We Love You, Rosie! by Cynthia Rylant illustrated by Linda Davick

image source: Indiebound

We Love You, Rosie! by Cynthia Rylant illustrated by Linda Davick (2017)

by Mary K

Opposites like up and down, day and night, and good and bad are introduced in a series of vignettes about Rosie the dog. Each mini story is ended with the phrase "we love you," demonstrating that no matter what she does, or where she is, Rosie is always loved by the two round-headed children who accompany her. This book would be fine in a toddler storytime, as the illustrations are in bright flat colors and certain words and phrases are repeated multiple times. As there are six stand-alone vignettes, storytime presenters could choose to share two, three, or all six depending on the attention span of the group. Because of the repetition and simple word choice, however, this book might also work as an early reader.

Themes/topics: dogs, pets, opposites, love

Sample text from three spreads:

Hello, Rosie. Do you want to go DOWN? Okay. DOWN go the front feet! DOWN go the back feet! DOWN goes the tail! Rosie is going DOWN!

But Rosie likes UP better. UP is better. UP is much better. 

Rosie, you are UP. And we love you. 

We are Family by Patricia Hegarty illustrated by Ryan Wheatcroft

Image source: Amazon.com

We are Family by Patricia Hegarty illustrated by Ryan Wheatcroft (2017)

by AHK

There are lots of great books about families and family diversity, but this one is worthy of consideration for a couple of reasons. Although the rhyming verses are a little generic and scan better in British English than American English, the message is about reliance, love, and acceptance. One of the things I really respect about this book is the true diversity of family make-up. There's no tokenism, but a wide variety of types of families including a child in a wheelchair. Each spread deals with a different theme, and ten different families are shown dealing with that theme/situation. From poor health to playtime, it really runs the gamut of what it means to be a family. This one is probably best for one-on-one, though may have group use in the right situation. It is still worth having on-hand for display during a family-themed storytime and a good choice for most collections.

Themes/topics: family, love, diversity

Sample text from two spreads: 

When it's time for school, we dash out the door; 
Eager to find out what the day has in store. 
Our journeys are different, by bus, bike, or car, 
But family is with us wherever we are. 

When we feel sick, we stay in our beds, 
Family is there to soothe aching heads. 
They'll comfort and nurse and take special care, 
And we'll be so thankful our loved ones are there. 
 


 

Love is a Truck words by Amy Novesky pictures by Sara Gillingham (2016)

This board book is a great choice for baby and toddler storytimes. The simple rhythmic text combines love of a favorite toy,  the love shared between siblings, and different kinds of vehicles--a winning combination that is just the right length to introduce some complex vocabulary and concepts without losing the audience. Sweet as pie, this is one your audience will love.

Themes/Topics: Trucks, love, siblings, bedtime, play time, vehicles, firetrucks, board books

Sample text from the first two spreads:

"Love is a truck, shiny and new.
Lights and sirens that go woo! woo! woo! 

Love is a fire engine, red as a heart. 
A ladder truck, spotted dog in the back" 

What Do You Love About You

What Do You Love About You by Karen Lechelt (2016)

This is a sweet and simple story that will fit right into a storytime about love, providing a welcome opportunity to build self-esteem by thinking and talking about the things we love about ourselves. The young girl with a dark pageboy and medium brown skin asks various animals (shown as toys at the end) what they love about themselves, and they answer with things that make them happy. Many celebrate their relationship with the girl.

Themes/topics: love, self-esteem, stuffed animals

Sample text from two pages:

What do you love about you? [octopus]/

I love my tentacles because I am a hugging machine

Henry Wants More

Henry Wants More by Linda Ashman illustrated by Brooke Boynton Hughes (2016) #ownvoices?

A loving, multigenerational multi-racial family tries to keep Henry, the youngest, entertained throughout the day as his insatiable desire for repetition exhausts them all. There’s no shortage of love in the family however, and this title is sure to charm young and old—a perfect choice for storytime. I’ve also used it in my lapsit storytime by shortening it and sharing just a few spreads.

Themes/topics: family, love, having fun, siblings, grandparents, behavior

Sample text from two spreads:

 Papa’s lifting Henry high above his head. Henry’s face is joyful. Papa’s face is red. UP and UP and UP again. His arms are getting sore. Papa stops to catch his breath, but Henry hollers: [page turn]

MORE!

Grandma Play piano—it’s Henry’s favorite song. Henry, on her lap, claps and sings along. She plays it once. She plays it twice. She loses count at then. Our ears are getting weary, but Henry cheers: [page turn]

AGAIN!

July Round Up: New Racially Diverse Picture Books for Storytime

 

[You can find a full list of all titles at the bottom of this post]

I Won a What? by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Robert Neubecker

I Won a What? by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Robert Neubecker

Desperate for a pet, a young child tries to win a goldfish at the fair. But instead of a goldfish the prize is Nuncio--a whale! This is a slightly surreal take on the "inconvenient pet becomes useful and beloved" storyline, but one that could certainly work in preschool storytime or early elementary classrooms.

