Picture Book Round-up

 

Back-to-school edition.  (Also known as: Holy long post, Batman.)

Yeah, I know.  It's October.  Better late than never, right?

(All of these are books we've received for review.)

Lulu Goes to Witch School
by Jane O'Connor
3 stars
Cute enough, I guess.  MeiMei likes it.  For me though, I expected a lot more from the author of the Fancy Nancy books.

Charlie Goes to School
(Charlie the Ranch Dog)
by Ree Drummond
4 stars
We do enjoy the Charlie books around here.  This one is pretty silly.
After explaining that his family homeschools, Charlie decides to make a school for the animals.
Of course it includes a recipe for a tasty (looking, we haven't tried it yet) after school snack!

AND

Where's the Bacon?
4 stars
Maybe not a back-to-school book but whatever.
It is about making new friends though.  Even when they eat your bacon.

Pete the Cat: (Created by James Dean)
Pete's Big Lunch
4 stars
Okay, so maybe calling this a back to school book is a stretch.  Oh well.
Anyway, silly story about Pete building a sandwich... with EVERYTHING on it.

AND

The Wheels on the Bus
4 stars
Pete's the bus driver! lol
Cute, silly version of the Wheels on the Bus which includes traditional verses like "go round and round" and new ones like "The kitties on the bus go 'Pete the Cat"'.

Splat and the Cool School Trip
by Rob Scotton
5 stars
We always enjoy Splat the Cat books.  They're awesome.
This one gets extra high marks from me because it's a trip to the zoo and Splat loves the PENGUINS!  I love penguins.
And the bit with Seymour and the elephant is great.
Highly recommended.

My New Teacher and Me!
by Al Yankovic
Yeah, that Al Yankovic.
5 stars
A very silly tale where the line is blurred between what's real and what's not.  I really like this one and the kids find it pretty funny.

Now, if you're still with me, (this may be my longest post ever!) we come to my 2 favorites:

123 versus ABC
by Mike Boldt
5 stars
This hilarious alphabet/counting book is absolutely fabulous.  Love everything about it.  And it's a big hit with all three kids, so that's a good sign too.
If you read nothing else from this insanely long post, GET THIS ONE AND READ IT.  Seriously.

Clark the Shark
by Bruce Hale
5 stars
This is, in my opinion, the perfect "nervous about school" book for wild little boys.  And by wild I mean normal.  Because really, let's be honest about that.
Clark is so enthusiastic and so big and sometimes he forgets the rules.  But his teacher gives him rhymes to help him remember.  Then one day there's a new student who is also big and wild and Clark must teach him the rules.
I absolutely LOVE this book.  I love the message that sometimes wild is exactly right but sometimes we need to reign it in.  There's a time and place for everything.
LOVE IT.