Picture Book Saturday

Chloe, Instead
By Micah Player
Published 2012 by Chronicle Books
Molly has imagined that if she had a sister, she'd be just like her. However, when she gets a little sister, she winds up with Chloe. This is a fun exploration of sibling relationships and managing one's expectations. I like the style of this book - it's vibrant and I think it will speak well to kids. I think this book does a great job of depicting the various emotions older siblings might experience when they are joined by a new brother or sister.

Dragons Love Tacos
By Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Published 2012 by Dial
I mean, I get this book but I don't really get it. It really is just about how much dragons love tacos - and I find it a bit strange. However, it's fun and entertaining. I think it would work really well in a storytime. It definitely has kid appeal. Being someone who doesn't really like tacos, I think part of the delight of this book was lost on me. But it's a strange but enjoyable read.

Grumpy Goat
By Brett Helquist
Published 2013 by HarperCollins
I love Helquist's illustrations - just so, so perfect for A Series of Unfortunate Events and many other things he's done. I really wanted to like this book, his newest picture book title, but I just didn't. I found myself thinking "hmmm..." as I read and when I got to the end. It's the story of a grumpy goat who goes to live on a farm with a bunch of friendly animals, whom he tries to drive away. Of course, there is a change of heart and everyone is happy in the end. I don't know; it just fell shy for me.

This Moose Belongs to Me
By Oliver Jeffers
Published 2012 by Philomel
Jeffers is a strange one for me - sometimes I love them, and sometimes they are just a bit too out there for my taste. This one falls somewhere in the middle for me. I like it, because it's about a boy and a moose and the boy's stubborn belief that the moose is his, despite the moose giving no indication of agreeing to this. But it's also very strange and I'm not sure that I understand it. Maybe I'm trying too hard to imbue meaning into picture books where there doesn't need to be any. Who knows? Either way, this was another strange one for me.