Blog Post
New Cuddly Picture Books
by krayla
No matter what the weather outside, it's always fun to get warm and cozy with our loved ones and a brand new picture book! Check out some of these new titles for cuddly evenings and naptime.
Sun and Moon by Lindsey Yankey treats readers to a dreamy story with soothing illustrations. Moon wants to trade places with the Sun, more than anything, for just one day. Moon imagines all the wonderful things that surely must happen during the day... but then begins to notice just how incredible nighttime is as well. This book will segue well into bedtime, especially for those who find the darkness frightening.
Sweet Dreams, Wild Animals! A Story of Sleep, by Eileen R. Meyer and Laurie Caple, features a rhyming lullaby that wishes each brightly-illustrated animal sweet dreams. Additionally, each page offers interesting facts about each animal for growing biologists. Glossy paintings are sure to bring a sense of calmness before sleep.
So Cozy, by Lerryn Korda manages to combine both humor and comfort. Just as Dog begins to fall asleep in his ample bed, well-intentioned animals arrive one by one to get cozy, much to Dog's increasing annoyance! The quiet illustrations in soft, muted colors convey tranquility with just a touch of silliness. This sweet story will likely become a well-loved bedtime routine.
If these titles interest you, check out AADL's other Good Night, Sleep Tight picture books!
Blog Post
Mamas and Babies
by manz
This week at preschool storytime Ms. Amanda told and read stories featuring mamas and babies. The babies were of the pig, kangaroo and human variety.
In Piglet and Mama, little pig strayed a little too far from mama and he spends the story checking in with many animal friends to see if they’ve seen mama, all the while he cries “I want my mama!”
What Shall We Do With the Boohoo Baby? is a silly story where a baby does nothing but cry BOOHOOOO. We changed the baby, fed it, played with it, and the baby still cried. Eventually the baby stopped crying – can you guess how we made that happen? It’s adorable.
In Nighty, Night Cooper a small kangaroo is being put to bed by his mother, but he wants her to sing “one more song.” So she continues to do so. The songs featured in the story are ones that have new lyrics and classic tunes your little ones might recognize. So cute! And by the author of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie!
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "P" is for Pie Please!
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel performed "pie" stories for Preschool Storytime this week at Malletts Creek Branch and Traverwood Branch.
Mr. Bingle makes an APPLE PIE every day when the apples are ripe. The book can be borrowed through MelCat with your AADL Library Card.
Ms. Rachel led the action rhythm “A Pumpkin Pie" to the beat of "A-Tooty-Ta" to keep the "p" sound going....
The BEST MUD PIE … is a story from the Easy Reader collection. Ms. Rachel demonstrated exactly how to make one. It is very important to remember HOW you serve it.
If you like pies, and you like stories, try these favorites:
PIE IN The SKY … waiting for cherry pie.
The BLUEBERRY PIE ELF … if no one can hear you and no one can see you … how do you let them know you like blueberry pie?
MORE PIES! … a pie story by a favorite author Robert Munsch.
THELONIUS MONSTER’S SKY-HIGH FLY PIE … fine enough for friends?
The GOOD PIE PARTY … especially for someone moving away.
ALL FOR PIE PIE FOR ALL ... where the pie is shared and enjoyed by many more than you think!
UGLY PIE includes a recipe for how to make it.
Blog Post
The Day the Crayons Came Home!
by evelyn
If your kid loved The Day the Crayons Quit, and it seems like almost every kid on the planet did, check out the new companion book, The Day the Crayons Came Home, by collaborators Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers!
Oliver Jeffers’ amazing illustrations drew me to The Day the Crayons Quit, but the text in this new book really shines. The illustrations are still wonderful, and Drew Daywalts’ story is sharper and funnier than the first book. In The Day the Crayons Came Home, each crayon has written their owner Duncan a postcard telling the sad story of where they have been and what they are doing. I won't ruin any surprises, but each crayon's story is sillier than the last. Particularly funny is Neon Red Crayon’s journey through the world. He’s a little confused on geography (he reports riding a camel through the deserts of New Jersey), but he has a great trip. And of course, all of the crayons get their happy ending.
Blog Post
The Blue Whale
by manz
“Once upon a time, a child took a book from a shelf and started to read.”
I was so happy to come across this beautiful and educational picture book! The Blue Whale is written and illustrated by ">Jenni Desmond and presents facts and info about the majestic blue whale. A young boy becomes immersed in the book as he learns about the animal. With words and images it’s written in a way that’s simple enough for children to understand and appreciate. If you have a kid that’s into facts, numbers, animals, or just pretty picture books, check it out! Even as an adult reader, I sure learned a lot about these amazing creatures.
