Tuesday Storytime: Summer Fun

These were selected by my coworker!

An Island in the Sun
Stella Blackstone, illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli
A "House that Jack built" narrative structure, and a lovely rhyming flow make this sweet but fairly empty story move along quickly, held largely together by the utterly beautiful illustrations of sun and wind and water and islands in a tropical imagination of a world. Beautiful but slight.

North, South, East, West
Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
An unpublished little gem from Margaret Wise Brown has a little bird fluttering off into different climates as she flies in each cardinal direction to discover where she most wants to be - finally (seemingly) returning home to settle and raise a family who end the story by taking wing in all different directions just like their mother.

Leo Can Swim
Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Ruth Hearson
Leo is Lola's little brother, a Black British child who has family-and-child-centered real-life adventures with his family and father, much as Lola does in her books. In this story, Leo and his dad go to a swim class at a local pool, and encounter locker rooms, swimming gear, a swimming lesson, and a nice rest after class. Perfect little books for explaining life experiences for kids about to start on them personally, or for kids who may never have that experience to learn about them in a realistic way.

Tuesday Storytime: Chickens

A bit off the beaten track, but hey, Chickens and baby chicks!

A Chicken Followed Me Home
Robin Page
ISBN: 9781481410281
Nonfiction Q&A style fact-book targeted at the very youngest readers/listeners. Very good info, well presented.

Big Fat Hen
Keith Baker
ISBN: 0152928693
The classic counting rhyme gets a facelift with a slightly-oversized bright collection of spreads.

Big Red Barn
Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Felicia Bond
ISBN: 9780060207489
A sweet and gentle look at a person-free day on the farm with animals and their babies.