friday's five

Picture book time, again! When I get a comment or an email from a friend that they've just put a book on hold at the library after seeing it on one of these friday's five posts, it seriously warms my book-loving heart. I love to hear what you think about the books you and your kids are reading, so feel free to share away! This week's five balance some classics with some newer books to love!


1. Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt -- My 5M4B editor Jennifer adores Scaredy Squirrel, and after checking a couple books out of the library, now I know why. Oh, this anxious little yard rodent is truly endearing. Just one look at the cover image of his blue tux and "Chandleresque" smile, and I knew this one would make me giggle. Oh yeah, the kids like it, too. If you're going to read this one, don't let the slim size fool you- there's a lot going on and lots of text to read in a nontraditional storybook format. But it's all great fun, and totally worth it!

2. Manuelo the Playing Mantis by Don Freeman --Best known for his Corduroy fame, this more recent book by Freeman is a lesser-known piece of beauty. Honestly, I'm loving this book, and not just because it ties in with the egg case that we're waiting to open and hatch a couple hundred praying mantises! It's really a lovely story with beautiful watercolor painting illustrations. Manuelo is on a quest to make music of his own, and with a little help from some friends, he finds his own special way.

3. Monster Day at Work by Sarah Dyer -- When a little monster goes with his dad to work one day, he narrates how he is experiencing all the "same" things his dad does each day. Of course, his child perspective of a work day is a bit skewed, which will make parents chuckle. (My favorite part comes at the very end with his assessment of his stay-at-home-mom's level of responsibilities!) Since my own two kids think their Dad sits at his desk and types on a computer aimlessly all day, this is a cute book for them.

4. If You're a Monster and You Know It by Rebecca & Ed Emberley -- To the tune of that familiar kids' song, this is a unique take that keeps the monstery-fun theme going. If you're familiar with Ed Emberley's illustrative style, you'll recognize the bold colors and collage format. My kids love books that are meant to be sung, and this one even has a recorded version that you can download here. Kids and parents can't help but sing along!

5. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper and illustrated by Loren Long -- You can't get more classic than this story. I love this version with its beautiful new illustrations, and I love that this gorgeous hardcover book was given away to all visitors to the National Book Festival a few years back. I'm going to be reviewing an animated film version of this classic story for a cool giveaway on 5 Minutes for Books in coming weeks, so we've been revisiting this fun story.


Happy Friday and wishing you fun reading,