MORE 'PICTURE-BOOKS' POSTS
Lisa Wheeler and Loren Long have given us a title that is filled up to the brim with dignity. Dignity for the people who actually put their blood, sweat, and tears into making the places and objects we so desperately need to live.
Folks, we live in an era of scam artists so if New in Town is just one of a million tiny answers to the question of how we create a new savvier generation, that’s good enough for me. An exceedingly clever, funny, eye-popping story about not falling for the words of silver tongued devils.
Exceedingly simple with an equally simple message (message: Don’t be rude and loud) you wouldn’t expect A Tree for Mr. Fish to be as wackadoodle as it is. And yet, here we are.
Smart fairytailing that’s tonally on point? More of this, please.
It’s a treatise on philosophy as it relates to young children. It’s about escaping the confines of yourself and reaching out to others. And, most importantly, it’s a cute baby chicken picture book where 95% of the action takes place inside an egg.
Deeply touching, funny, and incredibly odd, this is the kind of picture book that gets you excited about picture books all over again.
No elephants. No piggies. No pigeons. And yet there's something about this abstracted concept book to lure me into reviewing it. I haven't reviewed Mo in 14 years. See why I've come around.
In all honesty, I don’t think I can do this book justice when I tell you about it, but I can at least give it my best shot. It deserves only the best.
Here we have animals and hats and mysterious goings on. Read it cover to cover and you’re just swept up in a book that cultivates a singular sense of comic timing and tone policing that never falters or strays. It is, in fact, Klassen's best book to date. Period.
A book that manages that impossible task of combining child friendliness (a kid will want to reread it) with good writing (an ADULT will want to reread it – never a given), and beautiful art.