I love books that just make me happy and make me think. Today I am sharing two newly released picture books that do just that. Each is creative and gives a different point of view. They are both recommended for ages 4 to 8. The first book is Crouton: One Cat's Adoption Story by Kristine A. Lombardi.
About the Book:
Join Crouton, a lovable shelter cat, as she searches for her perfect person—because not everyone would be the right fit. But wait! Who is that over there? This heartwarming adoption story playfully told from the pet's perspective celebrates the joy of finding a furever home.Each day I watch people walk by my crate.
I am always on the lookout for my person.
Crouton is starting to wonder if her person is out there... But wait! Who is that adorable little girl? All the other animals are trying to adopt her!
When Crouton finally takes the little girl home, she makes sure she is well-fed, well-groomed—she even helps her focus on her homework and lets her know when it's time to take a break!
Perfect for cat lovers or anyone who has ever adopted a pet, this simple story told from Crouton's perspective will inspire readers to see the world through the eyes of the pets that chose them.
From Me:
I love so much about this book. Now I am definitely a cat person. We have three and all are adopted from shelters. I am also a huge believer that they pick us or are destined to be ours. This book is right up my alley. Crouton is a cat living in an animal shelter. She watches the people come day to day to be adopted by the pets. She wonders when her person will come. Then she does. At first the little girl is distracted by the other animals, but when she sees Crouton, it is love. Crouton is excited to take the girl home and train her.
I love how this book is written with the cat as the narrator and that Crouton truly shares that she is the one adopting the person and taking care of the person. I have adopted five shelter cats and three of my adoption stories are extremely interesting. The first cat I adopted when I was single. I went to the animal shelter and was shown the kittens that I should look at for being left home alone while I was working. It was a group of four brothers. They were playing with one another. Now growing up we always had female cats so that was not an option. I put my finger to the cage and one of the kittens stopped playing to check me out. That was the one I adopted or perhaps he adopted me. He definitely picked me. I love that this book shares such an experience but from the cat's view. This book is perfect to talk about point of view as well as about pets belonging to us or us belonging to them. For cat crafts and other books featuring cats check out our posts here.
Our next book is perfect for imaginative kids!! It is When I Redraw the World by Audrey Vernick and illustrated by Heather Fox. It is a book that has me questioning what do I want the world to truly look like if I could design it?
About the Book:
An endearing and fun celebration of imagination and curiosity as a young girl imagines a world where everyone has a home, animals have tea parties instead of fights, and tree-house ice cream shops will be a thing.When I redraw the world, rainbows will be the type you can walk on...
In pages bursting with joy, a young child imagines a world where everyone has a home, tree-house ice cream shops are a thing, and you can always find a kind elephant in case you need to reach something high. And when a dog does something great, tennis-ball confetti will immediately erupt--dogs everywhere will rejoice!
This endearing and vibrant celebration of curiosity and imagination will spark conversation and laughter. If you could redraw the world, where would you start?
From Me:
I love that the book begins with the young girl deciding it was important that everyone have a home and food in her revision of our world. From there her imagination gets going. There are buttons that provide favorite smells and buttons for sounds. The animals won't be in cages at a zoo but can live anywhere they want except bedrooms. The book is full of ideas like this. It is fun and humorous as well as so creative. I love how she shares her love of dogs with the reader. Dogs will be everywhere and she even tells us what they will think in different situations.
The book is so fun. Kids are going to love this one. It is great for a story time and then a discussion about what the kids would want the world to be like. At the end of the book the girl admits that things will need to be able to change because opinions and thoughts change all the time. Plus be sure to read to the back cover because the story goes all the way there! This book reminds me a bit of one of our favorites from Kevin Henke. However, Audrey and Heather didn't stop with just a garden. They are replanning the world!
Both books are so fun and creative!! I hope you check both of them out!
