Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies

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This book about-yes, microbes- was so beautiful and charming! I didn't think that noun and those adjectives would ever be placed side by side, but Nicola Davies book, Tiny Creatures, is just as fun to look at as informational to read. This non-fiction storybook is playful and colorful, and quite factual with a little bit of witticism thrown in. That's a darn fine combination for a topic that is of the science-y nature (and I have to admit, not my favorite topic to read about). My kids loved this book, and wanted me to read it multiple times. 

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I do not have the best memory for elementary science, but I am a big enthusiast of well-illustrated and concise children's books on the topic, and this book is just that. The pictures are quite pleasant and are deifnitely cut from a Victorian-yet-folksy stone, which brings out bright yet somewhat muted or matte colors, without drawing away from the well done writing. 

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Of course the best part about sharing this book with the kids was the learning, of which this picture and words share some of what amazed them--that microbes are on our food, in our stomachs, and in our water all the time. A beautiful book for the science-loving child in your life, and enjoyable for adults, as well. Now, I need to look up what other books this author and also the illustrator, Emily Sutton, have done and put them on hold lickety-split!

Summer Birds The Butterflies of Maria Merian

I loved this picture book that we found at the library, Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian by Margarita Engle. It is a true story, a picturebook biography about a woman who lived centuries ago and was one of the first true naturalists. She discovered that caterpillars turn into butterflies, as it was common belief at the time that butterflies and caterpillars were two separate types of insects.

The pictures are stunning, and have that a botany-for-kids feel (like if these posters were made for kids), and perfectly align with the narrative. I had never heard of Maria Merien before but when looking her up on Wikipedia, I found that she illustrated her first botany book at age 28; quite impressive for the 17th century and being female.

This is a wonderful companion book for science and nature lovers, studies in female scientists and game-changers, and just an all-around beautiful picture book. I see a butterfly project in your future!

The Loch Mess Monster by Helen Lester

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Have you ever read the Tacky books? You know, that penguin who marches, 1-2-3-4-2-3-6-0-2 1/2-0? Tacky the Penguin was one of my favorite characters growing up as a child, and I knew the author, Helen Lester, often produced books that were illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Lester's words and Minsinger's pictures blend so well together, that I have rarely seen one without the other (and it is a bit jarring when you see one without the other!), and I like it that way.

Lester's newer book, The Loch Mess Monster, is about a little loch monster who is incredibly messy. His parents have rules about going above the water in the Loch Ness, which parents will find amusing knowing the story behind the original Scottish myth, and children will delight in the hilarious story about the sticky, jammy, messy monster. 

I own several of Lester's hilarious books, and for good reason. She has a way with words that create truth and humor about children without sounding the least bit patronizing. Listen, Buddy! is another family favorite that I have read at least 50 times, probably more. Catch up with this wonderful book and have your children heartily cracking up before bedtime, especially if you have a little messy monster yourself!

The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life by Lois Ehlert

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This book is new to me, authored by Lois Ehlert, and it is beautiful! I know you know Lois Ehlert's work, because it's everywhere. Leaf Man, Chicka Chicka Boom Bom, and Eating the Alphabet are some of her most well-known books, followed closely by many others (and they're all excellent!) but this book, Scraps, is very different from the rest of her work in that it isn't a picture-book story, but a picture-book autobiography of Ehlert from the time she was a little girl and using all sorts of bits and bobs to create art, to present day as a children's author. 

This book is filled with Ehlert's recognizable collage art, and the 'notions' spill across each page followed by words and sentences all over the place. Since this book is still written for children, the autobiographical part is finely tuned to snippets, much like her pieces of cut paper. 

