The Book Jam

May brings Children’s Book Week, and The Book Jam failed to celebrate on time. However, since we believe in reading and honoring children’s books year round, we are extending the weekly celebration by highlighting a few of our favorite 2014 picture books (at least so far).  And, since the combination of illustrations and writing is key to this genre, we would like to point out that by coincidence, in each of our picks, the author and the illustrator are the same person.

The Girl and the Green Bicycle written and illustrated by Mark Peck (2014) – A lovely, lovely book, with enchanting pictures that wonderfully illustrate the virtues of love, hard work, and making the best of a situation. And, it does so without preaching. Prior to posting, we showed this to a few customers in the Norwich Bookstore and they were all a bit teary while they read.

This wordless picture book tells a moving story of a girl who wants a green bicycle she spots in a store window. When her piggy bank does not hold enough to purchase it immediately, she sets about to earn the necessary funds. Then, just when she earns enough to purchase the bike, it is gone.  Does she wallow?  Does she pout?  Nope – she uses her money to buy something for her brother instead.  Is she rewarded?  YES!  But, we will make you read it to discover the nature of this reward. Enjoy this yourself and then give to many others. (After reading this we discovered Mr. Peck also wrote and illustrated The Boy and The Airplane, and that the characters from that first book are subtle plot devices in this one.) ~ Lisa Christie

Two Speckled Eggs written and illustrated by Jennifer K. Mann (2014) – A great story for anyone who has ever been the odd person out. It uses a girl’s birthday party to show how hard being a friend can be, and how the “in” crowd is not always all it is cracked up to be. To sum, Ginger’s mom makes her invite ALL the girls in her class to her party, including Lyla Browning, who smells like old leaves and once brought a tarantula to school. Then, during the party, some of the girls change the rules to the games making Ginger feel badly, and no one likes her birthday cake — except Lyla. By the time Lyla gives Ginger her present, Ginger wonders, is “being different really such a bad thing?”. ~ Lisa Christie

How to Cheer Up Dad written and illustrate by Fred Koehler (2014) – A hilarious book that reverses the parent and child relationships, and makes you realize your kids really do have the power to make you feel better. In this tale, an elephant just can’t understand why his dad is having such a bad day. It couldn’t be the raisins he spit out at the ceiling or the bath he refused to take. Luckily, he has a plan to turn Dad’s day around —  doing some of his dad’s (wink wink) favorite things. HINT – This is perfect for Father’s Day. ~ Lisa Christie

BONUS — for children who are a little bit older — The WHO WAS…? WHAT WAS …? SERIES

Thanks to Liza at the Norwich Bookstore, my son discovered this series as a 2nd grader. He loved them so much he would ask for extra chores to earn money to purchase the new titles.  Each book in the series focuses on a specific personality or event in history. Some – Bill Gates, JK Rowling – feature people who are still living among us, but most do not. Each book has goofy illustrations that make the topic seem less daunting. But, the material is interesting enough to keep older elementary school (3rd-5th grade) kids interested. Pick one and enjoy getting hooked. ~ Lisa Christie