A Perfect Day

This is a simple, repetitive tale of several animals enjoying a perfect day. Cat’s perfect day includes lying in the flower bed in the sun; Dog enjoys sitting in a wading pool full of water; and Chickadee and Squirrel are eating birdseed and a corncob provided by their young friend Bert. All of a sudden, a bear comes on the scene and ruins everyone’s perfect day. He eats the corncob and birdseed, drinks the water in the wading pool, and flattens the flowerbed. As Bert and the four animals watch the sleeping bear from inside the house, the story ends with: "It was a perfect day for Bear." The illustrations use muted colors, show movement and texture through brush strokes, and are gentle, charming, and hilarious as the bear smiles with the corncob stuck in his mouth and ruins the flower bed while making snow angels. The repetition in the story makes this a good book for beginning readers.

A Perfect Day by Lane Smith is a humorous story that is sure to be a hit with kids and parents alike!

Guest post by Allison C.

Who Broke the Vase?

When children grow old enough to realize that there might be repercussions from things they’ve done, like, for instance, breaking something, it’s not surprising that they try to find a way out of the trouble that might lie ahead. It can even be humorous to watch their contortions as they attempt to avoid facing the reality of the situation.

Who Broke the Vase? by Jeffrey Turner opens with that simple question. Images of bouncing balls on the end pages give a clue as to how the vase was broken. A young dog plays the title role and immediately conjures up a tale about an elephant who swung his trunk, causing the accident. When he realizes that sounds a bit outlandish, he quickly changes his story to say that a mouse who was inside the vase actually did it. The account changes again and again to blame a wayward crow, a knitting sheep, a hippo, and a nonexistent baby (who didn’t really mean to do it).

The author’s bold, eye-catching black silhouetted illustrations offer the perfect blend of humor and engagement, especially when the dog, knowing he has no other recourse, finally admits to breaking the vase. Mama dog accepts his confession and then they go out to play. Moments later, another ball comes flying through the window, headed straight for another container full of flowers. This time it’s Mama who threw it, and she comes up with her own story about a huge leapfrog-playing grasshopper having caused the damage.

Not only is this book humorous, it can also open the door to conversations about truthfulness and taking responsibility for one’s actions. There is no punishment or time-out when the dog confesses to his role in the incident. He even acknowledges the rather preposterous nature of the excuses he offers, and the issue is resolved. As children enter new territory in the world around them, they need loving, non-judgmental guidance, especially in these kinds of situations. Who Broke the Vase? delivers a simple but effective message, stated at the beginning of the book: "Being truthful is better than being perfect." The laughs along the way are an extra bonus!

Guest post by Bridget W. 

There's a Bear on My Chair

Poor Mouse has a problem that’s proving very difficult to solve: there’s a bear on his chair! Mouse gives the bear a “nasty glare,” tries to “tempt him with a pear,” and tries to give the bear a scare by jumping out in his underwear, but nothing works. Finally, Mouse disappears, and the polar bear, finding himself alone, returns to his igloo to discover a “mouse in my house!”

By now, you can probably guess that this delightful story is told entirely in rhyme. Mouse’s anger and frustration and the bear’s oblivion to it are shown in the very humorous and expressive illustrations. The rhyme and rhythm of this story make it a great choice for reading aloud. There’s a Bear on My Chair, by Ross Collins, is sure to be an instant classic!

Guest post by Allison C. 

Wally Does Not Want a Haircut

In this adorable picture book by Amanda Driscoll, Wally the sheep is in desperate need of a haircut. His wool is shaggy, full of twigs and leaves, and keeps him from hugging his mama. When his mama tries to give him a haircut, Wally runs away and hides. The other farm animals line up to have their hair cut to show Wally that haircuts are fun, and hilarity ensues as illustrated by horses with mohawks, donkeys with updos, and mama sheep sporting a poodle cut. When Wally’s wool keeps him stuck in his hiding place, he reluctantly agrees to a haircut and finds out it’s not so bad. This story shows in a gentle and humorous way that new experiences need not be feared. Wally Does Not Want a Haircut, by Amanda Driscoll, is a charming and funny story that’s sure to be a hit!

Guest post by Allison C. 

