95. Henry at Home

Henry at Home. Megan Maynor. Illustrated by Alea Marley. 2021. [June] 40 pages. [Source: Library]

 First sentence: As long as there had been Henry and Liza, they were together. Liza and Henry. Henry and Liza.

Premise/plot: Liza is starting school. Her younger brother, Henry, is not. He's still too young for school. How will he fill his days without his best friend and playmate? What about all the many special things they do together? Can he do those things by himself...and still have fun?

This picture book explores the feelings a younger sibling *may* have when an older sibling heads off to school for the first time.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I thought the illustrations were super-sweet. I expected Henry to feel more sad and lonely than jealous and angry. But I think his feelings are legitimate. I think there are many possible reactions for this oh-so-common situation.

I did like seeing Henry and Eliza play together in the pages of this one. I liked seeing Henry play on his own too. It's a very important life skill--how to entertain yourself. It goes underappreciated or underrepresented in books, I think. 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Harold & Hog Pretend for Real

Harold & Hog Pretend for Real. Dan Santat. 2019. Hyperion. 64 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Hey, Hog! Let's pretend to be Elephant and Piggie!

Premise/plot: Harold & Hog Pretend For Real! is one of the books in the series Elephant & Piggie Like Reading. The books in this series are introduced by...you guessed it...Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie. In this one, two best friends Hog and Harold decide (though one of them reluctantly) to play pretend. They will PRETEND to be two of their favorite characters Gerald and Piggie. But there's a slight problem to this imaginative role play. Harold is NOTHING like Gerald. Hog is nothing like Piggie. Can these two figure out a way to make this role play work?

My thoughts: I love, love, love, love Elephant and Piggie. Probably even more than Harold and Hog do. Probably. Mo Willems' books have a tendency to make me gushy and wave my arms about when I book talk them. (And believe me I do book talk them.) So I love, love, love the idea of these characters playing pretend and "becoming" their favorite characters. These two know their characters. And just like the Elephant and Piggie books these two will have to problem solve together to find a solution. So in many ways, the two pairs of friends are quite similar. Speaking of solutions, I absolutely love the solution these two come up with!!! And I love how Gerald and Piggie pop back up at the end of the book. It's just a hoot!



© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Buster and the Baby

Buster and the Baby. Amy Hest. Illustrated by Polly Dunbar. 2017. [October 24, 2017] Candlewick Press. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Thump, thump, thump. In the little red house, a dog ducks under the table.

Premise/plot: Thus begins one of the most perfectly-perfect picture books I've read this year. Buster and the Baby is a DELIGHTFUL action-packed adventure story. During the day, Buster hides and the baby finds and chases him; he loves it. These two are a perfect pair. But at night, well, she's tucked into bed...and it's his turn to "find" her.

My thoughts: I loved this one. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, CRAZY-LOVED this one. I loved the characters.  I love the writing. I loved the repetition. I loved the rhythm. I loved the pacing. I loved the JOY.

Out of the shadows she comes. Squealing and whirling and bumping his nose! Go, Buster. Go, Buster. Go, Buster, go! He wriggles behind the chair. Behind the blue chair is a good place to hide. (Maybe). He waits. And watches. And waits some more. Thump, goes his heart. Thump, thump, thump! Then... 

I loved the illustrations as well. Polly Dunbar has illustrated some of my favorite books.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Is Everyone Ready for Fun?

Is Everyone Ready for Fun by Jan Thomas. 2011. Simon & Schuster. 40 pages.

Look! It's Chicken's sofa! PLOP!
It's time to...
Jump!
Up and down,
up and down.
Let's all JUMP
up and down!
On Chicken's sofa!

I love Jan Thomas. I do. I just love, love, love her books. There is just something happy-making about them; they're simple, true, but oh-so-much-fun. There's just something pure and simple and wonderful about them all!

This book stars three cows and a chicken. The three cows are ever so excited about jumping on chicken's little red sofa. (I love how this is illustrated!) But Chicken, well, Chicken has a different perspective on the matter. She wants it to stop. NOW.

They hear her. They do. So they get ready to have fun in a different way...or do they? You be the judge!!!

Is everyone ready for more fun?!
It's time to...
Dance!
Back and forth,
back and forth.
Let's all DANCE
back and forth!
On Chicken's sofa!

Highly recommended if you love funny books!

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Higher, Higher

Higher! Higher! Leslie Patricelli. 2009. [March 2009] Candlewick Press. 32 pages.

Higher! Higher!

This one falls into the "I-can't-believe-I-haven't-reviewed-this-yet" category. It happens occasionally. I admit. I read a book. Love it. Read it to anyone and everyone I can. Brag about it to all my friends and family. And then somehow not get around to sitting down and typing up a review. Very sad when this happens. Even sadder--for me--because it means that I completely forgot to include it in my best-of-2009 posts. Because, you know, it so would have been topping the lists in the picture book category!

So, you might have guessed it already, but, I loved this one. I just didn't love it. I love, love, loved this one. Crazy about it. Think it's so clever, so right, so perfect. Loved the illustrations. Loved the simplicity of the text. The predictable genius of it all. A little girl. With her dad. Swinging on the swings. And loving every minute of it. (Loved the twist of this one too!)

This one almost begs to be read over and over again. And you know what, it holds up to multiple rereadings. You might even notice new things (in the illustrations, not the text) each time. Though this could just be me being slow to catch all the clever things hidden in plain sight.

I'm so happy to see this one will be a board book soon.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Really Truly Bingo

Kvasnosky, Laua McGee. 2008. Really Truly Bingo. Candlewick Press.

When Beatrice (Bea) makes a mess, who's to blame? Herself or the talking-dog-Bingo she met in her yard who said, "Let's do something we're not supposed to do." Bea is bored. B-O-R-E-D. Her mother sends her outside to play. While outside, Bea meets a playful dog, a talking dog named Bingo. A dog that encourages Bea to do lots of fun things, but they are fun-not-allowed-mess-making things. It's a playful book.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Bunny Fun

Weeks, Sarah. 2008. Bunny Fun.

I don't know that Bunny Fun is what I'd call a great book, but it is a fun book. And that counts for something in my opinion. It's predictable. It's repetitive. It's interactive. It's rhythmic. It's cute, but not near the border of cutesy-wutesy. This is how it begins,

"Drip-drop rainy day.
Bunny can't go out to play.
Waiting for the sunny sun,
time to have some . . ."

You guessed it..."Bunny Fun!" This bunny and mouse team get into some trouble indoors--much like in the classic book The Cat and the Hat. (Except, this pair don't need any outside encouragement to make a mess of things. I don't think many kids do though!!! I know I certainly made more than my fair share of messes.)

The book is playful. The illustrations are bright and cheerful. This is one I'm happy to recommend.