Picture Book Saturday

Penguin and Pumpkin
By Salina Yoon
Published 2014 by Walker Childrens
Oh, I love the Penguin books! They are some of my favorites for storytime because they are fun, charming, and feature bold, eye-catching illustrations. Yoon also smartly has crafted each penguin book around a common storytime theme - I can't say this is her overt intention, but it's worked out that way. So, for a fall storytime, you could choose this Penguin title. Penguin's little brother is too young to join the search for fall, so Penguin brings a surprise home for him. I didn't love this as much as the others, but it's still pretty adorable.

I Feel Five!
By Bethanie Deeney Murguia
Published 2014 by Candlewick Press
I've quite enjoyed Murguia's previous books, so I was excited to see a new title from her this past summer. In this one, a young boy is extremely excited to turn five. But when the day comes, he doesn't feel any different than he did the day before. Where is the big change he expected? I both liked and didn't like this book. I think what it does well is perhaps temper the overwhelming excitement young ones can feel approaching their birthday. However, the moment when the boy begins to feel five just strikes a bit of a sour note for me. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but this is not my favorite of Murguia's books.

Milo Is Not a Dog Today
By Kerstin Schoene and Nina Gunetsreiner
Published 2014 by Albert Whitman & Company
Look at that face! That face is the reason I love dogs! Milo likes to play pretend and today he is pretending that he is not a dog. Unfortunately, the other animals are not interested in playing with Milo. Will he find a friend who likes to pretend as much as he does? It's a fun and simple book, good for storytime. The pictures are a nice balance of realistic and cartoony, which I think has great kid appeal. That being said, it's a very basic story, but pretty cute. And, I can't resist that face!

The Monsterator
By Keith Graves
Published 2014 by Roaring Brook Press
I'm always on the lookout for new Halloween and monster books because it's one of my favorite times of year. With this title, we are introduced to young Edgar, who finds typical Halloween costumes boring. When he stumbles upon a dusty old machine called a "Monsterator," how can he resist? Of course, there is a little twist, but everything works out in the end. The final pages of this book feature a simple version of the Monsterator, where readers can flip the pieces to create numerous monstrous combinations. Cute idea; unfortunately, it likely won't hold up in the library. But a fun story, with a great possibility for extension activities.