Anonymouse by Vikki VanSickle

An artistic city mouse leaves his art all over the city. Even though his art fades and nothing new appears, he has inspired the other animals in the city. 

Thoughts: A fun book about animals in the city and art! I love the monochromatic illustrations with those splashes of hot pink throughout to denote Anonymouse's art. Pair with any of the books listed below for an art themed storytime. 

Other Art Themed Picture Books: 

• Art and Max by David Wiesner 
• Mousterpiece by Jan Breskin Zalben
• The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle 
• If Picasso Painted a Snowman by Amy and Greg Newbold 
• If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur by Amy and Greg Newbold 
• If Monet Painted a Monster by Amy and Greg Newbold 
• Dog Loves Drawing by Louise Yates 

Find some activity suggestions for Anonymouse here. Download activity sheets here. 

Themes: Art, Animals, Mice

 (Illustrated by Anna Pirolli. Tundra, 2021.)

Animals Brag About Their Bottoms by Maki Saito

I think the title says it all. In this book, you'll meet 20 different animals who are proud of their bottoms. 

Thoughts: A fun book that encourages children to be observant through a humorous topic. The illustrations are soft colored and detailed. For a bottom themed storytime, pair with Butts are Everywhere by Jonathan Stutzman and Chicken Cheeks by Michael Ian Black. Pair with any of the following for an animal body parts storytime: What's This Tail Saying? by Carolyn Combs, Who Has This Tail? and Who Has These Feet? by Laura Hulbert, I've Got Feet! Fantastical Feet of the Animal World, I've Got a Tail! Terrific Tails of the Animal World, and I've Got Eyes! Exceptional Eyes of the Animal World all by Julie Murphy. 

Themes: Animals, Animal Body Parts, Bottoms 

(Greystone Kids, 2020.)

See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog by David LaRochelle

What cat? There's only Max the Dog. You must have the wrong book. Wait a minute...there is a cat in this book! 

Thoughts: This book is hilarious! It's short enough to share in storytime, but I think first and second grade students will be equally entertained. I can hear kids asking me to read it again and again. The dog is suitably disgruntled throughout the book. Grumpy characters always appeal to me. Illustrations are colorful and detailed without being busy. I like that the illustration only occupies one page of each two-page spread. See the Cat won the 2021 Giesel Award and the 2020 Cybils Award for Easy Readers. The author's website has a creative drawing sheet, a mini book, and a See the Cat downloadable board game. See the Cat is the first book in a planned three book series. The second book is See the Dog: Three Stories About a Cat and will be published on September 14, 2021. Betsy Bird interviewed David and Mike and revealed the cover of the second book. Read that interview here. David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka have also collaborated on Moo! and This Is Not a Cat!

Themes: Dogs, Cats, Humorous Books, Elementary 

(Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. Candlewick Press, 2020.)

Hat Tricks by Satoshi Kitamura

Hattie is no ordinary rabbit. She's a magician. Can you help her say the magic words? What will come out of her hat? 

Thoughts: Too Funny! I love all the different animals that come out of the hat as well as the surprising end to the book. The illustrations are colorful with great black outlines. Hat Tricks would pair well with Warning! Do Not Touch! by Tim Warnes and The Magic Word by Mac Barnett. I think it would also go well with Bark, George by Jules Feiffer. Visit the publisher's website for an activity sheet and a Q & A with the Author/Illustrator.

Themes: Animals, Magicians

(Peachtree, 2019.)

Two Many Birds by Cindy Derby

The bird monitor makes sure there are only 100 birds in the tree and that they follow all the rules. What happens when there are too many birds in the tree? 

Thoughts: Too funny! Love the change in the monitor from the beginning to the end of the book. This will be a fun book to share but also a great book for one-on-one sharing. There's so much detail in the illustrations from the different birds to all the signs. I love how quirky and whimsical the birds look. It's hard to pick a favorite illustration or bird. I think Two Many Birds will pair well with Please, Mr. Panda. 

Themes: Birds

(Roaring Book Press, 2020.)

The Whole Hole Story by Vivian McInerny

A simple hole in Zia's pocket turns into quite an elaborate adventure when she adds her imagination. 

Thoughts: Such a fun story and a great celebration of imagination. The story gets more fantastical with each page turn. The illustrations are vibrant and colorful. My favorites are Zia's expressions and all the animals. I think this book will be great for preschool storytime and for sharing with first and second grade classrooms when I visit local elementary schools. For a hole themed storytime pair The Whole Hole Story with Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth by Marie-Louise Gay, and Oh No! by Candace Fleming. For an imagination themed storytime pair with a few of the following: Dream Friends by You Byun, Dream Animals: A Bedtime Story by Emily Winfield Martin, the Dog books by Louise Yates (Dog Love Books, Dog Loves Drawing, Dog Loves Counting), the wordless books by Aaron Becker (Journey, Quest, Return), Fairly Fairy Tales and Maybe Mother Goose both by Esme Raji Codell, Play Outside by Laurent Moreau, and Lift by Minh Lê. 

