Sweet Music in Harlem by Debbie A. Taylor

A young aspiring jazz musician hunts down his famous jazz-musician uncle's beret through Harlem for a photo shoot. He visits a barber shop, diner and nightclub in search of the beret and comes home without the beret but with a number of jazz musicians instead. The beret is found and the photo shoot goes on. The author describes the 1958 photo that inspired the story.

The illustrations captured 1958 perfectly in style and fashions of the people. Pictures full of energy and color will capture the eye of children. The story was great fun to read and I enjoyed learning about the original photo.

Taylor, D. (2004). Sweet music in harlem. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books, Inc.
ISBN: 1584301651
Illustrated by Frank Morrison

Bad Dog, Marley by John Grogan

The story of a yellow labrador puppy, Marley, adapting to his new home with a few bumps along the way.

I had a yellow lab puppy, Jake, and we had a similar adapting problems. The story is true to my experience. The illustrations are great fun for children to look at especially if they have a dog at home.

Grogan, J. (2007). Bad dog, marley! New York: NY, Harper Collins Publishers
ISBN: 9780061171147
Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey

Peck, Slither and Slide by Suse Macdonald

A picture book showing first a verb and partial picture of each animal and on the next page revealing the animal.

The illustrations in this book reminded me of Lois Ehlert's work. The pictures were lovely and the verbs were apt for the animal. The words would be great fun to say as/with a child.

MacDonald, S. (1997). Peck, slither and slide. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace and Company.
ISBN: 0152000798
Illustrated by author.

Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett

Sunny, a meerkat, lives with his family and begins to feel boxed in and restless. He sets off to explore the world looking for greener pastures, sending postcards home as he reaches each destination. After 6 days, he returns home after realizing this is where he belongs.

Meerkats are too cute and the illustrations capture their personality just right. The story is a familiar one however I enjoyed it. Children will like the postcards and learning about meerkats. I found myself eagerly turning over the postcards! The illustrations add more to the story then what is written.

Gravett, E. (2006). Meerkat mail. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 1416934731
Illustrated by the author.

The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde H. Swift

The story of a little red lighthouse who guides the ships on the Hudson River in New York and learns that everyone is important no matter the size.

I saw this book out of the corner of my eye at the library and without opening it remembered the story and illustrations all from the cover! I hadn't thought of this book in years. It is a great story with a great lesson and I really felt that I understood what the lighthouse was feeling. The illustrations were perfect! I loved the face on the ships and lighthouse. Humanizing the characters so the story rings true.

Swift, H. (2002). The little red lighthouse and the great gray bridge. San Diego: CA, Harcourt, Inc.
ISBN: 0152045716
Illustrated by Lynd Ward.

Freight Train by Donald Crews

Simple text and colorful illustrations of a freight train trip.

Excellent! The books shows each train car in a different color, shape and name so children will recognize the cars when viewing a live train. This train speeds up as it travels and the colors make the cars still identifiable.

Crews, D. (1978). Freight Train. New York: NY, Greenwillow Books.
ISBN: 068880165X
Illustrated by the author.

Look At You! A Baby Body Book by Kathy Henderson

A book for babies describing what babies do and rhythmically written making it a great book to read aloud with a baby. Large illustrations of babies appear lifelike which captures the mood and feel of the writing.

When reading this book, I imagined what the images must look like for a baby. I am sure that a baby would be excited to turn each page. This is a great book to share with a baby.

Henderson, K. (2006). Look at you! A baby body book. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
ISBN: 0763627453
Illustrated by Paul Howard.

Arithme-tickle: An Even Number of Odd Riddle-Rhymes by J. Patrick Lewis

A variety of math problems are beautifully illustrated in eighteen rhyming riddles of text.

A clever way to learn math. I admire the authors creative use of riddles and rhymes. The pictures are interesting to the eye and illustrate the riddles perfectly!

Lewis, J. (2002). Arithme-tickle: An even number of odd riddle-rhymes. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Inc.
ISBN: 0152164189
Illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz.

