Picture Book Saturday

How to Babysit a Grandma
By Jean Reagan, illustrated by Lee Wildish
Published 2014 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
This is a companion book to the similarly titled How to Babysit a Grandpa, which I absolutely loved when I read. This book is basically that book all over again, though this time focusing on a little girl and her grandmother. These books are great fun because they are silly and appeal to both kids and adults. Instructions for babysitting grandmas include checking out all the wonderful things at the park and letting her pick the best spot to sleep. This book is just downright adorable and will definitely inspire some babysitting hijinks in young readers.

The Odd One Out
By Britta Teckentrup
Published 2014 by Big Picture Press
Though this is not a storybook, I still loved this. It's a lovely seek-and-find title for the very youngest readers. Each double page spread shows a cadre of similar animals - turtles on one page, lemurs on another - and asks readers to find the odd one out - the one who caught the worm, the one who has a baby, etc. Kids (and adults, too!) love seek-and-find books and we get increasing requests for those for the very young. This book is a lovely addition to the genre. The illustrations are quite beautiful and I loved the variety of animals chosen.

Mama Built a Little Nest
By Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Published 2014 by Beach Lane Books
You know, I don't love birds, but I do love picture books that are simple enough to use in storytime but also provide nonfiction information to relate the story to the real world. This book does just that in a lovely way, focusing on the different kinds of nests birds build for their young. The main text has a nice simple rhythm that makes this a good choice for a bird storytime. There is some real-life information presented on every spread to explain about the kind of nest shown in each illustration. Even this information is written simply enough that even a storytime crowd could understand it. The illustrations are in Jenkins' signature style and they are beautiful to look at. A delightful book.