Picture Book Saturday

Perfectly Percy

By Paul Schmid

Published 2013 by HarperCollins

I think I've read pretty much all of Schmid's books simply because they are too adorable to resist picking up from our new book cart. This book features another of his lovable porcupines, Percy. Percy loves balloons but, as you can probably guess, balloons and porcupines don't always mix. Intrepid Percy is determined to find a solution, though, and, of course, all ends well. A very sweet little story.

 

Open This Little Book

By Jesse Klausmeier, illustrated by Suzy Lee

Published 2013 by Chronicle Books

I feel pretty silly saying this, but I'm not sure I get this book. It doesn't seem to have much of a point or a story and I'm hard-pressed to imagine what one might gain from reading it more than once. To me, it sort of just seems like a concept book where once you've seen the concept through, there's really no point in seeing it again. As a matter of fact, I almost think that once you watch the book trailer, you've seen pretty much all this book has to offer. Maybe I am being too cynical here, but I just don't see the appeal of this one.

 

A Year with Marmalade

By Alison Reynolds, illustrated by Heath McKenzie

Published 2013 by Little Simon

This is a cute little story of a girl whose best friend moves away, leaving her cat Marmalade in her care. At first, as one might expect, the little girl and the little cat do not much get along. But, over the year, their relationship grows and changes, ultimately becoming a comforting thing for them both. I think the illustrations here are absolutely charming and this would work well in a story time about friends. A very sweet story.