New picture books

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, April 2017; written by Ann Marie Meiresonne.

New Picture Books in the Children’s library are always a good thing to share, with yourself and with others whether you are a teacher, a parent, a sibling, a grandparent or care giver. And reading aloud any book develops early literacy skills for the very young, reading skills for the school age and enjoyment of good stories for the whole family.

Red Hat by Lita Judge is a delightful picture book that allows the reader to tell the story because of the minimal words. Wordless picture books are important as they help develop children’s language and pre-reading skills by the child’s telling of the story, about sequence of a story and finding picture clues. There are many other wordless books to explore for storytelling skills.

Old Macdonald had a Truck by Steve Goetz , illustrated by Eda Kaban is a play on the traditional song of Old MacDonald had a farm. Instead of animals and their sounds there are bulldozers and the noises they create. The familiar tune makes this easy to sing and most kids enjoy the different rumbling sounds of vehicles so they sing along with you as you read. Singing is another early literacy skill as it slows down speech and breaks down the small sounds of words for children. Plus you can take that song on the road once you realize that it works for more than animals.

Author C.P.Bloom and illustrator Peter Raymundo bring us The Monkey and the Bee, a funny complimentary book to the Monkey Goes Bananas. Can a monkey and a bee become friends over a banana? The humor in the storyline with the pictures and the words gives both child and adult a laugh. Enjoyment from a book in the form of laughter definitely meets early literacy guidelines.

You are Not a Cat by Sharon G. Flake is another humorous picture book which talks about identifying animals by the sounds they make. It teaches background knowledge to the reader/listener creating discussion of what sounds animals really do make.

Little Bird’s Bad Word by Jacob Grant is a story about how not all words are good, as the title suggests. Some words may even hurt someone’s feelings. A lesson gently taught that all children need to learn.

In the Red Canoe by Leslie A Davidson, illustrated by Laura Bifano a delightful book in rhyme is told through a child narrator. Not only is it a tribute to wild, beautiful places but celebrates the bond between grandparent and grandchild.

Come, seek these and more great titles at the Ketchikan Public Library. Spend some time browsing the new book shelves and the regular book shelves throughout.