friday's five, animals animals!

Summer break is officially upon our lives, so the kids are home all day along with all the chaos that accompanies them. Our days of reading picture books are long gone, but they'll occasionally still look through some if I have them piled up, which always makes me smile.

This week, I've got a couple books that I picked up at the library and a couple of old favorites of mine from my own collection. Shall we get to the animals?

1. Those Darn Squirrels! written by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

I have found my picture book character soulmate, and it is Old Man Fookwire. A lover of all kinds of birds, he sets up feeders everywhere and admiringly watches the birds come and eat. But, soon enough, the squirrels start to take over, eating all the food away from the birds. Fookwire, do I ever feel your pain! This book is silly and fun, with, of course, a favorable ending for all. Read this one while near a bird feeder, and you'll likely be able to yell the title at least once and make it count in real life, too! (This one came as a recommendation from a friend, and I just saw that there are sequels! Back to the library!)

2. Ayobami and the Names of the Animals written by Pilar López Ávila and illustrated by Mar Azabal

This contemporary picture book has the feeling of a folk tale from the past, with the main character interacting with animals as she heads on her way to school. Though each animal would like to eat Ayobami, she convinces each of them to let her pass so she can go to school to learn to read and write, and in return she will bring them a paper with their name written on it. This intrigues all of the animals, so she is allowed to pass again and again, and she stays true to her promise. This magical element to an otherwise realistic story is joyful and fun.
(As I turned the first page of this book, I was struck by how different the page felt between my fingers, and there's a note that says it's made with "stone paper"- waterproof and tear resistant, and produced without water, without trees, and without bleach. A whole new world!)

3. The Crocodile and the Dentist written and illustrated by Taro Gomi

Though the text is pretty short here, I'm confident in predicting that this one will get kids giggling pretty quickly. Looking at the cover makes it easy to guess that neither of the title characters are looking forward to their visit together. The exclamations from each may be the same on each two-page spread, but the meaning behind them is unique to each character. Readers will surely feel sympathy for both, but in the end, the message is a good one that parents will all agree on-- brush your teeth!

4. Calvin Can't Fly: The Story of a Bookworm Birdie written by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Keith Bendis

Oh, how I loved reading this one to my preschoolers back in the day. It's silly but sweet, and the depiction of starlings makes me laugh, especially after years of watching them be powerhouses at my feeders in real life. But Calvin isn't like the other starlings-- all 67,439 of his family members-- because he's an absolute book lover. He can't get enough stories and books, and unfortunately, that happens at the expense of learning to fly. When it comes time to migrate, Calvin is in big trouble. But, a HUGE family comes in handy sometimes, and he surely can't be left behind, right? 

5. Mr. Tiger Goes Wild written and illustrated by Peter Brown

Okay, this is one of my absolute favorites ever. My full review from 2013 can be found here (and it's one that I'm quite proud of, actually!), but I'll just say that this book hits perfect notes on so many levels. The flow of the text is magical, making it a gem of a read aloud. The varying sizes and scope of the illustrations 1000% match with the development of the plot, adding to the character development of Mr. Tiger in a unique way. There is a page in which the text changes type and bursts out of the speech bubble just as Mr. Tiger does, in fact, go wild, and it's a detail that I think is easily brushed past but is actually quite brilliant. I seriously love everything about this book.

Forget that hot summer trip to the zoo, just grab these books and enjoy the animals!