I was all excited today because I was sure the Canpar guy would bring me a package from Random House containing Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist which I read about over at Bookshelves of Doom a few weeks ago. Sadly, it was not to be. So you all will have to do with some picture books instead.

First up is Move! by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. This book is all about the different ways that animals move, i.e. floating, running, climbing, slithering. There are two things I love about this book. The first is the illustrations. They are cut paper collages, and each animal is so well done, it takes my breath away. I have always been a big fan of collage, and these two are masters. The second thing I love is the transition from animal to animal. So smooth, it’s like buttah! Each page contains two animals, each moving the same way, for instance, a jacana dives to catch a fish, and beside him, a blue whale also dives. The following page shows a blue whale swimming in the sea, and an armadillo swimming across a stream, etc. I also really appreciated the two pages at the back of the book that take the time to explain each animal, its habitat, and average size (including both imperial and metric measurements!). A great book for pre-schoolers through grade 2.

Next up is another collage book: Look! Look! Look! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace and Linda K. Friedlaender. Phew, those names are certainly a mouthful! Anyways, this is a great art book for the younger set. The story revolves around three young mice, who find an art postcard and decide to study it. The postcard is a portrait of an Elizabethan woman, and the mice do a great job of deconstructing the colors and shapes used by the artist. What I think this book best accomplishes is showing kids how to look at paintings and see more than just the surface. This book would be a great one to read to a class before a trip to the museum or art gallery. Appropriate for about the same ages as the previous one.


When You Were Small is a gorgeously old fashioned book. Every night, Henry asks his father to tell him about when he was small. Henry's dad has a bit of a sense of humor, and all the anecdotes he relates (one per page) involve a very small Henry indeed. (See how old-fashioned?! I said "indeed"). For instance, when Henry was small, his father tells him, "you rode on the cat's back like you were an emperor and he was an elephant." Julie Morstad's charming line illustrations fit so nicely in with author Sara O'Leary's text that I truly cannot imagine a better pairing.

The other day I was laughing about a send up of the classic Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. Apparently it is not beloved by everyone. I do like it for the most part, myself, but I can see why others would have a problem with it. For those, I suggest Sleepy Boy. This is a lovely story about a sleepy boy who will not sleep. It is not at all silly, even though it features a not so sleepy kid and lions. Really, it is quite gentle, and author Polly Kanevsky does an amazing job with the language. It is light years away from the over the top sweetness of Munsch's story, and yet remains wonderfully touching. This is Kanevsky's first book, and I have to say, bravo! I hope she does plenty more. Every parent should own this wonderful bedtime story

Move! written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
ISBN 061864637X
32 pages

Look! Look! Look! written and illustrated by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace with Linda K. Friedlaender
ISBN 0761452826
40 pages

When You Were Small written by Sara O'Leary illustrated by Julie Morstad
ISBN 1894965361
32 pages