Beautiful Blackbird by Ashley Bryan

Bryan, Ashley. Beautiful Blackbird. New York: Atheneum, 2003.

Long, long ago the birds were "all the colors of the rainbow...clean, clear colors from head to tail. Oh so pretty, pretty, pretty!" but,

"Blackbird stands out best of all.

Blackbird is the most beautiful.

His feathers gleam all colors in the sun.

Blackbird is the most beautiful one."

Author Ashley Bryan's award winning adaptation of this Rhodesian (Zambian) folk tale is a rhythmic dance of words with Blackbird at the center. Younger children will enjoy the story's cadence and the beautiful cut-paper collage illustrations. Older children will appreciate the deeper meanings; self-acceptance and seeing the beauty in yourself and others.

The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi

Demi. The Legend of Saint Nicholas. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003.

Born in A.D. 280 in what is now Turkey, legend has it that the the boy who would become Saint Nicholas preferred praying to all other pursuits including eating and playing. Known today by many names including St. Nicholas, Sinter Klaas, and Santa Claus; Saint Nicholas is the patron saint "not only of seafarers, children, and prisoners, but also of pilgrims, travelers, voyagers, maidens, choirboys, firefighters, stonemasons, weavers, and butchers." The author centers gilt framed paint and ink illustrations, that combine an ancient stained-glass-look with modern touches such as blond children and bright red Christmas stockings, on the cream-colored pages. Author Demi's combination of ancient and modern illustrations compliment the text's depiction of both the legend and the man. Children ages 7 to 10 will enjoy reading both the legend and the facts included in this biography of the man who, more than 1700 years after his birth, is still known world-wide.

Ivan the Terrier by Peter Catalanotto

Catalanotto, Peter. Ivan the Terrier. New York: Atheneum, 2007.

It's so difficult to tell a good fairy story with Ivan around. The Three Billy Goats Gruff; Ivan chases them away before you can even get to the part about the goats trip-trap, trip-trapping over the troll's bridge. The Three Bears; Ivan jumps on the table and scatters the bowls of porridge and we never even get to see Goldilocks. In one fairy tale after another Ivan, the hyperactive Jack Russell Terrier, wreaks havoc until the author gives up and decides to tell a story about "a little dog named Ivan." Each of author Catalanotto's soft and idyllic full-page gouache and watercolor illustrations of a much-loved fairy tale scene is followed by chaotic landscapes of Ivan's devastation of said fairy tale. The author's repeated plea for someone to "grab that dog" and the full-page close-up of Ivan licking his chops after devouring the gingerbread man will have 4-8 year olds howling with laughter.

Front Porch Tales & North Country Whoppers by Tomie Depaola

DePaola, Tomie. Front Porch Tales & North Country Whoppers. New York: Penguin, 2007.

How many seasons do they have in New Hampshire? Well, according to the natives, "Not countin' mud season, black fly season, or first frost," they have four, "fall, wintah, spring, and summah." Author Tomie DePaola presents four New Hampshire-style tall tales; one for each season. To further entertain the reader he ends each tale with a seasonal cartoon that pokes gentle fun at everyone who was not born "theyah." When a tourist cannot get across the road due to four feet of snow that has fallen during the night he asks a snow-shoveling, New Hampshire native how he got over there. "Born heyah" is his succinct reply. As a read-aloud, or for 2nd through 5th graders to chuckle over alone, everyone will enjoy both the humorous tales and the author's big, folksy, colorful illustrations. A glossary is included in the back for readers who are not native to New Hampshire.

Mightier Than the Sword: World Folktales for Strong Boys collected and told by Jane Yolen

Yolen, Jane, comp. Mightier Than the Sword: World Folktales for Strong Boys. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003.

This anthology of 14 folktales from 14 different countries contains stories both familiar and unfamiliar,but all about intelligent, kind, honest boys who use their wits and and truthful natures to conquer evil-doers. In one familiar tale Jack and His Companions, a folktale from Ireland better-known as The Bremen Town Musicians, Jack comes to the aid of mistreated animals who gratefully help him thwart a gang of thieves who have robbed a Lord. Yolen updates the tale when, instead of marriage to his beautiful daughter, the Lord rewards Jack and his animal friends with respectable jobs and fine clothes. Included are background notes about each story's origin and eight to thirteen year olds will appreciate Yolen's child-friendly modern language with its up-to-date cautions such as "don't talk to strangers." The tales are visually enhanced by illustrator Raul Colon's soft, full-page, pencil drawings that bring each story to life and lend an old-fashioned feel to the modern accounts that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Leaves by David Ezra Stein

Stein, David Ezra. Leaves. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2007.

