For Just One Day by Laura Leuck, illustrated by Marc Boutavant

2009/32 pgs

About the Book: Young children imagine what they would be if they could transform themselves for just one day.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: I was sold on this book the moment I picked it up. A bright sunshiny cover? Check! Retro illustrations? Check! Use of imagination? Check! So I expected to love it going in and I'm glad to say it held up to my expectations.

The rhyming text encourages children to guess what the next character will be, which gives a chance for lots of audience participation when you read this book. I do think it's best suited for a preschool storytime for ages 4 and 5-they'll be the ones who can offer up guesses of what animal the children would be.

The illustrations have a 70's retro feel to them (which I love) and hopefully kids enjoy them as much as I do. The illustrations are full of details and the pictures add to the story, giving us more background about why the kids choose the animals they do.

While I think this would be great for storytime, I'm interested to see how kids respond to the illustrations and if they catch the details in the story. This would be a great discussion book for parents and children as well.

Ready for Anything by Keiko Kasza

2009/32 pgs

About the Book: Duck wants to go on a picnic. But Raccoon is very worried about everything that could happen when the friends venture outside. Duck always counters with the fun the two will have on their adventure. Raccoon learns that he can be ready for anything and enjoy a day out with a friend.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: Ready for Anything is on the 2011 Building Block list and while it's a cute book, I'm a bit torn on how much I enjoyed it.

I loved the illustrations and I loved Raccoon's crazy ideas for what could happen on their picnic. I think this could be a great book to read with a child who is prone to worry. But for me, the book didn't flow as nicely as I thought it could. As a whole, the book is cute, and the ending funny, but there were several points where I thought the book was ending and it just kept going. This made it a bit of a jarring read since I kept expecting an ending.

I'm also not sure if this would be something I'd pick for storytime, instead I think it would be a good one on one read.

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean

2010/40 pgs

About the Book: Pete the Cat loves his white shoes. He loves his shoes so much that he strolls along, singing a song about them. But what happens when Pete steps in some berries? Not to worry-it's all good!

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: Pete the Cat is a 2011 Building Block Award Nominee and I think Pete will end up being this year's winner.

The story is simple but I can see kids having lots of fun with it. There are opportunties for audience response when asked what happens to Pete's shoes and how he handles each new pile of berries and color. There's also lots of repetition of Pete's song, which kids will catch onto quickly and sing along. Pete takes everything in stride and his comments like "cool" and "it's all good" will be sure to make adults chuckle.

A fun colorful book that's perfect for storytime!

If You're A Monster and You Know it by Rebecca Emberly and Ed Emberly

2010/32 pgs

About the Book: If you're a monster and you know it, it's time to show it with smacking your claws, wriggle your warts and acting like a monster.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: My two-year-old niece is currently obsessed with monsters and the song "If You're Happy and You Know It" so of course, If You're a Monster and You Know It makes me the coolest Aunt ever!

The illustrations are bright and colorful and will engage young readers and they'll for sure what to sing along. The familiar song adds fun new elements like wriggling warts and twitching your tail and young readers will have fun participating in all the moves. The text is easy to read, making this a good pick for storytimes-just be prepared for lots of noise!

The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky, illustrated by Andrew Joyner

2009/40pgs.

About the Book: The rabbits are enjoying a leisurely picnic when they hear a terrible plop in the water that sends them running. The warn all the other animals of the terrible plop, but the big brown bear is not afraid. He bullies the littlest rabbit into showing him where the terrible plop is-but is bear as brave as he says he is?

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: The Terrible Plop is nominated for the Building Block Award and I think it will make a great read aloud. Kids will love the humor and guessing what the cause of the terrible plop is. The author is sneaky and never tells the reader what exactly the terrible plop is but the reader has to look for it in the illustrations.

My only problem with the book was that I felt it went on just a bit too long. You'd have to have a very captive audience to read this one to. But for older readers who can stit through longer books, I think it will go over well and I can see them asking for it over and over.