From Story Time: Summer Reading Week 3

Read at Stories in the Park

Not a Box

By Antoinette Portis

HarperCollins Publishers, 2006.  Picture Book.

A box is just a box...unless it's not a box. From mountain to rocket ship, a small rabbit shows that a box will go as far as the imagination allows.

Inspired by a memory of sitting in a box on her driveway with her sister, Antoinette Portis captures the thrill when pretend feels so real that it actually becomes real—when the imagination takes over inside a cardboard box, and through play, a child is transported to a world where anything is possible.

The simple text makes the book appropriate for toddlers, but the message and retro feel of the book also lead to it being an original and compelling gift to mark an occasion such as a graduation.  --Publisher

Read at Stories in the Park

Oh No! (Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World)
Written by Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Dan Santat
Disney Hyperion, 2010.  Picture Book.

Some kids are too smart for their own good...and maybe for everybody else's good. When an overly ambitious little girl builds a humongous robot for her science fair, she fully expects to win first place. What she doesn't expect is the chaos that follows.

Mac Barnett and Dan Santat combine forces to create a hilarious kid's eye account of the kind of destruction that comes only from a child's good intentions.  --Publisher

Read at Canopy Capers

They Came

By Mark Tatulli

Roaring Brook Press, 2018.  Picture Book.

When a spaceship lands on Earth, a small town launches into a frenzy.  Why did they come?  Everyone is warned to stay back!  But one child realizes something no one else does.  What do they want? As the spaceship door opens, the answer is revealed . . .  Why are they here?  And a small boy with a big heart shows how unexpected visitors can also be surprisingly sweet.  Mark Tatulli, a comic artist and the creator of Lio and Heart of the City, uses bold colors and modern art in They Came, a charming tale about acceptance, sharing, and speaking up for what is right.
--Publisher

Read at Canopy Capers

Even Aliens Need Snacks

By Matthew McElligott

Walker & Company, 2012.  Picture Book.

Snack time is the best part of the day...in any universe!  When a young chef whips up his favorite, unusual treats to share with his family and neighbors, no one will touch them.  Discouraged, he closes his snack stand and gives up.  But when his first customer appears after the moon rises, he realizes he was just open at the wrong time of day.  As word spreads to every corner of the galaxy, his line starts to stretch across the evening sky.  Pleasing intergalactic taste buds isn't easy, but after all, even aliens need snacks...  

Readers will delight in McElligott's gently offbeat humor and unique artistry as spaceships full of hilarious creatures line up for a taste of the intergalactic cuisine.  --Publisher

Read at Book Babies

Edgar Gets Ready for Bed

Written by Jennifer Adams

Illustrated by Ron Stucki

Gibbs Smith, 2014.  Picture Book.

Once upon a midnight dreary...  Little Edgar the Raven is having a tough time minding his mother.  Dinnertime, cleanup-time, and bedtime are all met with one word --"NEVERMORE!"  From drawing on his bedroom walls with crayons to chasing his sister with a scarecrow, this mischievous and disobedient little bird would much rather do anything than behave.  But as the evening winds to a close, Edgar's mom knows just what to do to get her son into bed.

Charmingly simple text paired with captivating gothic-era illustrations give a sly wink to Edgar Allan Poe's popular poem "The Raven."  Edgar Gets Ready for Bed will have little literature lovers saying "MORE! MORE!"  --Publisher