Pirouetteing here, there, and everywhere a young bear enjoys his first year of life on his island home. Interested in everything he discovers; butterflys, flowers, and a field of blueberries, where he stands, arms aloft, his muzzle stained blue. "Everything was going well" for the little bear until "the first leaf fell." At first bemused, then concerned; he tries to reattach them to the trees, "but it was not the same." Defeated he can do nothing but watch the leaves fall. And then, winter approaching; he hibernates. Upon awakening in the spring he sees "the tiny leaves that had begun to unfold." The expressive little bear dances through Stein's simple bamboo pen and watercolor illustrations. His use of gold and green, brown and orange, white and ice blue, then gold and green again, allows us to witness the changing seasons with the curious bear. Toddlers and preschoolers will enjoy this sweet book about endings, beginnings, and the joy of discovery.

1, 2, 3 A Child's First Counting Book by Alison Jay

Jay, Alison. 1 2 3 A Child's First Counting Book. New York: Penguin, 2007.

Named to the Texas Library Association's 2008 2 x 2 Reading List this gorgeously illustrated story within a story follows a little girl as she falls asleep while reading a book of fairy tales. Forwards to ten and backwards again to one the girl soars through the air on the back of a giant golden goose and encounters a multitude of fairy tale characters. Three pigs, framed pictures of their respective straw, stick, and brick houses arranged artfully on the wall, seven gingerbread men, one poised for flight, and Little Red Riding Hood, confronted by a wolf with ten sharp teeth, are some of fairy tale world's favorites who are given the two-page-spread star treatment. Jay's soft, crackle-glaze, American Primative style illustrations tell the story of the little girl's dream journey through fairy tale land while the reader counts along with the spare text. Much more than simply a counting book, children three and up want to pour over 1 2 3 A Child's First Counting Book again and again; each time discoving something new.

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont

Beaumont, Karen. I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!. Orlando: Harcourt, 2005.

Oh the joy of possessing a pot of paint or two or three or ten! Until your momma catches you painting pictures "on the floor and the ceiling and the walls and the curtains and the door." And she plops you in the tub and puts your paints and brushes up high in the closet where you can't reach. Author Karen Beaumont's rollicking refrain of "I ain't gonna paint no more, no more, I ain't gonna paint no more" follows a little boy as he retrieves his pots of paint and brushes from way up high and, unable to resist the urge, proceeds to paint himself from head to toe. David Catrow's increasingly paint splattered black and white pen illustrations accompany the little boy as he paints his head red, his back black and his leg "like an Easter egg." The, at first abundant, white space disappears; as page by page every surface is covered with dripping, streaming, flowing rivers of color. Preschool children will enjoy this thrill ride of a book right up to the jolting end where, sitting once more in the tub, the budding Monet intones, "Y'all don't faint...'cause there ain't no paint! So I ain't gonna paint no more!"

Sometimes I'm Bombaloo by Rachel Vail

Vail, Rachel. Sometimes I'm Bombaloo. New York: Scholastic, 2002.

Katie is a good little girl who sometimes has a difficult time controlling her temper. When, despite her best efforts, she loses control; she is not really Katie anymore. She is Bombaloo. Simply, in her own words, Katie tells how she "shows her teeth and makes fierce noises." Her "face scrunches tight like a monter's" and she wants to "smash stuff." Children in preschool and kindergarten will identify with Katie who sometimes becomes so angry she scares herself. Yumi Heo's mixed media illustrations made up of circles, angles, and bright colors help to tell Katie's story and the large, two-page-spread of a tiny Katie, sad and frightened, against a totally black background, contemplating how destructive anger can be, will speak volumes to both children and parents.

Museum Trip by Barbara Lehman

Lehman, Barbara. Museum Trip. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.


On a class trip to the museum a quiet, introverted boy stops beneath a Van Gogh self-portrait to tie his shoe. Looking up, he sees nothing but an empty and endless corridor stretching out before him. Puzzled, he notices an archway drawn onto one of the walls that, when pushed, opens into a secret room containing six tiny mazes. Mesmerized, he enters the mazes one by one, and wiles away the afternoon searching for the center of each. The colorful pictures of this wordless book are drawn with clean, straight lines in watercolor, gouache, and ink. The illustrations are a combination of panoramic two-page-spread drawings offset by smaller action sequences from both an aerial and close-up vantage. Children 4-8 will enjoy helping the boy find his way through the mazes and be surprised to discover he and the museum director share a secret.