« Go Read This Now, Please | Main | Benny "Helps" with the Laundry »
August 27, 2006
Picture Books with Unusual Animals
It’s not that I’m sick of reading about bears and rabbits and mice, but I would like to take a moment to recognize some picture book authors who step outside the typical animal revue.
Bobby the Bold by Donna Jo Napoli and Eva Furrow, illustrated by Ard Hoyt
Bobby isn’t just one of the many monkeys populating children’s books: he is a brave and resourceful bonobo.
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French, illustrated by Bruce Whatley
There are other books under “Wombats – Juvenile fiction” in the MCLS catalog, but not many, and this story of life from a wombat’s perspective is brilliant. I love the way French and Whatley let the readers know that this family is getting seriously annoyed with the wombat, even though the wombat is oblivious.
Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
Rats are all over the place, but capybaras? Not so much. Even if Camilla Capybara is the villain, she’s well worth meeting.
Meet Wild Boars by Meg Rosoff and Sophie Blackall
These boars are here to demonstrate why boars make bad houseguests and also why they may not appear in more books for children. I have to confess that I use this book in storytime with some frequency.
Shark and Lobster's Amazing Undersea Adventure by Viviane Schwarz, colored by Joel Stewart
Sharks are a dime a dozen in children’s books, but lobsters are unusual. This story about a shark and lobster who are irrationally afraid of being attacked by tigers also features cuttlefish. Unusual, indeed.
The Trouble with Cauliflower by Jane Sutton, illustrated by Jim Harris
The main characters are an ostrich (Sadie) and a koala (Mortimer), and the book’s originality extends beyond its selection of animals when it explores the general stupidity of superstitions. (No offence to anyone. I doubt any of you are nearly as superstitious as I.)
Posted by adrienne at August 27, 2006 11:15 AM
Comments
I really feel interested in several of your books.Especially the shark&lobster who are arfraid of a tiger attack.I feel them!
Posted by: momster at August 28, 2006 11:09 AM
As I recall, the shark and lobster drew a lovely diagram of a tiger with fins, which was very fun. I liked the book mostly because it was just so extremely odd, and I'm sure you'd enjoy it, too. :)
Posted by: adrienne at August 28, 2006 11:13 PM
What about The Spider & the Fly? I love the film noir illustrations.
Posted by: tonderdo at August 29, 2006 09:58 AM
The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel, illustrated by Janet Stevens
prairie dogs (who like to steal the fuzz of tennis balls)
Posted by: adrienne at September 7, 2006 09:08 AM
Flight of the Dodo by Peter Brown
kiwis
Deputy Harvey and the Ant Cow Caper by Brad Sneed
aphids
Posted by: adrienne at October 13, 2006 03:10 PM
Pondlarker by Fred Gwynne
mink
Posted by: adrienne at November 6, 2006 04:45 PM