Themes: Imagination, Holes 

(Illustrated by Ken Lamug. Versify, 2021.)

We Love You Mr. Panda by Steve Antony

Mr. Panda is giving away free hugs. His shirt says so, his bike says so, his airplane says so, and his van says so. But nobody seems to want a hug from Mr. Panda. What's a panda to do? 

Thoughts: My love of Mr. Panda is immense! I even turned him into a felt set for my flannel board. The latest installment in the series does not disappoint. Mr. Panda is a little friendlier than normal, but he's still the grumpy bear everyone loves so much. It's nice to see old friends like lemur and penguin as well as a bunch of new friends for Mr. Panda. The illustrations are colorful and I love how Antony gives such personality to all the animals in their expressions. 

Themes: Pandas, Hugs, Love, Black & White Animals 

Don't miss the other Mr. Panda books: 

• Please, Mr. Panda
• I'll Wait, Mr. Panda 
• Thank You, Mr. Panda 
• Good Night, Mr. Panda 

 (Scholastic Press, 2019.)

Turtle Walk by Matt Phelan

It's a lovely day and the turtles decide to take a walk. As you know turtles are slow so it takes more than one day to get where they're going. 

Thoughts: What a wonderful book! The watercolor and pencil illustrations pair well with simple text. I love how you see the seasons change in the illustrations and know how long the walk is taking. I can't wait to add Turtle Walk to my turtles storytime. For a walk themed storytime pair with Hound Won't Go by Lisa Rogers, They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel, I Went Walking by Sue Williams, and Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins. 

Themes: Seasons, Turtles, Walk

(Greenwillow Books, 2020.)

I Am Not a Penguin: A Pangolin's Lament by Liz Wong

Pangolin is frustrated. He keeps getting confused with other animals. Will anyone ever want to know all about the animal he really is? 

Thoughts: Hilarious! This will be such a fun book to share during storytime and maybe even in first and second grade classrooms. I love the speech bubbles. The illustrations are colorful and I like how the animals are drawn. Would pair well with I'm a Frog! by Mo Willems and/or Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folgueira. 

Themes: Animals 

(Alfred A. Knopf, 2021.)

Marsha Is Magnetic by Beth Ferry

Marsha is a young scientist with an upcoming birthday and no friends to invite to her party. She puts the scientific method to work and hopes to solve the problem before her party. 

Thoughts: Too fun! I love that Marsha is all about science. I like her approach to the problem and the fact that she tries so hard. The illustrations are colorful and detailed. I like the mix of illustration layouts. Marsha Is Magnetic would pair well with Ten Rules of the Birthday Wish also by Beth Ferry and Charlotte the Scientist is Squished by Camille Andros. 

Themes: Birthday, Friendship, Science 

(Illustrated by Lorena Alvarez. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021.) 

Tiny Monsters by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

Steve Jenkins and Robin Page explore twenty-four tiny bugs "that live on us, in us, and around us." 

Thoughts: As usual, any nonfiction from Jenkins and Page does not disappoint. Simple informative text is paired with vibrant, detailed illustrations. There's a definite gross factor and I think that's one of the main reasons this book will appeal the the students in the first and second grade classrooms I visit. Looking forward to adding it to my outreach book rotation. 

Themes: Elementary 

Other Books by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page I've reviewed: 

• Time to Eat
• Time to Sleep
• Time for a Bath
• My First Day 
• What Do You Do If You Work at the Zoo? 
• Creature Features
• Eye to Eye

Books by Steve Jenkins that I love to use when I visit schools that I haven't reviewed: 

• Actual Size 
• Prehistoric Actual Size
• What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? 
• Living Color
• Never Smile at a Monkey
• I See a Kookaburra! 

(Illustrated by Steve Jenkins. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020.)

Green on Green by Dianne White

Celebrate the seasons by watching the colors and everything else in nature change. 

Thoughts: Such a beautiful book. The text reads like poetry and the illustrations are lovely. I can't wait to use this book in storytime. I think it would pair well with Joyce Sidman's Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors. I like that the endpapers depict each season as represented by a tree. The two-page spreads with no text add intentional pauses between the seasons. The illustrations are colorful and detailed. I wanted to look at them again after I finished reading the book. 

Themes: Colors, Seasons

(Illustrated by Felicita Sala. Beach Lane Books, 2020.)

The Truth About Dragons by Jaime Zollars

You may think you know about dragons, but you don't. Read on for The Truth About Dragons. 

Thoughts: Such a fun book with an unexpected message. I look forward to adding this to my dragons storytime. The illustrations are gorgeous. So richly colored and detailed. My favorite is the library scene. I love the dragon books displayed in the background. The main character was great. I love her appearance and personality. The Truth About Dragons would pair well with You Don't Want a Dragon by Ame Dyckman, There's a Dragon in Your Book by Tom Fletcher, Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, and How to Draw a Dragon by Douglas Florian. Jaime's bio on the dust jacket may be the best I've ever read. I look forward to enjoying future books by her. 

Themes: Dragons 

(Little, Brown and Company, 2020.)