friday's five

More library selections to share with you this week. We've been enjoying funny books, alphabet books, and nonfiction books that relate to what we're seeing lots of outdoors lately.

1. Leap Back Home to Me by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Matthew Cordell -- Gentle rhymes and soft watercolor illustrations make this a lovely little book to read before bedtime. Mama frog waits on the lily pad for her child to return to her after his adventures. Sometimes she has some food waiting, other times simply a hug, but she's always there for him. It's a common theme in children's books, but one that can never be said enough.

2. Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack: An Alphabetical Adventure by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsey Lewin -- Oh, Duck, how we all love you. I like that this isn't your average ABC book. Instead of an "A is for..." format, this book has a sort of storyline, with each page showing an action that begins with the letters of the alphabet in order. All the funny animals from the Cronin/Lewin previous books are here- chickens, cows, little mice- all in Lewin's signature whimsical style. Lots of fun for repeated reads!

3. A is for Zebra by Mark Shulman and illustrated by Tamara Petrosino -- It looks like a newer version of this picture book was released earlier this year, but the copy we have from the library is a few years older with a different cover. Talk about a different kind of alphabet book! Instead of focusing on the letters that begin each word, this one gives some much due attention to the letters that end some of our favorite words. Zebra gets to jump from the final page up to the very front! I love the educational usefulness of this book, and it's just plain fun.

4. I Love Bugs!  by Emma Dodd -- Yes, this title resonates with us!! We're still seeing a praying mantis here and there out in our garden since we released a TON of them last month, and the kids are always excited to see (most kinds of) bugs all around. This picture book has short text and is heavy on descriptive words- talking about how bugs look and how they move. Emma Dodd's illustrative style is nothing but fun-- bright colors and bold black lines, with lots of little details on the bugs' bodies that make them look realistic even beside the more simple depiction of the observant child. This is the perfect book to have on your shelf over the summer.

5. Ripley's Incredible Insects by Louise A. Gikow -- Can you say cool??? This nonfiction book isn't technically a picture book, but it's definitely got some AMAZING photographs. The kids and I have been reading segments of this as parts catch our eye, and as you can imagine, we've learned some incredible things. I love the photo of a Polyphemus Moth, and the kids' excitedly remembered that we found one of those on a tree last year one day when we were walking to the pool. I also particularly love that my super-smart kids could identify many of the bugs in this book!


There you have it- we're happily reading our summer away. Hope you and yours are enjoying some fun picture books, too. Don't forget the fun that can be had with nonfiction titles, as well!


Buggily yours,