It’s a double month for Oz First Editions Club, and doubly exciting because by happy accident both books are about the ocean and its many wonders. Putting my irrational (Or VERY rational) fear of sea creatures aside, I’m very very excited about both of our picks this month.
If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano and Caldecott winning illustrator Erin Stead (you can read about my love for Erin here) is a beautiful book capturing the imagination and impatience that comes with childhood. In this instructional guide on waiting to spot a whale, Erin Stead creates whimsical images of a little boy and his dog playing pretend and exploring the outdoors. She’s done it again, my friends– yet another book where I want to frame every single page and hang it in my bedroom.
Our other OZ FEC pick this month is Octopus Alone , written and illustrated by Divya Srinivasan, is a sweet story of a shy octopus who just wants to be left alone. Seahorses, jellyfish, and eels are the plague of her existence and keep forcing her to hide in little caves when she just wants to be left alone to eat a few delicious crabs, darn it! Making friends can be hard and scary, but this story quietly explains that it’s good to have friends, even if they are different from you– and in the end, it’s better to be having an ocean dance party with other fish than alone.
Octopus Alone comes out on May 16, and If You Want to See a Whale will be available tomorrow, May 7th. If you’re already a member of Oz FEC, be sure to come by and grab your copies, and if you aren’t a member yet, what a great way to start off your collection! I’ll be reading these at story time here in the store at 11:00 on May 18, so if you need more convincing, come by the store and check them out. We really love these two books, and we’re sure you will too.
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