I was in a bit of a reading slump but realized that it was because I was not reading the right books. I was trying to read novels and was in the mindset for picture books. Those fun, clever little gems that takes a few minutes to read, but you feel accomplished after. After all, think of the child just reading; they cannot do War and Peace, but when they read a book of a few dozen pages, a few hundred words or so, and does it on their own, well, dang! They might as well have. And while both the books below might be in the aged five and up for listening/reading, they can become their own War and Peace for your child, grandchild or even school/classroom library.
A hippo, a worm and a light blub form a club. But the title is The Secret Rhino Society. Jonathan E. Jacobs title promised me Rhinos! Where are the rhinos? Well, I just needed patience. As you see, this club is about the love these friends have for the mighty, wonderful, aMAZing rhinoceros. They love everything about them. But when they finally actually meet a real live one, they learn maybe it is best not to meet your heroes. But then again, maybe you should. As they might just turn out even cooler than you thought. Samantha Cotterill’s illustrations are funky, sweet, and fit the tone of the story perfectly.
The Legend of King Arthur-A-Tops seems like it will be straight forward. And it is. The Festival of the Stone is in full swing, dinosaurs from across the land are there and if one pulls the horn Rex-calibur from the magical stone, well you know the drill. And of course, Arthur-A-Tops is probably the least qualified for the job. But well…. yeah, no big surprise there. Mo O’Hara created a comfortable story with some modern added ons. We learn it could be a king or queen and you learn about what makes a good leader/friend among with a modern tone to the text. Andrew Joyner has some adorably young, but not childish, looking illustrations and the colors and details pop off the page.
Both books will delight the modern listener and reader and all ages can find something to enjoy.
