New York Day and Night

Sometimes your eyes can play tricks on you, especially in the dark. This enchanting picture book shows how New York City can look quite peculiar at night. Each brightly colored spread is overlaid with a sheet of translucent blue paper and when lifted, voilà! A space ship and Martian become The Guggenheim, a giant serpent is actually the subway, King Kong's jungle turns into Central Park, and a superhero takes on the shape of a construction worker. Exhilarating and captivating, all the scenes are easily switched between day and night and will take the reader on a unique journey that lets imaginations run wild while revealing that some things at night aren't as scary as they seem.

Our grandchildren don't know much about New York yet, but that didn't stop them from enjoying this unique book. The first time through, I handled the overlays that change each scene from day to night and back to day again. But after that, they wanted to flip the pages all by themselves. It was entertaining to them as they saw the dramatic changes to each picture in the book.

Middle Grade Adventure and Mystery Books https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com/2019/03/middle-grade-adventure-and-mystery.html 

Cat and Mouse

The perfect place for a mouse is inside a cozy, warm house, but a cat lives there too, and once the cat sees the mouse, a chase ensues. As the cat and mouse scurry about--on top of a chair, inside a box, outside a window, through a hole--young readers will learn about important prepositions that help them understand where one object is in relation to another. At the end of this colorful chase, the cat and mouse curl up together and nap until they're ready to start the whole thing again. Britta Teckentrup's eye-catching, simple illustrations are cleverly enhanced with cut-outs that help reinforce the words, providing a unique and fun interactive experience that teaches young readers about basic prepositions.

Who doesn't like a soy about a cat and a mouse? And small children are no different. In addition, with this book, they like sticking their fingers in the numerous holes found on several pages.

Rhyming words add to the enjoyment of this book. I had to take the kids over to one of our antique pieces of furniture in order to show them what a real keyhole looked like, as seen at the end of the story. 

Middle Grade Adventure and Mystery Books https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com/2019/03/middle-grade-adventure-and-mystery.html 

The Song of Spring

It's spring and everywhere birds are calling out to each other. But one bird has forgotten which sound to make. He tries "Woof," and meets a dog, who encourages him to try "Oink," with the expected result. Moo, Hee-Haw, Baa, Meow--each successive call adds another animal friend to the page. Will the young bird find another bird friend? As young readers are introduced to each type of animal and their sounds, Hendrik Jonas's clever illustrations grow increasingly crowded. The result is a beautiful celebration of friendship that will delight young children everywhere.

The first time we read this book, the little ones in our family loved calling out what the next animal would be after they heard me say, "Oink, moo, woof, and others. This is a book they ask for over and over again. The illustrations are colorful and help add to the fun.

Middle Grade Adventure and Mystery Books https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com/2019/03/middle-grade-adventure-and-mystery.html 

Who Is Afraid Of Little Wolf

Who is Afraid of Little Wolf?

This enchanting board book follows Little Wolf as he searches for someone to play with and carries a simple yet profound message about prejudice and preconceived notions.

Little Wolf is bored, and so he asks some other animals to play. But no one wants to join him--not the squirrel, nor the bunny, nor the fox. Their parents have told them not to play with wolves. But when Little Wolf meets a bee, she is brave enough to play and the two have a great time. The other animals see there's nothing to be afraid of and decide to join in. With bold colors and appealing characters this book packs a powerful lesson about overcoming prejudices and not judging someone before you know them.

This little book interested me on a different level. A few years ago, I had noticed how wolves are almost always shown in the worst possible light. After extensive research, I came to the conclusion that wolves are intelligent, magnificent, and interesting animals. 
This resulted in a book I wrote for readers 8 - 13, Legend Of The White Wolf.

For this reason, Who Is Afraid Of Little Wolf caught my eye because, when he asked others to play with him, several of the animals say, "Mommy says I'm not allowed to play with wolves."
Keeping in mind the results of my research, when you read this book, you'll see what a different approach the book takes toward wolves.

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Two Delightful Picture Books From Thames & Hudson

Stay Benson

Flick’s dog, Benson, is a very good boy. He waits for her at home and he never chases anything . . . or so Flick thinks. One day, when Flick leaves for school, Benson chases a cat into the back garden, over the fence, and into the park, where he pursues a squirrel. A ball catches his eye and he follows it into the pond―and then he runs, dripping wet, through the middle of a picnic lunch, stealing a sausage. As the picnickers shout, “Go home, Benson!,” he races back across town, darting through the back door just as Flick arrives home from school. “Have you been a good boy, Benson? Did you stay?” Flick asks. Only the reader really knows what Benson has been doing all day.

Stay, Benson! is beautifully designed, featuring bold graphic illustrations and die- cut pages that entice readers to chase Benson through the book. Author and illustrator Thereza Rowe’s striking images hark back to a classic style of illustration, but use a bright color palette that keeps them fresh and contemporary. The fun, simple story gives children the thrill of being in on Benson’s secret adventure. 

Illustrated in four Pantones

Our granddaughters especially enjoyed the addition of cut-outs on several pages including the dog with a hotdog in his mouth. They also liked some of the troubles Benson got into when he didn't stay like he was supposed to.

A Song for Bear

An imaginative story about a bear trying to learn to sing, complete with engaging illustrations and an empowering message.

From the duo behind If I Had a Dinosaur and A House for Mouse, Gabby Dawnay and Alex Barrow’s A Song for Bear is a story about recognizing and celebrating what makes us unique.

Bear wakes every morning to beautiful birdsong and longs to join in. He stretches his legs, puts on his cap and suspenders, and tries to sing with the beautiful birds crooning all around him in the forest. Unfortunately, he discovers his song is more of a holler, a howl, and rumbling growl. His wise friend, Owl, tries to encourage him by pointing out that Bear is not a bird, but Bear learns the wrong lesson and attempts to fly, thinking that being more birdlike might make him a better singer. In the end, Bear concentrates on what he does best, discovering in the process that his unique “bear song” is in fact a rap. All of the forest animals gather to watch him perform his new song, and cheer in amazement at his newfound talent. Satisfied with finding what makes him unique, Bear smiles to himself and promptly falls back to sleep.

With vibrant illustrations and lyrical rhyming, A Song for Bear tells an imaginative and inspirational story in an entertaining way.

Illustrated in color throughout.

At the ages of 3 and 6, our girls enjoyed the rhymes throughout this story. The bright colors and illustrations help to move the story along for young readers.

Middle Grade Adventure and Mystery Books https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com/2019/03/middle-grade-adventure-and-mystery.html