That Is Not A Good Idea!

That Is Not A Good Idea!
By: Mo Willems

This picture book is great! The art, the characters, the style, and most importantly the twist at the end. One of my friend's said the ending is very M Night Shyamalan, think the movies Sixth Sense or The Village. I crack up when I read this book, and I love reading it to adults and kids. The book is set-up like a silent movie and very vaudeville in style. The facial expressions on the characters are expressive, as they usually would have to be in silent movies. It is about a fox and a goose who meet and decide to go for a walk together in the woods, which of course sounds like "That is Not A Good Idea!".

I don't want to give anything away, you'll have to read the book. It really is... a good idea!

That Is Not a Good Idea! 

By: Mo Willems

 This seems like a straight-forward story of a fox trying to catch and eat the goose, but like all Mo Willems books there is a hilarious twist. The style of the picture book reminds me of silent movies and vaudeville. The art is cute and the text is perfect for read out loud fun. The ending on first read, takes you by surprise first time and just makes you want to giggle.

I highly recommend this book for teachers, librarians, and parents. It works in all situations and kids will want to hear it multiple times because it is an easy laugh.

The Disney Ballad of Nessie

The Disney Ballad of Nessie
written by: Kiernan Lachlan
illustrated by: Andy Harkness

I never thought that I'd suggest or choose a Disney book, but this has both a beautiful story and beautiful illustrations; on top of those are some great messages for kids. Nessie lives in the forest with her friend McQuack then a man comes and builds a country club / miniture golf course forcing  Nessie and McQuack to move. They have trouble finding a place to live and Nessie cries in despair so much that it fills a valley creating a loch, her new home. One of the best lines I have read in a children's picture book is here, "Dinna be afraid to cry; it really is okay! Sometimes it's through our tears that we find a better way."

Lessons for adults as well as children. An all around amazing book. 

The Monster Who Loved Books

Monster Who Loved Books

By: Keith Faulkner

Illustrated by: Jonathan Lambert

This is one of my go to books for story times especially when the theme is monsters or books. Bradley lives above his father's book store and is awakened one night when he hears something down stairs in the book store. It turns out that there is a monster eating books. Bradley shows the monster what books are really for and in telling the monster about books gets whisked away to a place where books come to life.

This book shows how books can whisk you away to a different world and expand your imagination. The pop-ups fit well with the story and do not seem gratuitous. The illustration has been executed with a child's eye in mind and the story flows for great out loud reading. The details in the background provide for easy conversation with kids about books and nursery rhymes they may know. I highly recommend this book.