March Recommendations

Picture Books:

In A SPOONFUL OF FROGS, written by Casey Lyall and illustrated by Vera Brosgol, a witch hosts a cooking show, in which she tries to demonstrate an “easy to make” treat, Frog Soup. All goes well until it’s time to add a spoonful of frogs, which is “the last and most important ingredient.” Mayhem ensues. Luckily, our witch knows how to get creative with her cooking. The text is short and snappy, the digital art is expressive and action-packed, and the antics are all great fun. This one makes it look easy!

In THE SUN IS LATE AND SO IS THE FARMER, written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin Stead, a mule, a milk cow, and a miniature horse are concerned that the sun—and the farmer—are “late to rise.” The animals confer with Barn Owl, who agrees that the sun is, indeed, late. The mule, milk cow, and miniature horse worry that if they don’t wake up the sun, “the farmer will sleep and sleep…and breakfast will never come.” Barn Owl suggests that they take Rooster with them “to the edge of the world.” The poetic text speaks with a lovely, hushed voice that pairs perfectly with the delicate, indigo-tinged watercolor, pencil, and colored pencil illustrations. This book is a quiet delight.

MY POET, written by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Jen Hill, relates the story of Lucy, who’s "looking for words” during the summer she lives next door to a woman she calls “my poet." Whether spending time together at the farmers market, the beach, or at home, they find the magic in strawberries, sand, and stones. They find words which whisper, sing, and are woven into a spider’s web. The gentle text conveys the joy of discovering one’s own poetry, and the gouache art is illustrative and evocative. Back matter relates that the poet in the story is Mary Oliver.

In MONSTERS IN THE FOG, by Ali Bahrampour, after Hakim knits a sweater for his friend Daisy, he needs to go to the top of the mountain, where she lives, to give it to her. The morning is so foggy, Hakim can “barely see the end of his nose.” When an old goat warns him to stay away because “there are monsters up there,” Hakim assures her there are none. But the mist is so thick, readers will wonder—maybe there really are monsters, after all? Hakim’s kindness, along with some fun twists, give this story its humor and heart.

THE WORLD BELONGED TO US, written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Leo Espinosa, describes the freedom of summer in Brooklyn “not so long ago.” When the hydrant, with the help of a lidless, bottomless soup can became a “super shooter.” When kids played in the street, “shooting bottle caps… across chalk-drawn skully boards.” When double-dutch ropes blurred, and “there was always some new kind of fun.” The text is exuberant and joyful, as are the pencil and Photoshop illustrations. This ode to summers in the city reminds me of my own childhood in Queens (except I never mastered double-dutch, a failure that bugs me still).

--Lynn