We Don't Eat Our Classmates

On her first day of school, Penelope Rex eats her classmates ...because they taste good.  Despite her teacher's gentle requests that she not do so, Penelope continues to snack on students.  Things change when Penelope meets her nemesis, Walter, an angry goldfish with a taste for T-Rex flesh.  

This may all sound rather nasty for a picture book, but really, Ryan Higgins is a master at serving up humor, both in his text and in his illustrations.  I am hoping that we will see more of Penelope and her socially awkward ways in sequels to this book.  

Higgins also authored another of my favorite, new-ish children's series, Mother Bruce.  Socially conscious Bruce shops locally, buys organic food, and lives an uncluttered life.  His life changes when the goose eggs he's boiling hatch, and the tiny gosling imprint on him.  Bruce does not want to be a mother, and he does his best to gently redirect the babies.  Doesn't work.  In book two of the series, Hotel Bruce,  the now grown geese invite their forest friends to move in and share in Bruce's hospitality. That book is followed by Bruce's Big Move. You can deduce the theme from the title, correct?

Long before we chuckled about Bruce, we discovered Dodsworth.  Jenny (who you may frequently see behind the LaDeDa counter) and I dissect and debate whether Dodsworth is a mouse, a mole or a whatever. Tim Egan wrote the Dodsworth series with beginning readers in mind but there are plenty of laughs for adults as well.

 Our protagonist loves to travel. He also has a stalker - a passive aggressive stalker.

Dodworth's friend, Hodges, owns a diner. Hodges also owns a duck, and everyone knows that Hodges' duck is crazy. The sneaky little guy eavesdrops and learns that Dodsworth is leaving on vacation, and stows away in his luggage. Chaos ensues as the Duck turns up in all sorts of unexpected places. Sensing Dodsworth's frustration, the duck attempts to remove himself from the adventure, creating a new set of problems for poor Dodsworth.  So much action packed into one little story!

My learning to read books consisted of the gentle Little Bear stories along with Frog and Toad.  Soon, I graduated to Madeline, Flicka, Ricka and Dicka (and their male counterparts Snipp, Snapp and Snurr).  Yes, there were "girl books" and "boy books" back in the day.  Although I loved those books, and carry them in mys store, it's fun to see this influx of silly, playful let-kids-be-kids sort of attitude filling pages.  Try reading one soon.  Better yet, find a new reader who will read the book to you.  

Thanks for stopping by.