Canuck and Yankee Picturebooks: Best o’ the Best in 2011 (so far)

I am going to be on Vancouver Co-op Radio’s “It Takes a Village” parenting show on Thursday, August 18th from 4-5pm PST to talk about chidlers, reading, and some of my favorite picturebooks this year.  I will be mentioning some of these while I’m on the show.

Oh Canada

My dear mentor and friend, Professor Judi Saltman, is the lady responsible for my fierce sense of nationalism for Canadian children’s books. So let’s start with those produced close to (my) home:

Alligator Bear Crab: A Baby’s ABC by Lesley Wynne Pechter.  Orca.

The alligator on the first page manages to look both friendly and sort of menacingly hungry at the same time.  Sold!  But really, the animals that make up this alphabet book have a quirky character that tickles me, and that I think will tickle parents and tots.  I love the inclusion of distinctly Canadian animals (including a Canada goose, moose and orca) without all the stereotypes – which is often what happens when artists set out to do a deliberately Canadian alphabet book.

Cinnamon Baby by Nicola Winstanley.  Illustrations by Janice Nadeau.  Kids Can Press.

It’s difficult for me to write about this book without my heart exploding with happiness.  It is the dearest, dearest tale of Miriam and Sebastian’s crying, colicky baby.  The illustrations (Parisian and quaint) show fountains of tears springing up from the pram with the words “The baby cried at the sky.  It cried at the flowers.  It cried at the sunshine and the wind in the trees and at everyone who passed.”  Miriam finally figures out what to do to make the baby stop crying and it speaks so beautifully to the bond between mother and child.  Perfect for new mothers, new big siblings and a Kindergarten read-aloud.

Kitten’s Summer by Eugenie Fernandes.  Kids Can Press

Librarians run around like crazy people whenever the seasons change, trying to get their hands on all things seasonal for patrons.  Eugenie Fernandes’ Kitten books are my hands-down faves for the circling of the planet and my review for Kitten’s Autumn explains why. Kitten’s Winter will be coming out in September.  Kitten’s Spring is available now.  The set is complete in 2011!

Ones and Twos by Marthe Jocelyn.  Illustrations by Nell Jocelyn.  Tundra Books.

What would this country do without Marthe Jocelyn?  Probably curl up and die, that’s what.  From simple concept books to middle grade to YA, this woman can do it all.  This book is brilliant because it doesn’t take the ol’ one to ten approach to counting.  It focuses on finding pairs and the combinations are so vibrant and dear.  I especially like “One sings, two talk” which matches the cover illustration.  This book is illustrated by Marthe’s daughter, Nell Jocelyn, and her bright, busy collages are Uh.  Maze.  Ing.

Pussycat, Pussycat Where Have You Been? by Dan Bar-el.  Illustrations by Rae Maté.  Simply Read Books.

When a Canadian picturebook gets mentioned in the New York Times, it is a big dang deal. And this book deserves it. Bar-el’s continuation of the classic nursery rhyme is just divine.  The perfect gift for a person who has just entered the world.

What Are You Doing? by Elisa Amado.  Illustrations by Manuel Monroy.  Groundwood.

This book shows children all the amazing things they will get to do when they learn to read – from enjoying comics to understanding hieroglyphics!  It’s great.  But don’t take my word for it.  Listen to Sarah Ellis.

Predicted Favourite: A Few Blocks by Cybele Young.  Groundwood.

Okay, this one just came out about three weeks ago and it hasn’t come in at the library yet.  But the reviews have been fantastic (not surprising since everything that Groundwood cooks up is generally fantastic) and I can’t wait to get my paws on it.

Yankee Doodles


My Baby Blue Jays by John Berendt.  Viking.

Author John Berendt was lucky enough to have a pair of baby blue jays nest on his balcony and smart enough to take pictures of the whole thing!  This true story, accompanied by amazing photographs, details the building of the nest, the laying of the eggs, the hatching, the feeding and the first flight. Some of the photos are a bit blurry but I think this actually lends a realistic charm. A perfect choice for children growing up in urban settings.

Loon Baby by Molly Beth Griffin.  Illustrations by Anne Hunter.  Houghton Mifflin.

This book…this book!  There is no cuter lil’ baby in picture books this year; this little scrap of feathers reminds me a lot of Tango in Tango Makes Three.  He has such a scruffy little personality.  The story is a simple one of a baby worrying that his mother will not return, and the northern setting and lyrical language makes it a great bedtime or storytime read-aloud.  My favourite line ever: “The breeze ruffled his fluff.”  Perfection.

Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell.  Little, Brown.

