Here’s more—-Picture books for kiddos ages 4-8
The Bear Ate Your Sandwich, Julia Sarcone-Roach (Knopf) The narrator playfully and honestly offers readers a bear-like perspective on a missing sandwich. The strong sensory details illuminate bears’ adventures and the illustrations are luminous.
A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat, Emily Jenkins (Schwartz and Wade)
Author Jenkins and illustrator Sophie Blackall cross centuries and continents as they provide a view of four families who love the same dessert. There’s a lot to compare and contrast in terms of word usage, illustrations, technological advances, class differences and more.
Frog on a Log?, Kes Gray (Scholastic)
Rhyming and ridiculousness pair as a frog protests sitting on a splintery log and learns that he must do so because gophers sit on sofas, lions sit on irons, fleas sit on peas. … There’s read-aloud humor all the way to the final twist!
It’s Only Stanley , Jon Agee (Dial)
Stanley’s family members recount the hound dog’s strange antics in rollicking, rhyming verses. Stanley’s doings make for a laugh-aloud ending that demand a re-read to view the brilliance of the story’s construction.
Last Stop on Market Street , Matt De La Pena (Putnam)
CJ and his grandmother travel by bus each Sunday after church to a location not disclosed until the final pages. The essence of this book is built from conversations between the two – CJ voicing disappointment and resentment about all he doesn’t have while his grandmother poses a lyrical, more optimistic point of view.
Pool, JiHyeon Lee (Chronicle)
A boy at a pool overcrowded with overbearing adult bathers dives deeply and discovers a fantastical world. This wordless book has details that urge storytelling and repeat examinations.
The New Small Person, Lauren Child (Candlewick)
Elmore Green, a quirky, creative only child, has a perfect setup until “the new small person” enters his life. Lauren Child expresses typical sibling reactions with originality and freshness. The book shows sympathetic views of an elder brother who’s annoyed because “jelly beans that have been licked, are not nearly so nice” and his younger sibling whose idolization is obvious and ignored until the ending.
Wolfie the Bunny, Ame Dyckman (Little Brown)
The bunny parents are “smitten” when they find Wolfie, a baby wolf on their doorstep. Young Dot warns her parents, “He’s going to eat us all up!” This refrain is as captivating as Dot’s personality.
Next up: Wilde Award Picture Books for ages 7-10
