"Yo! Yes?" by Chris Raschka

This book is very well crafted and absolutely delightful. It covers the meeting and the development of friendship between two very different boys. Through minimal words, the boys are able to communicate their differences, the emotions, and how their relationship changes from strangers to friends.

Even though this book is very simple, I loved it. Chris Raschka has created a wonderful book with Yo! Yes? I love that this book is not wordy as there is something overwhelming about a "picture book" that has huge sections of text. I also like that this book is perfect for two readers. I saw it "performed" at storytime with two different people reading the two parts. While this isn't necessary to convey the message of the book, it does give it even more depth and helps to bring the story off of the page. This book is excellent and I highly recommend it!

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Hello, Robots!" by Bob Staake

So much cute! I adored this book so much and am very excited to share it with my readers. The premise is simple; four robots each have their own chores and duties around the house. Blink cooks, Zinc fixes, Blip gardens and Zip cleans. All is well until the robots get wet. Suddenly none of the robots are behaving quite like they should the household becomes a mess. What's a robot to do?

There is so much to love about this book. The illustrations are fabulous and very color oriented. The text rhymes and has enough repletion that kids can help say part of the book with the reader. It also has a great message about why it is not a good idea to leave any technology outside, especially when there is a threat of rain.

Bob Staake has written a wonderful book. Both boys and girls can enjoy Hello, Robots and it will easily appeal to readers of many ages. It's also a great storytime book and the style works well to make props to help bring the story to life.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Robot Zombie Frankenstein!" by Annette Simon

This book is ridiculously cute! Two robots try to out do each other; the first one pretends to be a zombie, the next zombie Frankenstein, and so on and so forth. In the end, they figure out that friendship is more important than being better than the other. I thought this book was absolutely adorable and can't wait to share it with the kiddos.

This book has lots of bright colors and is very shape oriented. Younger kids will enjoy the fun illustrations, older kids can begin to identify the various shapes and colors. This book is probably going to appeal a little more to boys, but I also know some girls that will enjoy it as well (plus I don't believe that any product is solely for just boys or just girls). I highly, highly recommend Robot Zombie Frankenstein!  and really look forward to reading more by Annette Simon.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"My Heart Is Like a Zoo" by Michael Hall

Oh this book is awesome! The premise is simple: each page features a different animal with a short amount of text describing the scene or that animal. Even better? Each animal is made completely out of hearts. I recently read this book at my library's story time and found this is a great book to share. The kids got to act out many of the animals and by the end of the story, I can guarantee that every single one of those kids (pre-schoolers and younger) had a firm grasp on what the shape of a heart looks like.

This is the kind of book that inspires me to expand beyond the book. I desperately wish I could sew because I think that a set of stuffed animals like those in this book would be absolutely adorable (if someone makes these, let me know). I also found the Adventures of a Blonde Librarian blog where she did some fun activities with her story time group. She makes a good point because this book would also be great for Valentine's day but with the appeal for both boys and girls. Michael Hall has created a real winner with this book. Trust me, if you pick up My Heart is Like a Zoo, you won't be disappointed!

Happy Reading!

-Melly

"No Bath! No Cake! Polly's Pirate Party" by Matthias Weinert

What kid wouldn't want a band of pirates to come to their birthday party? And what pirate wouldn't want to go to a birthday party? Unfortunately, Pete the parrot thinks that the pirates need to clean up their act before they go to the party. As you might guess, the birthday girl isn't too thrilled when a group of clean, well-dressed men show up instead of the unruly pirates she invited. No Bath! No Cake! will delight all kids (though maybe don't read it when trying to convince your kid that they need to take a bath).

It's so early in the year and I have big plans to read as many picture books as I can get to, but this one is one of my favorites so far (of this year, I mean). The illustrations are perfect for a set of pirates, a little rough, but I really liked that about this book. I giggled quite a bit while reading this one and can't wait for the opportunity to share it with some little ones.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Lawn to Lawn" by Dan Yaccarino

Yes, I did read this book because it had a lawn gnome and a flamingo on the cover, wouldn't you? Lawn to Lawn is the story of Pearl's lawn decorations and their quest to get back to Pearl when her family moves but forgets to take some very important friends. It's silly but a great story about the power of love and perseverance. Throughout the course of the book, the decorations are given many opportunities to find a new home as they make new friends on their journey. But each time they think of their best friend Pearl and they keep going.

Kids will love Dan Yaccarino's illustrations (and will probably love this book even more if they know that Yaccarino is involved with shows such as The Backyardigans and Oswald). There are plenty of fun moments that show the decorations trying (emphasis on trying) to blend when they are surrounded by people. I love when children's writers find new perspectives to write from. I would never have thought to write a book from the point of view of lawn decorations, but what a fun book this idea has become!



Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Very Last First Time" by Jan Andrews, illustrated by Ian Wallace

As part of the I Love Picture Books Reading Challenge, I have been going to the shelves at my library and picking books at random. Mostly this has been a great system as I have picked up some books that I otherwise never would have read. I am so glad that Very Last First Time is one of the books that I picked because it is absolutely fascinating!  Eva and her mother have always done the Inuit tradition of going down below the ice at low tide to gather mussels, but this is the first time that she will be doing the gathering alone. As to be expected from a kid, she becomes distracted by the sites down below and soon faces danger when she realizes that the tide is beginning to come back in. There is quite a bit of exploring and just a tiny bit of scary in this fabulous book.

I didn't know anything about Jan Andrews' book before I read it I had no idea that going under the ice was even a thing. I was so captivated by this book because it truly amazed me what this group of people goes through to gather food. I don't see this book appealing to a young audience of kids, probably more to 2nd grade and up. Though it is a picture book, it has so much going for it. Despite it's location in the fiction section, there is a lot of education information in this book. In addition, Wallace's illustrations are beautiful. I highly recommend this book to teachers that are teaching their students about different cultures or different ways of life. Even if the reading level is low for said students, I think that the content it presents is a great starting place to spark in interest in the subject matter.

Happy Reading!

-Melly

"I Love Baby Animals" by David Chuka

This book is cute, but I am not sure it is worth the price. It's formatted so that on one page it says "a baby insert-name-of-animal-here is called a..." with the name on the following page followed by a bit of trivia about said animal. This is fine, but it just didn't really engage me. The facts presented were a little bland and a lot of them came across like it was just general knowledge, not something that involved any research. I realize that I Love Baby Animals is geared for little ones, but I think I still would have liked a little more effort. The style was interesting. The pictures alternate between illustrations of the adult animal and photos of the baby which I think could be very interesting to point out to kiddos. I remember going to the zoo as a kid, but the majority of the animals I got to see in person were adults so having a place to see baby animals is a great idea (and what little kid doesn't love babies?). But despite this, I just don't see kids being very engaged in this books. Really young kids won't care as much about the information presented and I think older kids will want more information than the book actually provides.

Personally, I don't recommend this book. I read it on the kindle and feel that there are some much better animal books out there. However, if you are looking for some relatively cheap kid books, go ahead and take a look at this one, but I do suggest checking out the "Click to Look Inside!" option before buying.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"My Cat, The Silliest Cat in the World" written and illustrated by Gilles Bachelet

Kids will get a kick out of this book! The narrator is a little confused and doesn't realize that the pet cat is actually a pet elephant. The silly cat enjoys nothing more than eating and sleeping and eating, but sometimes the cat just can't avoid getting into trouble. Kids will delight in the craziness as we find out that the cat does not land on it's feet and sometimes has issues aiming correctly for the little box. This is a great book to share and ask kids questions about the story (what's going on in the picture, and that sort of thing).

I read some reviews that complained because the narrator never realizes that their cat is actually an elephant, but I thought that was part of the fun with this book. We know from the cover that the cat is likely not a a cat at all so I think the reader should just have fun with this book and not over analyze a children's picture book. My Cat, The Silliest Cat in the World is such a fun read and I look forward to reading When the Silliest Cat was Small and any other books that might come out.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Clang! Clang! Beep! Beep!: Listen to the City" by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Beppe Giacobbe

This book is pretty neat! The sentences are short and they rhyme, great for kiddos with a shorter attention span for books. I really enjoyed the illustrations and how the various sounds were incorporated into the artwork. This is probably not the kind of book that I would share at bedtime. Instead, I would want to encourage kids to mimic the sounds and just have fun with it.

Something I really like about this book is how much fun I think it would be to create activities based on Robert Burleigh's writing and Beppe Giacobbe's art. I love when I come across children's party's that go above and beyond the store-bought party decorations and enjoy them even more if they are book related. In my head I can see decorations based on New York, party favors and games based around cars and boats and a very cute birthday cake. If there's a market for children's parties themed around books, can I get that job?

The rhythm of this book is so fantastic, I was actually a little sad when the boy's day ended and he went back to sleep. I had a lot of fun with this book and think that you will too.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"The Farmer" by Mark Ludy

Cool fact about this book. I received my copy at a signing with Mark Ludy, but I refused to let him sign it because I didn't want him writing in my book. Instead, I have a library newsletter that he signed for me (yeah, I was a weird kid. Now I practically collect signed copies). Not so cool fact about this book, I practically cried while reading it.  The message is great. The Farmer is all about perseverance and hard work and while it has an amazing ending, it takes a lot of emotion to get to the end (parents, I suggest a read-though on your own before sharing with kids. I rarely cry over books but this one got me).

The farmer and his animals friends have a great life. The farmer works hard to provide for himself and his animals but they are happy and well cared for. Unfortunately, disaster strikes and the farmer has to make some difficult decisions. Thankfully everything works out in the end.

This book really does have a great message. It's not often that I come across a picture book that teaches such strong values. Not only does it teach persistence but also how to be good to others even if they don't treat you with same kindness. This book can definitely start some discussions for families. While I'm not sure younger readers would care for this book as much (they may not be ready to tackle some of the themes yet) they will enjoy looking for Squeakers the mouse in the pictures. This book certainly wasn't what I expected, but I am really glad that I read it.



Happy Reading!
-Melly