picture books

Where Did Bunny Go? by Nancy Tafuri

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Where Did Bunny Go?

Where Did Bunny Go? is a really great book for the right age group and I love the plot. In the story Bunny and Bird are best friends and love to play, but when Bird doesn’t know where Bunny is the story takes a turn for the worst.

I thought the pictures were very detailed and cute.

If I wrote this book I would change a few things. For example, I would give all the characters names.

The thing I most liked was the character Bird. She was kind and cute and she got so worried when Bunny was lost. Where Did Bunny Go? is a good book.Elephant by Rebecca Bender

Reviewed by Erin

(review copy from personal library).

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I think Erin really nailed it when she said “this is a really great book for the right age group.” The book is wonderful for kids aged approx. 2-4, who need a simply told story but are ready for the “complexity” of a problem rooted in relationship and misunderstanding. They would also need to be at the stage where they can, in a basic way, picture things from the perspective of different characters. (Not in a deep or profound way, but enough to understand why Bird can’t see Bunny even though they can.)

The illustrations are gentle and appealing, and simple enough to help keep the focus on the main events of the story.

Our kids loved to read this book over and over again, and enjoyed being “in the know” when Bird struggled to find her friend, though this enjoyment was tempered by their sympathy for her upset and an eagerness to get to the page where things are resolved.

Will You Be My Friend?I am embarrassed to admit that in all the years this book has been on our shelf, and the dozens and dozens of times I’ve read it, it was only as I sat down to respond to Erin’s review that I noticed Where Did Bunny Go? is actually a sequel to another story called Will You Be My Friend?.

Turtle by Rebecca Bender

Reviewed by Susan Jean

(review copy from personal library).

Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony

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Please Mr. Panda by Steve Antony

There seems to be a trend these days towards slightly edgy picture books and I approve! So do many of my colleagues. The best example is probably I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen, which was a smash hit a few years back and remains a favourite with just about every children’s library person I know.

Please, Mr. Panda is another such title. Released January 2015, it was immediately put into our storytime cupboard at work. We also had to order an additional copy for the public. It’s deceptively simple. The illustrations are large and mostly black and white, the only colour comes from Mr. Panda’s box of doughnuts, which makes it visually interesting and makes you really want a doughnut. (It actually took me about 3 readings to realize this, that all of the animals were black and white creatures!) Mr. Panda is adorably grumpy and he’s not about to give his pastries away to any animals who aren’t polite. Every animal who doesn’t ask nicely is told “No, you cannot have a doughnut. I have changed my mind.”

I’ve read this book for at least four storytimes and the kids always guess right away that the animals are denied doughnuts because they’re not saying please. When a cheerful lemur finally does use the magic word, he gets the whole box and we learn that Mr. Panda isn’t quite as altruistic as he seemed. The ending, like the disappearance of the rabbit in I Want My Hat Back, is usually only really gotten by the adults and older kids, but younger ones definitely enjoy knowing that the animals should say please. And the artwork is terrific, particularly the crying orca whale.

This book won’t be for everyone – I’ve seen some bad Amazon reviews because Mr. Panda himself isn’t overly polite while teaching manners – but for families with a quirky sense of humour who don’t take things too seriously, it’s a hoot.

Library Fairy by Rebecca Bender

Reviewed by The Library Fairy

(review copy borrowed from the library).