Picture Book

Jitterbug Jam (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards))

What does this monster have under his bed? Bobo is a young monster who’s afraid to sleep in his own bed. He is sure there is a boy hiding beneath it – a boy with “pink skin and orange fur on his head where his horns should be.” Bobo’s older brother thinks he’s a fraidy-cat, but his grandpa, Boo-Dad, knows all about these fearful creatures. And Boo-Dad knows exactly what to do to scare them away. But after being afraid for so long, Bobo might just want to take matters into his own paws and find out if the creature under his bed really is as bad as he thinks. This rambunctious story of a youngster overcoming anxiety and limitations is set in a captivating otherworld that springs to life in pictures full of enchantment and surprise.

Niño wrestles the world

Lucha Libre champion Niño has no trouble fending off monstrous opponents, but when his little sisters awaken from their naps, he is in for a no-holds-barred wrestling match that will truly test his skills.

Haiti My Country: Poems by Haitian Schoolchildren

For several months, Quebec illustrator Roge prepared a series of portraits of Haitian children. Students of Camp Perrin wrote that accompanying poems, which create, with flowing consistency, Haiti My Country. These teenaged poets use the Haitian landscape as their easel. The nature that envelops them is quite clearly their main subject. While misery often storms through Haiti in the form of earthquakes, cyclones, or floods, these young men and women see their surrounding nature as assurance for a joyful, confident future.

Mister Whistler

A hilarious, lively picture book. Mister Whistler always has a song in his head and a dance in his legs. But when he has to catch the train, he is so distracted he loses his ticket and has to dance his way out of his clothes to find it!

Featured in Volume VI, Issue 2 of WOW Review.

There

When will I get There? How will I know? A little girl ponders what the future holds, steadfast in her determination to find out for herself. Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick’s gorgeous landscapes and the briefest of text speak to the power of imagination. Readers of all ages will find reassurance in this simple, beautiful book of ruminations about a lifelong journey toward tomorrow.

Featured in Volume VI, Issue 2 of WOW Review.

When You Were Small

When father puts young Henry to bed he always says “Dad, tell me about when I was small.” His father complies, telling Henry how, when he was little, he used to be so tiny that he could take his pet ant out for a walk on a leash! What’s more, he got his hair combed with a toothbrush and was such a little boy that he could even fit in his father’s shirt pocket. Henry was so small that his father’s original name for him, Hieronymous, wouldn’t fit.

Featured in Volume VI, Issue 2 of WOW Review.

Rahui

This picture book is about cousins’ holidays in a rural Maori community having adventures and fun together – playing in the bush, riding horses, fishing, eeling and swimming at the beach. During the holiday, a death leads to a rahui being placed on the beach. After a year, the rahui is lifted, and they return to the beach full of life and with their cousin in their hearts. The feeling of the book is joyous and wistful, and the illustrations richly evoke the atmosphere of the setting and people.

Featured in Volume VI, Issue 2 of WOW Review.

Burung Camar dan Kokokan/Seagull and Heron

Picks up where the first book left off with Seagull continuing inland from the beach and befriending Heron and Kingfisher along the way. The trio discover a whole new set of environmental problems faced by the children and animals in the cities and surrounding countryside. Readers are also introduced to the local “Pemulung” or scrap collectors in an attempt to explain their very simple and essential role in the process of scrap collecting and recycling on the island’. Source: publisher’s website

Kangaroo

It is important for children to understand the cycle of life, while learning that with such understanding comes responsibility. A responsibility to the environment.The “Picture Roo Book Series” does just that. In each title, Pauline Reilly, aided by the illustrations of Will Rolland, explains the life cycle of an animal native to the Australian region. Written in a style simple enough for younger children, but containing a wealth of facts, these books will aid in shaping a positive view of wildlife and the world.For children who wish to learn about exotic animals, and who want to gain a better understanding of the natural world they live in, the “Picture Roo Book Series” will open doors to understanding.