New books, familiar authors
As parents know, young children love to have adults read to them. They’ll find a favorite picture book and want to hear it over and over again. The good news is that this repetition is great for their early literacy development. The bad news is that as adults we can get frustrated reading the same story ad nauseam.
When children find a book that they love, one way to expand their book experiences (and avoid frustration) is to look for books by the same author.
Several favorite picture book authors published new books in 2016. How do their latest offerings compare to previous work?
“Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes” (HarperCollins, $17.99, ages 4-8) is the latest Pete the Cat book by Kimberly and James Dean. This blue cat sang his way into children’s hearts in “Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes” (HarperCollins, 2010).
Mr. Dean is the artist and creator of the character Pete the Cat, but he did not write the first four books. Those stories, which included downloadable songs, were written by Eric Litwin.
The next five were written by the Deans. Some might argue that they are not quite as fun and engaging without the song portion. But the books still have great appeal for young children because of the beloved character.
This time around Pete the Cat and Gus the Platypus are getting ready for a party by making cupcakes. They had made 10 cupcakes when suddenly cupcakes start disappearing.
Pete and Gus search for clues to find out what happened. Will the party be ruined?
Mr. Dean’s artwork is appealing as always with its bright colors and simplicity. The unique illustrations invite a child into the story. Rhyming text describes an adventurous outing to solve the mystery of the missing cupcakes.
Hidden themes include counting to 10, subtracting 2 from a number and forgiving friends when they make a mistake. These elements create a story worth reading to young children.
“We Found a Hat” (Candlewick Press, $$17.99, ages 4-8) continues the tradition of award-winning “hat” books such as “I Want My Hat Back” and “This Is Not My Hat,” written and illustrated by Jon Klassen. Mr. Klassen’s amazing illustrations have earned him a Caldecott Medal and two Caldecott Honor Medals.
In this latest “hat” book, two turtles find a hat in the desert. They try it on and find that they both look good in the hat.
But who will get the hat? Can they remain friends when they both want it?
Created in muted tones of gray, black, white and rose, the splattered textures and shapes convey the most important elements of the story. This story lives up to the reputation Mr. Klassen has earned in his previous outings.
This time, however, he doesn’t leave readers to wonder at the implied humorous outcome of the action. Instead he ends on a strongly positive note and shares the essential meaning of friendship through two turtles who know just what to do with one hat.
Jane Yolen and Mark Teague have been creating books together since 2000, when they published “How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?”
In their latest, “How Do Dinosaurs Choose Their Pets?” (Scholastic, $16.99, ages 4-8), the dinosaurs demonstrate the dos and don’ts of choosing a pet.
Of course, they demonstrate lots of funny wrong ways to choose a pet first. Grabbing a tiger from the zoo is probably a bad idea. However, going to a shelter is one good way a dinosaur can choose a new pet.
Ms. Yolen is a master of creating funny rhyming text for each scenario. Mr. Teague brings the words to life through hilarious illustrations.
With humor and compassion, Ms. Yolen and Mr. Teague shine a little light into a potentially problematic family event. This new book confirms the series’ beloved status with another winning story.