7 Mini Picture Book Reviews

I have seven mini Picture Book Reviews from various pubs to share with y'all today...

My Leaf Book

story and illustrations by Monica Wellington

September 1, 2015

Dial Books

The brilliant colors of fall foliage take center stage in this picture book perfect for fans of the classic Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf.

With her trademark bold, graphic style Monica Wellington has created a picture book about autumn, trees, and leaves.  When the seasons change, a young girl visits the arboretum to collect fallen leaves and make a book with them. Brilliant illustrations show each variety of tree the girl encounters, from the common oak to the lesser known gingko.  Spreads silhouetting leaves up-close help young children learn to identify them. Like the girl in the book, young readers will be eager to make their very own leaf books. 

goodreads / amazon / b&n 

PRAISE

“There’s no doubt it will capture children’s attention and hopefully have them searching for their own specimens and creating leaf books of their own.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Along with dispensing plenty of informational tidbits…[My Leaf Book] celebrates the gorgeous colors and the great variety of trees around us.”—Booklist

Monica Wellington's My Leaf Book is a charming and captivating book that follows a little girl's hunt for gorgeous Fall leaves. Told through simple text from the POV of the little girl, My Leaf Book is engaging, informative, and fun. Little readers will learn all about the many Fall leaves as the main character collects them. But the real star of this book are all the stunning illustrations! Wellington's illustrations feature bold, lovely Fall colors and fun shapes, and are whimsical, eye-catching, and irresistible. 

My Leaf Book is a wonderful exploration an celebration of Fall!

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Lizard from the Park

story and illustrations by Mark Pett

September 8, 2015

Simon & Schuster BFYR

A lonely boy's new pet grows into a rather large dilemma and a Thanksgiving parade offers an uplifting solution in this charming tale from the author of The Boy and the Airplane and The Girl and the Bicycle.

When Leonard takes a shortcut through the park, he finds an egg and takes it home, where it hatches into a lizard (or so Leonard thinks). Leonard names his new pet Buster and takes him all around the city: on the subway, to the library, to a baseball game, and more.

But Buster keeps growing and growing and Leonard gets the sense that Buster is longing for something Leonard cannot provide.

Before long, Buster becomes too big to keep, and Leonard realizes he needs to set Buster free. So Leonard comes up with an inventive plan, one that involves all the balloons Leonard can find and the annual Thanksgiving parade, in an imaginative plot twist that will spark readers' imaginations and touch their hearts.

goodreads / amazon / b&n

PRAISE

"As independent as Max and Ruby, as creative as purple-crayon-wielding Harold, and as dedicated a friend as Charlotte's Wilbur, Leonard will delight kids of all ages, regardless of habitat." (Kirkus Reviews [STARRED REVIEW])

"A sweet and subtle offering that lets readers discover new things about the story on each rereading." (School Library Journal)

“A sweet story of friendship and life’s hidden wonders.” (Booklist)

When a little boy named Leonard finds a lizard egg at the park and brings it home, he gets a huge surprise...the tiny lizard is actually a dinosaur he names Buster! And Buster quickly grows and grows. Leonard soon realizes that Buster needs a much bigger home and with the help of giant Thanksgiving parade balloons, he sets out to set Buster free.

Mark Pett's Lizard From The Park is a super sweet story that will make little readers laugh and engage their imaginations. The story of Leonard an Buster is both very touching and highly amusing. Pett's soft colored illustrations are fun to explore and perfectly capture the enchanting story.

Both little readers and parents will love Lizard From The Park!

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All The Lost Things

story and illustrations by Kelly Canby

April 20, 2015

Peter Pauper Press

Olive is not your ordinary girl. And one day when this spunky young lady decides to go for a walk in her grumpy, too-busy city, she finds some extraordinary things. What Olive does with them will delight and inspire. This lively picture book is filled with the author's exuberant collage artwork and playfully hand-lettered words.

goodreads / amazon / b&n

Kelly Canby's All The Lost Things is a wonderful explosion of color, whimsy, and charm! A little girl named Olive takes a walk around the city and finds extraordinary lost things when she climbs a ladder down a manhole. Down there, Olive collects jars of memory, sense of humor, eyesight, the way, and hope, then spreads that colorful hope EVERYWHERE.

