Storytime: New & Notable Picture Books (9)

Storytime is a new(ish) feature at The Hiding Spot in which I share some of my favorite new, old, & overlooked picture books.

Not a parent, teacher, or librarian? Picture books make fantastic gifts, from baby showers to birthdays and holidays. As bookworms, we all know how important books are – be the one who hands that special kid in your life the book that will make them fall in love with the magic of reading!

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New & Notable

A Perfectly Messed Up Story

Written & Illustrated by Patrick McDonnell

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'In this interactive and engaging read-aloud, bestselling author and award-winning artist Patrick McDonnell creates a funny, engaging, and almost perfect story about embracing life's messes.
Little Louie's story keeps getting messed up, and he's not happy about it! What's the point of telling his tale if he can't tell it perfectly? But when he stops and takes a deep breath, he realizes that everything is actually just fine, and his story is a good one--imperfections and all.'

If You Were a Dog
Written by Jamie Swenson; Illustrated by Chris Raschka

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'If you could be any kind of animal, what would you be? Would you be a dog that goes ARRRROOOOOOO? Or maybe you would be a sharp-toothed dinosaur that can CHOMP, STOMP, ROAR! Perhaps you might want to be a hopping frog that goes BOING, BOING, RIBBET! But maybe you would want to be the best kind of animal of all: a child!
With joyful, impressionistic illustrations from Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator Chris Raschka and spare, rhythmic text from author Jamie A. Swenson that invites playful interaction, If You Were a Dog is the perfect read-aloud for your favorite little animal.'

I Know a Bear
Written & Illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson

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In I Know a Bear, a child befriends a bear at the zoo who regales her with stories of the Land of the Bears, a vast, wondrous place the bear once called home and sorely misses. Inspired by the bear's stories, the child returns home to release her pet bird into the wild. This is a tender, touching story that gives a voice to animals taken from their natural habitats for human entertainment. Even if this message goes over young readers' heads, they'll enjoy the gentle cadence of the story and the beautiful illustrations.

While You Were Napping
Written &amp Jenny Offill; Illustrated by Barry Blitt

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In While You Were Napping a boy's worst fears are confirmed when he wakes to discover that, while he was napping, the rest of the neighborhood kids were off on grand adventures. Dinosaur bones have been discovered, fireworks set off, pirates have invaded and nearly made everyone walk the plank (but settled for handing out peg-leg party favors), astronauts took everyone on a trip into space to try out zero-gravity, and more! While it may be best to avoid this one before the naptime (for fear of inciting rebellion!), Jenny Offill's newest offering is sure to entertain readers young and old.

Here Is the Baby
Written by Polly Kanevsky; Illustrated by Taeeun Yoo

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Here Is the Baby takes young readers through Baby's day, from the waking up to the bright morning sun to snuggling with Mama, Daddy, and Sister before saying goodnight. Colorful illustrations accompany short blocks of text, making this the perfect read aloud for little one's bedtime.

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Love any of the books featured this week? Want to see a certain theme explore, author, or illustrator explored in an upcoming Story Time post? Let me know in the comments!