Chicken Big by Keith Graves
The humor in this picture book is hilarious. When a “humongous” chicken pops out of her
enormous egg the other chicken don’t know what to make of him. He is just so big;
certainly, it cannot be a chicken…maybe an elephant, a giant squirrel, or an
umbrella. Whatever this thing is it is not a cute little chicken, but little by
little everyone in the coop starts to love him.
Our giant chicken uses settle humor to deal with her fellow chickens as
they “run for their lives” every time something new happens. The greyish background brings our chickens
closer to us and the text bubbles help us discern each chicken’s personality.
Say Hello to Zorro! by Carter Goodrich.
Mister Bud is a happy dog. He has everything right the way
he likes it- his naps, his toys, his dish, his own bed, and his perfect
schedule. That is until Zorro arrives. This little pug has different ideas
about Mr. Bud’s schedule and trouble soon follows. Until they realize that they
something in common, they have the same schedule! Double the fun for this pair of mismatched dogs. Goodrich illustrations make this book
perfect. The settle looks between Mr. Bud and Zorro, the rised eyebrows, Zorro’s
fierce look, the easy colors creating snapshots of their home all create the perfect reading experience.
Clever Jack Takes the Cake by Candace Fleming, illustrated
by G. Brian Karas.
These are two of my favorite author & illustrator
working together to tell a beautiful story about a boy’s quest to deliver the perfect
birthday present. Jack finds himself in a tough spot when he is invited to the
princess 10th birthday party and has no means to bring her a
present. Don’t despair, Jack is clever boy
and he figures a way to make the perfect present for her royal majesty. But on
his way to the castle he encounters all sorts of challenges and his
perfect present is no longer so. Will he save the moment? A must read. I love the soft tone of the illustrations,
the little details, and eager expressions. The illustrations layout follows the
text leading us down the path to the castle. The text is succulent and musical,
engaging the reader and listener alike.
Balloons OverBroadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet.
This is a unique book telling the story of Tony Sarg, the
boy who grew up to become the puppeteer of Macy’s parade. I found Tony’s life
fascinating, his creativity and ingenuity were amazing. The artwork in this book is unique as well
with Sweet's carefully created collages using different materials, illustrations,
photographs, and even toys and puppets she created during her research. The book includes a nice bibliography and sources
section as well as personal notes from Sarg's family.