I thought this book was just lovely, and so interesting, since I didn't know much about one of my children's favorite author/illustrators. I find her collage illustrations to be very inspirational, and I might even buy this book for my kids to use to get their imaginations rolling. It's no secret collage illustration might be my favorite, so I am potentially biased, but I found my kids to be just as interested. Often while reading it aloud, Ani would touch the pieces on the page (from photography, natural and found items, cut or torn paper, etc.) to see if they had an actual texture. Scraps is a great book to introduce to young children who want to know a bit more of the artist behind some of their favorite childhood books!

Home by Carson Ellis

The book Home by Carson Ellis, is a beautifully illustrated picture book on realistic and imaginative types of homes for everyone and everything, all over the world. I saw the cover and my first thought was, "I want that as a print on my wall", though as far as I know, it is not currently being sold in that form. Study that front cover for awhile, and you're guaranteed to smile at the least, or like me, want it for your own space. I thought I recognized the style and when I went to her website I realized that she was also the illustrator for the covers of the infamous young adult novels The Mysterious Benedict Society, and also Wildwood.  Home is her first authored book. 

This is a view of a home above ground, and below. "Some are palaces. Or underground lairs." Some of the more imaginative illustrations and descriptions of homes were the Japanese businessman, the Moonian, the family in the shoe, and others. Ellis uses very muted undertones on her palette, giving this book an earthy feel and a great way to represent many types of homes throughout history and present day dwellings. 

I am being a little tricky with this book in showing you some of the beautiful illustrations, but there are so many creative spreads in this picture book, and I want you to explore them with your own family yourself. I can't give away all the goodies here!
"Clean houses. Messy houses. Tall houses. Short houses." We really are all different, and our homes are some of the best representations for what we value and enjoy. Home is a gem and I hope it expands your imagination about what home is, and what it can be.

"Charlie & Lola" Picture Books by Lauren Child

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The first time I came in contact with the author/illustrator Lauren Child, my gut reaction said, "now this is someone who knows kids". Her illustrations of Charlie & Lola books, along with other stand-alone stories are perfectly scruffy, collaged pictures and spiral writing mixed together to form a child-like representation. I truly mean that in the best way. They are chalk full of whimsy.

You may recognize the video above as the popular British children's TV show, but let me tell you, they're books, too, with just as much charm, if not more. (I'll let you in on a little secret, too: if you read them with a British cockney accent, they are "terribly funner to read", as Lola might say.) 

Lauren child has plenty of books (even a Pippi Longstocking take!), but my favorites are the Charlie and Lola series. Charlie is usually seen figuring out a problem (or phobia) of Lola's, his little sister, and then near the end, her finding her confidence. That may be going to school for the first time, or trying to never eat a tomato. The way Lola speaks, and her cheeky invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, are quite a pair for patient Charlie. 

Here are the Charlie & Lola bunch: 

*I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato

*I Am Absolutely Too Small for School

*I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed

Of course, there are loads of episodes of Charlie & Lola cartoons that can be found at the library, on youtube, etc. I find the cartoons quite good, too. Although they are very colorful and bright, they aren't overly stimulating, fast, or obnoxious, and I find the relationship between Charlie and his little sister, Lola, sweet.

I Wish I Had A Pet by Maggie Rudy

I just found the sweetest gem of a stop-animation picture book! What a treasure of photos, and a great message to boot about selecting and caring for the right pet. 

Maggie Rudy's I Wish I Had A Pet follows a mouse family (community?) caring for various pets of shapes and sizes, and dreaming of the perfect one. Rudy's picture book has lots of tips for keeping your pet comfortable, fed, tidied, and loved. 

It's a sweet book for kids as young as 2 years old, up to ages 8 or 9. My son thought it was really cute, and my daughter loved looking into the small mouse scenes, each so very different and creative in their own right. 

I found out that Rudy's blog is a collection of wonderful little mouseling 'shorts' (or gifs), or photos of her Mouse Land. It's really quite adorable if you like the 'dollhouse' feel of textured layers for picture book illustrations. The reader gets to view the little mouse houses from inside the living room, along with the inhabitants. 