All The Lost Things is such a bubbly, fun story that little readers will fall in love with. Olive's spectacular journey is told through funny and clever text. Canby combines hand-drawn different fonts, collage style artwork, and splashes of color to create the enthralling and wondrous illustrations.

Readers of all ages will want to read All The Lost Things over and over again!

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No Yeti Yet

story and illustrations by Mary Ann Fraser

September 2015

Peter Pauper Press

It's a snowy, blowy wintry day--perfect for a yeti hunt. 

Or so thinks big brother. His younger brother is not convinced. 

Questions abound: Have you ever seen a yeti? Is a yeti strong? 

How fast is a yeti? 

And who exactly is following whom?

goodreads / amazon / b&n

Mary Ann Fraser's delightful No Yeti Yet tells the tale of two brothers on the search for a Yeti! When Big Brother wants to find a Yeti, little brother tags along and asks question after question about the elusive Yeti. And, of course, his big brother is happy to share his Yeti wisdom.

No Yeti Yet is a simply endearing and fun story from beginning to end! Little readers will have a blast learning all about the wild Yeti and joining the two lovable brothers on their big adventure. With sparse, yet witty, text, Fraser conveys so much humor and excitement. And Fraser's gorgeous illustrations are full of wintry colors and charming scenes. Readers will love spying the hidden Yeti in each scene.

No Yeti Yet has a wonderful surprise ending that readers will love!

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Mina's White Canvas

story and illustrations by Hyeon-Ju Lee

July 29, 2015

Peter Pauper Press

When young artist Mina looks up at the cold winter sky, she is struck with an idea. And as she draws with her crayon, something magical begins. Her canvas expands to the snowy world beyond -- a world in which Mina uses her creativity to help others, forge new friendships, and make memories to warm the heart for seasons to come.

goodreads / amazon / b&n

Hyeon-Ju Lee's Mina's White Canvas is a sweet story about a little girl named Mina and her magical crayon. Mina sets out on an adventure in the woods one cold, gloomy day and makes friends with some surprising critters. Using her magic crayon, Mina helps her new friends out of some peculiar predicaments.

Mina's White Canvas is such a heart-warming, tender story full of friendship, imagination, and lovable characters. Little readers will adore endearing Mina and her fun new companions. Lee's soft, lovely illustrations bring her wintry scenes to life so vividly. Mina and her new friends have a super fun day full of surprises.

Mina's White Canvas will be enjoyed by readers of all ages!

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Seriously, You Have To Eat

by Adam Mansbach

illustrations by Owen Brozman

October 6, 2015

Akashic Books

On the heels of the New York Times best seller You Have to F**king Eat (a sequel to the worldwide mega-best seller Go the F**k to Sleep), now comes the version that is entirely appropriate to read to--and with--children. While the message and humor will be similar to the adult version, there will, of course, be no profanity whatsoever.

Step aside Green Eggs and Ham, there's a new, 21st-century book in town that will compel all finicky children to eat!

goodreads / amazon / b&n

Adam Mansbach made waves with his not-kid-friendly, but hilarious Go The F**ck To Sleep and follows it up with You Have To F**cking Eat...Seriously, You Have To Eat is the very toned down, very kid friendly version of that book. 

Told through sing-song rhymes, Seriously, You Have To Eat is a super fun book that will have readers laughing out loud. Mansbach's quirky, clever humor is unforgettable and absolutely addicting! While Seriously, You Have To Eat is totally kid appropriate, adults will seriously chuckle too. Brozman's bright, silly pictures perfectly capture the story and bring all the animals, foods, and kid characters to life wonderfully.

Both parents and little readers will greatly enjoy this very amusing and entertaining book!

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What Is Punk?

by Eric Morse

illustrations by Anny Yi

October 6, 2015

Akashic Books

What Is Punk? is a must-read pop-culture primer for children--an introduction to the punk revolution, recreated in vivid 3-D clay illustrations and told through rhyming couplets.

