Picture Book Round-Up: September 2013

Welcome to the picture book Round-up! This is when I corral all the new picture books off of our display and race through them, panning for storytime gold.  Based on a simple 5-star rating system with 3 criteria, I give each book a score for illustration, text, and originality, based on my wholly unscientific gut reactions.  Each round up will also feature two prizes: 'Best on Shelf' and 'Weed on Arrival'.  Who do we have this month?

BANG by Leo Timmers

Illustration: 5
Text: 4
Originality: 5

This book features handsome graphic design, fun repetition, and a crowd-pleasing story told in pictures. Well done, Mr. Timmers!

AH HA! by Jeff Mack

Illustration: 4
Text: 5
Originality: 5
Clever and fun! Definitely add this to your frog/pond/forest critters storytime!

if dogs run free by Bob Dylan

Illustration: 5
Text: 2 (Sorry, Bob!)
Originality: 2

Okay, so I just found out this is actually based on a song, which helps explain things a bit. The illustrations are great, but this book tragically falls right in with the leagues of other horrible children's books written by celebrities. "Oh, winds which rush my tale to thee, so it may flow and be./In harmony with the cosmic sea/True love needs no company"?  Yo Bob, this is a picture book for 3 to 5 year olds! Might work as a parent-pleasing opener for a dog storytime.

Here Comes Firefighter Hippo! by Jonathan London

Illustration: 3
Text: 4
Originality: 4
A solid little story about a helpful hippo and his even more helpful friends.

Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park

Illustration: 4
Text: 5
Originality: 4
Do you love fine verse, party planning and animal classification? This is the book for you!

Monsieur Albert rides to glory by Peter Smith

Illustration: 2
Text: 3
Originality: 5

A clever plot to entertain kids 5 and up.  Features cultural references that might render it useful for French programs.

This Is the Rope by Jacqueline Woodson

Illustration: 5
Text: 3
Originality: 3
Similar in concept to Patricia Polacco's The Blessing Cup, a worthy tale of a family's experience during the migration of southern African Americans to northern cities.

Rumbelow's Dance by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake

Illustration: 5 (It's only Quentin Blake!)

Text: 3

Originality: 3

I found something tedious about the amount of repetition in this book, but maybe children would find it fun using the spirit of the "I'm going to grandmother's house, and I'm bringing..." game.

There you have it, reader: a fine group of freshly-cataloged contenders.  Our very first Best on Shelf award goes to not one but TWO lovely picture books: BANG and AH HA! have both tied with a near-perfect score of 14. Poor Bob Dylan's if dogs run free received a scanty 10 points, earning the Weed On Arrival distinction for this round.  Stay tuned for the October edition of the Picture Book Round-up!