This book is very minimalist and has a lot of white space, too, which I enjoy. It's easy on the eyes, and it really lets the words of the story and the lovely stop-animation 'scenes' shine as the brightest star of the show. I'm already looking for my library to get the next one, The House that Mouse Built.  What a sweet book to encourage new pet owners, both big and small!

The Jesus Storybook Bible // Happy Easter

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This is hands-down the best children's bible out there and I buy it for nearly everyone having a new baby. Sally Lloyd-Jones has a beautiful way of words, and the subtitle every story whispers His name is an accurate description. The stories are beautifully illustrated by Jago. I will admit that at first I was a little off-put by the illustrations. They are so different, but the more I read the stories, the more I appreciate how different they are, and I've grown to love them, and can't picture any other illustrator working on such a precious project.

As we celebrate Easter this weekend, let us not forget the reason for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday - Jesus Christ, who defeated Satan with his death and resurrection on the cross to save us from our sins and rectify us in the midst of a holy and just God. 

For a taste of how meaningful this little bible can be in words and pictures, please listen and watch to the story called "God's Wonderful Surprise", that shares the Easter story.

 He is Risen!

No Such Things by Bill Peet

 I picked up Bill Peet's goofy rhyming story book, No Such Things, on a lark at the library because it looked like there were horses on the front cover. My daughter loves horses and a new horse book is always a welcome addition to the weekly book bag. What I found, instead, delighted me. I've found a new author/illustrator that I love, and that I can't wait to explore more of.

Peet's hilarious book is a large poem broken up into two-page spreads. On each spread there is a new animal that is wacky and hilarious, and a small story about each nonsensical creation. All of them are clever and unique, which makes this book such a fun and easy read-aloud. My kids love books like this: ones that have a really great cadence, descriptive pictures, and plenty of nonsense. That seems to be a formula for great children's books, at least with my two monkeys.

There are so many Bill Peet books to read, some are offshoots of this book No Such Things, like, Buford the Little Bighorn. Now that I've searched his Amazon author page to see all his books, I recognize two books (not quite as nonsensical) that I've already read to the kids: The Gnats of Knotty Pine, and Merle the High-Flying Squirrel. I'm definitely going to be putting a couple of his on hold from our local library until we've read all they can offer. Try them out and tell me you don't have the kids bobbing up and down in merriment and good, fun rhythm!

An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco

I didn't mean to have two book reviews by the same author this month, especially with Christmas titles, but it just happened that way. I fell in love with Patricia Polacco's Christmas story, An Orange for Frankie, when I read it for the first time, to my children before bed.

The story is about a large family, the Stowells, who don't have a lot, but have enough and each other, and Christmas is coming. The family holds off on decorating until their Pa gets back from getting their Christmas oranges to put on the mantle, one for each child. It's Frankie's favorite thing about Christmas. Although Pa is taking longer than normal to return, the family distracts themselves with making food and helping a train car full of hobos to wash up with warm bath, eat, and drink hot coffee, perhaps the first real meal they've had in weeks.

Frankie enjoys talking to the men and recognizes some of them from times before. He sees a new man who is older than the others, and notices he doesn't even have a shirt on underneath his threadbare coat. He tells the 'mister' to stay right there and he gets his nicest Christmas sweater (and the only one that fits well, knitted by his sister) to give to the man to keep warm in.

A few days after this encounter, the family is sick with worry over their Pa, as the winter weather has been blowing hard for days. If I told you the two important things that happen in the end of the book, I'd be spoiling the story for you. All that to say, it's a book about kindness, sharing with others who have less, and the love between a family. A longer book than most bedtime stories, but one that is as touching as it is beautifully illustrated, and surely worth the time spent sharing it together.

The Blessing Cup by Patricia Polacco

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Happy Thanksgiving to our American readers! Today, instead of sharing a story about the Pilgrims, Native North Americans, or the very first Thanksgiving, I wanted to review a story that is all about gratitude. That's what this lovely holiday celebrates--thankfulness. The Blessing Cup by Patricia Polacco is the perfect picture book in the gratitude department. 

