five fun fiction books for friday

Another Friday brings another set of picks directly from the Cybils nominees list, and these five are a nice assortment of laughs and lovely.  Red and Pudge and I have been going through our collection, and these are the five that I've enjoyed reading the most this week.  If you're looking for some cute picture books, see if you can get your hands on any of these:

1. Monsters Eat Whiny Children by Bruce Eric Kaplan -- I admit that I haven't read this one with the kids yet (it just came in yesterday afternoon), but it's on tap for today.  I, however, was laughing before I even got to the story.  The opening spread (the endpages, right?) got to me immediately, and I knew this story would resonate with me.  I'm curious to see how the kids react, but I predict that they're going to find some humor here, too.  I have to say that the illustrations don't seem like they'd appeal to kids all that much on first impression, but I am still overwhelmingly charmed by this book.  Maybe it's a picture book better suited for parents.  (Especially those with whiny children...)

2. Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown -- This one I've read with the kids.  About five times in the last few days, in fact.  Simply put, they LOVE this one.  And I gotta say that I love reading it.  For whatever reason, the little girl bear immediately got a "Valley Girl" accent on our first read aloud, and it seems to fit perfectly.  I love the twist on perspective for this one, which I'm pretty sure goes right over the kids' heads, but it's funny, with cute illustrations and lots of opportunities for read-aloud dramatics, so it has quickly soared to the top of our reading list right now.  (I was surprised by how different it feels from Brown's magnificent The Curious Garden from last year, another of our favorites.)

3. Brand-New Baby Blues by Kathi Appelt and illustrated by Kelly Murphy -- While we will never be experiencing these "blues" again in our family (that factory is closed for business, my friends), I'm pretty sure that Red likes reading this book as a reminiscing sort of experience.  The cartoon-like illustrations are definitely appealing and the story affirms those not-so-great feelings that older siblings may have when that darn new baby comes and messes up their perfect little life.  I like these types of honest books, and of course, the big sister comes to appreciate the new baby, just like in real life, making this a great pick for a big brother/big sister gift.  

4. Cupcake by Charise Mericle Harper -- Just look at that cover- talk about inviting!  The kids have adored this one, as could be expected.  It's got some laughs and an ending that had Red loudly giggling and trying to explain some things to a character who's a little bit clueless.  This is one cute little book that should inspire a baking session, especially because it includes recipes in the end that you probably have all the ingredients already on hand.  Get reading and cooking, folks!


5.  All the Seasons of the Year by Deborah Lee Rose and illustrated by Kay Chorao -- I do enjoy Chorao's traditional and beautiful illustrations, so I knew this one would be lovely to look at, and I was happy to find Rose's text to be special and just perfect for a snuggling-up kind of story time.  This makes for a nice, quiet read, and I particularly agree with Jennifer of Jean Little Library when she tells fellow librarians, "Weed your copies of "Love You Forever" and add this one instead!"  As a parent who thinks that other book is more than a little freaky (instead of sweet and touching as it's intended to be), I wholeheartedly agree!

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


Joyfully reading away,