Picture Books

Title: "Time of Wonder"

Author: Robert McCloskey

Illustrator: Robert McCloskey

Publisher: Puffin Books (A Division of Penguin Books)

Publication Date: 1989

ISBN: 0-14-050201-7

Rating: 4/5

"Time of Wonder" is a beautiful story about two little girls and their summer vacation home experiences. The two girls spend their summer on an island on the bay, where they get to experience crabbing, night-time boat rides, and blue sparkling water. The two girls play all day long by the bay with the other neighbors. They jump off the rocks at the point of the island, and even build rock castles. Towards the end of the book, a hurricane hits as the summer ends. The family pushes through the hurricane, but eventually realizes summer is over and it's time to go home for school.

I give this picture book a 4/5. The plot is adorable, and any child who has gone on vacation will be able to relate to the memories and feelings during summer, when you think school will never start again. Also, the pictures in this book are phenomenal. The illustrators uses very soft colors, but the details are crazy. In some of the photos with rain, the pictures are created to look like there is rain in the distance on the island. Although the pictures are simple, they're magnificent. My only concern with this book is that it's a tad long, and I think that many kids would lose focus during this book, because I also lost my focus during this book!

Title: "What if…"

Author: Regina J. Williams

Illustrator: Doug Keith

Publisher: Illumination Arts Publishing Company

Publication Date: 2001

ISBN: 0-935699-22-8

Rating: 4/5

"What if…" by Regina Williams is an adorable and bright picture book with simple text. The story starts with a little boy who doesn't want to go to bed when his mom tucks him in, so he comes up with bizarre "what if" questions to ask his mom. The little boy dreams up fun scenarios that every kid wishes would come true such as: what if he had a garden of chocolate and marshmallows, or what if snowflakes tasted like peppermint ice cream? The story ends with the little boy's mom convincing him to go to sleep once and for all.

I give this book a 4/5 because it's an adorable fantasy picture book for little kids. The thoughts that the little boy has are thoughts that probably every little kid dreams about sometimes. Also, the pictures are extremely detailed and bright in color. This fantasy truly comes to life when you're reading it, and I think that little kids would love it. My only concern is that this book has really simple sentences and not a lot of text, so it definitely would be for a younger/earlier reader. 

Title: "Around the World: Who's Been Here?"

Author: Lindsay Barrett George

Illustrator: Lindsay Barrett George

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Publication Date: 1999

ISBN: 0-688-15268-6

Rating: 5/5

This picture book follows a teacher Miss Lewis as she travels around the world to each of the continents. Miss Lewis writes a note to her class at each stop she makes, telling them about the different experiences, animals, and places she saw. At the end of each letter Miss Lewis asks, "Who's been here?" to her students. She also sends back pictures of the animals and people of each of the continents such as: pandas from Japan, koalas from Australia, and penguins from Antarctica. The story ends with Miss Lewis returning to school with all her students.

I give this picture book a 5/5, because there is so much for students to gain from this picture book! First, students can learn a lot about different cultures and the lifestyles that people live throughout the world. She even includes some of the phrases in different languages. Also, Lindsay includes pictures of various animals and includes their names, so that children can learn the names of different animals. Finally, Lindsay even includes maps of each of the places that Miss Lewis travels to. I feel like there is so much content in this book, but it's also fun, so students can enjoy reading, while not realizing that they're learning so much!