Julia, Child

Lovely, delightful, a celebration of childhood. The pictures are the sort of thing I want to hang on my walls. (Which maybe gives you an idea of the kind of things I hang on my walls...)

Ages five and up.

Julia and Simca are two young friends who agree that you can never use too much butter -- and that it is best to be a child forever. Sharing a love of cooking and having no wish to turn into big, busy people who worry too much and dawdle too little, they decide to create a feast for growing and staying young. A playful, scrumptious celebration of the joy of eating, the importance of never completely growing up and mastering the art of having a good time,Julia, Child is a fictional tale loosely inspired by the life and spirit of the very real Julia Child -- a story that should be taken with a grain of salt and a generous pat of butter.

Oliver

I love it when a book surprises me, and this book did. I won't say more than the amazon description below, but trust me, this is worth checking out from the library.

Ages five and up.

From Amazon:
Oliver is different. He enjoys his solitude. He likes playing with his friends, who are puppets, stuffed animals, and other toys. With his rich imagination, Oliver’s day is never dull. There are bridges to cross, sharks to fight, and treasures to find! But maybe toys don’t always give a boy everything he needs. Maybe he needs another kind of companion. Will Oliver discover a way to be, well, different? When his tennis ball rolls across the lawn into the yard of the girl next door, he just might be surprised.

The Monsters' Monster

I read this book to Flannery last night, and we loved it. She even sighed when it was through, a happy, what-a-nice-story kind of sigh.

Definitely worth checking out from the library and keeping for weeks and weeks until it's completely overdue, but it doesn't matter because your library never charges more than ten dollars for its fines and you can wrack up as many fines as you want but that number never rises above ten... But that's another story.

You can even use this book to teach your kids about the correct placement of an apostrophe!

Ages five and up.

Three Samurai Cats

This is one awesome picture books. We have read this book again and again and again. The rat is awesome. The decrepit old cat is so awesome. It's a great tale, up there with Ming Lo Moves the Mountain.

Ages 5 and up.

From Amazon:

In this energetic story set in medieval Japan, a nasty rat has invaded the castle of a canine lord, and it will take a trio of fighting samurai cats before he's defeated. Humourous, finely detailed pen-an-ink illustrations bring this timeless tale to life.

The Emperor's Egg

Flannery loved this book when we read it together the other day. She loved the emphasis on the egg and how that egg survives until it hatches a baby chick. She loved the way the mother throws up into the baby chick's mouth. She loved learning about how penguins take care of one another.

And I love these books because there is a simpler version of the story with additional facts on the pages you can share with older kids.

Ages 5 and up

From Amazon:

Can you imagine spending the winter outdoors in Antarctica without anything to eat? That’s just what the male Emperor penguin does. While his mate is off swimming and catching loads of fish, he stands around in the freezing cold with an egg on his feet for two whole months, keeping it warm and waiting for it to hatch. Welcome to the story of the world’s most devoted dad!

A Letter to Amy

I love Ezra Jack Keats' stories, and I'm afraid he's being forgotten. This is one of our family's favorites:

A Letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats

Ages 5 and up

There is no great Amazon description of this book, but I think it does a wonderful job of capturing the feelings of a child as they attempt to invite a friend to a birthday party. Especially when they're a boy and that friend is a girl. 

Tasty Baby Belly Buttons

The wicked Oni eat baby belly buttons, and don't you forget it!

I LOVE this picture book. I love the rhythm of the words, I love the story, I love the powerful main character. And kids love this story. There is no going wrong here—get this book today!

Tasty Baby Belly Buttons by Judy Sierra
Ages 5 and up

From Amazon:

According to legend, Japanese villagers once lived in fear of great hulking ogres called Onis who considered babies' belly buttons the tastiest of all treats. When they raided a village it was the babies they stole. In a delightful retelling of the folktale, Judy Sierra has added a feminist twist in the person of a fearless young heroine, determined to stop them. Little Urikohme, or Melon Princess, was born inside a watermelon and has no bellybutton. She travels to the Onis' fortress island, and with the help of some animal friends, rescues the babies, leaving the Onis crying for mercy. A wonderful short tale to read aloud, children will gleefully join in the Onis' chant and cheer at the triumph of small over large. In cleverly inspired watercolors, Meilo So outfits the Melon Princess in a watermelon-designed kimono and her humorous depiction of the oversized bullies is sure to elicit giggles. An author's note discusses the origin of the tale and its place in Japanese folklore.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

I love this book. It is so old and so good. Just check out the sneaky troll faces etched into the face of the cliffs. The troll himself is quite scary as trolls should be.

And this is the version to get (or maybe the Paul Galdone version). I don't care if it's out of print! Get it used!!!

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Janet Stevens
Ages 5 and up

Carnivores

Pictures books are getting darker. I don't mind this. Most of the time, I like it, and this is a case where I think the darkness, so to speak, works.

It doesn't hurt that Dan Santat is one of the funniest illustrators out there. Also, I think sharks are funny. I just do.

The lion is king of the jungle!
The great white shark is sovereign of the seas!
The timber wolf is emperor of the forests!

But . . . it's lonely at the top of the food chain. It's difficult to fit in when plant eaters can be so cruel—just because you ate a relative of theirs that one time! What's a carnivore to do? Aaron Reynolds's roaringly funny text is perfectly paired with Dan Santat's mouthwatering illustrations, creating a toothsome book that's sure to stand out from the herd.

Ages 5 and up.

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise

This is a delightful picture book about libraries! Not boring. I promise. My five year old and seven year old loved it. They were amazed to discover that libraries used to ban children from even entering! It took one very brave woman to turn things around and make libraries all about children.

Once upon a time, American children couldn’t borrow library books. Reading wasn’t all that important for children, many thought. Luckily Miss Anne Carroll Moore thought otherwise! This is the true story of how Miss Moore created the first children’s room at the New York Public Library, a bright, warm room filled with artwork, window seats, and most important of all, borrowing privileges to the world’s best children’s books in many different languages.

Ages 5 and up.