Tucker, Kathy. Illustrated by Grace Lin. The seven Chinese sisters. 2003. Morton Grove, Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company.

Once there were seven Chinese sisters, each of whom had a different talent. The first sister could ride a scooter as fast as the wind; the second sister knew karate; the third sister could count beyond five hundred; the fourth sister could talk to dogs; fifth sister could catch any ball; and sixth sister could cook the most delicious noodle soup in the world. Seventh sister was a baby, and her talents were not yet known. One day, when sixth sister was making her noodle soup, the dragon from the mountain smelled it and came down. When he spotted the seventh sister, he forgot about the soup and took her to have for dinner. The baby’s first word was “Help!” which brought the other six sisters running. Using teamwork and their special talents, the sisters rescue the seventh sister and return home for some noodle soup. The simplistic illustrations by Grace Lin provide the dragon with a personality and emphasize each sister’s particular talent. The bright colors and Chinese landscape provide a witty support to Tucker’s story and gives readers a sense of empathy with the hungry, sad, and not too scary dragon.

Beaumont, Karen. Illustrated by David Catrow. 2003. I ain’t gonna paint no more! New York: Harcourt, Inc.  

Set to the rhythm of a well-known folk song, “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More” Beaumont has written an entertaining tale of a child who loves to paint. When the main character gets into trouble for painting on the walls, floor, ceiling, curtains and door, he decides that he won’t paint anymore. However, with a childlike enthusiasm and unwillingness to give up a great form of expression, he retrieves the paints from where they were hidden and begins to paint his body. The rhyming text and layout of the book makes it a wonderful read aloud. Each turn of the page reveals a newly painted part and the rhyming text makes it easy for readers of all ages to predict the next part that has been painted. Catrow’s use of pen and ink along with watercolor is particularly effective as illustrations are black and white, except for the paint that is being used. Each newly painted part is alive with texture and fancy and includes a leg that looks like an Easter egg and a row of ants marching up the boy’s arm. The dog in the story provides expression and an added touch of humor to an already comical story that readers will want to hear read or sung again and again.

Child, Lauren. 2000. Beware of the storybook wolves. New York: Scholastic Press.

Little Red Riding Hood was Herb’s favorite bedtime story—at least until his mother forgot to take the book with her when she left for the night. When the Big Bad Wolf comes out of the storybook and is joined by the smaller wolf from the back cover of the book, it takes all Herb’s imagination and a little help from other fairy tales and a Fairy Godmother to set things right. The text alternates between block style and a more informal curly version with character words in bold. The text follows the illustrations and style of the story, curving in and out of pages in a way that draws readers into the story. The colorful, cartoon-style illustrations enhance the quirky nature of the tale and encourage readers to laugh out loud, not only at the “happy-ever-afterly” story, but at the expressive faces of the book’s characters, from Herb himself to the “tiny caterpillar trying with all his might to terrify a little girl in a red coat”.

Muth, Jon J. 2003. Stone soup. New York: Scholastic Press.

With a change of setting, Jon Muth retells an old favorite. Three Buddhist monks are travelling through the mountains of China discussing what makes people happy. Old Siew, the wisest of the three, suggests that they go into the village below and find out. Not realizing that the villagers have become wary and distrustful, not only of strangers but of each other, the monks enter the village and knock on doors. At each house, there is no answer, and the house goes dark. The monks begin making stone soup, which interests the villagers enough to open their windows to watch. As the story progresses, the villagers overcome their distrust and work together to make a wonderful meal, which they all share. The misty hues of the watercolors by Muth slowly give way to more vibrant colors as the soup simmers along with the plot. The soft lines and blurred edges give softness to the illustrations and give a feeling of calm and peacefulness to the retelling. Although many readers would disbelieve the ease with which the monks change the attitude of the villagers, Muth’s retelling is classic with an unusual twist that provides the basis for comparisons with other versions.

Wilson, Karma. Illustrated by Raul Colon. 2007. How to bake an American pie. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

With ingredients that are traditionally associated with America, a cat and dog chef combine efforts to “bake an American pie (first ever made on the Fourth of July)”. Beginning with “preheating the world…with a hunger and thirst to be free”, and ending with a “garnish of fifty bright stars”, the ingredients in this American pie include many geographical features also found in America the Beautiful, including a shining sea, fruited plains, amber grains, and waterfalls. Less tangible ingredients that are needed to bake the pie include forgiveness, meekness, courage, and liberty, qualities that make America great and make American pie a one-of-a-kind treat. The pen and watercolor illustrations by Colon include symbols of America such as a melting pot, a pie crust fruited plain, and the statue of liberty. The whimsical illustrations highlight the sweetly sentimental text and provide readers with a recipe that creates the ideal dessert, an ideal country.

McClintock, Barbara. Adele & Simon. 2006. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Adele has the responsibility of picking up her brother Simon at school. When she picks him up, she begs him not to lose anything today. Simon promises to try, and thus begins an afternoon walk home. At each stop, Simon manages to lose something that he needs—his drawing at the grocer, his books at the park, his scarf at the museum and so on until Adele and Simon arrive at home where their mother asks about all his missing items. The pen and ink and watercolor illustrations by McClintock are reminiscent of picture books from the early 20^th century, and the soft colors provide the text with a warmth and approachability that will encourage children to pick up the book repeatedly to visit Paris with Adele and Simon. As readers tour Paris, they will thrill to each watercolor depicting an actual location in Paris, each of which is described in more detail in endnotes at the end of the book. With each reading, readers will walk with Adele and Simon and will spend time examining each aspect of a picture that gains new details at each viewing. The illustrations are inviting and friendly and readers of all ages will enjoy visiting the locations where Simon understandably becomes too distracted to keep up with his own belongings.