Otis and Rae and the Grumbling Splunk by Laura Espinosa - ADVISABLE

Espinosa, Laura and Leo Otis and Rae and the Grumbling Splunk. PICTURE BOOK, Houghton Mifflin, 2008.

EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

Two friends go on a camping adventure, encounter a fearsome creature, solve the problem of finding their way back to camp, and make a new friend using the PB&B (banana) sandwich.

The book shows many characteristics of manga - text/picture panels, work bubbles, flat-color illustrations, and cartoon-like characters and plot. The story is appropriate for sharing with young children one-on-one or in a small group.

Beverly Stout, Area Library Media Specialist.

Chuck's Band by Peggy Perry Anderson - ESSENTIAL

Anderson, Peggy Perry Chuck's Band. PICTURE BOOK, Houghton Mifflin, 2008.

EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

What Fun! Farmer Chuck goes to town, buys a banjo and starts a chain reaction that ultimately involves all of the animals, each with a musical instrument including a washtub, a washboard and a bucket - "With a strum and a hum, / a peck and a pluck, they / all played a tune / while the chicken / went 'cluck." Except Fat Cat Pat, who refuses all offers, holds out for something that suits her better and provides a comical ending to the story.

Short rhyming phrases and bold, bright illustrations make for vivid scenes and fun reading.

Beverly Stout, Area Library Media Specialist.

The River by Brigitte Sidjanski - ADVISABLE

Sidjanski, Brigitte and Bernadette Watts, Ill. The River. PICTURE BOOK, Minedition - Penguin, 2008.

EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

This story tells how a trickle of water high in the mountains gradually grows into a streamlet, a stream, a river cascading down into a deep gorge, and finally part of the sea. Five little pinecones drop from a tree near the beginning and each find a favorable spot to land, the last on the seashore.

Descriptive language and beautiful illustrations make this a warm and sweet book.

Beverly Stout, Area Library Media Specialist

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great by Gerald Morris - ESSENTIAL

Morris, Gerald and Aaron Reiner, Ill. The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great. 92 pp. Houghton Mifflin, 2008.

EL - ESSENTIAL

In this absolutely delightful first of his Knights' Tales series, Morris brings to a younger audience his love of the Arthurian legend. Light, humorous, and clever, the tale starts with Lancelot's desire to join Arthur's knights, who have "the bravest hearts, the noblest souls, and the shiniest armor in all the world." With his lance in his left hand - because he is cleaning the mud from his armor with a towel in his right - Lancelot accidentally becomes the best knight in the kingdom. From that point in rapid succession he goes from one adventure to another, from being imprisoned by female admirers to foiling a plot to get rid of Arthur's beloved queen.

You'll find very little darkness here, and Reiner's fanciful drawings aptly reflect the tone.

Beverly Stout, Area Library Media Specialist.

Train Stop by Barbara Lehman - ADVISABLE

Lehman, Barbara Train Stop,. WORDLESS PICTURE BOOK. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company, c2008.

Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

In this wordless picture book, a young girl takes a train ride. She experiences an unusual train stop and returns home to an unexpected visit from new friends. The reader must study the pictures carefully to understand the story. Attention to detail opens up the plot so that the reader says, "ahaa" when the story ends.

Marilyn Mann, Elementary Library Specialist

Lucky Monkey, Unlucky Monkey - ADVISABLE

Kaczman, James Lucky Monkey Unlucky Monkey. PICTURE BOOK. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company, c2008.

EL - ADVISABLE

Two monkeys, Ed and Ted, have opposite experiences. Ed has a splendid day, a pleasant walk, and makes a lucky find. Ted has a not so splendid day, an unpleasant walk and makes an unlucky find.

This story has a lot of humor in both the story line and the illustrations. The story also states a unique perspective about animal characters found in children's stories. This story makes a great classroom discussion starter.

Marilyn Mann, Elementary Library Specialist.

Bear's Picture by Daniel Pinkwater - ADVISABLE

Pinkwater, Daniel. Bear's Picture. PICTURE BOOK. Boston Houghton Mifflin Company, c2008.

EL (K-3) -ADVISABLE

A bear wants to paint a picture, and he proceeds to do just that. He is criticized by two very fine and proper gentlemen, but the bear holds his own and guess what happens to his critics?

The illustrations are great. In fact, much of the story is told not by words, but by the art. This story is not just for the younger children. -

Marilyn Mann, Elementary Library Specialist.

Animals Christopher Columbus Saw by Sandra Markle - ESSENTIAL

Markle, Sandra Animals Christopher Columbus Saw, illustrations by Jamel Akib. Chronicle, 2008. PICTURE BOOK

EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

With simple, concise language Ms. Markle lays out the course and circumstances of Columbus's first journey to find a sea route to China and Japan.

That part by itself would be enough to make this a valuable book to almost any class studying the World Explorers or American Explorers in particular. Instead, however, Ms. Markle has added information on each page about at least one animal that Columbus and crew encountered during that part of the voyage, ranging from the mundane (rats) to the fantastic (manatees thought to be ugly mermaids).

Cindy, Library-Teacher

Snoring Beauty by Bruce Hale - ESSENTIAL

Hale, Bruce. Snoring Beauty.  PICTURE BOOK.  Orlando, Florida : Harcourt, Inc., c2008.

EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

What's a kingdom to do when their princess gets cursed and the spell must be broken? Nobody's perfect, but this is a perfect story.

Clever language and clever illustrations make for a great take on the typical fairy tale. Pair this story with a traditional fairy tale and have a lively discussion with your students, especially the older elementary students.

Marilyn Mann

There's No Such Thing as Ghosts by Eeckhout - ADVISABLE

Eeckhout, Emmanuelle There's no Such Thing as Ghosts! Kane/Miller, 2008. PICTURE BOOK.

EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

A little boy moves into a neighborhood with a supposed haunted house and is determined to prove that there is no such thing as ghosts. He makes a determined search of every square inch and marches away confident in his pronouncement. What he doesn't see, however, is the audience that he had every step of the way.

The stalwartness of the boy's attitude is a nice counterpoint to the antics of the friendly spirits every step of the way. Younger children will have a good laugh at his expense.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Wangari's Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter - ESSENTIAL

Winter, Jeanette Wangari's Trees of Peace: a true story from Africa. Harcourt, 2008. PICTURE BOOK.

EL, MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

By the time that Wangari returns from her college education in America, most of the trees of Kenya had been cut down to make room for modernization. Now she saw that the women of the villages suffered in poverty, due in part to the loss of those trees. Starting with her own back yard and her own village, Wangri plants one sapling at a time and encourages others to join. After thirty years, thirty million trees have been planted, returning a canopy of green to Kenya. In 2004, Wangair was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts.

Buy this book now and give to every science teacher you have! Its message is laid out so simply that the power of its truth has a chance to reach every student.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness by Colin Thompson - ADVISABLE

Thompson, Colin The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness. Kane/Miller, 2008. PICTURE BOOK.

EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

George lives with his grandmother, and though they love each other, there are both still lonely in their own little universes. Then George finds a friend - someone who George him as much as George needs someone. But George's new friend has challenges to face first.

There's no information in the book that I can find about the medium or process that Thompson used to create his illustrations, but they have an odd, intriguing quality about them that I can't resist. Even more so after I read that he is colorblind. George, his grandmother and the dog, Jeremy, are a quirky bunch and any child can relate to the wish of owning a pet.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.