This book is the true story of the author's grandma Anna, when she was a little girl living in a Jewish community in Russia. Her family is content; money is tight but they have each other, and they have their community. Anna's mother's prized possession is a beautiful tea set that is worth a small fortune, given to her as a wedding gift. A prayerful tradition of thankfulness to God, and to each other for their simple life is offered up each night when the family shares tea together. 

When the Jews are expelled from Russia, Anna and her family must find refuge elsewhere, her father becomes sick. They find a doctor who is kind to them, lets the family stay in his house and nurses the father back to health. That's all I can tell you about this children's picture-book memoir without giving  the ending away. It's a beautiful story, both in illustration with black and white pencil drawings with small wisps of color, and in words.

 This book will give you a heaping dose of gratitude, and perhaps a lump in your throat towards the end. I highly recommend reading The Blessing Cup over Thanksgiving weekend, counting your own blessings, and being with those you love. 

Kamishibai Man by Allen Say

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When reading Allen Say's beautiful books, you can usually expect a historical and cultural lesson, and Kamishibai Man is no exception. I first caught wind of Say's work when I picked up The Bicycle Man at a library book sale, and found the book written like a child's memory from decades ago. I've been a fan of his ever since and have picked up a few more here and there, and tried to read all of his books through the library system to my kids. My two, even though they are too young to know author names, and historical nuance, are always quiet and still when listening to a Say book. It's like they sense the importance and the historical tone of the story. 

Kamishiabi Man is a story about a man who is remembering his job of Kamishibai, or the tradition of  Japanese storytelling with picture cards for emphasis. It originated before television, and was a popular way to be entertained (and perhaps then to make money by selling candy to children). The Kamishibai man takes a large wooden cupboard on his bike, stocked with the painted cards correlating to different stories, and drawers full of homemade candy. It reminded me of a theater, but instead of puppets, placards. 

A lot of Allen Say's books use very muted colors, to emphasize the story as a memory, or to put it in historical context, often dating to the second World War. Many of his stories are about Japanese traditions, folklore, or cultural references, and I love that about his books. 

*If you are interested in learning more about Kamishibai, this website might be helpful.*

Author Love: Jon Agee

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An author whose work I've noticed and started following within the following year is one of Lukka's favorite picture book authors, Jon Agee. His quirky books and humorous word play is contagiously clever and fun to read aloud. The last book I picked up was The Retired Kid, about a kid who has literally had it with being a kid. He was sick of the piano lessons, if you will, and decided to head to a retirement community in Florida to live out his days in enjoyment. 

I can see you smirking across the computer screen, as well you should. This new retiree does everything a stereotypical 70 year old would do in Florida, including golf. Pretty soon he realizes he misses those mundane 'kid things', even the boredom. 

In another favorite Agee picture book, The Other Side of Town, a little space-like man gets a taxi drive to keep driving through the intricacies of what looks like New York City, to "the other side of town", a side that we humans have never seen, nor could have imagined existed under our very noses! 

Jon Agee's illustrations are very soft colored, and they seem simplistic at first, but I've come to realize that Agee is a master of edit. His pictures are simple, though quite often the backgrounds can be complex, full of imaginary characters, odd out-of-place items, and he moves the story along with undertone humor in the language and the drawings. 

My son loves his books, and whenever I pick up a new one at the library, he's eager to have me read it to him. Very often, he's laughing out loud throughout the story. These are not long stories, so they are great for bedtime. Wouldn't you want to read a story about who Santa was as a kid? Or how about a funny book called "Smart Feller Fart Smeller: and other Spoonerisms". I want to read a book about spoonerisms! Jon Agee's books have finger on the hilarity parents delight in from a picture

book, and the wacky and imagination that kids demand in the books they want to hear read. 