I have a black little heart but this book actually made me cry.  At my desk.  AT WORK.  There is no better choice for encouraging a curious heart in a child.  This story of a young Jane Goodall and her stuffed chimpanzee (Jubilee) will stay with me forever.

Monday is One Day by Arthur A. Levine.  Illustrations by Julian Hector.  Scholastic.

I see so many working parents every day in the library and this book perceptively deals with the separation anxiety that children (and adults!) feel when the weekend comes to an end.  The rhyming text lists all the fun that the weekdays can bring;I particularly love “Friday’s last-tie day: Can you help me pick the one?”  I also can’t say enough about the illustrations which portray all kinds of families from all sorts of backgrounds.

Perfect Square by Michael Hall.  Greenwillow.

An artistic approach to the concept of shapes from the Shape Master, Michael Hall (My Heart is Like a Zoo).  Bonus points for lots of craft extension potential.

The Rain Train by Elena De Roo.  Illustrations by Brian Lovelock.  Candlewick.

Every library in Vancouver needs this book.  Better make that the entire Pacific Northwest.  It’s a triple threat as it’s got 1) the rain. Aka: all that ever happens in this region of the world 2) trains, 3) bedtime story potential.  Oh – and 4) STELLAR ONOMATOPOEIA! I’m talking “Ca-shish” and “Spitter-spat-spit” and “Ping-itta-pang.”  I can’t wait to read this one at a rainy day storytime.  Which is basically every storytime in the Vancouver area.

Roly-Poly Egg by Kali Stileman. Tiger Tales.

When it comes to illustrations alone, this one about a bird named Splotch may be my overall fave.  Splotch’s…well…splotchiness is so energizing and joyful and I love the added bonus of kids developing fine motor skills while tracing the path of the egg.  The big flaps at the end are also a nice touch.  This is another one begging for a Kindergarten class art project.

Tweak Tweak by Eve Bunting.  Illustrations by Sergio Ruzzier. Clarion.

A sweet cumulative story with a very classic feel.  Mama Elephant tells Little Elephant to tweak her tail twice if she has any questions.  Many tweaks later, Little Elephant has learned a bunch.  After reading this book once, I felt like I had known it my whole life.  Hard to put my finger on exactly what it is, but it’s a winner.  It also contains one of the most interesting alligator illustrations I’ve seen in awhile; he’s sort of chubby and docile.  Not like that hungry guy back in Alligator Bear Crab.

Plus One From the French

Would any Best Books of 2011 list be complete without this?  I mean, really.  As the kids call it in my library, it’s the “magic” book.

A reference question on picturebooks about art

A patron emailed me looking for books to use in a class she is teaching called “Books and Art” for four and five year olds.  Amazing!  She was looking for picturebooks to use as read-alouds to inspire the chidlers’ projects – specfically books about creating art or using colour.

In an ideal world, I would have taken five days to answer this and sent her an annotated list of 100 books.  Then I would have gone home to read a new book by James Mashall  In reality, I had about 20 minutes and I went home to eat some Pilsbury Easter cookies I got for 35% off.  I thought it might be fun to share what I came up with.

Keep in mind that I was limited by what is in my library’s collection (we’re not super teensy, but we’re not huge either.  We serve about 33,000 people and are the only library in town).  Because I was short on time, I relied on my own knowledge but discovered 2 or 3 of the titles while browsing – yay for serendipity!  I also wanted to include some Canadian titles because I’m pretty gung-ho about promoting Canadian books.  I know I’m probably missing a buncha titles, so please feel free to leave more suggestions in the Comments.

Also, sorry that the books aren’t in any kind of order.  They were originally organized according to what was in and what was on loan at my library.  I also don’t have the authors and illustrators listed (where applicable) because we catalogue our picturebooks by author.  The annotations are the same ones I included in my response to the patron.

Picturebooks With an Art Theme for Reading Aloud to 4/5 Year Olds

The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau – John Agee
A classic story about an artist who paints animals..that come to life!

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More – Karen Beaumont
An artistic take on the song “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More.”  A boy who gets in trouble for painting on the walls takes matters into his own hands and paints his whole body!

White is For Blueberry – George Shannon
A concept book that explores the not-so-obvious colours of familiar things – the black centre of a poppy, the green top of a turnip, and the purple hue of shadows on the snow.

I’m the Best Artist in the Ocean – Kevin Sherry
A big, bright, hilarious story about a giant squid who loves to paint.

My Many Colored Days – Dr. Seuss
A very sensitive offering from Seuss about the connotations of different colours.

