Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
Okay. I’m going to come right out and say it: The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkey is my favorite children’s picture book of 2009. This (mostly) wordless, beautifully illustrated, re-imagining of Aesop’s fable has a special place in my heart. A mouse dares hide from an owl in the mane of a jungle king. The lion spares the mouse’s life, and it scurries home to its large family. In the meantime, the majestic cat is trapped by hunters! When he ROARS for help, who shows up? His fated mouse friend, who chews him free, enabling him to return to his pride. It pays to be charitable, in the case of the lion, and corageous, in the case of the mouse. The art in this book is spectacular, and the lesson it provides will hopefully ring true with your child. It may also inspire you to learn more about the wildlife depicted in the story! I will gush no further, except to say I truly love this book and encourage you to check it out post haste! See this book listed in our catalog
Wordless
The Treasure Bath
Submitted by Melissa from Lexington Park!
The Treasure Bath, by Dan Andreasen, is an imaginative tale of a little boy who is disappointed about “bath time.” The book begins with a little boy helping his mother with baking. As you can imagine, little ones and baking can create one big mess. So, off to bath time he goes, glumly of course. Through vivid illustrations, and imagination, you will journey with the boy as he discovers a bath tub sea of interesting characters! They lead him to a map, and then a treasure chest. Inside the chest… well, you’ll just have to check out the book in order to know the rest! It’s a “giggly” twist, ending in sweet surprise! Picture books without any words have always been a personal favorite. These wordless tales encourage imaginative thinking, and allow your child to develop their own words to the story. This sort of imaginative story telling actually encourages the development of narrative skills and sequential learning. See this book listed in our catalog
Where is the Cake Now?
Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
Where is the Cake Now? by T.T. Khing is a fascinating wordless picture book about a group of woodland creatures attempting to have a picnic. The centerpiece of the picnic is two delicious looking cakes. First, everyone treks through the woods, across the river, and up the hill to the campsite. It’s quite a steep hill and everyone’s struggling to make it. Somehow along the way the cakes go missing. When the burglary is discovered, accusations fly! The mice dressed in black jumpsuits and carrying an oversized sack are the obvious suspects, and the chase begins! Check out this book to find out the true culprits of the cakes, as well as who is grafitti-ing the forest, why the mole is incredibly sick, and answers to a multitude of other mysteries.
Chicken and Cat Clean Up
Sumitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
It is obvious from the beginning of the adorable wordless story Chicken and Cat Clean Up by Sara Varon, that Chicken and Cat our two title characters are very different. Chicken is up early making breakfast, when Cat is just rolling out of bed. Cat is daydreaming about getting the perfect pet. Chicken is reminding Cat it’s time to go to work. Chicken and Cat have a house-cleaning business, however Cat seems to lack focus. Cat would rather dance or eat than clean. And Cat’s kind of clumsy. But Cat is good at something, something that might help save the day!
Korgi: Volume 1
Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
Korgi is a delight of worldless graphic novel for children, brought to us by former Disney animator Christian Slade. In it, we are introduced to a colorful cast of characters–all sorts of magical specimens–awaiting us in Korgi Hollow. There’s the mollies, small woodland folk, like Ivy, our diminuative heroine, and the Korgis (which uncoincidentally resemble our Pembroke Welsh Corgis), like Sprout, Ivy’s constant companion. One day Sprout chases a winged insect out of the Hollow and Ivy of course follows. They’re happy to explore the unfamiliar territory until they’re abducted by a gang of decidedly unpleasant creatures. How will this seemingly normal girl and her dog escape? Well it turns out Ivy and Sprout has a few tricks hidden up they’re sleeves… The best part: this book is just the beginning of more adventures to come!
Wonder Bear
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.