I Am Blop! by Herve Tullet

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I knew from the font and the unique color and shape of the book I saw on the rack that it was Herve Tullet's newest book. The French author has such a recognizable artistic style and his books are ultra colorful, and quite clever. His last book "Press Here" was a huge hit with many kids, including my own. Needless to say, I'm a big fan. 

I Am Blop! is a picture book that is more art and action than traditional story. This shape called Blop takes on colors, ideas, changes, and even osmosis within the book and becomes a funny and smart peek at the acts of creativity, repetition, and boundaries. Alright, so that sounds a bit academic, but this few-worded book is so inventive that both my kids wanted to keep it in their bedrooms for going through night after night.

Blop is just an ordinary, four-sided shape that becomes special with each new idea layer. For example, what if Blop had dots? What if Blop was scribbled? Unfinished? 3-Dimensional and made of clay? It's the same shape, but it's different every time. Tullet has such a gift with his kid inspired art books because of the playful spirit his non-human art forms take on. This book is an excellent art and conversation starter, perfect for any age, old or young. 

The Mermaid's Shoes by Sanne te Loo

I can not for the life of me place the website where I found out about this beautiful book, but I'm so glad I quickly got on my library's website to see if they had it. I noticed the pictures, first, which really are the prize of this children's book. The Mermaid's Shoes is written and illustrated by Sanne te Loo, and is as I noted on instagram earlier in the week, possibly the most beautiful book I've seen of 2014.  

My photos don't do the book justice, and you really should just buy it. With a price tag like this one for a large (nearly oversize) hardback children's book, it's worth the real estate. I was so glad my library offered to buy this book once I put in a request.

The story is about a little girl named Mia who finds a pair of unclaimed flippers on her last day of her family's vacation by the sea. She recognizes them immediately as mermaid shoes. After that day she is only seen with her mermaid shoes, traipsing through town, creating fins and a mermaid's tale, and exploring the sea in other ways through play and place.

 She even inspires a couple other international friends to join her.

Although I do find the illustrations to be stronger than the story, it's a very sweet and quiet tale (see what I did there) about play, imagination, and ultimately, creativity and resourcefulness. I hope to see more books by Sanne te Loo in the future.

Perfect Summer Read: Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran

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As lovers of children's literature, we all have our favorite authors, and our favorite illustrators. I happen to love Kate DiCamillo and will read anything she writes. I will also beg the library to get any book Melissa Sweet 'decorates' the pages of. My all time favorite illustrator, though, is Barbara Cooney.

I'm not much of a collector. Sure I have a stash of yarn, and a large glass jar of washi tape, but aside from those two collections, I mostly just amass classic children's picture books. In recent years I've slowed that down, because I have a bookshelf full (and once something comes in, something else has to go out!), but have really just started honing in on a few of my very favorites. Barbara Cooney's books have found that precious real estate, and I try to collect a few every year. If I find one at the thrift store I don't currently own, I feel like I've struck gold. If, over the past year I didn't really find any, I'll order a few off amazon. Usually they're a penny a piece plus shipping, but if I can't find any for a reasonable price, I'll just buy them on prime for regular price. I think I've only had to do that once.

Roxaboxen might just be my favorite Cooney work. I think this is because not only do her illustrations shine, reflecting the simple nostalgia that a well-worn childhood exudes, but because the story that Alice McLerran wrote feels so personal and universal, and it matches the author's story so well.

The story of Roxaboxen is based on a true place. A dusty corner in the South West, it was a mound of dirt just waiting to be explored by the local children of the small town. At all different ages, the children played together to create a world that they dominated in the form of a town, a jail, a backdrop for large weeks-long games, stores, and homes. A place where children could be children, unfettered by rules, they created their own devices from the objects found in 'Roxaboxen', like old wooden crates, broken glass, stones, sticks, and spindly bushes.

