#IMWAYR? 😷2020 Pandemic Picture Books We Loved Reading Part 2a

The past year and a half has been such a jumble in so many ways and one of the ways I tried to keep things as normal as possible was to read lots of books with my young readers. But, looking over our little library, it seems that some of the books we read and enjoyed got lost in the shuffle and never made it on to this blog. I'm going to have new young readers this year and here are some of last year's favorite books I reread this week and plan to share with them.

The Perfect Birthday Recipe 

written and illustrated by Katy Hudson

Capstone Editions, 2020, 32 pages

Beaver's birthday is coming and he knows just the kind of birthday cake he wants. He's planned it all out perfectly - four different flavored layers with lots of chocolate swirls, caramel, frosting, sprinkles and more. And all his friends are going to help make the it. But, Beaver, worries, what is they don't read his recipe properly? And that's just what happens when Rabbit reads 200 carrots instead of 2, Squirrel mixes the ingredients of his layer too quickly, Tortoise mixes his ingredients too slowly, and Bird thinks she should put her family's secret ingredient in her cake mixtures. The result is less than the perfect cake Beaver had planned. Angry and disappointed, Beaver goes home and makes his own cake and it is perfect! or is it? The one things missing are friends to share it with. Will they show up at Beaver's to celebrate his birthday? This is a sweet story about the perils of perfectionism and how isolating it can be when others don't measure up to one's perfectionistic ideals. You may recognize Beaver's friends from Katy Hudson's earlier books (Too Many Carrots, A Loud Winter's Nap, and The Golden Acorn).  

Outside In by Deborah Underwood,

illustrated by Cindy Derby   

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020, 40 pages

This turned out to be one of our favorite books to read this past year because it is ideal for living under pandemic conditions where the outside can sometimes feel so far away when you can't go out and play. Rather than lamenting about always being inside, the unnamed narrator reminds readers of all the ways that we are connected to nature outside even when our lives are happening inside - birds flitting by the window and singing in trees, the wooden chairs once were trees, feeling outside "in the warm weight of our cats and the rough fur of our dogs." The lovely lyrical text reads like a hymn to the natural world beyond our door that's just waiting for our return. The powdered graphite and watercolor illustrations have a dreamlike quality to them that perfects harmonizes with the text. My young readers ask for this book often and we like to explore the illustrations, which are full of details imploring you to look for them - in both the book and in the real world. 

Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Antrobus,

illustrated by Polly Dunbar

Candlewick Press, 2020, 40 pages

I chose this book to read to my young readers not because any of them are hearing impaired but because two of them live with grandparents whose hearing is not as good as it once was. I only know this because it has come up in conversations, not usually in a positive way. Little Bear wonders why people, including his dad, keep asking him "can bears ski?" He even wonders if he's heard the question right. And sometimes when friends say hello, Little Bear doesn't say hi back. One day, Dad Bear takes Little Bear to a special doctor who put headphones on his ears and tells him to put a block on the table each time he hears a sound. Even the doctor wants asks "can bears ski?" Soon, Little Bear is learning how to lip read and the doctor puts hearing aids in his ears, asking "can you hear me?' What I like about this book is that it explains things so well for young readers, giving the proper name for the doctor Dad Bear takes Little Bear to, and explaining just what that doctor does with him. It also talks about how people can help Little Bear understand them better simply by changing their speaking habits for him, like looking directly at him when they have something to say. This book really started a good conversation with my kids about hearing and hearing loss, and they were surprised to learn it can happen to kids as well as grownups. I loved the digitally rendered ink and painted illustrations, which were clear and simple, just like the text.                        

Mr. Brown's Bad Day by Lou Peacock,

illustrated by Alison Friend

Nosy Crow/Candlewick Press, 2020, 32 pages

I had to read this book a few times to my young readers because they weren't really familiar with business people and offices, but they did love the large anthropomorphic cast of characters that Mr. Brown meets in one day and they did get the importance of getting back the things that are important and meaningful to a person, even if that person is represented as a tiger. Mr. Brown's day begins like any other, but when he goes to the park to enjoy his lunch, his day takes an exciting turn. From the baby elephant who snags Mr. Brown's briefcase in the park, to the school kids who end up with it on the school bus, and the chase on a tricycle to catch up with them, all we learn that the briefcase contains some very important things. This book has a happy ending, and the very important things that Mr. Brown carries in his briefcase really delighted my young readers, so that as we read the story over and over, they began to relate to Mr. Brown's plight. After all, who hasn't lost a loved object and gone to great lengths to find it? I love when we share a book, talk about it, and the light of understanding goes on for my kids, and I know they have a little more knowledge about the world. The mixed media illustrations are colorful and charming, and Mr. Brown really stands out in his blue pinstripe business suit and hat. There's lots to look at and talk about in each illustration, and anthropomorphic characters always delight my young kiddos. 

Will You Be My Friend? by Sam McBratney,

illustrated by Anita Jeram

Candlewick Press, 2020, 32 pages

It was a bit of a shock to learn that Sam McBratney had passed away on September 18, 2020, 11 days before the publication of Will You Be My Friend? the sequel to Guess How Much I Love You? 25 years after its publication. In this sequel, Little Nutbrown Hare is a old enough to hop off and go exploring by himself. But he soon discovers that exploring by yourself isn't quite as much fun as it could if only he had a companion that wasn't just a reflection of himself in a puddle, or his shadow in the sun. Then he meets Tipps, a white hare who asks Little Nutbrown Hare if he will be her friend and play together? The two friends play hide-and-seek, but both wait for the other to find them. Little Nutbrown Hare goes home disappointed to lose his new friend so quickly, but discovers Tipps has followed him there. This book is just as sweet and has the same gentle vibe that the first book had. The only thing that has changed in Little Nutbrown Hare is older. Even the illustrations are perfectly matched to the first book, which I have read a lot to my young readers. Now, we read these together. I've always give Guess How Much I Love You? to new mothers to read to their babies and it will be a pleasure to give them both books now.

What else did I read last week?

Censorettes by Elizabeth Bales Frank

It's Monday! What are you reading? is the original weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.  It's Monday! What are you reading? - from Picture Books to YA is a kidlit focused meme just like the original and is hosted weekly by Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. The purpose is the same: to recap what you have read and/or reviewed and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week.