One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree

One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree by Daniel Bernstrom, pictures by Brendan Wenzel (2016) #ownvoices 

This is one of those books that just delights in words, sounds, and vocabulary. A boy strolls along, distracted by his pinwheel and is gobbled by a snake under the eponymous branches of the eucalyptus tree. The boy keeps convincing the snake that there’s room for the snake to keep eating—his belly isn’t full yet. Of course, eventually the snake reaches his limit, and, with an enormous belch, all the eaten creatures are freed. The snake slithers off with a tummy-ache, and the boy reclines happily in the shade of the tree—but a crocodile peeks around, hinting at more adventures. I love this one, and I think it’s a delight to read out loud, but do recommend practicing it because there are a couple of places where the rhymes take an unexpected rhythm.

Themes/topics: Jungle, snakes, trees, tricksters, flies, eating

Sample text from three spreads:

One day in the leaves of the eucalyptus tree hung a scare in the air where no eye could see, when along skipped a boy with a whirly-twirly toy, to the shade of the eucalyptus, eucalyptus tree.

Down, down slid the snake from the leaves of the tree and gobbled up the boy with his whirly-twirly toy, one day in the eucalyptus eucalyptus tree.

“I’ll bet,” said the boy, in the belly dark and deep, “that you’re still very hungry and there’s more that you can eat.”

“Do you think,” said the snake to the boy with the toy, “That there’s room for something yummy with you inside my tummy?”

How to Find a Fox by Nilah Magruder

How to Find a Fox by Nilah Magruder (2016) #ownvoices

A plucky little adventurer sets out with backpack and camera in hand—determined to find a fox. The narrator explains the best way to go about finding a fox, while the illustrations show the girl stymied at every step and the sly fox always just out of her sight.  As soon as she gives up or turns away, there’s the fox doing just what she wanted it to. Highlights include the fox disguised as an owl and a raccoon. Frustrated, she wants to give up, but the narrator instructs her to take a deep breath and a mental break before going on. And, of course, the fox shows up in the end and the final spread is a bunch of snapshots of their time together. I love that the girl gets to explore nature on her own terms, and the way that the text provides a script for what to do when you’re frustrated and want to give up. Kids will love looking for the fox’s tricky antics.

Themes/topics: Adventure, persistence, nature, animals, searching, tricksters

Sample text from two spreads:

Tread slowly over the ground. Foxes have keen hearing. You don’t want to startle them. Be sure to look for fox tracks. They’re like dog tracks, but sneakier.

Take a picture of a family of raccoons. They have bushy tails kind of like foxes. Put out more bait. Wait longer this time. 

Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion

Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion by Alex T. Smith (2015, UK; 2016 US)

Little Red provides a fun, sassy, and fashionable take on the Little Red Riding Hood story. Little Red immediately recognizes that it’s a lion in her auntie’s bed, and decides to teach the beast a lesson. After taming his wild mane with twists and braids, making him clean his teeth and upgrade his wardrobe, Little Red scolds the fed-up lion, with an admonishment to simply ask for some food if he’s hungry!

Themes/topics: fairy tales, red, tricksters, manners, sickness/illness

Sample text from one spread:

“Oh, hello,” purred the Lion. “Where are you going?”

“To visit my auntie who is covered in spots,” said Little Red.

In the time it took for his tummy to rumble, the Very Hungry Lion had cooked up a very naughty plan.

[illustration shows a map of his plan, which concludes, ‘Well done! You are a VERY clever Lion!’]

And off he rushed to put his plan into action.