New Picture Books

Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up?, by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, Ill. by Laura J. Bryant

Ages: 2-6

Bill Martin Jr. continues his streak of storytime friendly books with Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are you Waking Up? The book features a cute, fuzzy gray and white kitten who has a hard time getting ready to go to school in the morning. Like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Kitty Cat has a question/answer format that has a nice repetitive quality. However, unlike Brown Bear, Brown Bear, this book varies the wording of the question: "Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, are you out of bed? /Not yet, Mother, I'm standing on my head." This prevents Kitty Cat from being as interactive as Brown Bear during storytimes. However, it is a very charming, simple story that kids will want to have read to them over and over, a good choice for first-day-of-school reading. Have I mentioned how utterly adorable the kitten is?


The Rain Stomper by Addie Boswell, Ill. by Eric Velasquez.

Ages: 3-6

Jazmin has been waiting to twirl her baton in the big neighborhood parade! She puts on her new red suit, marches to the door, and sees the rain pouring down. Jazmin won't let a little storm rain on her parade! Addie Boswell conveys the rhythmic sound of a thunderstorm as Addie jumps and splashes, while Eric Velasquez captures the joy of Jazmin's movement. It's the book version of the song "Singing in the Rain." Jazmin's determination is admirable, but it is very tempting to run out and splash in the rain after reading this story! It's short enough to make a good storytime reading, with a lot of sounds the reader can make to entertain the audience.


One is a Feast for Mouse by Judy Cox, Ill. by Jeffrey Ebbler

Ages: 4-7

This book is a cautionary tale against being too greedy, even on Thanksgiving! The mouse, who is wearing glasses, is very expressive and cute! A fun read-aloud, just in time for Thanksgiving.



Penguins by Liz Pichon

Ages: 3-6

What happens when the penguins find a camera in their pen at the zoo? They have loads of fun, and readers will, too! Perfect for penguin and zoo storytimes, it's simple, short, and funny! My favorite kind of picture book.



The Doghouse by Jan Thomas

Ages: 2-5

Jan Thomas' picture books are laugh out loud funny. The Doghouse is no exception. A ball rolls into the doghouse, but who will get it out? The cow, the pig, the duck all try to get the ball, egged on by the fearful mouse, but none of them come back out of the doghouse! The illustrations are bright and bold, the text is very simple, and it makes an excellent, funny storytime book. Useful for storytimes about fear, farm animals, dogs, or just read for fun! For more hilarious hijinks, also read What Will Fat Cat Sit On?, one of my personal favorites, as well as A Birthday for Cow.


The Juggling Pug by Sean Bryan, Ill. by Tom Murphy

Ages: 2-5

I bought this book solely because one of the library workers loves pugs. Upon reading this picture book, however, I burst out laughing. The author ends every sentence with a word that rhymes with "pug", which cumulates in an extremely funny last sentence, that I refuse to give away. My loud guffaw has already recommended the book to one patron. Great for a dog storytime, if you want to give the younger kids the giggles.



Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea

Ages: 2-5

This is perhaps the perfect dinosaur storytime picture book. It features dinosaurs, always a plus. There's also plenty of opportunity for audience participation, like having the kids ROAR as the dinosaur, and shout triumphantly at the end of every obstacle: "DINOSAUR WINS!" The text is simple, the illustrations are bold, and there are plenty of sound effects strewn over the pages. It has the same frenetic energy as Shea's Big Plans, one of my favorite books this year.



Thing-Thing by Cary Fagan, Ill. by Nicolas Debon

Ages: 3-6

Thing-Thing is a bit too long to be used for a storytime, but it's a wonderful story about a toy who is tossed out the window by an ungrateful boy. Thing-Thing witnesses many things through the windows, thinking all the while about the looming ground and dreaming of the perfect life with a child who cares for him. Luckily, things end well for Thing-Thing. This story is sure to make any child think twice before mistreating his or her toys!



Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

Ages 3-7

The Elephant & Piggie series is one of those rare books that works as an Easy to Read book, as well as a storytime book. As always, the book is presented as a conversation between Piggie and Gerald. The dialogue boxes are color coded, so the reader always knows who's speaking. An adept storyteller can convey the plot of the story through voice changes and actions. Gerald and Piggie are very expressive characters with their own personalities, and I love seeing their friendship in action. This book shows how Gerald and Piggie deal with rain on a day they really want to play outside.