Picture Book Saturday

Before we get down to our regularly scheduled business, do you know what yesterday was? Well, Valentine's Day, of course, but that also means it was Cybils Day! In case you missed it, go here to find the winners. I participated as a second round judge in the Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction category, and I'm very excited about our winner. Look for my reviews of all our finalists in the coming months!


I Am Cat
By Jackie Morris
Published 2013 by Frances Lincoln Children's Books
I really wanted to like this one, with the big orange kitty face on the cover, but I just didn't. I don't know. It was a little more cerebral and out there than I like my picture books to be. I have a really hard time imagining an audience of children enjoying this one as well. The illustrations are exquisitely lovely, but I just didn't like the story very much.




Musk Ox Counts
By Erin Cabatingan, illustrated by Matthew Myers
Published 2013 by Roaring Brook Press
Yay! Musk Ox is back and this time, he's taking on counting! I love Musk Ox so much because he is just like a four-year-old. He wants things to be all about him and he wants them a certain way and he's not afraid to let you know. I love that this book has an interactive element to it, making it instantly more appealing for a young audience. It's a hard book for a storytime crowd because there is a lot going on, but it's just so much fun. Love it!



You Were the First
By Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
Published 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Oh, this book is so sweet. This is the perfect book to share with your oldest child just before or after you add a new child to the family. This will remind that child that they will always be special because they were the first. It's just such a sweet book and the illustrations are perfectly suited - they are lovely and soft and they just feel so well-matched to the text. A beautiful book.