My pile of picture books is growing fast (almost like my chapter books). Today I am sharing a roundup of books that have come out recently (including this week). Some teach lessons and some are just fun and there is definitely something for everyone here! We will start with Gray Squirrel Loses It! by Cassandra Federman. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
About the Book:
Welcome to the forest, where a fact-filled tour awaits. That is…until a frantic squirrel bursts onto your page searching for his misplaced nut. Help him find it in this hilarious picture book, perfect for fans of The Leaf Thief and The Interrupting Chicken.Gray Squirrel has a problem. He can’t find his nut, and he’s desperate for help. So desperate that he’s going to interrupt this autumnal tour of the forest, where cardinals eat berries that turn their feathers red, white-tailed deer lose their antlers, and wood frogs freeze... Yeah, all of that might be fascinating, but Squirrel needs his nut!
With a funny, exasperated hero like that of The Very Impatient Caterpillar, this meta picture book inspired by real squirrel behavior (caching!) delivers crowd-pleasing laughs as Gray Squirrel searches for his beloved nut and accidentally plants a tree. But this isn’t the first lost nut, and it won’t be the last…Hello, forest!
Hilarious speech-balloon dialogue makes this a dynamic and fun read-aloud—and the back of the book includes bonus educational material like additional forest facts, a food web diagram, and a bear safety song!
From Me:
In this humorous book, the narrator is promising a tour of the forest but almost immediately Gray Squirrel starts to complain and yell. The narrator tries to continue the tour and sharing about various animals in the forest, but Gray Squirrel keeps interrupting and saying he needs the attention because his problem is much worse than the other animals. His problem is he cannot find his nut. He buried it somewhere but cannot remember where. He makes up all sorts of stories about what happened to it including nut pirates stealing it. He remembers burying near a rock marked with an x. When the narrator points out he is near a rock with an x and there is an oak tree growing there, they realize the acorn has sprouted into the tree. It is fun and will have kids laughing out loud!
This is a perfect book to entertain kids with at a story time. It also introduces several forest animals but more importantly how squirrels bury their food and sometimes forget about it. It would be a fun addition to a lesson on squirrels or how some seeds get planted by animals. It could also bring a discussion on manners and helping others.
Our next book is another fun one. It is My Cat Is a Secret Agent by Daniel J. Mahoney. It is also recommended for ages 4 to 8.
About the Book:
In this laugh-out-loud picture book that’s purr-fect for fans of Adam Rubin and James Marshall, a girl tries to convince her parents that their cat is really an undercover spy. But when things don't quite go as planned, hilarious hijinks and plenty of feline fun ensue.“With his droll drawings, Daniel J. Mahoney takes secret agenthood into whole new realms.” —Caldecott Medal winner Paul O. Zelinsky
Samantha knows her cat, Walter, is anything but ordinary—he’s a secret agent with the very serious codename Kitty Pants. Unfortunately, no one else appreciates Walter’s superspy-ness. Samantha’s parents think he’s nothing more than your average pet. It’s up to Walter to convince them otherwise.
Operation Kitty Pants is a go. But will this undercover feline prove his impressive espionage skills battling foes, including a butt-sniffing pup, a wild-haired kitty, and a band of mischievous mice, or will he find his missions compromised? With Samantha’s help, perhaps Walter can show that there’s a bit of secret agent in all of us.
From Daniel J. Mahoney, the author-illustrator of We Don’t Eat Our Neighbors, My Cat Is a Secret Agent is a rollicking read-aloud for pet lovers and pet-free families alike—ideal for storytime in the classroom or at home.
From Me:
In this book Samantha is sure her cat, Walter, is a secret agent. Her parents do not believe her. Throughout the story she is trying to convince them and the reader that her cat is really secret agent Kitty Pants. The cat however seems to keep causing problems for the parents and getting into funny situations. However, when Walter manages to save Samantha's life, her parents finally think he is wonderful!
This story is a humorous one as well. Walter is always getting into trouble, but Samantha is sure he is a secret agent. The two of them have various adventures and stories to tell. It is fun and a bit silly. It will have kids laughing and enjoying the story!
Our next book is another fun one and it would have been perfect to share before Halloween but does not have to be a Halloween book. It has ghosts and haunted houses but is an everyday book. The book is Leonard Builds a Haunted House by Mike Ciccotello. It is also recommended for ages 4 to 8.
