Picture books — Holiday Reading 2011

Pamela Allen Nana’s Colours (New Zealand): It’s Nana’s birthday and all the children are bringing her a present. Each one is a different colour. What colours do you see?
Ramona Badescu Pomelo begins to grow: When his favourite dandelion looks surprisingly small, Pomelo the garden elephant discovers that he is growing and then wonders about the mysterious process called growth.
Peter Bently King Jack and the dragon: Jack, Zack, and baby Caspar spend all day fighting dragons in their homemade fort. But when Sir Zack and Caspar are taken inside for bed, King Jack — alone on his throne — finds himself feeling a bit less brave … especially when he hears a thing approaching, a thing with four legs.
Peter Brown You will be my friend: Lucy, a young bear, starts her day determined to make a new friend but her enthusiasm leads to all sorts of problems until, just as she is about to give up, an unexpected friend finds her.
Eric Carle The artist who painted a blue horse: The artist in this book paints the world as he sees it, just like a child. There’s a red crocodile, an orange elephant and a polka–dotted donkey. More than anything, there’s imagination. Filled with some of the most magnificently colourful animals of Eric Carle’s career.
Katie Cleminson Otto the book bear: Otto is no ordinary storybook character: when no one is looking, he comes to life! Otto loves to walk off his book’s pages, but when his book is taken away while Otto is off exploring, the book bear sets off on a grand adventure to find a new home.
Lucy Davey Tarantula Boo! (New Zealand): Lenny Lassoo has a wonderful life at Zurlington Zoo. He wows the crowds with tricks and tarantula BOO! But there is one thing missing … a friend to share his fun. When he gets a chance to escape, he seizes the day … but will he find the perfect friend?
Alexis Deacon A place to call home: Seven little junkyard critters venture out of their small, dark hole on a madcap quest for a new home in this comic book–style tale.
Julia Donaldson Jack and the flumflum tree: Jack’s Granny is sick with a bad case of the moozles! And the only cure is the fruit of the fantastic flumflum tree which grows on the faraway Isle of Blowyernose. It’s a perilous journey, but Jack bravely sets sail.
Lois Ehlert Rrralph: The narrator describes discovering how Ralph the dog can talk, appropriately saying words such as roof, rough, bark, and wolf.
Michel Gay Zou and the box of kisses: Zou is spending his first night away from home. He knows he will miss all his daily kisses: morning kisses, bedtime kisses, no–reason–at–all kisses. Mum and Dad have a solution — one that works surprisingly well on the train.
Bob Graham A Bus called Heaven: Could one old, broken–down bus really bring a whole city neighbourhood together?
Emily Gravett Wolf won’t bite: Take your seat in the front row and watch in wonder as three cheeky circus pigs make a wild wolf jump through hoops and even withstand perilous games of dress–up. Safe in the thought that Wolf Won’t Bite!
Michael Hall Perfect square: A perfect square that’s perfectly happy is torn into pieces, punched with holes, crumpled, and otherwise changed, but finds in each transformation that it can be something new, and just as happy.
Kevin Henkes Little white rabbit: As he hops along a little rabbit wonders what it would be like to be green as grass, as tall as fir trees, as hard as rocks, and to flutter like butterflies.
Dean Hacohen Tuck me in: Tailor—made for bedtime, this book allows tuckees to become the tuckers. Lift blanket—shaped flaps over a baby zebra, hedgehog, and others, as each is bid good night.
Petr Horáček Puffin Peter: Peter and Paul are the best of friends, but when Peter gets lost in a terrible storm he can’t find Paul anywhere. With the help of a big blue whale Puffin Peter sets off to find him.
Mick Inkpen Wibbly Pig has ten balloons: Wibbly Pig has ten balloons but not for very long! As he gives them away, he holds on tightly to his favourite teddy bear balloon. But then Big Pig’s shouting sister comes along…
Oliver Jeffers Stuck: When Floyd’s kite gets stuck in a tree, he tries to knock it down with increasingly larger and more outrageous things.
Jon Klassen I want my hat back: The bear’s hat is gone, and he wants it back. Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across. But just as he begins to lose hope, a deer comes by and asks a rather obvious question that suddenly sparks the bear’s memory.
Bill Martin Ten little caterpillars: Follow ten caterpillars as one wriggles up a flower stem, another sails across a garden pool, and one reaches an apple leaf, where something amazing happens.
David Melling Don’t Worry Douglas: Douglas’ Dad gives him a wonderful new woolly hat and he races outside to show it off. In his excitement, he doesn’t realise that it is unravelling … His friends have helpful but useless ideas of how to put things right and it is left to the little bear to work out for himself the best thing to do …
Kyle Mewburn Hester and Lester (New Zealand): When big sister Hester finds her little brother Lester sitting sadly in the forest, she’s keen to put things right. Making a little brother happy isn’t always easy, even with a very active imagination.
Ruth Paul Stomp: The dinosaurs play follow the leader as they stomp through the swamp. Baby dinosaur tries desperately to mimic his elders with not much success. However, when it’s his turn the older dinosaurs have difficulty following him when he floats on water, goes under creepers, and crawls.
Nick Sharratt Fancy Dress Farmyard: There’s a party at the farmyard, and it’s going to be fancy dress. Children will love lifting the flaps to discover which animals are hiding behind the disguises.
Nadia Shireen Good little wolf: Once upon a time there was a wolf called Rolf — a good little wolf who liked baking cakes and was always kind to his friends. But real wolves aren’t supposed to be good — they’re supposed to be BIG and BAD.
Lane Smith Grandpa Green: A child explores the ordinary life of his extraordinary great–grandfather, as expressed in his topiary garden.
Philip Stead A Sick day for Amos McGee: Amos McGee, a friendly zookeeper, always made time to visit his good friends: the elephant, the tortoise, the penguin, the rhinoceros, and the owl. But one day — Ah—choo! he woke with the sniffles and the sneezes. Though he didn’t make it into the zoo that day, he did receive some unexpected guests.
David Ezra Stein Interrupting Chicken: Little Red Chicken wants Papa to read her a bedtime story, but interrupts him almost as soon as he begins each tale.
Chris Szekely Rāhui (New Zealand): Cousins holiday in a rural Māori community and have fun together — riding horses, eeling and swimming at the beach. During the holiday, a death leads to a rahui being placed on the beach. After a year, the rahui is lifted, and they return to the beach full of life and with their cousin in their hearts. Available in English and Māori.
Hervé Tullet Press Here: Press here. That’s right. Just press the yellow dot …and turn the page, now there are two yellow dots. An interactive title that will make you believe that books can be magic.
Deborah Underwood The Loud Book!: From the blare of an alarm clock in the morning to snores and crickets in the evening, this book explores the many loud noises one might hear during the course of a day.
Jeanne Willis Mole’s Sunrise: Blind Mole had never seen the sunrise. His friends’ vivid descriptions help him to see it in his mind and experience its beauty for himself.
Chris Wormell Scruffy Bear and the six white mice: One day a small scruffy bear meets six terrified white mice; they’re scared of the dark forest and all the predatory creatures that live there … But never fear, Scruffy Bear has all kinds of ingenious ideas about how to keep them safe!
Louise Yates Frank and Teddy make friends: Meet Professor Frank Mouse. He’s very clever, very inventive and very … lonely. Shy Frank would love to have a friend to help him, so one day he makes Teddy!