Follow the Money by Loreen Leedy

A day in the life of a newly minted quarter beginning and ending at the bank. In the story, basic math skills are demonstrated and the author included an explanation of money and a glossary of money words.

A humorous book designed to draw children in to the story and learning about money. The illustrations are detailed and full of everyday objects. The places and activities the quarter experiences are familiar to most children's lives.

Leedy, L. (2002). Follow the money. New York, NY: Holiday House.
ISBN: 0823415872
Illustrated by author.

Dog's Colorful Day: A Messy Story about Colors and Counting by Emma Dodd

A dog's adventurous day is a demonstration of colors and counting for young children.

The topic of this book coupled with the illustrations is an enjoyable book to read aloud with children. The colors are bright and dogs are a topic most everyone relates. The explanatory words (ie squish) are fun to say and encourage participation.

Dodd, E. (2001). Dog's colorful day: A messy story about colors and counting. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.
ISBN: 0525465286
Illustrated by author.

Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang

A father and child counting items in her room before she falls asleep. Each two numbers verse rhyme in the ending, like close and nose.

The cadence when reading this aloud helps lull a child to sleep. The pictures are soothing colors helping to relax a child. Great book!

Bang, M. (1983). Ten, nine, eight. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.
ISBN: 0606008721
Illustrated by author.

Tangerines and Tea, My Grandparents and Me by Ona Gritz

An alphabet book that uses alliterative rhyming phrases for each letter and illustrations that demonstrate siblings visiting grandparents on their farm.

The illustrations are full inviting children to identify many objects. The word choice and rhyming make this a fun book to read aloud. At first, I did disagree with this categorization as an alphabet book. The letters are not shown with the rhyme so it would not be as useful as some in letter recognition. However, it is helpful in reinforcing the sound of each letter.

Gritz, O. (2005). Tangerines and tea, my grandparents and me. New York: NY, Harry N. Abrams.
ISBN: 0810958716
Illustrated by Yumi Heo.

A Gardener's Alphabet by Mary Azarian

An alphabet book using gardening terms to represent each letter. Full page wood-cut illustrations tell a story within themselves.

I loved this book! The illustrations are beautiful. I can imagine reading this with a young child spending time looking at the pictures and talking about what is seen. X is for xeriscape is genius!

Azarian, M. (2000). A gardener's alphabet. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
ISBN: 0618033807
Illustrated by author.

The Hidden Alphabet by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

An ingenuous alphabet book with an image framed by a black mat and when lifted the letter is revealed. The word choice, changing perspective and beautiful illustrations make this book interesting and unique.

I found myself eagerly opening the flap to figure out how the image fit within the letter!

Seeger, L. (2003). The hidden alphabet. Brookfield, CT:Roaring Book Press.
ISBN: 0761319417
Illustrated by author.

The Turn-Around Upside-Down Alphabet Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst

An alphabet book where each letter is shown to be three different objects when the letter is viewed from different direction by rotating the book.

As I was reading this book, I was reminded of finding images in clouds when I was a child. Sometimes I was the only one that could see the image in the clouds, other times it was obvious to all. Interestingly, the author mentions this same childhood pastime in her author's note at the end of the book.

Ernst, L. (2004). The turn-around upside-down alphabet book. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
ISBN: 0689856857
Illustrated by the author.

The Graphic Alphabet

An alphabet book that incorporates each letter within the illustration representing each word, such as D is for Devil. The choice of words is outstanding and the images placed on the black background make for a visually distinctive book.

I found this book to be unique in the approach to the alphabet. It would be appreciated by readers of all ages.

Pelletier, D. (1996). The Graphic Alphabet. New York, NY: Orchard.
ISBN: 0531360016
Illustrated by the author.

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

An alphabetical look at 76 beautifully illustrated fruits and vegetables. A glossary is included at the end of the book which includes pronunciation, history and small picture of the plant.

I loved that the author used unusual vegetables, like kohlrabi and jicama. The bright colors and detailed illustrations just popped off the page.

Ehlert, L. (1989). Eating the alphabet: Fruits and vegetables from a-z. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, Brace & Company.
ISBN: 0152244352
Illustrated by the author.