About the Book:
Perfect for fans of Gustavo the Shy Ghost, this laugh-out-loud picture book puts a charming twist on the classic haunted house tale—a funny, spook-tacular read for Halloween or any time of year.Leonard the cheerful, can-do ghost is building his family members a new haunted house. It needs to be the scariest house EVER! Except the more Leonard builds, the less creepy their new home looks. From the un-scary cellar to the snug roof that doesn’t leak, it’s nothing like the house of horrors his family imagined . . . or is it?
Mike Ciccotello’s Leonard Builds a Haunted House is a hilariously triumphant tale about family, moving, house-building—and the spirit it takes to make something truly you.
From Me:
The old, haunted house is getting knocked down and replaced. The ghosts don't know where they will go. Leonard has an idea though. He uses the money from selling the old house and buys land and supplies to build a new haunted house. However, he isn't building it or decorating it like much of a haunted house. The other ghosts question everything he does that is until he shows them how haunted it is.
This book is fun and has a bit of a play on words. The other ghosts question things like when Leonard is building the skeleton of the house and there are no bones. Leonard is building a safe and strong house, and the ghosts worry about it making the creeks and sounds of a haunted house. There are many discussions that can be had about expectations and workmanship. Kids will love the silliness of the ghosts and how Leonard actually makes them a beautiful house that they get to haunt.
The next book has a bit of a message as well as being fun. It is A Cure for Hiccups by Jennifer E. Smith and illustrated by Brandon James Scott. It is also recommended for ages 4 to 8.
About the Book:
Is it possible to have the hiccups forever? In this delightfully fun picture book, a determined kid who’s good at everything discovers that being patient and taking a deep breath may be the perfect place to start.When Max gets a persistent case of the hiccups, she tries everything to make them go away. She tries holding her breath. She tries drinking water upside down. She tries standing on her head and doing a somersault, but nothing works. “The only way to get rid of the hiccups is to wait,” says her grandmother. But Max doesn’t have time to wait!
Soon, her imagination runs wild. What if she sets a record for the longest case of hiccups? Will doctors study her? Will babies stare at her? And what if, when she becomes president, the entire world hears her hiccup? But then, she starts to listen to the leaves rustling in the wind and feels the sun on her face. She takes a breath, she pauses, she waits…and the unexpected occurs.
Jennifer E. Smith’s imaginative and funny picture book, with bright illustrations by Brandon James Scott, reminds children—and adults—that discovering the solution to a problem sometimes requires taking a few breaths and slowing down.
From Me:
Hiccups can be the worst. How many crazy cures have you heard for the hiccups? When I was young, I tried many of the same ones as Max. They don't work. However, Max's grandmother does have a cure that works. It can be hard to do especially when you have the hiccups, but it is to relax and calm down and wait for them to go away. When Max tires herself out enough she finally does this, and it works. But before it works, she has scared herself into thinking she is going to have the hiccups for the rest of her life and be known as the girl with the hiccups. forever. It is a fun story with a bit of her crazy thoughts but also something that actually works to cure the hiccups!
This book shares some of the funny things we are willing to try when we have the hiccups as well as some of the crazy thoughts we can start to believe when we are in crisis mode. I love how the cure is to relax and enjoy some peace. It is a bit of mindfulness, and it actually will work. I love how Max finally learns the lesson in the end and shares it with her younger brother.
Our final book also shares a message. It is about cleaning. The book is Tulip's Mess by Anden Wilder. It is also recommended for ages 4 to 8.
About the Book:
A playful picture book about a little girl who must confront her growing mess after it swallows her most beloved stuffed toy, and the importance of keeping a little tidy.Mess follows Tulip everywhere. He’s there to swallow her socks before bed and nibble on crumbs left behind after snack time. But as Tulip ignores Mess, he grows hungrier and bigger. Then one morning Tulip hears a gigantic SLURP from under her bed. Mess has swallowed her beloved stuffed toy, Ta! How will Tulip get her back?
From Me:
Tulip has a mess in her room. It is a small mess, but it begins to grow and grow. I feel like many kids (and some adults) can relate to this happening. The mess gets so big that it swallows up her lovey! That is when Tulip realizes it is too big. She gets to work to control the mess and begins to clean. She gets the mess back to the small size she doesn't mind and has her lovey back.
I feel like this book shares a story of a messy life. Sometimes we can life with the clutter or mess around us but sometimes it gets so out of hand we cannot find our favorite things or things we need. This is what happens to Tulip. It starts as a small mess but as she leaves more things behind the mess grows and becomes too much. It is a lesson about cleaning up after oneself and staying organized at least to some point. It is a message of why we need clean up time among other things. It will be a great book for parents to read with their kids as well as for a classroom to read together especially before cleaning up time!