 Themes/Topics: Friendship, Pets, Circus, Whales, Love

Here's a sample of the text. This is the most text that appears on any page:
"We fill our enormous swimming pool with salt water until it's just right for Nuncio. I've always wanted something I could take care of.  Something that loves me back. Maybe that was a lot to ask of a goldfish. But a whale! A whale seems capable of almost anything!"

Puddle by Hyewon Yum

Puddle by Hyewon Yum

A rainy day creates a disgruntled child determined not to be appeased by any activity mom suggests. When her suggestion to spend time drawing is rejected, she cheerfully announces that she'll just draw by herself. Of course, the child becomes intrigued and they draw themselves into a rainy day scene, creating a narrative as they draw. Mom gets upset when the child "splashes" in the puddle they drew by scribbling, and mom looks quite concerned when they go outside and a giant puddle appears ahead. Happily, though unsurprisingly, she throws caution to the wind and they jump and splash together.
Part of the book is told through dialogue, with the mother's words in red and the child's in black, so larger groups might get lost unless you're comfortable reading with voices, but it should definitely be part of your collection anyway. Yum's skilled and delightful illustrations are wonderful as always.

Themes/Topics: Rain, Drawing, Imagination, Mothers, Dogs, Weather

Red Yellow Blue (And a Dash of White Too!)  by C. G. Esperanza

Red Yellow Blue (And a Dash of White Too!)  by C. G. Esperanza

This one is a welcome addition to the color theory shelf. In a riot of color, wordplay, and imagination, a young child wrangles a paintbrush mixing colors and bringing different animals to life until things get a little out of control with a "Grayish--Brownish Mud monster," but ultimately the mud monster just wants to get in on the action too, and paints portraits of all the other animals.

Text sample--full of opportunities for wordplay and movement, here's the first spread:
"Splish Splash Sploosh! I painted an elephant BLUE 
with a splash of RED and YELLOW and a dash of WHITE, too.

Swoosh Swash Swish! She mixed BLUE and YELLOW 
BLUE and YELLOW made GREEN!
Like a GREEN frog fellow.  

Themes/Topics: Color, Art, Imagination

Salad Pie written by Wendy BooydeGraaff illustrated by Bryan Langdo

Salad Pie written by Wendy BooydeGraaff illustrated by Bryan Langdo

An empty playground is the perfect setting for Maggie to make "Salad Pie" (a cleaner version of mud pie), but then Herbert shows up and--even worse--he wants to help. Maggie bossily rejects his attempts to help until she accidentally slips down the slide, dropping the salad into the air. Herbert saves the day by catching both her and the pie, and their friendship is solidified as they make plans to make "Sandwich Stew" tomorrow.

This one includes lots of places to add a little singing refrain, and isn't too wordy, making it a good storytime selection:
"Into the oven," said Maggie, and she closed the imaginary oven door with panache. Gently, ever so gently, Maggie danced her jig. Softly, ever so softly, she sang, "Salad Pie, oh Salad Pie! Soon you'll be ready, Salad Pie!

Themes/Topics: Friendship, Imagination, Playgrounds, Food

How to Find Gold by Viviane Schwarz

How to Find Gold by Viviane Schwarz

Anna and her best friend, Crocodile, decide to find gold even though it will be dangerous and difficult.

Several very wordy pages are followed by several wordless pages, which means this one is a better fit for very dialogic storytime groups who have practice reading and interpreting the pictures in a story.

One spread reads:
"Gold is always hidden. We need a map with an X where the gold is," said Crocodile. 
"That's easy, said Anna. "Draw a map of the whole world, to be sure." 
"It doesn't have an X," Said Crocodile when the map was finished. 
Anna drew one on. 
"The gold is in France!" said Anna. "How do we get to France?" 
"Hm," said Crocodile. "I don't know that bit."

Themes/Topics: Treasure, Ships/Sailing, Crocodiles, Pirates (not specifically, but it definitely works), Imagination, Bravery, Friendship, Travel

Emma and Julia Love Ballet by Barbara McClintock

Emma and Julia Love Ballet by Barbara McClintock

A day in the lives of two girls who love ballet are compared and contrasted. Emma, a young white girl, and Julia, an older black teen, both wake up early, both eat breakfast and both get dressed for a ballet lesson. But while Emma is excited to go the the city and watch a ballet later that night, Julia is in the performance. Most children reading this book will be able to relate to Emma as a beginning dancer, and will share her admiration and be inspired by Julia, who is an advanced dancer participating in live performances on stage.

Here's a sample of the text--the parallel stories and repetition make it a good fit for storytime:
"Some of Emma's friends take tap lessons. Some of Julia's friends take tap too. Some of Emma's friends take jazz lessons. Some of Julia's friends take jazz too. Some of Emma's friends dream of dancing on Broadway. Some of Julia's friends are dancing on Broadway. But Emma and Julia love ballet."

Themes/Topics: Dance, Ballet, Careers/Jobs people do, Practice

I Won a What? by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Robert Neubecker
Puddle by Hyewon Yum
Red Yellow Blue (And a Dash of White Too!)  by C. G. Esperanza
Salad Pie written by Wendy BooydeGraaff illustrated by Bryan Langdo
How to Find Gold by Viviane Schwarz
Emma and Julia Love Ballet by Barbara McClintock