friday's five

Another Friday, another five picture books that have brought us some smiles! This week it's a nice mix of library books, a book on loan from a friend, and two new releases that came in the mail this week for review.

1. The Loud Book by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Renata Liwska -- While my kids enjoyed Underwood's previous book The Quiet Book for its cute illustrations and interesting look at the different types of quiet one might experience, the title alone of this one had them uber-excited. (In case you didn't know, my kids tend to lean more toward the LOUD end of the spectrum than the quiet...) The same idea is in play here, and my personal favorite is the "deafening silence loud," which was fun to try to explain to the kids! These are very thoughtful, one-on-one books in my opinion.

2. Pirate Vs. Pirate: The Terrific Tale of a Big, Blustery Maritime Match by Mary Quattlebaum, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger -- Big, burly Bart and mean, mighty Mo are two pireates you don't want to mess with. When they try to outdo each other in everything pirate, they come to find that they're tied in their abilities time and time again... which causes them to look at each other in a different light. Pirates? Yup. Falling in love? You got it. Beloved by each of my two younger children for very different reasons!

3. The Sleep Sheep by Anna McQuinn and Hannah Shaw -- Sylvie can't sleep, so her mother suggests the age old method of counting sheep. But what to do when the sheep won't cooperate- it's very, very hard to count sheep who rollerblade and skateboard down the road! When they finally settle down, Sylvie succeeds in getting a good count and enjoying the benefit of doing so- falling asleep! Don't miss the giggles on the final page!

4. Fanny by Holly Hobbie -- For moms who can't stand the trendZ of sexified dolls and toys for little girls, this book will hit the spot. My own daughter pointed out that the mom in the book is "just like" me because, "she doesn't want Fanny to have anything inappropriate for her." Yeah, this one manages to give credit to the idea of homemade and simplicity without completely vilifying other choices. This is from the author of Toot and Puddle, who has more books out than I had realized. Hello library!

5. Alfie Runs Away by Kenneth M. Cadow -- Should I be concerned that my children love this book as much as they do? The classic theme of frustrated child declaring "I'm running away," only to be met with a kind and compassionate parent who "helps" him in his efforts. I love the reason why Alfie is hoofing it- his mom has the terrible intent in getting rid of his favorite red shoes which he has outgrown. How dare she! (I can so relate to that!)


Picture books for the WIN,