You May Just Be a Dinosaur

If your children love dinosaurs, the funny and fact-filled picture book from Heather Macht, You May Just Be a Dinosaur, is sure to be a hit! This book asks questions to figure out if you are a dinosaur or not. These questions range from, “Do none of your clothes in your closet fit?” to “Do you have a long, scaly tail, but you’re not sure what for?” The colorful illustrations show the silly antics of dinosaurs trying to be human, and there are sidebars throughout the pages that give fun facts about different species of dinosaurs. This funny book will appeal to dinosaur enthusiasts of all ages!

Guest post by Sarah H. 

The Thank You Book

Every once in a while, book characters become so beloved that they feel more like friends than characters in a book. For many of us, Gerald and Piggie from Mo Willem’s Elephant & Piggie series are some of our best friends. The last book in the series, The Thank You Book, has just arrived at the library and we are reading it with mixed emotions. As always, the humor is spot-on as Gerald and Piggie thank all of their friends and, finally, the reader for the great times they’ve had. Even though it’s the last in the series, all of them can be read over and over again. Come into the library and ask us which one is our favorite!

Guest post by Sarah H. 

Mother Bruce

It probably won’t surprise you to know that in my line of work, I read A LOT of picture books. Sometimes I come across ones that I really enjoy and am excited about reading at storytime. Other times, I’m disappointed in books that I thought had lots of potential. Every now and then, I encounter one so special that I can’t stop talking about it. Mother Bruce, by Ryan T. Higgins, is the latest book to fit into that category. I’ve already shared it with coworkers, family, and friends, and it’s been unanimously declared a hit. It’s really that good, folks.

Bruce is a grumpy bear whose one joy in life is scouring the internet for different egg recipes to cook and consume. All is well in his world until one day some eggs he plans to eat end up hatching before he has the chance to cook them. The goslings that emerge are convinced that Bruce is their mother and immediately call him “mama.” The already-grumpy Bruce, now a “victim of mistaken identity,” becomes even grumpier as the goslings foil his many, hilarious attempts to get rid of them. Finally, the persistent goslings wear him down and turn Bruce into a bit of a softy. This charming and heart-warming story will keep you and your kids giggling and begging for additional readings.

The Day the Crayons Came Home

If you loved The Day the Crayons Quit (Or really, if you read it. To read it is to love it…), you’ll get a kick out of Drew Daywalt’s newest book, The Day the Crayons Came Home. Like in the crayons’ first adventure, they’re pretty upset with their owner, Duncan. This time, instead of being angry about their usage, the crayons are mad that Duncan has abandoned them and write a series of post cards asking to come home. The maroon crayon’s been lost in the couch for two years, the neon red crayon was left by the pool on a family vacation, the tan crayon was eaten by Duncan’s dog and puked back up, and the turquoise crayon, now stuck to a sock, was left in Duncan’s pocket and accidentally washed and dried. The illustrations are comical and the post cards are hilarious. This is one story that should not be missed!

Small Elephant's Bathtime

If you’ve ever had a child go through a period of bathtime-loathing, you’ll get a kick out of Tatyana Feeney’s latest book, Small Elephant’s Bathtime. 

Small Elephant was a big fan of water. He liked jumping in puddles of water and drinking water through his fancy straw. Basically, he loved all water except for any located in a bathtub. From getting all kinds of cool bath toys to blowing bubbles in the bathroom, Small Elephant’s poor mother tried everything she could to make bathtime more appealing. The more she tried, though, the angrier Small Elephant got. 

Finally, his mother had to pull out the last trick in her book—Daddy. Small Elephant’s daddy was anything but small. In fact, he was so big that when he got into the bathtub, it looked ridiculous enough for Small Elephant to laugh and say: “That’s my bathtub.” Small Elephant got in and loved the bath. His mom’s plan worked like a charm…until bathtime was over. Guess who now loved bathtime a little too much to get out? More than just a chuckle for you, this book is a great way to show a hesitant bather how much fun a bath can be.

No, Silly!

Ken Krug’s new book, No, Silly!, is a fun story that will surely get your little one involved. The book starts with a little bear telling about where he likes to sleep—in his bed, in his dad’s big chair, on his mama’s lap…and on cookies. “No, silly! You eat cookies,” responds his porcine pal. Next, the pig starts to list what he likes to eat—corn, apples, ice cream…and books. To that, his mouse friend says: “No, silly! You read books.” The book continues in this way, with each friend giving some real preferences, along with a silly one. Your child will have fun looking at the pictures and picking out the wacky ideas that don’t quite belong with the rest.

