Picture Books 2016 #5: This One's For Boo


The Best Place to Read by Debbie Bertram and Susan Bloom


In The Best Place to Read, an unnamed little boy is excited to read a new book, but he can't find a good place to read it. Eventually, he decides reading in his mother's lap is the way to go. It's a bit Goldilocks-esque, without the being chased by bears at the end.

It's a good read for a young child in whom you're trying to foster a love of reading, but definitely not a good for one who you're trying to encourage to read independently.

Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama by Selina Alko

This cute little picture book the story of the holiday season a child experiences in a mixed-religion Christian/Jewish household, in which the father is a Christian and the mother is a Jew. It's another good seasonal diversity story to go along with the other Hanukkah and Kwanzaa picture books I've read and reviewed in the past.

I am still, however, looking for one that introduces the idea of Christmas as a secular, cultural holiday instead of a religious one; there are plenty of secular Christmas stories, but all of the ones that I've come across simply neglect to mention that the holiday is actually religious for some people; I'd love to find one that handles that issue with some respect and maturity.

I will say, however, that the backlash to this book that's present on the Goodreads page is truly sickening. Wait until the separatists over there find out that it's not just the Jews besmirching their beloved "CHRISTmas". We sinful atheist heathens are merrily violating their traditions, too!

All You Need for a Beach by Alice Schertle

So I'm going to be honest here: this art is fucking hideous. That's totally a personal thing, and I'm sure there are plenty of people who think it's quite nice, so I'm not trying to claim some objective criticism here. But, yeah, I hate the way this book is illustrated. It's horrible.

The story itself, though, is a short little tale goes through all the things you need for a beach, from trillions of grains of sand to an ocean blue--but most importantly, you. There's not much to it, but it might be a fun beach read for a toddler.

Beach Day by Karen Roosa

And here we have another rhyming book and another beach book. Personally, I think it's far superior to All You Need for a Beach, and its illustrations are much easier on the eyes. The story essentially just runs through all the various features of a beach and activities that go on at one, but there's nothing objectionable to its simplicity, and it would be another reasonable book to give your young child during a trip to the beach.

Honestly, reading this was almost a little nostalgic, considering I haven't had an enjoyable family trip to the beach since I was very young.

The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye by Jane Yolen

I knew this would make me cry, and I totally did. The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye is a very pretty picture book about an old cat saying goodbye before she goes off to die in private, as cats are often inclined to do, and as I recently lost my own kitty, there was never any chance of me getting out of this one without tears.

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