New children’s books

We received a new order today, August 28, of mostly juvenile picture books.  Four of them clearly stood out from the rest.

“A Very Witchy Spelling Bee” by George Shannon features colorfully dressed witches all of whom have green faces.  Cordelia, a very young witch, loves to spell.  She practices all the times. and since she has the power to cast a spell, she can easily zap “C-A-T” into “C-O-A-T.”  Eventually she competes against Beulah Divine in a “double spelling bee.”  I know spell check is loved by most of us, but Cordelia really is so in love with spelling words herself that her enthusiasm may be caught by young readers who will enjoy this witchy story.

“Mr. Tiger Goes Wild” written and illustrated by Peter Brown is the story of Mr. Tiger who decides to shake things up in his community.  “Everyone was perfectly fine with the way things were.  Everyone but Mr. Tiger.”  When he stops being so proper and begins to loosen up, everyone is very upset.  Brown’s illustrations, done in browns, greens, and oranges, feature very rectangular-shaped animals which adds to the mood of the story.  Young readers will enjoy the simple text, the fanciful illustrations and the message of being oneself.

“The King of Little Things” written by Bil Lepp and illustrated by David T. Wenzel is written and illustrated as a traditional fairy tale.  The watercolor drawings feature kings, castles, soldiers, etc. that would inhabit an ancient realm.  Greedy King Normous must be king of all the world.  When his army conquers all the empires that there were, he is content until it is discovered that the King of Little Things still reigns.  How King Normous eventually meets his match when locking horns with the King of Little Things makes this a great new fairy tale that young readers will enjoy.

“Open This Little Book” written by Jesse Klausmeier and illustrated by Suzy Lee combines the joy of reading with the physical experience of turning the pages of a book.  This is a book within a book within a book, etc.  Each book emphasizes a specific color and relates the story of the reader–the bear, the rabbit, the frog and the ladybug.  This is a book that demands to be read again and again.