From London's Clash and Sex Pistols to the Ramones' NYC protopunk, from Iggy Pop to the Misfits, this volume depicts some of our culture's seminal moments and iconic characters. A delightful read for kids and parents alike, illustrated in a truly unique visual style, What Is Punk? lays the groundwork for the next generation of little punks.

goodreads / amazon / b&n

PRAISE

"A punk primer for the youngest set....Yi's incredibly detailed clay figures are a kinetic and inspired art choice. Their crazy creativity matches the expressive spirit of punk....As [Morse] points out, the best way to learn about punk it just to listen....If invested adults love the topic, a shared reading experience can't be beat."
-- Kirkus Reviews 

"Think Wallace and Grommet with liberty spikes and anarchy patches...While [Anny Yi's] images of Johnny Rotten and Henry Rollins are cute, they're presented as live action dioramas that are adorable, accurate and engaging."
-- San Diego City Beat 

Eric Morse's What Is Punk? is a totally awesome journey through the world of Punk music! This captivating and informative little book will teach little readers all about the rise of Punk music and introduce them to some of the most famous and important Punk bands.

Morse's clever rhyming couplets will delight little readers and amuse parents. Anny Yi's phenomenal 3D-clay illustrations are pure perfection and bring the stellar Pun world to life. Readers of all ages will have so much fun exploring each wild 3D scene.

Charming, smart, and a lot of fun, What Is Punk? is the perfect read for the music lovers in your life!

Interview and Reviews: Artie Bennett, picture book author

I am so so so thrilled to have picture book author extraordinaire, Artie Bennett, here today for a hilarious interview! Plus, you can check out my reviews of three of his books (spoilers: I LOVED them!)...

What three words best describe your picture book Peter Panda Melts Down!?

Cute, cuter, cutest!

Where did the idea for this picture book come from? Was Peter Panda Melts Down! inspired by any real-life meltdowns?

The idea came from a checklist I stumbled upon detailing the three things that are surefire hits in a kids’ book. The three things it cited were butts, poop, and pandas. Now, since I had already written about butts and poop, it was time to unleash my pen upon pandas.

    But seriously . . . being a doting uncle to my sister’s five children gave me some solid experience with meltdowns—and defusing them. And Peter Panda is himself an homage to Peter Pan, the reckless, feckless boy who never grew up. Peter Panda, however, is growing up like Topsy.

Do you have a favorite page and/or illustration in Peter Panda Melts Down!? What do you love about it?

My favorite verse is:

“Peter loves pasta, all covered with cheese.

Yet Mama knows pandas must also have peas.

But green-colored food Peter Panda pooh-poohs.

Pure panda-monium promptly ensues!”

I love the alliteration therein as well as the touch of wordplay. And I love the book’s refrain, which I had great fun composing:

“Uh-oh. Here it comes. Here comes that frown.

Peter Panda melts dowwwwnnn!”

    And my favorite John Nez illustration, though it’s hard to pick just one, comes at the very end when Mama Panda can be seen slumped in a cozy armchair, utterly worn out from the day’s many Peter trials. Mama Panda has a dreamy expression and one can feel her profound relief now that Peter is asleep.

Three-year-old Peter Panda melts down when he feels angry or upset...what do YOU do when you feel a meltdown of your own coming on?

When I feel a meltdown coming on, I swear like a stevedore with Tourette’s! Naaah, not really. When I melt down, I chill. I find that exercise does wonders for keeping meltdowns at bay. And swimming is my all-time favorite thing. I’ve even coined a word for my approach to it. I like to swim till I get “lap-happy”!

You’ve explored some rather interesting subjects in your other picture books, The Butt Book and Poopendous! Why did you decide to tackle such unconventional picture-book material?

I’m often asked this question and I have to say that I never had any, ahem, posterior motive in writing The Butt Book or a particular poopensity for the subject matter of Poopendous! It’s more that I felt I could bring something original, fun, and even fascinating to these topics, which, frankly, still appeal to the six-year-old boy trapped within my aging frame. Now, from what I’ve seen, all boys and intrepid girls are drawn to these themes. And the fact that the books are in verse, which earned me the nickname “the Dr. Seuss of your caboose,” makes them that much more appealing to youngsters. Take this little nugget from Poopendous!:

“Poop from critters is called dung,

And monkey dung is sometimes flung.

Monkeys fling when under stress,

It helps the monkey decompress.

So if a monkey aims at you,

Duck behind a friend, or two!”

It conveys a fascinating fact in a fun fashion. And it even builds vocabulary with the use of “decompress.”

Out of all the books you’ve written, do you have an absolute favorite book and/or character and/or line?

Hmmm. Yes, I do, now that you mention it. My all-time favorite spread can be found in The Butt Book. The verse goes:

“An eagle’s butt soars high above.

