pICTURE bOOK mONTH cONTINUES

IF YOU GIVE A DOG A DONUT by Laura Numeroff with illustrations by Felicia Bond (Harper 2011) brings back one of my favorite circle stories. You know the routine. If you give a dog a donut, chances are he will want some juice to go with it. These books are fun and give a terrific example of a mentor text for young writers. <616>



IF WAFFLES WERE LIKE BOYS by Charise Mericle Harper and illustrations by Scott Magoon (Balzer and Bray 2011)offers readers a wacky way of looking at how things might change if socks and shopping carts and even hot dogs were like boys. Kids could offer some guesses before the turn of the pages or simply write their own "if boys were ____________, then ____________" scenarios. And don't forget to try out "if girls were ________" scenarios as well. <617>



E-MERGENCY by Tom Lichtenfeld and Ezra Fields-Meyer (Chronicle 2011)has the alphabet living all under one roof. One day, E trips while running down the stairs. Letters are sent to fetch numbers (9-1-1) and punctuation (especially exclamation marks). While E is resting p in the hospital, everyone is prohibited from using her in any word. Hilarity and definitely some confusion ensue. Pair this with THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH and THE WONDERFUL O. <618>



THE BELLY BOOK by Fran Manushkin with illustrations by Dan Yaccarino (Feiwel and Friends 2011) looks not just at belly buttons but also at lint (where does that come from) and belly flops and belly dancing and all things belly. <619>