Don't

If you know me, you know that I LOVE silly books. They are my absolute favorite ones to read to kids. So, when I opened Don’t, by Litsa Trochatos, it became an instant hit for me. As a little added bonus, this new favorite is as informative and discussion-provoking as it is hilarious.

Don’t features several warnings, advising the reader on what not to do with certain animals. One page says: “Don’t start a food fight with an octopus.” When you turn to the next page, you find a little kid losing the battle quite definitively, with the words: “It has six more arms than you do.” Another page warns: “Don’t play hide-and-seek with a chameleon. It can hide very, very well.”

Besides the funny text and even funnier pictures, you and your child will be provided with loads of topics to discuss. Some of the animals might be new ones for your little one, like cheetah and chameleon. But even if the animals are all familiar ones, you’ll be able to discuss their characteristics that the book identifies, like these: penguins can’t fly; bears hibernate; frogs have long tongues.

If you’re in the market for a silly and surprisingly informative read, come in and check out Don’t today!

The Book With No Pictures

Big news, folks—I have a new, favorite read-aloud book! B.J. Novak--you might know him as Ryan from the TV show “The Office”--has written a hilarious new children’s book, his first (of many, I hope!), that is sure to have your kids laughing hysterically almost immediately. As the title suggests, The Book With No Pictures lacks an important picture-book ingredient, the pictures! With Novak’s wit and humor, however, illustrations will not be missed.

The book starts by saying that a book with no pictures probably seems like it’ll be no fun, just really serious and boring. It goes on to say, however, that the person reading the book has to say everything that is written in it…no matter what. From there, hilarity ensues. The reader is forced to say made-up words like “blork” and “bluurf” and silly things like, “I am a monkey who taught myself to read.” After each of the silly remarks, the reader says things like, “This book is ridiculous! Can I stop reading yet? NO?!? There are MORE pages?! I have to read the rest?!?!” This, my friends, is kid-humor at its finest.

And, in case the book wasn’t funny enough, you adults will get a kick out of the book jacket. In the back, where it has the usual blurb about the author, instead of a photo of B.J., it says: “B.J. has brown hair and blue eyes. There are pictures of him, but not in this book.” J

Extreme Opposites

New-favorite-book alert! Max Dalton’s book, Extreme Opposites, had me laughing aloud and sharing the illustrations with my coworkers. Instead of your average concept book about opposites, this little gem is (as advertised) extreme, comparing things like “too hot” with “too cold” and “too big” with “too small." While this may not sound overly exciting, I assure you that the pictures are hysterical. It’s perfect for all ages—little ones can learn opposites while older kids and adults can get a good laugh. J

Mo's Mustache

If your family has been swept up in the “Movember” craze like we have at our library (Seriously, come check out our mustache pictures on the bulletin board in the children’s room!), then you’re sure to love Ben Clanton’s new book, Mo’s Mustache.

The book’s main character, Mo, just got a brand new mustache. Obviously thrilled, he shows it off to all of his friends, who are equally excited about their buddy’s new facial hair: “I say! What a splendid mustache. Nicely trimmed!” To Mo’s surprise, the next time he sees his pals, they’re all sporting new mustaches. Mo’s not amused. Feeling less than special, he decides, after agonizing over it, to send his mustache back.

To fill the void left by his mustache, Mo gets a brand new, beautiful, cozy scarf. And, do you know what happens when his friends see his scarf? You guessed it—they get scarves of their own! Mo’s entire body turns from yellow to bright red as he yells: “WHY IS EVERYBODY COPYING ME?!” His buddies explain: “You’re a visionary. You’re top-notch. A gentleman of style.”

Mo hadn’t really considered this explanation and looks a little sheepish. After telling his friends that he thinks that they have great style, too, Mo comes up with an idea—a fashion show! The book ends with Mo and all of his buddies, happy as can be, decked out in mustaches, scarves, and all sorts of other “fashionable” items.

Not only is this book hilarious, it’s a great lesson for kids who haven’t yet grasped the idea that imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery. Come check out this gem before Movember ends! J