If you don’t have a young child in your life, someone you can introduce to the world of picture books, then I truly feel sorry for you. You are missing out, not only on the pleasure of reading to a child, but I would wager that you are not reading some of the most clever, fun and beautiful books out there.
I ordered some new picture books recently, and it’s taking me forever to catalog them, because I have to stop and read each one. If you do have a youngster you read to, be sure to look for these titles:
Dragons Love Tacos, by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri. Hooray, you’re hosting your very first party for dragons! Here’s what you’ll need: Great big tacos, little bitty tacos, beef tacos, chicken tacos, various extra backup tacos, secret hidden emergency tacos, fruit punch and more tacos! What could go wrong?
Tuesday Tucks Me In, by Luis Carlos Montalvan, with photographs by Dan Dion. This touching true story of a wounded veteran and his service dog, Tuesday the Golden Retriever, will charm you and perhaps bring a lump to your throat. We follow Tuesday and Luis through a typical day, the dog helping the man and the man taking good care of his best friend.
The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt, with illustrations by Oliver Jeffers. Even crayons can get fed up! Duncan just wants to color, but one day he opens his box of crayons to find nothing but letters of resignation from his crayons. Red complains of having to work on holidays, coloring Santas and Valentine hearts. Blue is grateful to be Duncan’s favorite color, but must he color so many oceans and rivers and skies? And Gray is fed up with all the elephants already! Let’s not even start on the feud between Yellow and Orange—who should be coloring the sun? Duncan’s solution for keeping his crayons happy will please every creative soul.
Rufus Goes to School, by Kim Griswell, and illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev. Rufus loves books and looking at the pictures, but he is more than ready to go to school and learn to read. Rufus knows, however, that he must prepare. So he acquires a backpack, a lunchbox, and a blanket, but nevertheless, the principal sets down the law: “No pigs in school!” How Rufus, the little pig who wants to learn to read, changes the principal’s mind is a winner!
