Summer picture book adventure

Traction Man and the Beach Odyssey by Mini Grey

Random House, May 22, 2012
Traction Man is back in an all-new, partially underwater adventure. Of course the faithful Scrubbing Brush is ready for adventure, too, as the entire family heads to the beach. But when Traction Man and Scrubbing Brush find themselves lost at sea and then picked up by a stranger, will they ever get back to their boy? This hilarious sequel co-stars Beach-Time Brenda and is a rollicking boos for boys, girls, action men, fashion dolls, and scrubbing brushes.

Where's Waldo! Yippeee!

Where's Waldo The Search for the Lost Things by Martin Handford
I haven't gone through a Where's Waldo book in years and after pouring over The Search for the Lost Things, it's obvious I've been missing out. All it takes is one glance at one page to be lost in the world of Waldo, searching, finding, and bugging friends until every last item has been found. From math games to word puzzles, memory challenges to mazes, this is truly the "compendium of puzzling puzzles" the cover promises. Martin Handford's newest book is overwhelming and magnificent-- and certain to keep anyone amused for days.

Another nice Toon book

The Shark King by R. Kikuo Johnson
R. Kikuo Johnson, whose work has graced the cover of the New Yorker Magazine and the New York Times Book Review, brings his stunning illustrations to a book for children. A part of Toon Books, a series of graphic novels for beginning readers, The Shark King tells the story of Nanaue, son of the legendary Shark King, who learns the difficulties of being a boy of both the land and the sea. Johnson's pacing is masterful and his palette perfectly captures the story's setting in the islands of Hawaii.

Gorgeous book of poetry

I must admit that I don't read a lot of children's poetry, but one of the things I've been trying to do is broaden my appreciation of children's books in general. I fell so in love with the illustrations & design of Outside Your Window that I ended up reading the poetry and not just the illustrations. While I try not to buy too may books, I kept going back to pick this one up and reasoned that if I waited to have children, it would probably be out of print, so if I loved it (and I do!) I had to buy it. So now it sits on my shelf and every day or so, when I'm tired of typing papers, I pull it from the shelf and randomly flip it open.


Outside Your Window A First Book of Nature
by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Mark Herald
This book is at the top of my list of most beautifully illustrated books this year. Mark Herald collages together painted papers, hand printed papers, patterned papers, and other materials to created textured scenes from nature. Each illustration reflects the tone of Davies' accompanying poem and children will be drawn to her insights about each season. Frogs' eggs are "like spotted jelly" and soil is "crumbly and moist as cake mix" while snow keeps "a diary of things that happened when you were asleep." Outside Your Window is a splendid introduction to poetry and nature alike.

Giants Beware! A great graphic novel

Giants Beware by Rafael Rosado & Jorge Aguirre
Claudette wants to be a giant slayer just like her father- but why would she wait until she grows up? The village tells stories of a terrible giant who loves nothing more than baby feet. If Claudette can just open her father's secret chest, she'll have everything she needs to defeat a giant. Once she secures the aid of her her brother, an aspiring pastry chef, and her best friend who wants nothing more than to be a princess, Claudette sets out to slay the giant. With a spunky, pint-sized heroine and a surprising ending, Giants Beware! is certain to be a hit with kids who devoured Zita the Spacegirl.

Fun, fresh board book

There are so many concept board books that it's easy to get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again. But Janik Coat brings life, innovation, and laughs to Hippopposites. While the book starts with a basic small/large spread, it quickly moves to more interesting comparisons, including full/empty in which a layer of the cardboard has been physically removed from the book so that children can feel the depression. Opaque/transparent is another innovative spread- I'm certain there's a child somewhere who will pick the words as his new favorites. Clear/blurry and invisible/visible are two other opposites I've never encountered in a board book but which are important concepts for any child. However, my absolute favorite is the front/side page, where the hippo's side is simply a thin line- I laughed aloud when I came to it. Hopefully Janik Coat will be creating more board books in the future - fresh design and twists on classic concept books are exactly what we need on the shelves.

Stunning realistic novel

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles
Candlewick, May 2012
With three siblings, Fern feels overlooked. Her three-year old brother Charlie is the light of their parent's life and the only one who doesn't find her father's attempts to promote the family restaurant embarrassing. Fern's older brother is concerned about riding the bus to school and his new boyfriend. Her older sister is annoyed at being at home while all her friends are at college. No one except her best friend Ran has any time for her- except Charlie, and his attention tends to be sticky and bothersome. When disaster strikes the family, everyone feels alone, stranded in personal grief and blame. Will anything pull them back together again?

Jo Knowles weaves the difficult issues of coming out, bullying, death, grief, and blame into her narrative. Readers will be swept along by the character's emotions, crying when they do and grabbing on to the moments of hope that break through. At once heart-breaking and uplifting, See You at Harry's is a stunning realistic novel. Ages 12+