It reminds me of my own childhood 'hideout'. My neighbor friends and I had a magical childhood filled with freedom, bikes roaming the neighborhood, and sack lunches; hours spent outside playing. The setting of Roxaboxen is perhaps 50 years before that, based on how the children are dressing, and the outline of faint houses found within the illustrations, but the story is nonetheless relevant to now. Kids need places where they can play, make up their own rules, create their own toys, and figure out how life works with one another, manipulating a place all for themselves.

It's such a beautiful story of childhood. It's perfect summer reading. Once you're done, go out and play!

Zany Zoo by William Wise

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Zany Zoo is a clever and poetic romp of a picture book through the animal kingdom, illustrated by Tacky's friend, Lynn Munsinger. Her illustrations are a perfect mix of bright color, busyness, and humor, and they are the extra credit to William Wise's A+ poetry.

Interspersed with adult humor for the reader, the child will think these poems are engaging, rhythmic, and hilarious. The characters all have different quirks, and along with common animals like raccoons, horses, and skunks are the rare or endangered ones like tapirs, terns, and yaks. 

Often the poems will have a pun about the animal's name or personality, as you can see in the above poem, Daisy. I recommend reading this book while the kids munch on breakfast, or enjoy their after-school snack, because the laughter and movement of these poems will excite your children, not lull them to sleep. 

After checking out this book from the library because I first noticed Munsinger's illustrations with her distinct drawing style, I would definitely look for more of Wise's picture books. My kids were laughing and enjoying the little animal blurbs and rhymes, and I was thoroughly enjoying the puns and above-the-head humor. 

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet

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I often get book recommendations on my facebook page, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to find another great children's book at my local library. This recommendation, Balloons Over Broadway, is from our very own Maria. She knows my son loves and is drawn to anything 'mechanical' in nature, and this book captured his attention and imagination. Thanks, Maria! This book did not disappoint. 

I knew I'd love this book from the cover because true-stories always inspire me, and there aren't that many by way of children's titles. When I opened up the hard cover, I was immediately in love. Ever since I was a kid I have had a love with multimedia illustrations. This book is chock-full of them, and the artwork meshes wonderfully with the subject matter. I hope the artist, Melissa Sweet, gets another Caldecott Honor or Medal for this brilliant piece of work. 

Balloons Over Broadway is the true story of a puppeteer named Tony Sarg who created simple machines to finish chores, marionettes to give children and adults alike joy and wonder, and finally, puppets with mechanical underbellies including cogs, gears, and pulleys. He became well known for his artistry and was given an opportunity of a lifetime: to create a "Wondertown" for Macy's department store in New York City. The book doesn't mention if the infamous Macy's Christmas window displays were already in demand, or if Sarg was the first creator of the magical scenes, but his Wondertown was decked out with puppets and storybook characters that mechanically moved. 

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To let Sweet tell us the story in her own words, "[But] Macy's had an even bigger job in store for Tony. Many of the people working at Macy's were immigrants, and as the holidays approached, they missed their own holiday traditions of music and dancing in the streets. Macy's agreed to put on a parade for their employees, and they hired Tony to help." 

The story continues of Tony's trial and error with balloon size and material, filler, and mechanical workings, finally settling on the floats we know today in the annual Macy's Parade! Within the story are photographs of metal tools, toys, fabric scraps, buttons; illustrations on graph paper as Tony worked out the math, puppet stills, (like above), and bits and bops that make books like this so darn interesting to look through. Well done, Ms. Sweet. Balloons Over Broadway is simply fantastic.

The Three Questions: Based on a Story by Leo Tolstoy by Jon Muth

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I love unexpected treasures found in the form of books in our local children's section at the library. After we gather our heavy weekly collection, some chosen by my children, some by myself, we haul our sturdy wool library bag over to the self-checkout and line up our cards. The majority of the time we haven't read any of the titles in our bag, but the gems are still quietly lined up waiting to be seen and heard aloud. 

