PICTURE BOOK: I Loathe You by David Slonim

A cut little "I love you all the time" type story with a twist. The characters are monsters and they "loathe" one another rather than "love." The pictures are lovely and the twist is clever and fun for reading. We are David Slonim fans, having met him a few years ago when he came to talk to my Writing Club students about writing and illustrating. He's a funny guy who relates well with students, and this is a fun story. I can see reading this one to my kindergartners - although my fourth graders might like it, too, since they just had "loathe" as a vocabulary word!

MONDAY: He Came with the Couch

Sophie and her family are on the hunt for a new couch. They finally find one at Larry's 24 Hour Rummage. But it comes with a little blue guy with spikey hair attached to it. Will they ever be able to get rid of him? Do they want to?

Cute story! I loved the illustrations of the places the family goes with the little guy in their efforts to inspire him to leave the couch. {Look for hidden couches in the pictures!} Very clever story with a great ending.

[Late addition: Here is some great information about David Slonim from his website!]

MONDAY: Silly Tilly by Eileen Spinelli

Summary
Tilly is a silly goose - literally! She rides a cat, naps in the scarecrow's pants and tires to send a pig to France in a rowboat. The other farm animals tell her enough is enough, so Tilly stops being silly. While the animals got what they wanted, they discover it wasn't really what they needed.

Review
Such a cute story about being yourself. The illustrations are beautiful - the picture of Tilly when she's given up silliness makes you want to hug her! [Illustrated by David Slonim]

4 out of 5 stars
AR level of 2.0

Recommended for: kids between 4 and 9, older readers who still enjoy the fun of picture books, discussions about self-esteem and being yourself

Cautions: none

PICTURE BOOKS: Bed Hog by Georgette Noullet AND Cat Secrets by Jef Czekaj

Bed Hog is a sweet story with few words about a puppy trying to find a cozy place to sleep. The illustrator is one of my favorites, David Slonim. He makes me want to hug this poor dog.

3 out of 5 stars



The cats are about to reveal their secrets - but the reader will need to prove he/she is a cat first.

4 out of 5 stars

Both of these books were from our Scholastic book fair this spring and both were a lot of fun to read. These would be great for your animal lovers and for one-on-one reading at home. I tried Cat Secrets as a read-aloud with pre-school with mixed results. One-on-one could make for some fun, silly time with Mom or Dad.