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What We Wear Under There   by Ruth Freeman Swain  illustrated by John O'Brien  Holiday House  2008  A picture book history of undergarments over the ages that provides some basic coverage but nonetheless has a few holes. This was a book on my radar some time ago that dropped off and resurfaced mysteriously.  All I could remember going in was how I thought this was the perfect subject for a

Salt Water Taffy: The Seaside Adventures of Jack and Bennyby Matthew LouxOni Press 2008In this absurd-at-times-yet-enjoyable graphic novel, Putnam boys, believing their dad's tall tale about a hat-stealing eagle atop the mountain, make a dangerous trip to the top and discover that the tale is more than true. Out for a hike, dad Putnam likes to hear the sound of his own voice. Even mom Putnam

Pranks, Tricks & Challenges to Amuse & Annoy Your Friendswritten and drawn by master tricksterSam BartlettWorkman 2008While I recognize that April is National Poetry Month it also happens to be the month that begins with one of my favorite non-holiday holidays: April Fool's Day. Is there anything more delicious than planning and pulling off that perfect prank, that preposterous practical joke?

an inappropriate book for young ladies*(*or, frankly, anybody else)by laurie rosenwaldbloomsbury 2008when rosenwald's first book came out, and to name but just a few: RED YELLOW GREEN BLUE, i snatched it up because i had this funny feeling it wouldn't be around long. her picture book of colors, made of jaunty rhymes and bold collage graphics, was a feast for those hip to, well, bold graphics.

The Good Neighbors, Book 1by Holly Black and Ted NaifehScholastic Graphix 2008The set-up for this graphic novel is about as generic as you an get: mopey teenage Rue's mother has disappeared and her father is suspected of murder. Of course, like every teen novel where a parent is accused of murder, the teenage protagonist knows it can't be so, and in searching out the truth that other inept

written by Alastair Ried, illustrated by Bob GillHarper 1961 / Reissued by Phaidon 2008One of those strange things about the publishing industry I'll never understand: Why would they let something like this slip out of print and out of their hands? Things being what they are, it's sad to see the short-sightedness of ignoring your history and your backlist.Based on the simple premise of "what

by Barbara McClintockFrancis Foster Books / FSG 2008I'm not generally a huge fan of an excellent stand-alone picture book gaining a sequel but I'm going to give this one a pass because I love McClintock's illustrations.Adele and Simon, those two early 20th century Parisian children, have traveled to America to see the country by train with their aunt. As with their previous outing, Simon is

by Terri FieldsRoaring Brook Press 2008The only thing missing from the front of this book is an exploding gold medallion with the words RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES! printed in bold red letters. One day as Kevin Windor is watching TV he sees a news bulletin: The notorious DB25 serial killer has been apprehended. What Kevin sees on the screen, though, is his own father being escorted away by police.

by Art Spiegelman Toon Books 2008 Earlier this year when the first batch of Toon titles came out I was less than enthused. The problem as I saw it then was that the titles seemed little more than traditional comic book fare with expensive paper, better printing, and hard covers. I couldn't reconcile the content with the cost and felt that they were best suited for libraries who would do well

by Dean Brindell Fradin illustrated by Larry Day Walker Books 2008 It's a reflection of my quality education that I graduated without knowing the story of the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. Or it's proof of what a horrible student I used to be. But perhaps if I'd had this nifty little picture book when I was younger it would have stuck with me while I was attempting to handle

by Melissa Sweet Houghton Mifflin 2008 Covers are funny things. You're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but a lot of time goes into making those covers appealing so that you'll pick them up. Also, after the umpteen-millionth time you decide to ignore your gut feeling and give a book a chance despite its cover, and get burned, you decide that maybe you should trust the gut a little

A Tale of Jealousy, Revenge, and Death (with a Happy Ending) by Henrik Drescher Candlewick 2008 Blurb: Extremely satisfying in a very old-school sort of way, but what a strange planet it seems to have come from. McFig, a widower, shows up one day having purchased a plot of land next to another widower named McFly. Both men hit it off instantly, as do their children Anton and Rosie. McFig