The Party – Barbara Reid
While not about art, this book is noteworthy because the illustrations are done entirely in plasticine.  Reid is internationally known for her work with plasticine and has many, many stellar books.

The Dot – Peter H. Reynolds
Vashti hates making art but learns that even a random dot of ink can bring inspiration.

Draw Me a Star – Eric Carle
This is essentially a creation story about an artist who draws the world – starting with a single star.  There are directions at the end showing children how to draw the stars in the book.

Augustine – Melanie Watt
Augustine is a penguin who idolizes famous artists.  When she moves to a new school, her art helps her overcome her shyness.

The Imaginary Garden – Andrew Larsen.  Illustrations by Irene Luxbacher
This book actually includes painting lessons within the story.  After a young girl’s grandfather has to leave his beautiful home garden to relocate to an apartment, the pair find an artistic solution by painting a garden on a giant canvas.  The text might be a little long for a read-aloud for 4s and 5s, but it is really worth checking out.

Art and Max – David Wiesner
A perfect story for beginning artists with stunning, semi-surreal artwork about two reptilian friends.

Harold and the Purple Crayon – Crockett Johnson
A classic.  Harold steps into his own drawings and has all sorts of adventures.

Dog’s Colourful Day – Emma Dodd
A simple, engaging story about a white dog who gets into a rainbow of messes after his daily walk.  Any of Emma Dodd’s books are fantastic for this age group.

The Black Book of Colors – Menena Cottin
A completely one-of-a-kind book done all in black.  Different colours are described with words and with textured pages.  It gives very young children a sense of what it would be like to see the world without sight and to essentially “feel” different colours.

I got a very lovely thank-you email from the patron after she received the list saying how inspired she is now.  Can’t ask for anything more!  (plus, 4/14 Canadian books ain’t bad!)

Ferry Halim: Free, Classy, Beautiful Flash Games for Wee Ones

As most youth librarians will attest, a big part of the job is trying to lure the littlest chidlers off the computer in a seemingly casual, non-chalant way.  “Oh, you’re playing some Arthur games!  He’s great.  You know, we have a whole bunch of books about Arthur.  I bet we have almost a hundred!  Would you like to see some?”  If that fails, there is always the power of the digger stamp.

But sometimes kids, especially the three to sixers, just won’t budge.  Not for a book, not for a stamp, not even to go to the bathroom.  And when they’ve exhausted Arthur or Franklin or whatever other CD-ROMs we have they’ll give the plaintive mew, “Do you have any more games?”  Parents will frequently ask the same question “Can you recommend any good computer games my daughter/son/monkey can play at home?”

There is tons out there of the Club Penguin variety, but finding free, high-quality computer games for the teeniest tots (that aren’t filled with blinking ads) can be challenging.  And, yes, while I’m Team Book (as opposed to Team Computer), a request is a request.

That is where Ferry Halim comes in.  He is the Patron Saint of Amazing Free Flash Games for kids.  Race over to his site right now.

[20 minutes later – because you will have likely spent at least that much time playing around]

As you will know by now, Halim’s site offers over 50 beautifully designed, achingly simple games.  I have never seen such an attractive, effective, wordless “Table of Contents:”

Clicking on one of the thumbnails takes you directly to the game (they load really quickly – even on an old clunker) and little ones can start playing immediately.  This completely visual way of navigating a site is brilliant – very International Children’s Digital Library-esque.

The games are so, so, so(!) wonderfully and cozily designed. Plus, many of them have lovely classical music in the background.  I have many favourites, but have been playing “Hungry Spiders” to try and work on my arachnophobia.

Click the picture to test your spidey sense...

I still can’t play without letting out some little yelps every now and then.  Baby steps.

I also love “A Dog For All Seasons,” one of the simplest games on the site.  Move the mouse and click on the ball.  That’s it, y’all.

Click the picture to woof it up...

The best part about the games is that they really don’t require any reading.  I’m sure some would argue this is actually a bad thing, but the absence of print means many things:

  • little ones have to intuitively figure out how a games works (there are brief instructions at the beginning that can help if needed)
  • the emphasis is on hand-eye coordination and using the mouse, not “Can you read this next set of instructions?”
  • the games can be played by children (and adults) of all ages, regardless of their comfort with English

School Library Journal featured one of the games “Winter Bells,” in their Extra Helping newsletter, but I think the uses of this site go beyond the seasonal.  From little ones looking for entertainment to seniors learning the ropes of the mouse, these games are straight up great.

The mondo-est of thanks to Saara, my co-worker, for showing this to me.  Saara went to library school in Montreal, which is the cool capital of Canada, so she knows many cool things.