Picture Books

Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

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I just love this book so much! Bruce the bear is unhappy to discover that the eggs he was going to eat have hatched into goslings, and those goslings think he’s their mother. Poor Bruce tries really hard to get the goslings to migrate when they’re older, but they just don’t want to leave. Bruce comes to terms with the fact they are with him for life and they all head to Miami for the winter together. This book is available as an ebook with audio on Sora, with some cute music and a great reader, which I’ve played for students in the past. They really liked it and thought the book was super funny. I’ve recently been reading it to classes myself and it is still a hit, even with my not-as-exciting voice. This is the first book in a series of Bruce books by Ryan T. Higgins.

Pink! by Lynne Rickards; illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain

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I read this book to a class today in honour of Pride month starting soon and I thought it was so cute! One morning, Patrick the penguin wakes up pink. He thinks, since he’s a boy, he can’t be pink and worries his classmates will tease him. His dad shows him pictures of boy and girl flamingos, who are all pink, which makes Patrick think he should live with flamingos instead. However, after realizing he can’t do the same things as them since he doesn’t have long legs, the same shaped beak, and can’t fly, he decides to accept himself the way he is, pink and all. The kids mostly liked it but were missing the overall message of self-acceptance because they were too concerned with why he randomly woke up pink, which I didn’t have an answer for. I will definitely read it to other classes and see how they respond!

Once Upon Another Time by Charles Ghigna and Matt Forrest Esenwine; illustrated by Andrés F. Landazábal

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I’ve been reading this book to my library classes in honour of Earth Day. It paints the picture of what Earth was like before people existed, without tall buildings, cars, roads, farming, mining etc. and offers a way we can appreciate our Earth now, by putting down our devices and stepping outside into the (hopefully, depending where you live) fresh air. The illustrations are beautiful and it was a great read!

Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek

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So my daughter chose this book from the public library a while ago and, while I thought it was okay, I didn’t think it was a super great read or anything. Today, however, when I was trying to rush and choose a book to read to my kindergarten class, I noticed we had a copy of this in my school library. Wow, the kinders sure liked it! I have never seen them react to a book like that before. I’m not sure if it was because it was Friday or if they had a bunch of sugar or something, but it was hilarious to see them being so totally into it. Now I feel like I have to read it to some other classes and see if I can get some more big reactions!

Pig the Pug books by Aaron Blabey

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I just love these Pig the Pug books by Aaron Blabey so much. I’ve been reading them to my classes the last few weeks and we’ve had so many laughs. Pig is quite the naughty dog, always causing trouble and never thinking about the consequences. When Pig gets his comeuppance at the end, the kids are always like “that’s karma!” These books are just so much fun and a regular go-to.

Cyril and Pat by Emily Gravett

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I took this book out for my daughter from the public library and thought it was so cute that I had to buy it for my school library. Cyril is the only squirrel in the park and becomes best friends with Pat, who happens to be a rat, although Cyril doesn’t know this (or perhaps just doesn’t care) even though other animals try to tell him. The two enjoy doing things together, such as playing hide-and-seek and a game called Pigeon Sneak. Together, they are even able to out maneuver Slim, a dog that enjoys chasing them. Finally, a little boy ruins their friendship by outing Pat as rat, causing him to leave the park and his friend. Luckily, after being chased by Slim, Pat and his team of rats save Cyril and Pat moves back to the park. This is just such a sweet story of friendship and how you can be friends with those who might be “different” from you. My only little pet peeve, likely because I’m trying to get my three-year-old to use kinder words, is that “stupid” is a word in the book. Probably not an issue for most, but I just changed it to “silly” when I was reading to my daughter and to classes at my school.

Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson; illustrations by Jane Chapman

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I’ve posted about these Bear books by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman on my old blog and I still stand by what I said there. I’ve been reading this Christmas one and it’s just such a cute, heart-warming read; Bear, who is used to sleeping all winter, is determined to stay up for Christmas this year. With the help of his friends, he stays busy by going to look for a Christmas tree, hauling it home, and decorating it. Ironically, his friends fall asleep, but that gives Bear the chance to make some Christmas surprises for when they wake up.

Yoo-Hoo, Ladybug! by Mem Fox; illustrated by Laura Ljungkvist

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I borrowed this book from the public library for my daughter a while ago and we had so much fun reading it together! She loves ladybugs and had so much fun looking for all the places the ladybug was hiding. I recently purchased it for my library but I’m not sure I’ll read it to any classes; I think it would become a little too much if all the kids wanted to try to find the ladybug. But, it would be a great option for kids to take home! It’s light on the text and uses a bigger font, which could be great for the younger kids who are just learning to read.

Hedgehog’s Home for Winter by Elena Ulyeva; illustrated by Daria Parkaeva

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This is a new book I catalogued recently and have really enjoyed reading to classes. After waking up to the first snowfall of the season, Hedgehog goes to check on his friends. With lots of humourous and cute illustrations, we learn all the different ways the animals are preparing for winter: having tea and cookies by the fire, having a dance party, and knitting seaweed at the bottom of the lake. You know, all the usual activities you’d find wild animals doing in nature! The kids loved looking at the illustrations and pointing out the activities. There’s also a fun winter activity included at the end of the book for kids to try, which I might do with my daughter if I can work up the courage. I see that there are also spring and summer versions of the book available, so I likely will be purchasing those for my library, too.

We Want a Dog by Lo Cole

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I took this book out for my daughter from the public library and thought it was so great that I had to bring it to my school to read to the kids here. It’s a short, fun, light-on-the-text, and sweet book outlining all the less-than-desired behaviours and characteristics of a dog, many of which reminded me of my own beast, Bella. I got lots of laughs from the kids, especially when there were dog farts and dog pee on a Christmas tree involved. My daughter has been wanting to read this one over and over and I’ve obliged!