Wonder Bear is a breathtaking fantasy told all in pictures. Folks generally tend to underestimate the power of wordless books. Stories without words allow children to narrate their own story, and form their own opinions about what’s happening in the pictures. This particular book is the creation of Tao Nyeu, a recent art school graduate. Wonder Bear was her thesis project, inspired, she claims, by an “odd-looking gummy bear with magical powers.” No doubt that particular piece of candy was delicious, because this book is certainly a sight worth devouring. Two children tend their garden, in which an amazing flower grows, home to a festive bear, and a troop of acrobatic monkeys! Join them as they sail, snack, swim, and sleep, in this fabulous fairy tale for all ages.
Picture Book
Last Night
For a child, being served a dinner of your least favorite foods can be a devastating event. So begins Last Night by Korean artist Hyewon Yum. A little girl, dejected by an unsavory meal, goes to bed, finding consolation in the form of her stuffed bear. In her dream world, the bear comes alive (growing to the size of a real bear), and takes her on an adventure. She and Bear travel to the forest, to meet some woodland friends. They dance, play hide and seek, go fishing, have a bonfire, then fall asleep in a clearing. When the little girl wakes, her disastrous supper is forgotten and so starts a new day.
On Top of the Potty
On Top of the Potty and Other Get-Up-and-Go Songs by Alan Katz and David Catrow is simply the most hilarious book I’ve read in a long time. Having trouble convincing your child to use the toilet? There’s nothing quite like a rousing musical number to motivate even the most stubborn of diaper wearers. How about “If You Gotta Go Do Poopy” to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It?” Or maybe “Don’t Flush Strange Things in the Potty” to the tune of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Perhaps the title track, “On Top of the Potty” to the tune of “On Top of Old Smokey!” My personal favorite is “Frankie Noodle,” to the tune of “Yankee Doodle.” Sing it with me: “Frankie Noodle Sat right down Right upon the potty And he made a pee and poop In front of everybody!”
Curious George Plants a Tree
Our favorite inquisitive monkey is at it again in Curious George Plants a Tree, inspired by the legacy of Margret and H.A. Rey, written by Monica Perez, and illustrated by Anna Grossnickle Hines. In this installment, George, and his faithful friend, the man in the yellow hat, learn all about conserving the environment. Of course, George goes a little overboard in his desire to help the planet. On recycling day he gathers all the discarded paper from his home, but also all of his neighbors’ newspapers! When everyone goes to follow him, they track George down at a tree-planting event, and happily decide to help out.
If I Ran the Rain Forest
If I Ran the Rain Forest by Bonnie Worth is a selection from the Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library, a wonderful series of books for young readers. These books are entertaining and educational, presenting non-fiction concepts in a basic format to help children build ideas about the natural world. In If I Ran the Rain Forest, the much loved Dr. Seuss character, the Cat in the Hat, is here to tell you about a fascinating part of the world, filled with life! The rain forest is brimming with enormous trees, which are home to amazing creatures, like parrots, monkeys, and frogs. However, this fantastic place is threatened–people are cutting down trees, and so the Cat tells us, if he ran the rain forest he’d say “chop somewhere else, people. Leave us these trees. Don’t cut them down. Save the trees, please!”
Night-Night Stories
The Usborne Book of Night-Night Stories by Sam Taplin and Francesca di Chiara is a delightful collection of tales to tell your sleepy child. The most wonderful thing I could think of after an exhausting day would be to be tucked in and read to. Most children love to lulled to sleep by the soothing voice of their caregiver. This book tackles traditional bedtime themes of the moon, wanting to stay up instead of sleep, lullabies, explaining natural phenomena, and dreams, all told with familiar and adorable animal pairs of elephants, lions, penguins, and polar bears, among others. All of the stories are tabbed, so that your child may locate his or her favorite.