Great New Picture Books!

Wow! It's been a great week for children's picture books! Here's just a taste of what's arrived recently:

• The Boy in the Garden, by Caldecott Medalist and local author Allen Say. In his new book he puts a creative twist on the Japanese folktale "The Crane Wife." Allen won the Caldecott for his book Grandfather's Journey.
• Art & Max, by three-time Caldecott Medal winner David Wiesner -- only the second person in history to win this award three times. David won the Caldecott for Tuesday, The Three Pigs, and Flotsam.  Art & Max is a gorgeous mixed-media picture book about friendship and art.
• The 3 Little Dassies, by Jan Brett. Another beautifully illustrated, wildly colorful book by the bestselling children's book author and illustrator known in particular for her book The Mitten. This new book is Jan's African version of the three little pigs story.
• The Odious Ogre, by Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer. These two greats together again for the first time since The Phantom Tollbooth -- one of my all-time favorite books.
• Late for School, by Stever Martin (illustrated by C.F. Payne) -- yes, that Steve Martin, the wild and crazy guy with an arrow through his head. This picture book about the challenges of getting to school on time includes Martin's Grammy-winning banjo and vocal performance on an enclosed CD.
• Skippyjon Jones: Presto Change-O Edition, by Judy Schachner. Who doesn't love Skippyjon Jones, the Siamese cat who thinks he's a Chihuahua? This special edition of the original book sports a "presto-change-o" cover that changes scenes as the book is moved (cool!), and contains a CD with all five Skippyjon Jones adventures.
• Bats at the Ballgame, by Brian Lies, follows on the heels of the very popular Bats at the Beach and Bats at the Library. Nothing like combining flying rodents and our national pastime in magical, brilliant paintings!

So many wonderful new pictures books -- I have a big weakness for them. Come see these and a whole bunch more! Great for kids of all ages.