This book, The Three Questions, was one I had picked up because I thought the cover looked thoughtful, and I was intrigued by the subtitle which is "Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy". Leo Tolstoy is a famous Russian writer who is known for his gigantic books like "Anna Karenina" and "War and Peace". His books are classic stories of the human condition, and I really wondered how a children's book was going to turn out with a subtitle like that!  

The story is quiet and somber in tone and a very philosophical book for young children. As I read it to my own kids, I don't know that they had a good grip on the ending moral of the story, but I certainly thought it was a very worthwhile book. I hadn't even noticed who the author was before I started reading it, but Jon Muth is the author and illustrator behind the Zen Shorts collection, which are also beautiful, bright in color, and have excellent side-stories to help children understand emotion and challenging concepts. The Three Questions no doubt aligns itself perfectly on the shelf next to these books. 

The plot is simple and fluid, whereas a young boy, Nikolai asks three very challenging questions to his friends Dog, Monkey, and Heron. His questions, to become a better person, are the following: "When is the best time to do things?; Who is the most important one?; What is the right thing to do?". His three friends answer these questions in very different ways, each with their own personality bent. He finally finds his answer by talking to tortoise, and taking action with a panda family. A valuable lesson is learned by Nikolai and the listeners alike, as we realize we make things harder than they need to be. This beautiful book, illustrated with water colors throughout, is definitely worthy of your next stop at the library. 

The Zoo by Suzy Lee

The Zoo by Suzy Lee

First I am going to say a few words about the Author/ Illustrator, Suzy Lee. 

I am a fan. 

Suzy is an artist at heart. Her books use few, if any, words. However, you cannot deny that Suzy is telling you tales full of playfulness, imagination and intrigue. Her brilliant, controlled use of color to strengthen her stories, and her illustrative style that brings expression and character to inanimate objects (ex. an ocean wave or the contents of a broom closet) has made her a favorite in my library.

Suzy Lee is best known for her book Wave, which has become enormously popular recently. It is a wordless book depicting energetic charcoal sketches of a girl playing on a beach among the splashes and waves of a crisp blue ocean. This is a treasured book in our home.

The Zoo is a lesser known book. When I stumbled upon Wave several years ago, I took a chance and ordered The Zoo sight unseen. I was not disappointed. 

The Zoo is not a wordless book, but the text is minimal. Again, Suzy uses her power of illustration and control of color to pull her reader through the story. The short and direct narrative is told through the eyes of a little girl brought to the zoo by her parents. The illustrations on these first pages are dull, washed out grey tones as the girl visits empty cage after empty cage with her parents. Suddenly you are introduced to a colorful peacock who captures the attention of the little girl. As she absentmindedly wanders away from her parents to follow the peacock, the greyscale background of the empty zoo melts away into a vivid green one.

The following pages are a contrast between her parents search for the girl in the grey empty zoo and the girl's adventures in the colorful oasis of animals. "We watched the hippos in their pool," the girl narrates, on a greyscale page where her parents are searching for her at the empty hippo pool. The following page shows the peacock leading the girl to a colorful pond with happy hippos and monkeys who have escaped their drab cages.

In the end, she is found by her parents asleep on a zoo bench. As the relieved parents carry her home, the animals in the background are watching her go and, as she smiles at them, the girl states, "I love the zoo. It is very exciting." 

The narrative only follows the girl's perspective of her adventures with the animals, but you SEE the contrast of the empty cages and parents. Many authors would have left the parents behind and told only the story of the girl's adventure, but Suzy did not. Some parents may find this choice to be a criticism; that you see the frantic parents searching for her and that she was truly missing rather than a dream as she dozed in a stroller. This may be a deal-breaker for some parents, as it does capture the frantic nature of the 'wandered-off child'- in one Amazon reviewer's words, 'the parents' fear is palpable.' But I believe that the contrast of narratives is part of what makes this such a unique and worthwhile read.