Picture Book Saturday (11)

One Love
Adapted by Cedella Marley, based on the song by Bob Marley, illustrated by Vanessa Newton
Published 2011 by Chronicle Books
This is a wonderful adaptation of one of my favorite songs (confession: I have a tattoo of some of the lyrics). I think the book represents the song's message beautifully and I really love the illustrations. I think this would be a great book to share in a storytime about love and perhaps you could even play the song for kids. I really like this one.

Hattie and the Wild Waves
By Barbara Cooney
Published 1993 by Puffin Books
Miss Rumphius is pretty much one of my favorite picture books ever so when I recently realized that I hadn't actually ever read this one, I immediately picked it up. My first thoughts were "this book is so wordy! Is this really for children?" I almost don't think it is, but at the same time, I think there is something about this book that would appeal to a precocious child. I love Cooney's art so much that I could probably forgive her anything, but this is an interesting story, just perhaps better suited for an older crowd.

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of the Macy's Parade
By Melissa Sweet
Published 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
This book caught my attention when it was first published but I didn't have a chance to pick it up until after it won the Sibert Award. My actual notes after reading this book being with "so brilliant". I completely adored this book; everything about it feels like fun. The illustrations are whimsical and evoke Sarg's work beautifully. The story is interesting and, if a kid discovers this book, I don't think they could be disappointed. Included at the end of the book is a nice author's note and bibliography. This is a book to treasure.

Cat Secrets
By Jef Czekaj
Published 2011 by Balzer + Bray
I want to have a cat storytime just so I can use this book - seriously, this book is basically written for the storytime setting. It's not really a story in that there isn't a plot to speak of, but it's a very cute and interactive book that I think kids would really love. I love this book and I need to recommend it to my friend Sarah if she doesn't already know about it (she's a cat fanatic).