Green

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Published by Roaring Brook Press
2012

     How many kinds of green are there?  In her new book Green, Laura Vaccaro will delight you with all the types of green -including the absence of it- that you can find in nature.  There is forest green,  sea green,  lime green, and fern green. Ok, so you might have expected those. But what about "slow green," or "shaded green," or "wacky green?"  And my absolute favorite: never green (illustrated with a huge bright red stop sign).  Each page is meant to be savored, holding a little secret in the form of small paper cutouts that transform into something new as you flip the pages.  It became a fun prediction game among the early readers I shared the book with -they were all trying to guess what the cut out would become as we explored new greens.
     Green is a gorgeous exploration of a single color, a homage to it.  It plays on the expected and unexpected and asks us to pay attention to nature and its wonders.  Great book to share with the youngest readers (and as a coffee table delight at home).

One Cool Friend

One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo
Illustrated by David Small
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers
2012

     "Elliot was a very proper young man." He always wore a stylish black tux, bow-tie and all. His father took him to the aquarium, and while trying to avoid the mobs of kids at the other exhibits, Elliot reaches the penguin room.  And there they were, "in their tidy black feather tuxedos with their proper posture."  A perfect pet for a gentleman like Elliot.  When he asked his father for a penguin, he gave him money to buy what he thought was a stuffed animal penguin.  But Elliot packed a real penguin in his knapsack instead.  Elliot named his perfect new pet Magellan.  Now, a penguin is not easy to keep at home, especially when you're trying to keep it a secret.
     I loved One Cool Friend! Just like Elliot, I found it to be stylish and cool.  The illustrations by David Small are a perfect match with the story and I loved the way the text plays with dialogue bubbles as part of the regular text.  The final twist in the story totally sold it.  Great read aloud!

Extra Yarn

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Published by Balzer + Bray
2012

     "In a cold little town, where everywhere you looked was either the white of snow or the black of soot from chimneys," a little girl and her dog found a box with yarn of every color.  Anabelle first knitted herself a sweater, and then one for her dog Mars too. "But there was still extra yarn."  So Anabelle begins to knit something for everyone, and everything, bringing color to her drab town.
     Extra Yarn has it all:  fantastic design and tale full of wonder, magic, even an evil archduke.  Jon Klassen's illustrations are wonderful (Oh! how I've missed you Bear and Rabbit...who needs a red hat when you can have multicolored hand knitted sweaters?).  This one is an early favorite for this year's top books.

And Then It's Spring

And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano
Illustrated by Erin E. Stead
Published by Roaring Brook Press
2012

     Winter is loosening its grip and outdoors everything is brown.  A boy and his dog (and a rabbit and a turtle) head out carrying a bag of seeds.  And then they wait. They wait for rain and sun.  "And it is still brown, but a hopeful, very possible sort of brown."  And they wait a bit more, looking for any sign of green. They worry about the little seeds and what could have happened to them to keep them from growing. Wait some more.  And then it's spring.
    And Then It's Spring is delightful, lyrical, and sweet. It's about patience and dedication.  It reminded me of one of my favorite picture books, The Carrot Seed,  and that's a really good thing.  The illustrations by the Caldecott Medal winner Erin E. Stead are gorgeous and feel as delicate as the little seeds fighting to bring the green into the picture.  Can't wait to share it in the classroom. Just beautiful!

Another Brother

Another Brother by Matthew Cordell
Illustrated by Matthew Cordell
Published by Feiwel and Friends
2012

     "For four glorious years, Davy had Mom and Dad all to himself." He had their undivided attention and everything he did brought tears of joy to his parents.  But then Davy got a brother, and another, and another...In fact, Davy ended up having 12 whole brothers. Talk about change! Davy went from being an only child to being one in a baker's dozen.  And being the oldest brother was hard.  Whatever Davy did, his brothers would imitate. Wherever he went, his brothers would follow.  Poor Davy was going bonkers. His parents explained that it was only a phase, that soon, "your brothers will have their own interests" and they would stop copying him.  But when you've gotten used to a crowd following you around and doing everything you do, and then suddenly they stop, well, then you feel... lonely.  If only there could be a new baby at home to emulate Davy again.
     Another Brother is a delightfully funny and tender picture book.  The story of adjusting to a new sibling has been told many times before, but I love the way Cordell focuses on the frustrations of the older sibling being copied.  The illustrations are cartoon like, with plenty of funny details to savor at each page turn.  Wonderful addition to the library of any soon to be older brother/sister.