Scotton,Rob. (2011). Splish, Splash, Splat!. New York: Harper Collins.
Splish, Splash, Splat! by Rob Scotton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Splat doesn’t like Spike—he eats all his candy fish and plays with his toys until they break—and he also doesn’t like water—it’s scary, wet and makes him soggy. Splat is not happy when he has to have a play date with Spike and learn to swim on the same day. However, things turns out to the better when Splat and Spike bond over their fear of water and learn to get over it together and eventually become friends. The illustrations are made in mixed media. They are quirky and fun and match the humour of the story perfectly. Scotton uses frames in a very interesting way. Images would sometimes have very strong frames in a black line and a detailed background inside the frame, but part of the image would always seem to escape outside the frame: a tail, a pawn, a leg, a nose, a candy fish. It breaks the clear, clean, strong frame in a playful way that adds and matches the story. Other images have no frames at all and little to no background. These sometimes were combined in the same page to convey animation or sudden action, almost like panels in a comic without the frames. Other times, he would use bleed for dramatic effect on the more dynamic images. This is a great book for talking about tolerance and not judging a person too quickly.
Stead, Philip C. (2010). A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Illustrated by Erin E. Stead. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a beautiful story of reciprocity and friendship. Every morning Amos McGee goes to his work as caretaker of the zoo and does something special with each of his animal friends until one day he gets sick and cannot go to work. His animal friends then decide to go to him and take care of him. The illustrations are made using woodblock printing and pencils. This combination of techniques gives the book a very particular and unique look. Woodblocks are used to give colour and texture to part of the images while lines are added for the background and over some of the coloured areas for definition. Colour is used sporadically. In fact, in most images there are only some objects that are coloured while the main characters are always coloured in. This technique helps not only in giving salience to the characters, but by also having some objects have colour, it also create balance to avoid overwhelming the compositions. This book is great for talking about reciprocity and how friends help each other.
Willis , Jeanne. (2011). Mole’s Sunrise. Illustrated by Sarah Fox-Davies. London: Walker Books.
Mole’s Sunrise by Jeanne Willis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lovely, touching story of a mole who wants to see the sunrise, and the friends that make it happen. His friends—the mouse, the hare, the squirrel and the sparrow—take the mole to the lake where they describe the sunrise as flavours and textures so the mole can experience it. The book is beautifully illustrated by Fox-Davies. The use of soft colours and delicate lines give the illustrations an almost misty and blurry quality that matches the feel of a sunrise. The lines in the composition of the images are mostly horizontal and some vertical giving little to no tension and creating a soft sequence to the narrative of the story. The mole is the only character with a darker hue, almost black, and a small white vest that gives him just enough contrast to have salience in each spread, but not enough to be disruptive to the softness and delicacy that characterizes the entire book. It’s a great book to use to teach about the different senses and the value of friendship.
Wortche, Allison. (2011). Rosie Sprout’s Time to Shine. Illustrated by Patrice Barton. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Rosie Sprout’s Time to Shine by Allison Wortche
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Everyone in school agrees that Violet—the fastest, the loudest and the fanciest—is the best at everything. Except Rosie—who isn’t fast, or loud, or fancy. When they have to grow their own peas for class and Violet’s pea is looking to be the biggest, Rosie pushes soil on top of Violet’s pea. Afterwards, Rosie feels guilty and takes care of plants, as Violet is sick at home, and they end up being the tallest in the class. Rosie finally gets recognition for being the best gardener in the class. The lovely illustrations were created using pencil sketches painted digitally. The very realistic style and the eloquent facial expressions and body language give a dynamic feel to the book. Violet, in particular, is always depicted in stronger colours and in constant movement with vivid facial expressions. Rosie, on the other hand, is depicted in softer colours, her facial expressions more constrained, her body language illustrated with less diagonal lines. This book could be used to talk about doing the right thing, the desire to be noticed, and how to deal with difficult situations when one is not the loudest of the group.
Zullo, Germano. (2012). Little Bird. Illustrated by Albertine. New York: Enchanted Books.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an almost wordless book where the image carries the story and the interpretation of the text. The illustrations are made in mixed media and consist of mainly of full colour and unadorned backgrounds. This lends the book quiet, whimsical look that complements the original story. A white all around frame is used in all spreads with the text appearing in black at the bottom in the right half of the spread. A man drives his truck up to a cliff’s edge and there he opens the back door of his truck and a flock of birds flies out. Only one tiny bird remains seemly afraid to fly, so the man shares his sandwich with the bird and tries to show the bird how to fly. After a while, the bird flies off but then comes back with the entire flock, and they all take the man flying. The man eventually learns to fly and takes the bird flying on his head. This book could be used for talking about generosity, reciprocity and imagination.