For more books from Enchanted Lion Books be sure to check out the list to find some of the most unique, quirky and beautiful picture books around.
Blog Post
A Tiny Walrus and his Giant Adventure!
by evelyn
So, I have been going on and on to everyone about artist Lisa Hanawalt (read my glowing post about her adult book My Dirty Dumb Eyes!), but until this point, I thought her work would only ever be for adults. No more! Enter her great collaboration with author and filmmaker Arthur Bradford!
Benny’s Brigade is a beautiful, strange, and funny picture book produced by creative publisher McSweeney's. The book tells the tale of two sisters who find a miniature walrus named Benny hiding in a walnut shell. Benny acknowledges that he is very small, but points out that there is nothing wrong with being a small walrus. Benny goes on a variety of adventures with the two girls and his new friends, including a trio of adventurous slugs. The oversized pages in Benny’s Brigade showcase Hanawalt’s amazing drawings in lovely color and detail. Packed with imagination and adventure, this is a sweet tale of friendship that warrants multiple readings.
Blog Post
Bird is the Word!
by manz
Hello everybody, and how do you do?! This week Ms. Amanda told bird stories at preschool storytime! Tweet tweet!
We heard the story of A Funny Little Bird who is great at camouflage. We heard the story of Home Tweet Home, where two little birds left the nest and flew off to live somewhere else…. Like on top of a tortoise! And we listened to I Heard Said the Bird, where there is a new one born and the silly farm animals are trying to figure out which animal has a new baby.
We hung out with a parrot, an ostrich, an owl, a turkey, and a penguin, and it was a fun time!
Here’s a handy list of all the stories we’ve read together this summer at preschool storytime, and here are more bird books if you’re looking for more wing-flapping fun.
Blog Post
The Grudge Keeper
by evelyn
It can be difficult to find youth books about being kind that aren’t didactic or patronizing (I’m looking at you, Berenstain Bears!). Luckily, the new and beautiful book The Grudge Keeper escapes these problems and offers a lovely tale of a town learning to be kind.
Written by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Eliza Wheeler, The Grudge Keeper follows a man who is responsible for holding on to all of the grudges that his fellow citizens experience. After a terrible storm, the grudges fly everywhere and the townspeople must learn how to live without them. The illustrations in this book are fantastically old-fashioned and weird; they remind me of the art in The Triplets of Belleville. And the vocabulary is equally delightful, with words like “tiffs, squabbles, umbrage, and imbroglios.” This book is a winner for kids and adults alike.
Blog Post
Focus on Folktales: Jessica Souhami
by manz
London born author Jessica Souhami studied at the Central School of Art and Design. In 1980 she formed Mme Souhamiand Co, a travelling puppet company using colorful shadow puppets with a musical accompaniment and storyteller. By the early 1990s she stopped touring, but still wanted to tell stories, yet through books. Her first was The Leopard’s Drum.
She has adapted and illustrated numerous folktales for children, and her books are absolutely delightful! You might recognize some of the stories from attending preschool storytimes at the library.
Here are more of Souhami’s books that AADL owns that are worth taking a look at – the illustrations are wonderful, and with her cut-out illustration style with characters leaping across pages, you can absolutely visualize her work done in shadow puppet form.
Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cuhullin
No dinner!: The Story of the Old Woman and the Pumpkin
Rama and the Demon King: An Ancient Tale from India
Her newest, Honk Honk! Hold Tight!, is coming out soon!
Blog Post
Animals in Disguise!
by evelyn
If there’s one thing I love, it’s a picture book where animals dress up in disguise! On that note, I have three books to recommend.
First up, take a look at the new David J. Plant book Hungry Roscoe. Poor Roscoe the raccoon only wants a tasty treat that isn’t rotten food out of the garbage. He hears about the wonderful food and the zoo and decides to try to sneak in, wearing a variety of homemade animal costumes. His less than convincing disguises get him nowhere and all seems lost until the tricky zoo monkeys hatch a plan. Hilarious, and with great drawings, this book is a winner!
Author Adam Rubin may be best known for the popular title Dragons Love Tacos, but my favorite of his titles is Secret Pizza Party, which features another sneaky raccoon. The raccoon in this book only wants to eat his favorite food, pizza, but he is not very good at getting it without encountering perilous circumstances. Raccoon comes up with a clever plan to crash a pizza party disguised as a regular pizza loving human, but things go awry when he goes a little too pizza crazy.
Finally, the beautifully illustrated Animal Masquerade is a simple story in which each animal dresses up like the preceding it. This book is great for younger readers, who will get a kick out of identifying both the original animal and what costume it’s wearing. Despite the repetition, adults shouldn’t dread reading this to their kids- there are plenty of sly jokes to amuse everyone.