five fun fiction books for friday

How about another five for Friday?  Cybils nominees that is!  I'm almost exactly halfway through the 263 nominated books, and Red and Pudge (and sometimes even JAM!) have been loving the wide variety of new books that we've been reading each day.  I know that I won't be able to review all of the titles, so I want to highlight just a handful each week that we've enjoyed.

1.  Nabeel's New Pants: An Eid Tale by Fawzia Gilani-Williams, illustrated by Proiti Roy -- I was happy to see an entertaining and inviting story about a different culture to share with my children on the Cybils list.  The story follows a pattern of Nabeel, the father of a family, asking for help shortening and hemming his new pants, but his wife, mother and daughter are all busy preparing for Eid.  After he decides to attempt it himself, all three of his loving relatives fit in some time to do the job as well, leaving Nabeel with a pair of pants MUCH too short.  Simple introductions to the Islamic holiday that marks the end of the month of fasting, Ramadan, are incorporated into the story, combining a simple, fun story with a multicultural education.

2.  Goodnight Little Monster by Helen Ketteman, illustrated by Bonnie Leick -- Even little monsters need some parental care and comforting at bedtime!  Little monster gets bathed (and de-bugged), dressed (and hair tangled), and a story read (followed by a quick check under the bed for any scary children hiding underneath).  When climbing into bed, the monster mama encourages her little monster to cuddle up with his stuffed toy slug.  (That detail cracked me up!)  This unique take on the bedtime routine book entertained my own children, making for the perfect bedtime story around Halloween!

3.  Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan, illustrated by Sophie Blackall --- I'm a big fan of this story's presentation of an unfair aspect of chidren's lives, especially those older siblings.  The cultural references give a greater depth to the story and the conflict that Rubina experiences as her mother's expectations of her don't mesh well with what her peers are accustomed to.  The consequences are sad to read about, but Rubina's mature reaction to a similar situation sometime later provides a jumping off point for discussions about sacrifice, dealing with disappointment, and understanding others' perspectives.  Overall, a great picture book for older children.

4.  Mr. President Goes to School by Rick Walton, illustrated by Brad Sneed -- As a preschool teacher, this book definitely hit a soft spot.  When Mr. President finds himself just a wee bit overwhelmed, he decides to take a day to return "to a place where the world was a little simpler."  Mrs. Appletree greets him as a new student, and he spends the day finger painting, playing outdoors, taking turns, and learning to calmly handle disagreements.  Upon his return to the White House, Mr. President finds that those lessons he revisited on his trip to school even come in handy when you're the leader of the free world.  Fun, fun reading!

5.  Brontorina by James Howe, illustrated by Randy Cecil -- What happens when a dinosaur wants to learn to dance ballet?  When Brontorina's determination impresses Madame Lucille, she tries to figure out how to make it work for Brontorina to be one of her students, but it's not an easy task.  (She is a GIGANTIC dinosaur, after all!)  Madame Lucille's determination matches Brontorina's and a happy solution is discovered in the end.  My own children (one a huge lover of ballerinas) found this book to be highly entertaining, and it's been a frequently requested read from the library shelf!


For more fun picks, check out the list of picture books that have been nominated for the 2010 Cybils Award. 


Hoping you like them too,