Under the Big Green Roof: September's Picture Book Reviews

Worms
Bernard Friot and Aurelie Guillerey

John-Paul is bored, bored, bored.  His dad invited a bunch of important people over for dinner, and no one's talking about anything fun.  So when John-Paul's dad asks him to go get the salads, he decides to add his own addition to the dishes.

I absolutely adored this picture book!  The vintage style illustrations, and ridiculously expressive worms were a perfect pair.  And the result of John-Paul's mischief making at the end is a wonderful example of taking your own dues.

Publication: September 1 , 2015
Publisher: Kids Can Press
-Digital ARC provided by NetGalley, in exchange for a review.

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Snap!
Hazel Hutchins and Dusan Petricic

What could be more perfect than a brand new set of crayons? Evan can't wait to use them, until Snap! the brown one breaks in two. Then one by one, the others break, get crushed, are blown away, or simply disappear. How can he possibly draw when there's no green, purple, or even black?

I love this book!  The colors are bright and eye catching, the illustrations whimsical, and the message of finding new ways to be creative is fantastically portrayed.  Both Hutchins and Petricic do a wonderful job of showing the different emotions Evan goes through in a way that will translate well to the story time audience.  If I had kids of my own, Snap! would be a staple of their library.  As it is, I still want a copy for my own library, for when I get called to read to kids, or have kids of my own. :3

Publication: September 22, 2015
Publisher: Annick Press
-Digital ARC provided by Netgalley, in exchange for a review.

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The Night Children
Sarah Tsiang and Delphine Bodet

When the streets are empty and kids are called home for dinner and put to bed, the world becomes a magical place. It's only then that the night children emerge from the shadows, ready to play. In this evocative and lyrical picture book, it is the night children who rule, taking over the world that the day children have left behind.

I really liked the whimsical illustrations Bodet created for this book; however, I can't help but think this story would fail to retain the younger set of story time audiences.  It's a whimsical and poetic picture book, but the story is quite loose and very abstract.  I found myself underwhelmed by the whole of it, and wished there'd been more to the story to pull the audience in.

Publication:
Publisher:
-Digital ARC provided by Netgalley, in exchange for a review.