly solo around the world. It was hard to get the plane, plan the trip and find the funding to do it all. But, he persevered and succeeded, culminating in a record-setting flight of 26,800 miles in 97 days.

In addition to the story of his life and flight, this book shares more details such as a two page spread of the a cockpit with labels, a map of his flight path with stops, a timeline, facts, bibliography and some great quotes from Barrington. Given the extras, this book is a great fit for a variety of ages and reading levels. Illustrations are crisp and fit the text nicely.

Add this to your biography section and it will fly off the shelf! Highly recommended.

Wake Up, Moon!

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By Lita Judge

After a winter storm, Squirrel awakens his friends for a fun romp in the new snow. Squirrel, along with Fox, Owl and Bear, take advantage of the clear moonlit night and play together. They slide and glide and build a snowy bear. They smile and laugh and play some more. Finally, the friends become drowsy and return to their woodland homes to sleep, cozily snuggling in for a well-deserved snooze.

The text is simple and rhythmic and the watercolor/colored pencil illustrations add personality and fun to the animal friends at play. Their friendship is noted and their exuberance is clear. Such a lovely book! Recommended.

Vulture View

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written by April Pulley Sayre and illustrated by Steve Jenkins

Take a look at the daily life of a vulture from its graceful soaring flight to its meticulously clean feathers. This species provides a great service by cleaning up after everyone by eating what no one else really wants. Carrion eaters are an important part of nature’s food web and vultures do a great job of it. End matter and author’s notes have been updated and reflect the newest information available about these often maligned scavengers. Illustrations have been color enhanced as well.

Add this award-winning book to your nonfiction section. It will become a favorite among students, who will delight in the daily life a this majestic bird. If you already have it, I suggest an update. It’s worth it! Highly recommended.

Bijan Always Wins

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Written by Adib Khorram and illustrated by Michelle Tran

Bijan always wins (in his mind). Whether it’s eating a sandwich or tying his shoes – he’s the winner. All this winning has an impact on friendships, though. Not many other kids want to play with a self-declared winner of everything. Bijan becomes more intuitive over time, noticing that other children are avoiding him. And, after some reflection, he makes some changes and realizes that when you’re playing together and no one ‘wins’, you actually all win.This very sweet story shows that people can change as we watch an annoying main character change for the better and become a friend to others. As a result, he is happier, too!

The muted tones of the illustrations are lovely and the pages are awash in color. Characters are diverse and children will be familiar with the school settings in which the book is set. They might even see themselves in the characters. Recommended.