Ribbit! - Rodrigo Folgueira & Poly Bernatene

As a group of frogs are minding their own business, a pig joins them. The pig says "Ribbit!" The frogs are aghast. Is this pig trying to mock them? Other woodland creatures come by to observe as the pig continues to say "Ribbit!" They talk amongst themselves about the pig who isn't doing what he ought to. Finally, they seek out the wise old beetle to tell them how they should deal with this pig. The beetle helps them realize that maybe the pig is just looking for new friends. At this point, the pig has disappeared. Is it too late for a new friendship to begin?

Folgueira's sweet and lightly humorous book deals with judgement and gossiping in a way young children can understand without being too emotional or heavy. The pig who goes out of his way to make new friends is a great role model. I love that despite the rejection he receives, the pig keeps up his mission to make new friends. This book is a great for reading aloud and following up with a discussion. Bernatene's textured illustrations are lovely.    

That is NOT a Good Idea - Mo Willems

Portrayed in the style of silent films, Goose meets Fox, Fox invites Goose over to dinner, and Goose happily accepts. Between each scene, chicks warn of the danger with the title phrase "That is NOT a good idea!" The suspense builds... and the ending is laugh out loud amazing.

I can not get enough of Mo Willems. His books are brilliant, and this is no exception. Willems is a master of expressions. The visual storytelling is brilliant. The text is perfect. The silent film format is fun. This is an amazing read-aloud that the whole family will enjoy.

Sky Jumpers - Peggy Eddleman

Sky Jumpers
Peggy Eddleman
Random House, 275 pages, Juvenile Fiction

Twelve-year-old Hope lives in post World War III America. Most of the world had been destroyed by bombs. While there are surviving towns, they are still plagued by lingering air from the deadly bombs, known to everyone as bomb's breath. Breathing it in is fatal, so everyone in White Rock is terrified of it. Everyone, that is, except Hope and her friends when they discover that jumping in the deadly gas slows gravity's pull and allows them to float to the ground from high places safely. 

World War III's bombs also destroyed most of the technology in the world. Inventing is a valuable skill in White Rock, but unfortunately one that Hope does not excel at. Medicine is especially valuable, and trouble starts when bandits attack the town for it's medicine. Hope takes on the deadly mission of saving her town, using her bravery and knowledge of the bomb's breath.

Eddleman spends a lot of time showing the reader the world of the book. A little over one hundred pages of showing, actually, before the inciting incident occurs. This didn't bother me because the world and characters were cool enough to keep me interested, but it might be harder for a reader who doesn't want to wait 100 pages for the real action of the book to begin. When the bandits come, however, the action is almost non-stop. This is a fun introduction to post apocalyptic literature for children. I look forward to more books in this series.