A teddy bear’s is filled with love.”

This verse never fails to elicit sighs from the audience when I read it aloud, and I like that it endows this funny book with a soupçon of sentimentality. You gotta have heart. But what I especially love about this spread is Mike Lester’s rendering of the majestic bald eagle, giving him a stubble-stippled rump that still cracks me up whenever I see it.

What kind of fun, silly books can we expect from you in the future?

My next picture book will publish in July 2014, when I get right back on track with Belches, Burps, and Farts—Oh My!, sure to be another crowd-pleaser. And maybe we’ll even see more adventures and misadventures from the most meltdownable panda we know, Peter Panda!

Fill in the blanks:

I’m really awesome at ice cream. You should see me put away a pint!

I’m really embarrassed to admit that the opening verse of Poopendous!—“Poop  is yucky, poop is foul. Step in poop and you will howl!” was originally “Poop is yucky, poop is foul. Poop emerges from your bowel.” But that was before I ordered “Rewrite!”

The last great book I read was Anne of Green Gables. I only just read it for the first time after a jaunt through the Canadian Maritimes, which included a lovely stop at Green Gables House in Cavendish, on Prince Edward Island, where Lucy Maud Montgomery set her classic series.

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by Peter Panda Melts Down!, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

Instead of a cupcake, if I may be so bold, I was thinking more of a deep-dish dessert filled with spiced apples and lots of sweet, sweet bamboo. It would be bathed in molasses and covered with a rich crust. And it would be called . . . Panda Pandowdy!

website * goodreads * twitter

Hi! I'm the executive copy editor for a children's book publisher and I write a little on the side (but not the backside!). My itch to write brought about "The Dinosaur Joke Book: A Compendium of Pre-Hysteric Puns" when I was a much younger man, but "The Butt Book" was my first "mature" work. "The Butt Book" was showered with praise and won the prestigious Reuben Award for Book Illustration. My "number two" picture book, fittingly entitled "Poopendous!" which published to great acclaim, was the perfect follow-up. Hmmm. Do you sense a theme? However, I'm taking a slight detour with my next picture book, a more traditional, though no less hilarious, storybook entitled "Peter Panda Melts Down!" which publishes in February 2014 as panda fever sweeps the nation. But then I get right back on track with the uproarious "Belches, Burps, and Farts--Oh My!" a July 2014 publication. My claim to fame is that I was the youngest (at age thirteen) person to originate and sell a crossword puzzle to the New York Times. I went on to sell several dailies and two large Sunday puzzles to the Times before I began college. It's been downhill ever since. I live deep in the bowels of Brooklyn, New York, where I spend my spare time moving the car to satisfy the rigorous demands of alternate-side-of-the-street parking. I'm pleased to share the visionary promise of "The Butt Book," "Poopendous!" and "Peter Panda Melts Down!" with a wider audience. To read more about me or my superfun books, please visit ArtieBennett.com.

And here we find the author extraordinaire in his natural habitat:

(I received copies of these books in exchange for my honest reviews. I don't rate picture books, I merely review them)

Peter Panda Melts Down!

by Artie Bennett

illustrated by John Nez

2/11/14

Blue Apple Books

Uh-oh. Here it comes. Here comes that frown. Peter Panda melts dowwwnnn!”

Poor Peter Panda. He’s only three and filled with frustration. And when things don’t quite go his way, he’s apt to throw a tantrum—in the car, in the library, in the supermarket, in the . . . He’s the most meltdownable panda we know.

Poor Mama Panda. How can she cope with Peter’s petulance while seeking to sidestep a monumental meltdown herself!? What’s a mama panda to do? Read this adorable new picture book by Artie Bennett, author of the much-lauded The Butt Book and Poopendous!, and virtuoso illustrator John Nez and find out!

Three year old Peter Panda is a good boy, but when he gets frustrated or things don’t go his way, he starts to melt down! Artie Bennett tells the adorable and relatable tale of little Peter and his Mama, as they go about their busy day filled with fun, shopping, toys, and little meltdowns.

