What We'll Build (Oliver Jeffers)

 

This is really beautiful...and so much symbolism in the doors and building. Love it. 

Goodreads says:

What shall we build, you and I?
We'll build a watch to keep our time.
I'll build your future
and you'll build mine.

A father daughter story.

Maple and Rosemary (Alison James)

 

A happier tale than The Giving Tree. It actually would be interesting to read each of them side by side and discuss the differences with kids. 

Learning, growing, loving. It's wonderful how the tree and the girl enjoy time together.

Goodreads says:

A touching story about a sugar maple tree who finds a lifelong friend when a young girl comes to seek comfort in its branches.

For the longest time, Maple was on her own, ignored by the cedars and the pines. All she wanted was a friend she could talk to. Then one day, Rosemary climbs into her branches, sad and searching for a friend of her own. Together they form a bond as real as roots.

Through the seasons and across a lifetime, Maple and Rosemary tells a story of true friendship, one in which the experiences we share become a part of who we are.

Alison James’s spare, eloquent text is accompanied by luminous illustrations that capture the shifting seasons in all their glory, by Jennifer K. Mann, creator of the much-acclaimed picture book, The Camping Trip.

Rabbit, Duck and Big Bear (Nadine Brun-Cosme)

 

The ending seems surprising....the animals run about having fun...but they realize they each need a little quiet meditation time as well. 

Goodreads says:

A picture book about three best friends who do everything together, until they each realize that sometimes having time alone can be nice too.

Rabbit, Duck, and Big Bear are best friends. They do everything together and go everywhere together except for one place. They never go down the long and winding path together.  
 
But this winter, when Rabbit, Duck, and Big Bear go skating on the frozen pond, Rabbit loses control and barrels straight down the path. What she finds there is one of the most beautiful places she has ever seen, but to her surprise, Big Bear and Duck both admit they sometimes go there when they want to be alone. And while she sits in the quiet calm, Rabbit begins to understand why. In this story rich with social emotional learning, young readers will see the importance of balancing time with friends and time spent on their own. 
 
Nadine Brun-Cosme and Olivier Tallec perfectly pair to create a fun story with lovable characters and an important message. This book is the ideal read-aloud to help little ones wind down before quiet time.

What Can a Mess Make (Bee Johnson)

 

A lovely book for kids and mom's....especially to help us mom's remember that there is magic in the mess making.

Goodreads says:

In this gorgeously illustrated rhyming picture book, two sisters spend their day playing at home and leaving joyful, cozy messes in their wake.

Kitchen clatter.
Milk and juice.
Syrup splatter.
Chocolate mousse.
Bowl of berries―
Red and blue.
A mess can make a meal for two.

From a cozy breakfast together to crafts, fort-building, kitchen spills, and bedtime rituals, these sisters make tons of messes.

Imaginative, playful, forgiving, delicious messes.

And their messes make a day full of possibilities.

With bouncy rhyming language and warm illustrations, What Can A Mess Make? inspires readers to embrace their imaginations, linger in the beautiful messes on every page, and make some messes themselves.

If I Couldn't Be Anne (Kallie George)

 

Lovely. This spoke to my heart. Anyone who loves Anne of Green Gables will also love this book. 

Goodreads says:

A beautiful read-aloud picture book about the power of the imagination, inspired by the best-selling Anne of Green Gables.

In this whimsical and magical picture book, Anne's boundless imagination takes flight! She imagines being all the things she loves so dearly. If I Couldn't Be Anne, Anne with an e, what would I be . . . Anne wonders what it would be like to be the wind dancing round the treetops. A tightrope walker, breathless and brave. A princess in a palace made of apple blossoms. A magical frost fairy or a plain little wood elf. . . . But even as Anne's imagination soars far and wide, she comes back down to earth, recognizing that some things - like friendship! - are even better than the imagination.

With adorable illustrations, and a heartfelt message, this picture book is a perfect read-aloud introduction to L.M. Montgomery's beloved Anne and will delight her brand-new fans and lifelong readers alike.

Great Joy (Kate DiCamillo)

 

This makes me think how we all need to become as loving and caring as children are. It reminds me of how I've learned that the real feeling of Christmas comes in loving and sharing with others.

The illustrations are haunting and beautiful. The illustrator (Bagram Ibatoulline) is the same one who illustrated The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. He is Russian...and there is great feeling in his illustrations.chris

Goodreads says:

In her first picture book, America’s beloved storyteller Kate DiCamillo reunites with Bagram Ibatoulline to offer readers an unforgettable holiday gift.

It is just before Christmas when an organ grinder and monkey appear on the street corner outside Frances’s apartment. Frances can see them from her window and, sometimes, when it’s quiet, she can hear their music. In fact, Frances can’t stop thinking about them, especially after she sees the man and his monkey sleeping outside on the cold street at midnight. When the day of the Christmas pageant arrives, and it’s Frances’s turn to speak, everyone waits silently. But all Frances can think about is the organ grinder’s sad eyes — until, just in time, she finds the perfect words to share. Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo pairs once again with acclaimed artist Bagram Ibatoulline as she presents a timeless story of compassion and joy.

The Christmas Pig (JK Rowling)

 

Great fantasy story! When I received it, I wasn't tempted by the title (A Christmas Pig?) or the cover. Seemed a little silly. However, it was well worth the time. We read it for grade 3 book club. The illustrations are amazing. We had also just read Pocket Bear - which is about lost toys. This one tells you where lost toys go - which was very creative and really speaks to kids, I think. She even has a place for lost habits (good and bad!) and a place for lost love, lost hope, lost determination and ambition and more.

Best line:
p. 258 He'd given the Things hope, which no lock can contain.

Goodreads says:

A heartwarming, page-turning adventure about one child's love for his most treasured thing, and how far he will go to find it. A tale for the whole family to fall in love with, from one of the world’s greatest storytellers.

One boy and his toy are about to change everything...

Jack loves his childhood toy, Dur Pig. DP has always been there for him, through good and bad. Until one Christmas Eve something terrible happens — DP is lost. But Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life... even toys. And Jack’s newest toy — the Christmas Pig (DP’s replacement) — has a daring plan: Together they’ll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost, and to save the best friend Jack has ever known...