Picture Book: That's Dangerous

Pittau, F. & Gervais, B. (2004). That's Dangerous. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Pub. Inc.

While I classified this book as a picture book I feel it should be stressed that this is NOT for toddlers (c'mon folks be reasonable not reactionary). This book serves a very useful purpose. It is a great tool for introducing children to information literacy. The book is visually simple in text and illustration, the stories are absurd, and it is very apparent that there is a disconnect between the message of the text, the message of the illustrations, and the potential audience for the item. For example the text says that it is dangerous to play inside the dryer, but the illustrations clearly show enjoyment in this circumstance. The pictures seem made for toddlers, but is this book really intended to be a teaching tool for them? Life IS dangerous, and that is why teaching children to think critically about appearances and content is necessary, and this book will make that experience easy and enjoyable for all.

Picture Book: The Three Pigs

Weisner, D. (2001). The Three Pigs. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

To slowly lose the imaginative powers of childhood as we age is one of the saddest trends of growing up. However, what is lost is not always gone forever. David Weisner's book is as good for adults as it is for budding minds. In his fracturing of the three little pigs classic Weisner has the wolf blow the pigs right out of the story into a limbo-esque white space. Here all the pages of all the children's book stand in cue, waiting to be read. The style of illustration changes from cartoony when the pigs are inside the pages to a more realistic portrayal when they are gallivanting outside the delineated pages. It is no wonder that this book won a Caldecott as the story can be perfectly understood independent of the text which is quite sparse to begin with. A great book for kids to stuff their snouts into!

Biography: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Venezia, M. (1995). Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Chicago: Children' Press.

I chose to include this particular biography because it involves both enormous childhood talent and obsessive parental control. Every kid should have a role model like Mozart to remind them that being a child doesn't restrict one from being the best in the world at something, and these days parental control has risen to Star Wars defence status (just watch the documentary Living Dolls if you doubt my statement).
Venezia's variety of illustrations is also a notable feature of the book. These range from personally drawn cartoons that anachronistically bridge the gaps between the 16th C. and modernity, in one cartoon Mozart is pictured wearing a powdered wig asking his father for some roller blades. These are contrasted by traditional oil portraits of Mozart, and some photos of Mozart's opera's being performed in real life.
The book is textually heavy and so would be better for kids 6-10, also a glossary in the back would be beneficial.

Picture Book: In the Night Kitchen

Sendak, M.(1970).In the Night Kitchen. U.S.A.: Harper & Row Publishing.

This book has endured its fair share of controversy since its initial publication. This is due to Christian outrage over Mickey's accurately drawn nudity and agnostic outrage over the religious parallel between Mickey, Christ, and the resurrection. Regardless, this book is a fun and fanciful tale with illustrations that I still evoke fond childhood memories (the dough outfit and plane that Mickey dons and flies still produce feelings of comfort and ease in me when I see them). I wonder how young kids, especially girls, would react to the nudity, but kids tend to be surprisingly open minded, provided they have a grounded upbringing. There is so much else to look at in the illustrations that Mickey's little penis should not prove to be the sole focus of a reader’s attention...and if it is, so what? Are we going to lie to our children and make them think they are the only ones with genitals? If you have a child who has enjoyed Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are this will be a good follow up read.

Poetry: You Read to Me, I'll Read to You

Hoberman, M. A. (2001). You Read to Me, I'll Read to You. New York: Megan Tingley Books & Little Brown.

The best way to create reading habits is to start early and to participate with your child. As well, the best way to spur phonological development and form superior reading and writing skills is through poetry. Mary Ann Hoberman's book is a great tool for both of these necessities, plus it has another powerful attribute that is much sought after; this is a book that boys will enjoy! In addition to the cover shot I have included the first poem/story of the book because I want to highlight the illustrations. Clearly these are geared towards boys, and interestingly enough the second story is about those two mean cats being picked on by dogs, so don't worry about moral shortcomings in the book. Most of the stories are gender neutral, but it is good to start in a comfort zone for boys, who are traditionally the ones most averse to reading.

Picture Book: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Willems, M. (2003). Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! New York: Hyperion.

Mo Willems series about the escapades of Pigeon is sure to be a hit with every young child and this book in particular is a great way to kick off pleasure reading for youngsters. I once had a preschool class (ages 3-5 year old) read this book every day and each day draw a page from it. The ultimate goal was to have each child create their own copy of the book. This exercise took about a month and at the end my kids were still enthusiastic to read both the published version and their own copy! This is a great way for kids to get involved in reading and a great way for adults to help introduce children to the rules of society without boring them to tears! The story is simple, but engaging, the drawings are basic, but hilarious. There is nothing bad to be said about this book, everyone should read it.

Picture Book: They Were Strong and Good

Lawson, R. (1940). They Were Strong and Good. New York: Viking Press.

This book written and illustrated by Robert Lawson certainly merits the Caldecott award it received as the black and white full page prints are impeccably intricate in detail, but still clean and easy to assimilate. Unfortunately, the racism of the narrative shows up in several of the prints and the story itself is very idealized. Natives are described as chronic beggars, black people, who are clearly slaves, are shown in many pictures, but never referred to in the text, and one of the characters is cast in a positive light for his brave support of the confederates during America's Civil war. This book merits a picture walk for sure, but if one is going to read the text with a child I highly recommend accompanying this book with Martin's Big Words, so that both sides of America's civil rights history are provided.

Picture Book: Martin’s Big Words

Rapport, D. (2001). Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. New York & Toronto: Scholastic.

This is a superb book for children, but one that should be read with an adult the first few times. The big words of Dr.Martin’s aren’t big in the sense that they are long and hard to pronounce. They are big words because they are concepts, like peace, love and freedom that have big, powerful meanings. As with most good picture books the story is told as eloquently in the illustrations as in the text. The illustrations are truly unique and captivating, formed from a hybrid of watercolour painting and collage. Each page of text contains Doreen Rapports story of Dr. Kings life with supporting excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther Kings sermons and speeches. This book has won 11 awards of distinction since it's publishing in 2001!

Picture Book: Voices in the Park

Browne, A. (1999). Voices in the Park. Singapore: Picture Corgi Books.
Anthony Browne’s book is a great book to share with kids. This is because the book is four stories of the four different perspectives found in two adults and two children’s afternoon in a park. In addition to the multiple viewpoints the illustrations on each page contain many of the themes from the particular perspective hidden in the details of the art. There’s something that almost everyone can identify with in this book and it contains valuable lessons in the varying perspectives to foster understanding. Kids can start enjoying this book around 4-5 years of age. The large print and simple language should make it appropriate for the reading level of some children at that age