Thursday, March 8, 2012

Picks of the Week: Tana Hoban, Jim Aylesworth & Paul Schmid

I couldn't narrow down my choices this week to just one, so I'm featuring them all! I first discovered Tana Hoban's work while I was a graduate student in library school. I fell immediately in love with her photographs. I wish they had been part of my personal library when I was a little girl because I know I would have loved them. Hoban had a wonderful way of photographing everyday objects, signs, toys, and environments that represent concepts like size, shape, color, opposites, and other relationships in such a simple manner. The eye begins to take notice of the beauty and design all around us, as if we're looking at the world for the first time.
Of Colors and Things by Tana Hoban (Mulberry Books edition, 1996)
Photographs of toys, food, and other common objects are grouped on each page according to color.

Cock-a-doodle-doo, Creak, Pop-pop, Moo by Jim Aylesworth, illustrated by Brad Sneed (Holiday House, 2012)
Jim Aylesworth has a way with words. He uses rhymes and onomatopoeia to depict the sounds and routines during a day on the farm. The cadence of his words would make this a fun read-aloud.

Hugs from Pearl by Paul Schmid (Harper, 2011)
Everyone loves hugs, right? But have you ever been the subject of a hug from an overeager young child? A hug so full of energy or strength that you're knocked down or squeezed too tight? Sometimes knowing how to show others we care for them, without hurting them, takes some work. Pearl loves giving hugs. But as a prickly porcupine...well, not many enjoy receiving them. What should she do? Will she be able to find a way to tenderly show others she cares?

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