friday's five

Picture books are piled everywhere in my house right now, I tell you. Thanks to the  Cybils Awards, I'm swimming in books. The kids and I are enjoying pulling books from the piles each night to read together, and they're excited to be able to "help" me decide which are the best of the pack. That's the beauty of the whole Cybils thing for me-- I can judge based on what I like in picture books, and I can bring the perspective of my own little ones, as well as the kids' in my preschool class, too. Fabulous!

1.  The Sniffles for Bear by Bonny Becker and illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton -- Bear and Mouse are back, and this time around poor Bear is terribly sick. Who's going to help him, but Mouse, of course. But, Bear and Mouse have a kind of friendship that is sometimes fraught with drama, as Bear is a bit prone to being... dramatic. As I have children that have a few things in common with Bear, they happen to love all of these books.

2.  The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett and illustrated by Poly Bernatene -- Pigmella and Priscilla, switched at a young age and living lives that they were not meant for. This is a funny fairy tale-like story, that even pokes fun at the fairy tale genre in a way that children familiar with those classic stories will definitely find amusing. Best part? The ending takes the cake. Well, for one of the two, that is. Can you guess which one gets to live happily ever after?

3.  The Boy Who Cried Ninja by Alex Latimer -- We first read this one over the summer when we checked it out from the library based upon the cover that made me laugh. I have to admit that my first impression wasn't that positive... it seemed an odd tale. But, after having read it a few more times with the kids, I can't help but acknowledge how much they love this story. The illustrations are adorable, that part I've always thought, and the story is starting to grow on me. Check it out for yourself, and I'd love to hear others' impressions.

4. Hogwash by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jim McMullan -- When a farmer wants to give his pigs a bath, the pigs have other ideas. Mainly NOT taking a bath. The back and forth between the pigs and the farmer are reminiscent of the Doreen Cronin books with the beloved Duck character, and the humor is cute and appealing to young children. The ending is a happy surprise, and kids should get a good chuckle.

5. Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka and illustrated by Chad Cameron -- Ready for some silliness? Every page of this story has a few things that are definitely mixed up, and this is a fun book to read now, as we ease into the heart of Fall. This book is great for reading one on one, making it easier to pause the story at times to talk about the things that are wackily mixed up. I haven't read this with my own kids just yet, but I predict that there will be lots of laughs and shouts of "No!!" when we do, and it will be fun for them to figure out all the silly mix ups.

Hope you find some enjoyment out of these books, and if you're so inclined check out all the other nominated titles over at the Cybils Awards! Round 1 Judges across all the categories are reading away like crazy these days, and we're loving every minute of it!






Always ready for a good picture book,