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I have two books to share today. One is old and one is new. My intention with the library corner was to show you brand new stuff that’s just coming into the bookstores and libraries. But sometimes when I’m shelving books at work I find such treasures that I can’t pass them by. They've had their day of being ‘new’ but then quietly disappear into the stacks and are easily overlooked. So bear with me as I sneak in an oldie, but goodie.
First, the new one. It’s called Big Chickens Fly the Coop, by Leslie Helakoski. As usual, the cover's illustration sucked me in. I just couldn’t pass up four hysterical looking chickens who remind me of myself on certain chaotic days. The second thing that drew me in was the use of language. Having read about a kazillion picture books to my four children through the twenty years I’ve been a parent, I have a soft spot in my heart for books that are actually fun to read aloud. This one qualifies.
The story centers around four chickens who’re feeling a bit cooped up, and longing to see the farmhouse. They venture out of their nests and end up on a great adventure, finding many things around the property that seem, at first, to be the farmhouse. Each two page spread has a huge, colorful picture and a strip of text along the side that describes their journey. Here’s a sample of the fun word usage that makes me love reading.
(After accidentally finding the barn, with a horse inside…) The chickens stomped, whomped, and clompity-clomped. The horses chomped at the bit. Skittish ponies bolted. Frazzled feathers molted. Hard shoes kicked. Wing tips flicked. Manes whipped. Until…(turn the page)… four saddle-sore chickens ran all the way back to the coop.
This is book that kids will love. The pictures are captivating, and the story is a joy to share. It’s definitely worth picking up at the bookstore or library.
Now give me a second to tell you why I loved another book with a great cover illustration. It’s called I Know a Rhino, by Charles Fuge (yes, the same Charles Fuge of Little Wombat fame). I love this book because it centers around a topic that's pretty common to the average preschooler - stuffed animals. All of my kids are over the age of ten but we still have a huge tub of cherished stuffed animals in storage. There’s something very special about the relationship between a child and a fuzzy, stuffed creature.
The text of this book are also very enjoyable to read aloud. Through most of the book it seems that the little girl is daydreaming about having adventures with some pretty wild animals. The fun twist at the end shows her snuggled in bed with each of these "animals," in their more tame, domesticated form.
The rhymes are simple and meaningful. (“I know a pig and we play in the dirt. We always have mud fights but no one gets hurt.”) The pictures capture the fun beautifully. It’s a book I would easily buy as a present for a new mom but also for a preschooler’s birthday.
Pick it up at the library and share it with a little person you love. It’s one of those books that will easily be memorized by even a non-reader, as they hug their own favorite stuffed animal and enjoy the story over and over.
