Looking for a little reading fun with your little ones? Grab one of these seriously adorable books, pile together on your couch, and I promise you the smiles will be anything but little. Okay, perhaps you can sense a theme here with my little share of repetition. Aside from the similarities in the titles of this week’s round-up, there’s a common sense of quiet simplicity that makes these stories wonderful to share with the kids you love.
Little Chicken’s Big Day by Katie Davis and Jerry Davis depicts a mother/child relationship that I can relate to. The back and forth between these two cuties involves a lot of parental directions as the day goes on, which is familiar, and a wee bit of child sassiness, which is even more familiar. It’s nothing too strongly worded, don’t worry. In fact, I think both kids and parents will giggle at Little Chicken’s repeated quiet declarations of, “I hear you cluckin’, Big Chicken.” With only a small amount of text, the love shared between Big and Little Chicken is apparent.
Another little bird, but this time the adventures are being had during the nighttime, of course. Divya Srinivasan’s Little Owl’s Night brought a smile to my face from my first glance at the cover. The night forest is an active place, and Little Owl’s friends are all going about their usual business while he watches on. Several animals cross paths with Little Owl, from a hedgehog to a raccoon to a couple of beavers by the pond. When the “moonflowers close and morning glories open,” this quiet story comes to a close, and Little Owl’s captivating big eyes finally close.
The third little animal was purposefully saved for last, because I’m still enamored with Kevin Henkes’ Little White Rabbit, and I have been since it first came out earlier this year. Henkes’ illustrative style in recent years has bowled me over, and this one was no exception. The imaginative nature of this book made it an instant favorite of my children’s, for the rabbit is a curious and inquisitive character whose wondering makes for a delightful little story, in which the text and images are perfectly enmeshed.
All three of these picture books go to show you that a little something can go a long way toward big reading fun.
Though I am a Round I panelist in this Fiction Picture Book category for the Cybils, my opinions are solely my own and are not meant to reflect the final outcome.
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Dawn juggles teaching, parenting, and reading on a daily basis, sometimes hopping back over to give her blog, my thoughts exactly, a bit of attention, too.
Jennifer says
Clever!! It looks like the illustrations in Little Owl’s Night are really fantastic.
Dawn says
Yeah, they appear to be done on, or at the very least, manipulated on the computer. Very, very cute.
MotherReader says
I loved the illustrations of Little Owl’s Night. Very different from much I’ve seen in children’s artwork, and so a stand-out. And BTW, fantastic job covering so many of our Cybils nominees!
Dawn says
Yes, I was struck immediately by the cover image!
I’ve had so much fun putting together these mini-reviews, and I’ve got my piles dwindled down for the next three weeks’ worth of posts. I’m hauling a ton of books back to the library today that I’ve had for three renewals! The giant stacks are no longer in my dining room. 🙂
Jennifer says
I’ve loved the discipline and ease of doing all the mini write-ups, too, although you’ve smoked me!
Dawn says
Well, picture books are a heck of a lot easier to read and write up than novels, that’s for sure!