Picture Book Saturday

Dangerous!
By Tim Warnes
Published 2014 by Tiger Tales
Mole likes to label things, but when he comes across something he's never seen before, how will be label it? This is a really cute book, particularly appealing to analytical-minded children who like to understand things in certain ways. This book is great for vocabulary and can easily lend itself to extension activities. The illustrations are bold and suit the text well. A lot of fun - I'd like to use this in a storytime and see how the kids react.


Big and Small
By Elizabeth Bennett, illustrated by Jane Chapman
Published 2014 by Tiger Tales
I picked this one up because of the illustrations by Jane Chapman - I love her soft, friendly style, so I'm always willing to check out a book she's illustrated. This is a very lovely story of a friendship between Big and Small (a bear and a mouse), showcasing how they help each other throughout their day. The text highlights big and small differences, making this a good book for showcasing print awareness. It's an adorable way to show that we all need help sometimes, even when we are big.

Poor Doreen: A Fishy Tale
By Sally Lloyd-Jones
Published 2014 by Schwartz & Wade
Wow, I read this book quite some time ago and forgot about it, but now I'm kicking myself because it's actually pretty great. Doreen is a little round fish who sets out to visit a distant relative. She gets a bit, shall we say, sidetracked and winds up on someone's hook. But that's not the end of Doreen's adventure. This book is definitely going to be a hit in storytime because the contrast between Doreen's point of view and the narrator's is quite significant. It provides for a lot of humor and kids will love being in on it as Doreen cluelessly makes her way to her destination. The illustrations excellently evoke the watery nature of the story. I'm glad I reminded myself of this book so I can use it with an audience soon!