Sibling Relationships in the Animal World by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page Houghton Mifflin 2008 I learn more from picture books than I probably did back in high school. Of course, I have a different perspective on what interests me than when I was younger, and kid books are pretty much all I read these days so I'm probably not learning as much as I could. Still. Did you know that armadillos

by Laurie Krebs illustrations by Valeria Cis Barefoot Books 2008 This is a neat little picture book introduction to the art of beekeeping. Told in gently rhymed text (that didn't annoy the way a lot of rhymed text does these days) the story follows a boy and his grandfather the bee man as they dress, build a colony, study, care for, and harvest honey from man-made hives. Instead of the usual

Uncle Shelby's Zoo: Don't Bump the Glump! and Other Fantasies by Shel Silverstein originally published by HMH Publications Inc. (Playboy) 1963 HarperCollins 2008 My Dog May Be a Genius by Jack Prelutsky HarperCollins / Greenwillow 2008 In these waning days of his tenure as Children's Poet Laureate, Jack Prelutsky and his publishers (who also happen to be Silverstien's

by Jeremy Tankard Candlewick 2008 Edwin the Caveboy is hungry, but Ma and Pa Cavepeople are busy (Pa is trying to figure out how to navigate a peanut with a club, Ma's got a gaggle of younger kids to deal with), so Edwin decides to go hunting for himself! Rabbit hides, Porcupine is too sharp, Tiger is too mean, it looks like Edwin will go hungry until he comes across a Mastodon who shares his

by Mo Willems Hyperion 2008 Well, I think the pigeon has jumped the shark. I know, I know, there are many out there, legions of you perhaps, who feel that Mo and his beloved blue bird can do no wrong. To be fair, it isn't a bad book, it's just that the pigeon seems to have... changed. First, we're seeing more facial expressions in the pigeon, and many of them seem rather feminine to me.

The Early Years of Buster Keaton by Catherine Brighton Roaring Brook 2008 I'm all about giving kids a more rounded cultural education and I think film is one of those areas where American kids are really at a deficit. I once met a teen who was planning to study film when he graduated high school who had never heard of Orson Wells, couldn't name a single film from the 1960's, didn't think

by Steve Voake illustrated by Jessica Meserve Candlewick 2008 Daisy is a daydreaming little girl who can't seem to get to school on time because she gets distracted along the way. There are worms to move off the sidewalk and butterflies to hold and release. And on this particular day she finds that something strange has happened, that she can speak with and understand animals. First it's

by Mary Amato illustrated by Delphine Durand Putnam 2008 It is the sacred duty of the eldest child to deviously taunt the youngest sibling. If one can do so with the aid of middle siblings, all the better. It is equally the duty of the youngest sibling to both believe the most gullible lies delivered by the oldest sibling and find an equally clever, but innocent, way to get their revenge.

by Barbara Lehman Houghton Mifflin 2008 On a train trip between cityscapes young girls watches as her view in a black tunnel is replaced by a vibrant countryside. When the train is flagged down mysteriously the girl notices she is the only one on the train who isn't asleep. Stepping off the train she finds a group of people gathered around a tree where a person and their plane have become

by Arthur Geisert Walter Lorraine / Houghton Mifflin 2008 The children in Pig Village trek up the hill to wallow in the official mud hole. After their frolic they move on to the paint yard where colored liquid is dispensed onto the ground for a more vibrant wallow. As their playtime comes to an end the parents of Pig Village meet them to help supervise their collective bathing in a large

Poems by Alan Katz Drawings by Edward Koren Margaret K. McElderry / Simon & Schuster 2008 Okay, once again just to make sure we're all on the same page: do not give your book a title that can be used against you in a review. You would think editors would be the first to understand the rules of making a book review-proof. Of course, it's also a good idea to make sure the content followed the

How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! by Barbara Kerley illustrated by Edwin Fotherignham Scholastic 2008 Yes, a picture book biography about Teddy Roosevelt's tomboy daughter "running riot" in and out of the White House around the turn of the century. “I can be president of the United States, or I can control Alice." And so it is that while

also: Fancy Nancy and The Boy From Paris & Fancy Nancy at the Museum all by Jane O'Connor illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser HarperCollins 2008 What began as a cute picture book for the pink-and-sparkly girly-girl set is now officially a brand, a series, and an inferior product. This, the third Fancy Nancy book, was released the same day as two I-Can-Read titles that are trading on the Fancy