Bug on a Bike

Bug on a Bike
by Chris Monroe
32 pages; ages 4-8
Carolrhoda, 2014

theme: friendship & sharing

"It's time to go now!" said the bug on a bike. "I better ride over and get Lizard Mike!"

So bug - a ladybug (minus 2 legs but it's fiction; who's counting?) straps on his awesome helmet-with-holes-for-antennae and starts pedaling. "Where are we going?" asks Mike.
"It's a surprise!" says Bug.

And the two of them ride off. Along the way they pick up more friends: a toad, ants, butterfly, dog... they even interrupt a pickle doing strength-training who seems OK with the idea of setting down his weights and following along.

Where are they going? Bug won't say. All we know is they're not there yet - until they go uphill, down dale and wind through the forest.

I won't tell you where they end up - that would ruin the surprise. But I will say it's fun! And worth the ride.

What I like about this book: it's fun and silly and the illustrations are full of things to look at. Like toad's stash of gummi-flies and the carpenter clams busy working on their boats. I love Bug - even though he's two legs shy of an official insect... but I love the long bike-pedaling legs and the green hi-tops that complement the black-dotted red shell.

It's also written in rhyme - which makes it great fun to read aloud. And also very silly... because what rhymes with pickle?

Beyond the book: Bug's friends use different modes of transportation: bikes, skateboards, roller skates, even flight. If you went on an adventure with your friends, how would you travel? Around here we'd probably use sleds and ice skates - what about where you live?

Now think about the non-humans that live in your neighborhood. If you went on an adventure, who (or what) might tag along? And where would you go? Make a map - make it as silly as you want to.

Where do bugs go in January? Depending on where you live, they could be frozen bug-sicles under the snow, or sipping papaya nectar. Find out where your bugs are hanging out for the winter. Also find out where toads and pickles spend the winter.

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday) over at  Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy provided by publisher.

The Iridescence of Birds

The Iridescence of Birds
by Patricia MacLachlan; illus. by Hadley Hooper
40 pages; ages 4-8
Roaring Brook, 2014

If you come to this book hoping to gain understanding of things ornithological, you might be disappointed because it's a biography of artist Henri Matisse told in two questions - one that spreads over the first 32 pages and the other quite short.

But you don't have to read the entire book in one breath. In fact, you'll want to take your time on each page as the story unfolds.

It begins: If you were a boy named Henri Matisse who lived in a dreary town in northern France where the skies were gray...

If you were such a boy, and you wanted color and light, what would you do? In this portrait of words and art MacLachlan and Hooper bring Henri to life. Color begins to seep into the pages until, by the end of the story, the pages are as full of color as a Matisse painting.

This is the sort of book that makes your fingers itch with wanting to paint, or tack warm-colored tapestries on your walls. It will also have you taking a second look at those ubiquitous pigeons whose feathers and feet may have inspired Matisse.

The language is spare, the art simplified relief printing, the story inspiring. There's even back matter: author and illustrator notes, and a short list of books on Henri Matisse. Curious naturalists can learn more about iridescence and birds here at Cornell Lab of Ornithology and curious artists can check out Matisse's artwork here in his online galleries. You can even learn to paint like Matisse.

Today we're joining the roundup over at the Nonfiction Monday blog where you'll find even more book reviews. Review copy provided by publisher.

I'm My Own Dog

I'm My Own Dog
by David Ezra Stein
32 pages; ages 4-8
Candlewick Press, 2014

"I'm my own dog. Nobody owns me. I own myself."

theme: friendship; pets

This is one independent dog. He works all day (like a dog) and when he gets home he fetches his own slippers. He can roll over, play fetch, and take himself for walks. He can even give himself a good scratch...
... except for one spot in the middle of his back that he just can't reach. So when he finds a person to scratch that spot, he adopts the guy. Then he teaches his human all the things a human should know, including how to play fetch.

What I like about this book: I love the point-of-view. And that a dog can teach an old guy new tricks. And the snide comments about human behavior (we're yappy, and messy). But most of all that friendship is a two-way street and based on trust and love.

Beyond the Book: There are hundreds of breeds of dogs. What sort of dogs live in your neighborhood? Our neighbors have a pug whose heart is as big as a lion - and who sometimes thinks he is as big as a lion! He lives with three other dogs and six cats on a farm.

Dogs have great noses - and can sniff out more smells than we can. Here's a short article about their sense of smell. Some dogs put their sniffers to use by serving in the military. Here's an article- and photos - of "dogs of war".

There's no PPBF (perfect picture book Friday) today - but on Jan. 9 we'll catch up over at  Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy provided by publisher.