Favorite Picture Book Readings: May 2015

I read 44 books in May: 4 novels and 40 picture books.
Don't worry, I didn't love them all.
My favorites are below, in no particular order.


Perfectly Arugula
I picked this book off the shelf because of the title. A character named Arugula?! Her friends have names like Parsley and Clover. Arugula has to have everything just perfect. She plans a party that's so perfect her animals friends aren't having fun. After a while, Fidget the squirrel (who wasn't even invited) arrives and things aren't so perfect anymore. Or are they?


This Orq. (he cave boy)
I love this book for a read aloud. Kids will get a kick out of the cave-man voice needed to share the story.


Just in Case
I can relate to Charlie. He likes to be ready for everything and he's got a great imagination. In the end, Charlie learns that sometimes it's okay to NOT be ready.


Crabby Pants
Roger get's crabby a lot. When his brother tells him not to be such a "Crabby Pants", Roger gets an idea. You'll have to read it to find Roger's plan.


Veggies with Wedgies
Vegetables in underwear, how could I resist? The veggies in the garden are curious about the underwear hanging on the clothes line. After some experimentation, most veggies find a pair that fits just right.


Ewe and Aye
The title of this book grabbed my attention. Cute play on words book about two friends.


The Obstinate Pen
I laughed out loud when I read some of the things the pen wrote in this book. Kids will enjoy reading about this pen with a mind of it's own.


What is Part This, Part That?
I like the concept of this book. It's like an advanced opposites book, but more. Describes roller coasters as "part fun and part fright" and a rap song as "part talk and part sing". The illustrations are bring, there are a few fold out pages, and a list of extra "part this, part that" riddles at the end.


Battle Bunny
Gran Gran sends a boy a book for his birthday. It's the "Birthday Bunny" which is for babies. The boy rewrites the story and adds to the pictures to create "Battle Bunny". I can picture kids who are a little defiant enjoying the idea of this book. Could be fun to have kids do this with another "babyish" book.


I Don't Want to Be a Frog
I'd love to do this as a readers theater book. It's basically a conversation between frog and his dad, until wolf comes along. The dad was my favorite character.


The Snatchabook
This is a cute book about a creature who steals bedtime stories. The text is written in rhyme. A nice book that celebrates the ritual of bedtime reading.


You Call That Brave?
A frog wants to have a competition to see who's the bravest animal. Mouse, frog, snail, and sparrow compete and show readers that bravery is personal and different for each.


Perfectly Percy
I found myself smiling a lot throughout this book. I liked the pictures and the text was great, "Percy thought it was time to go back to thinking for himself. He thought things all the day. He thought thoughts through the night." I really liked this cute porcupine.


G is for One Gzonk
It's an anti-alphabet book. I is for Ick (twin brother of Ack) who is always sick. The picture caption says, "If this were a normal alphabet book, I'd say he has INDIGESTION. But it looks like a COLD to me." The picture captions made me laugh out loud while reading this book.


Brief Thief
Leon the chameleon has a bathroom emergency. He steals underwear and then hears a voice. This book has a fun ending.


Take Away the A
Fun take on an alphabet book. "Without the A, Beast is Best." This would be a fun book to turn into a game to see how quickly kids can think of the new word.


The Plot Chickens
Henrietta is a chicken who loves books so much she wants to write more. Who wants to read a book written by a chicken? This was a fun book about the writing process and perseverance.

Happy Reading!