friday's five

Can you believe this is the ninth straight week of Cybils-nominated picture books being featured on friday's five? This will make 45 mini-reviews of fiction picture book nominations here on my silly little blog, and that can be added to the 27 slightly-more-substantial mini-reviews I've done over the same period of time over on 5 Minutes for Books, and that makes a whole lot of picture book love going on! I'm planning on three more weeks of this Cybils joy, so we'll get close to 100 in no time.

1. Mine! by Shutta Crum and illustrated by Patrice Barton -- Oh, where was this book when two year old Red was playing with six month old Pudge? I don't remember a ton of the "mine!" exclamations, but I know there must have been a bit of that since these two are so close in age. Barton has perfectly captured the interactions of these two little ones in the illustrations here, and any parent who has ever placed two toddlers in the same play space will appreciate this one, while preschoolers will giggle at the ways they used to be when they were "little."

2. Red Wagon by Renata Liwska -- Lucy is a cute little fox who just wants to play with her new red wagon, not do anything even remotely resembling chores with it! But, she listens to her mom anyway and heads off to get some veggies with her wagon. The trip to the market is so filled with adventurous play, that poor little Lucy is exhausted upon her return. The juxtaposition between the words and the illustrations will be picked up by astute little readers and listeners, and the final image is one that many young children will relate to, since playing can be tough work!

3. Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat by Philip C. Stead -- I have a special place in my heart for Stead's A Sick Day for Amos McGee from last year, so I really want to LOVE this book. I'm getting there... slowly. The illustrations are beautifully rendered with muted colors and interesting collage pieces, and the cover is way enticing to young and old. The story is just a little odd, from the beginning premise of a child's stuffed animal being traded away by his parents for a toaster to the adventure he goes on in search of his beloved stuffed toy. But, lots of little ones LOVE odd stories, so I suspect this will be received positively by young kids.

4. Library Lily by Gillian Shields and illustrated by Francesca Chessa -- Pudge recently got his first ever library card after his birthday, so he has joined the rest of the crew in checking out his own books on our visits now. (Woo-hoo, we now have a family limit of 375 books!!) Both he and Red enjoyed this cute little story of Lily and Milly, two little girls with different ideas of seeing the world and having adventures. A balance between active play and reading seems to be a perfect fit for them both, and their friendship is as perfect as their rhyming names.

5. You're Finally Here by Melanie Watt -- Ready for some laughs? When we read this book together in the van after picking it up from the library, the kids were cracking up in the seat behind me as I showed them the pictures and found an enthusiastic voice to fit the excited rabbit. I love the whole "meta" thing that Watt has embraced with her Chester books and this latest. The line between picture book and real life is blurred, for the rabbit is talking to you, the reader, when you pick up this book, and what could be funnier to kids?

As always, all opinions expressed here are mine alone, and not representative of the other judges or the Cybils Awards. I hope you find some books here that will bring a smile to your kids' faces! I encourage you to check out all the other nominated titles over at the Cybils Awards, and I am having a ton of fun reading through all the books and sharing my opinions with you all!