Peter Panda Melts Down captures the life and essence of toddlers perfectly! Told in simple, yet addicting rhymes, with the fun, repeating “Uh-oh. Here it comes. Here comes that frown. Peter Panda melts dowwwnnn!”, Peter Panda Melts Down will make little readers laugh out loud and have them excitedly awaiting each melt down. Artie Bennett takes us along on Peter and Mama’s day as they grocery shop, play at the park, go to the library, and prepare for bed. Each new scene and setting will capture the attention of tiny readers with their familiarity and make for the perfect meltdown situations. Little ones will love super cute, super meltdownable Peter, while adult readers will sympathize with poor Mama...especially when Mama herself has a bit of an understandable meltdown!

John Nez’s illustrations are bright and charming, with great texture and colors. Nez really brings Bennett’s clever story to life!

Peter Panda Melts Down is a book that will entertain and captivate little readers, while amusing parents with its humorous approach to an incredibly relatable situation.

goodreads / amazon / b&n / indiebound

The Butt Book

by Artie Bennett

illustrated by Mike Lester

12/22/09

Bloomsbury

Make way for the butt!
Tall butts, short butts, round butts, flat butts.
Butts on mummies and butts on mommies.
Butts on giraffes and elephants and dogs and… FISH?
 
Yes, even fish butts are celebrated in this tribute to backsides, rumps, tushies, keisters, heinies, and derrieres. Dozens of funny rhymes and pages of laugh-out-loud pictures pay homage to a body part that keeps kids and grown-ups giggling with glee.
 
Bottoms up!

Our backsides are often overlooked or simply the, ahem, butt of jokes, but in The Butt Book, Artie Bennett shows that the butt should be celebrated! Small butts, high butts, furry butts, even polka-dotted butts- our butts are vital, useful body parts here to stay.

The Butt Book is a hilarious, yet surprisingly smart book. In fantastic, laugh-out-loud rhyming couplets, Bennett explores and pays homage to the butt and all its uses, but in a very age appropriate way. There’s nothing gross or inappropriate about this story! We learn the different names people and cultures have for the butt and how unique, yet unifying our rears are (we all have ‘em!). And I love how Bennett stresses that each person and animals’ butt is different, yet totally awesome and worthy of celebration.

Mike Lester’s illustrations are so funny and delightful! These pictures will have readers cracking (teeheehee) up and smiling big.

The Butt Book will gleefully amuse readers of all ages, and after reading it, you’ll never look at your rump the same way again...so grab a copy of The Butt Book, give your backside a high-five, and prepare to giggle a lot!

goodreads / amazon / b&n / indiebound

Poopendous

by Artie Bennett

illustrated by Mike Moran

3/27/12

Blue Apple Books

Rhyming couplets feature Professor Poopdeck and two young friends as he takes them on a type of poop safari. Words for poop (i.e. guano, number two, ca-ca), its forms and styles (cubes, tubular, wet and dry), and myriad of uses (i.e. souvenirs, a means of tracking and marking, housing insulation, food, fertilizer, fuel) are all conveyed with humor and a certain demand for respect. It's a book that says: Don't just flush this stuff away! While it may dismay and stink, there's more to this stuff than you might think!

I’ll be honest, I was a bit wary of this book, but Artie Bennett has once again surprised me with his ability to take an often thought icky or awkward topic and explore it with such captivating pizzazz! In Poopendous, Professor Poopdeck takes us on a poop safari, exploring the sides to poop that we don’t often consider.

From the various words used for poop, to its many uses, Poopendous covers it all! Once again, Bennett uses funny, clever rhymes to tell his story, and he is a master at word choices, picking the absolute best ones. Like The Butt Book, this book is in no way inappropriate or gross (even if its subject is icky!). Bennett is so good at finding the balance between amusing and educational, and Poopendous is especially engaging. Little readers will certainly laugh-out-loud at the book’s charming humor, but they will also learn a great deal...I know I did!

Mike Moran’s illustrations wonderfully bring Bennett’s words to life! Moran’s bright, cartoonish pictures are absolutely hysterical. Each living creature depicted is given such amusing and captivating expressions. Moran’s illustrations are total poop...which, in this instance, is a very very good thing!

I never imagined the topic of poop could be so delightfully engaging, but Bennett has made it so. Approached with humor and thought, this icky topic has been wonderful explored in Poopendous!

goodreads / amazon / b&n / indiebound

I want to thank Artie Bennett for taking the time to answer my questions and for the review copies of his wonderful picture books!

:) Aeicha