Picture Book Saturday (4)

The Boy from the Dragon Palace
By Margaret Read MacDonald, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa
Published 2011 by Albert Whitman & Company
After leaving a gift for the Dragon King, a peasant receives a wish-granting snot-nosed boy in return. This folk tale is kinda gross - the boy shoots his gifts from his snotty nose. As such, it doesn't really appeal to me. It's a familiar tale, though - the peasant consistently demands more and more, never satisfied with what he has. The illustrations are bright and colorful but overall I was underwhelmed by this one.

Happy Pig Day!
By Mo Willems
Published 2011 by Hyperion Children
Another installment in the fantastic Elephant & Piggie series, though not technically a picture book (generally this is classed as Early Reader). However, since I don't read enough Early Reader books to have their own special day, I'm going to include those I do read here. I'm pretty much convinced that Willems can do no wrong, especially when it comes to Elephant & Piggie. This one had me worried while I read but a very clever ending had everything worked out. Love, love, love this!

Charlie and Kiwi: An Evolutionary Adventure
By the New York Hall of Science, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Published 2011 by Atheneum
I'll pretty much read anything illustrated by Reynolds, so when this stumbled across my desk, I gave it a whirl. It's a relatively subtle story to introduce kids to evolution, though it's pretty wordy and would be better suited to an elementary age crowd. I love Reynolds style no matter what he's drawing. And my conclusion after reading this book is that kiwis are awesome (the bird, not the fruit - though I enjoy the fruit as well). An interesting story.