A wonderful bear & fall book!

 Bear thinks he is making all of the autumn things happen with his sneezes (leaves falling, apples dropping, geese flying). In a stand off with the wind, wind gives bear a stern lesson that the power is coming from it, the AUTUMN BREEZE. By the end of the book, bear knows it is not his sneeze, but the breeze, that slams the door of his den. SLJ review: "An above-average addition for libraries looking for more bear, hibernation, or winter stories to freshen up interactive storytimes." Yes!

Other books in the series are SHARE, BIG BEAR, SHARE! and SLEEP, BIG BEAR, SLEEP!

They follow the same pattern of storytelling and are fun to compare and contrast with. 

Renovation of an infested clock

 After reading about Clock Island in THE WISHING GAME, I came across this beautiful picture book. The team of renovators restore a beautiful mammoth clock called "the queen of clocks". This rhyming book also enlists onomatopoeia making it a terrific read-aloud. I loved the ending when remnants are used to build homes for the creatures who have been living in the clock. A great story of imagination and respect.

Two about bees and bears!

 

Benedict the Bear enjoys his daily delivery of three jars of honey until a bee lets him know that the bees are going on strike. This bee lets Benedict know that he is part of the problem and then Benedict realizes he can become a part of the solution. The beautiful illustrations carry the reader to a happy ending. This is a great story to make anyone take pause about what they take for granted!

 I like this because every word in the book is created from these five letters: a, b, e, r and w. And I loved the sweet ending. The only thing I was a little iffy about was did the bee lose its stinger? Scientifically, it would have been kaput for the bee in that case.

Frogs defeat the witch!

 Imagine a witch who stars on a cooking show called the BEWITCHING KITCHEN. She is in the TV studio running through a recipe with her viewers. The recipe calls for frogs. This is when the fun begins. She is trying to remain calm in front of the camera as her ability to catch frogs eludes her. The solution is clever, heartwarming, and funny. A delightful read aloud!

A debut!

 This is a debut picture book. Wow! It is outstanding about the fear of a spider which gets turned around by the end of the book. The layout of the book is fun to read and I enjoyed the spread which outreached the book to show the city's horizon. The end paper holds a fantastic message: To relocate a surprise guest, you will need~A glass; some cardboard; a kind heart (and perhaps courage). First give it a little name. HARRY. (Take a DEEEEEP BREATH!) and so forth...very cool!

For the love of Hawaii (five)

 

This is a lift the flap book that teaches creatures who are native to Hawaii. The book ends sweetly with the reader going to bed under a Hawaiian quilt by looking in a mirror to see themselves. 

Wow, this book is so cool. Malia celebrates being Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino and Chinese. The rhymes aren't forced and the pictures are joyful!

This is a great book about the relationship between Punky and her grandmother. When Punky is feeling shy her grandmother encourages her to share her ALOHA in three steps: Be helpful, be giving, be brave. Punky follows those directions for a happy ending!

This is a great "piggyback" on the THE THREE LITTLE PIGS. Hawaiian vocabulary and customs are woven into the book. The illustrations are great and the shark is laugh out loud hilarious!

This book was so beautiful and bright. And it celebrates a grandmother making a lei for her friend because it is her friend's birthday! 

A study in conflict resolution!

 

Bug and Pug are having a disagreement. Slug acts as mediator. Pug realizes that he is at fault and apologizes. Sweet rhyming story that readers of all ages will get! (This encapsulates the power of the picture book to teach lessons.)