I was beyond tickled to discover Slugs in Love by Susan Pearson, and illustrated by Kevin O’ Malley, a veritable epistolary masterpiece for the Pre-K crowd! In the story we meet a particularly romantic pair of slugs–Marylou and Herbie. Marylou just loves everything about Herbie. Her heart is simply filled with poetry whenever she thinks of him! So one day she decides to leave him a love note, written in slug trail. Herbie is flattered of course, but doesn’t know which slug is leaving him such soulful slime. He keeps trying to arrange a meet-up. “Marylou:” he responds, “You could make my life complete! I’d love to meet someone so sweet.” but the rain washes his message away! Will these star-crossed lovers ever be united? Check out Slugs in Love to find out!
Emotions
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?
If bed time is a big struggle in your house, consider reading How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. Yolen and Teague are the creators of the wonderful “How Do Dinosaurs” series of books, demonstrating appropriate versus inappropriate behavior in a variety of venues. In this installment, they treat us to possible answers to the titular question: Does a dinosaur pout when its time to go to bed? Do they stomp their feet and throw toys around the room? Do they moan and sulk and sigh and cry? They most certainly do not! Dinosaurs, as it turns out, have impeccable manners. When it’s time to turn out the lights, dinosaurs give a hug and kiss to mom and dad and say “good night!”
Little Beauty
No doubt inspired by the stories of gorillas who have been trained to speak sign language and care for pets comes Little Beauty by Anthony Browne. In it we meet a very special gorilla who has everything he needs, except a friend. He communicates to his handlers that he desires company and they provide him with a kitten. The gorilla loves his cat. He feeds her milk and honey, carries her everywhere he goes, takes naps with her, they even go to the potty together! But one night they watch a movie and it makes the gorilla very angry! When he smashes the TV set in a rage, the zookeepers wonder if they should take his kitty away. Find out the thrilling conclusion to this saga by checking out Little Beauty today!
Knuffle Bunny
Does your child have a toy they just can’t be parted with? They will totally relate to Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems. Trixie takes her favorite stuffed animal, Knuffle Bunny (that’s pronounced ka-nuffle, by the way) on a trip to the laundromat. But Trixie realizes on the way home, her bunny has been left behind. Being a baby, and unable to communicate verbally, she tries to express the dire situation to her father–she bawls, she goes boneless, she becomes quite a handful. Luckily mom knows the reason, and saves the day!
Beth’s Job
I really enjoy Beth’s Job by Carole Roberts, illustrated by Michael Garland. It is ideal for the child who is ready to read a book all on their own. It’s the story of an elementary school student named Beth. On the day everyone is assigned their class jobs, and Beth is very excited, until she discovers she will be in charge of watering the class plant. This seems very dull to her. She is jealous of her other classmates, that seem to have much more interesting duties. Max gets to feed the class rabbit! And Jeff is in charge of being first in line. Glen gets to hold the flag during the pledge of allegiance. Beth’s job seems so boring in comparison to all the cool things the other kids get to do. Until one day, the plant blooms! Thanks to all the care Beth gave the plant, the class now has a beautiful flower, leading Beth to proclaim, “This job is the best!”
Pete & Pickles
I recently attended the Great Books Consortium, in which Pete & Pickles by Berkeley Breathed (creator of the comic strip Opus) was chosen by a committee of children’s librarians from across the state of Maryland, as the best picture book of the past year. It’s certainly an interesting story, about a pig named Pete, who lives a quiet and simple existence, until he runs into Pickles, a runaway circus elephant. At first Pete is alarmed by the changes Pickles brings to his life, but soon finds himself unable to live without the unpredictable pacidurm. The book deals indirectly with the loss of a loved one, so it may not be suited to especially sensitive children.