Some Favorite Picture Books

It has been quite awhile since my last post, I am realizing. I've got a bunch of books that I keep meaning to write about so that I can finally take them back to the library, so here goes.

First on the list is The Dog Child by Simon Black, illustrated by Honorio Robledo. I thought this book was cute, and a little bit weird, but it was a big hit with the boys. It is about a couple who treats their dog as though she is their daughter, even sending her to kindergarten. Finally the dog gets her secret wish when her humans have a baby, and she gets to go back to being a regular pet:


The next book that merits mention comes with a warning. It is The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. I am not actually recommending this book. This story was surprisingly violent. The wolves start out building a house of brick, which the pig knocks down with a sledgehammer. Their second house, built of concrete, is smashed down by a pneumatic drill. They build their third house out of barbed wire, iron bars, armor plates, heavy metal padlocks, Plexiglas and reinforced steel chains. The pig blows this house up with dynamite. The illustration on this page looks like a scene from Iraq. I have been showing the book to everyone who comes over, which has launched it to celebrity status, and Adam has been begging for it ever since:


My third recommendation is A Harvest of Color by Melanie Eclare. This is the nonfiction account, illustrated with photographs by the author, of a group of children who grew vegetables together one summer. Each child picks a different vegetable and talks about planting and taking care of it as it grows. At the end of the summer they make a giant salad of their harvest and eat it together. This book has really captivated the boys:

Well, we hope you enjoy our recommendations. Happy Reading!