friday's five

Five picture books, coming up. I've got to admit though, that this week differs slightly from most installments, and you'll see the change of tone come up as we ease into this week's number five entry. Yeah, I'm hoping to hear some opinions about that one. Here's a slice of what we've been reading this week:

1. Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth! by Marie-Louise Gary -- Poor Roslyn- all she wants to do is dig the largest hole ever, and she even is quite thoughtful about where she chooses to initially dig, but she keeps facing obstacles, nonetheless. This plan of hers to dig to the South Pole and meet a penguin seems doomed, but thankfully she has a dad who knows when to stay out of things and when to lend a hand (or a bit of imaginative contributions to the play). This is a sweet book that both Red and Pudge have pulled off the library shelf several times in the last two weeks or so, and it's one that I don't mind reading again and again, too!

2. Skunk's Spring Surprise by Leslea Newman and illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev -- Red chose this one from the library's seasonal display. With the absolutely glorious weather that we've been having lately, it's hard to remember the cold temperatures we faced not too long ago. It may not be the first week of Spring anymore, but this picture book will surely still bring smiles to the faces of little kids who are thrilled to be back outside in the beautiful weather, noticing the reappearance of the animals all around them, maybe even spotting ones they know among the cast of wild creatures. (The reappearance of the chipmunks around our house is what really does it for me- yay!!)

3. A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker and illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton -- How is it that I didn't realize there were other books featuring this lovable, if sometimes testy, bear and his little mouse friend? Thanks to a friend who's been swapping picture books with me (we call it spreading the wealth of our own personal libraries five books at a time), I'm not tuned into this other title and plan on looking for the others at the library, too. I believe this may be the book that came first, and it's been enjoyed by my kids for its pieces of repetition that allow them to participate, as well as for its fun story arc. I am a huge fan of these gorgeous watercolor illustrations!

4. The Secret Footprints by Julia Alvarez and illustrated by Fabian Negrin -- Red handed me this book to read the other day, declaring it was one that she had chosen. I started to read the cover information and stopped at the author's name: Julia Alvarez. Wait. The same Julia Alvarez whose novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent I read, who I listened to speak in her beautiful lilting voice at the National Book Festival a couple of years back? I had no idea that her range of writing was so broad- from picture books through novels, but I suddenly knew to expect a beautifully told story. I wasn't disappointed in the least. Based on a folktale from the Dominican Republic where she grew up, this is an imaginative and lovely story that both my young children sat enthralled through.

5. Eloise by Kay Thompson -- Another book chosen by Red, and when it was chosen for our story time before nap this week, I realized that I had never read it before. Horrendous for a kidlit lover, right? Well, just a few pages in and I then realized that I'd rather pull every hair out of my head than have to read this book ever again. I'm simply not a fan. While I like the "voice" of the character and the way the narrative is written in her childlike tone, with sentences that just keep going and funny phrases interspersed, I just wanted to climb into the book and offer her some much, much needed guidance. I was exhausted after reading this tome out loud, and then I felt compelled to instruct my children that she is not a character to be emulated. I believe my exact words were: "If Eloise was our neighbor, you would not be allowed to play with her." I posted on Facebook about my reading experience and had a handful of responses from folks in the same camp as me. What say you?

There you have it. Another Friday, another round of picture books, albeit one that will be returned to the library very soon.

Happy reading,