Usually, I have trouble looking at anything in Oz besides Teen and Young Adult books. But lately, my favorites seem to be for the younger crowd…
A Book of Sleep is a gorgeously illustrated book from Korean illustrator Il Sung Na. This simple story all about how different animals sleep is perfectly brought to life with Na’s almost collage-like drawings. His drawings have a textured look to them and are all outlined in charcoal. Each page can spawn great conversation with your little one not only about animals and sleep, but about drawing their own animals. (age: ageless!)
The Zoo I Drew is another great book about animals. With a bright red corrugated cover, this book is sure to grab a child’s attention before he or she even opens it. It’s what first drew me to the book. When I opened it, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book talked about animals starting with the letter A and ending with Z. Not only are the colors in this book amazing, the rhyming and use of big alphabet letter makes this book great for learning and fun. (age: 3-5 years old)
And for anyone who has ever wanted to run away to the forest, but was quite scared of lions and tigers and bears (oh my!), Ferocious Wild Beasts! by Chris Wormell is the book for you. The little boy in the story was never supposed to go into the woods. His mother warned him him of the ferocious wild beasts! So when a bear notices the lost little boy, he inquires how he can help. The little boy in turn warns the bear of the ferocious wild beasts, completely scaring the large bear. The bear decides they should journey on together. As they try to find the boy’s way home, they continue to meet friends (or as the mother would call them “beasts”) who are just as scared of these ferocious wild beasts in the woods. In the end, the only thing that scares everyone is the ferocious wild Mother! This book is hilarious and the watercolors are bright and lively, perfectly matching the lively imagination behind this book. (age: 3-5 years old)
For those readers who are just learning, The Doll Shop Downstairs by Yona Zeldis McDonough is the most charming early chapter book I have read in quite some time. Set during WW2 in New York, Anna is the middle daughter of two Russian immigrants who own a doll repair shop. When Germany declares war on Russia and the United States issues a trade embargo on German goods, the family business begins to fail because most doll parts come from Germany. To help the family, Anna comes up with the idea to make dolls to sell in the shop. When a buyer from F.A.O. Swartz buys the dolls to sell in the stores, the family is saved. This story is not only spun well, but is based around the meager beginnings of the Madame Alexander doll company. (grade: 3rd-4th grade)
Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland is for a little bit older crowd, but adorable still. Polly is a twelve year old girl obsessed with the romantics of Jane Austin books. She believes that she was born for the days when chivalry was expected and people had “bosom friends.” However, she will have to settle for twenty-first century New Jersey. When she is tasked with delivering baked goods for her parents’ bakery, she decides she must help all lovers, young and old, find each other – whether they want to or not! Absolutely adorable for the fifth or six grade girl in your life. (grade: 5th-7th grade)
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