Library Haul - Dragons, High Fives, Motorcycles

I apologize for my serious misstep in my last library haul. Basically, I posted that I had never heard of an author/illustrator team who not only a) I should know, but also b) I have heard of them. Mas, my fairy godmother of children's literature sent me an email and was like, Meg, here are all the books they wrote you should check them out. I read her list and did a for real forehead slap, not just an emoji response. Then she followed up with another book suggestion.

With a Mas list on hand, Oscar and I headed to the library. I honestly don't know how many more library visits we will get to take. With Covid spiking things will likely shut down soon. Oscar and I are usually the only ones in the children's book section and the library holds onto every book for a few days before adding them back to shelves. So I feel "safe" in that way. Sigh. Someday this too shall pass.

Now, onto the books.

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri.

These gentlemen brought us Those Darn Squirrels. When Mas emailed me and reminded me that they also wrote and illustrated Dragons Love Tacos I was downright embarrassed. Mas did a marvelous blog post for me years ago featuring the work of Rubin and Salmieri and even suggested I read Dragons Love Tacos way back then. Can I blame Covid for this memory loss? Anyway, Rubin and Salmieri love to break the 4th wall in their books and this is no exception. The narrator explains that dragons love tacos and parties but they can't handle spicy tacos. As you learn more about dragons you also get to host a taco party which is going great until...well, read to find out. 

High Five! by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmeiri

Another among Mas's recommendations was High Five. Sadly these were the only two Rubin/Salmeiri books our library had on it's shelf. High Five was the winner of the week for our entire family. Again, breaking the 4th wall, the narrator welcomes you to the world of competitive high fiving. He is there to coach you through your first competition. You stretch, you learn the rules, you practice, and then you play! You get to actually high five the book and wait for the judges response. Here's what I also love about this book. Remember when I said "don't rhyme in picture books because it is usually too hard?" Well, Rubin has the rhyming chops of a master MC. It works SO well in High Five. I wish all other authors who felt like rhyming was the way to go would read this book and take notes. While you land the high five trophy as you read, Rubin nails the rhyming game.

Hello excellent rhyming.

Crushed it!

And the judges results are in...

Not all opponents are easy!

I'm Sad by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by Debbie Ohi

Our third Mas suggestion was a book about feelings. In I'm Sad, the flamingo isn't feeling so hot and tells his friends - a little girl and a potato. The wacky trio navigates this feeling by trying to find out why, figuring out what to do about it, suggesting maybe it is ok to just be sad, and then accidentally solving the problem in the end. I really appreciate that the characters say not only is it ok to be sad, but sometimes it just has to be that way. The potato...a bit odd but he's reminiscent of Oscar the Grouch, which works for him. Strangely enough, that is how I imagine a potato might be! Oscar was all about this book. 

We talk a lot about noticing people's faces to see how they are feeling.
This illustration was a great talking point for Oscar and me.

Things that might make you feel happy again.

Listen to My Trumpet! by Mo Willems

We are big fans of the Elephant & Piggie series here in our house. When we discovered the special section of Elephant & Piggie books at the library I had to tell Oscar he was limited to one. Of course our marching band obsessed child picked this one. It didn't disappoint.

Did you know Mo hides the pigeon in all of his Elephant & Piggie books?
Check out the endpapers. Pigeon also hides in some of his other books as well.

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton

After our miserable attempt at dinosaur books in the last haul, I thought I would go with trusty old Byron Barton. His simple illustrations and minimal text make the perfect read aloud for an antsy toddler. The end papers give you the names of dinosaurs and the story also introduces new words such as "fierce." Oscar loved this one and it was much better than our last attempts. Also, since it has been about a minute Oscar seems to be over dinosaurs anyway. Ha!