One of the best things about picture books is that they help children, and sometimes adults, speak about things in a way in which they otherwise might not be able to. During a visit to the library a couple of weeks ago, my four year old and I found this book, Happy Hippo, Angry Duck. It’s the latest release from Sandra Boynton and the one I have featured this week for Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book Friday series. In her usual fun way, Boynton covers a range of emotions and animals to go with them. It was an instant favorite in our house; enough so that I went out and bought it because borrowing from the library just wasn’t enough.
There were some great submissions last week from the other contributors to Hill’s series and these are some of my favorites: My Own Stories, The Library Dragon, The Camping Trip that Changed America, Who Wants a Dragon?, and Playing War.
This week we also have a submission from Cheryl Ashley, the children’s librarian at the Verona Public Library, and it’s Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales. In this collection there are twenty three Peter Rabbit tales as well as other works. Each story has Potter’s original illustrations, in both black and white and color. Ashley likes this book for young readers because “it introduces a whole new generation of children to charming illustrations and stories with a gentle moral message.” In the coming weeks, look for more book recommendations from Ms. Ashley for ages ranging from Preschool to Fourth Grade.
