Hi everyone! I’m back to share a few great picture books that I think you should check out!
- Henri’s Hats by Mike Wu
- Pixar Animation Studios Artist Showcase
- 48 pages – on shelves now
Henri’s Hats is about a sweet little boy who goes to visit his Grand-Papa for the first time in forever. Grand-Papa’s dog George steals Henri’s hat and runs away, while Henri chases him. When Henri finally catches up to George, the dog was standing in front of a chest. Very curious, Henri opens the chest only to find… hats! A race car driver’s helmet, a pirates captains hat, a scuba divers helmet, and much more! With each hat, Henri has his own adventure. Whether its flying a plane, going scuba diving, or racing in the Grand Prix, Henri has a great time!
The illustrations in Henri’s Hats were very detailed, but also very simple at the same time. They made me feel like I was sharing those adventures with Henri! They helped make the story extra happy.
I would say that one of my favorite adventures that Henri had was when he was a pirate. It was very cool that he used his imagination to make the bathtub into a pirate ship! And playing pirates is always fun.
I recommend this book to little kids who love to use their imagination but, I also recommend it to kids who love to play dress-up, especially with hats! It shows that when you use your imagination, you can do anything.
On the train ride to visit his grandpa, or Papa, Henri is only interested in his game. But then George the dog steals Henri’s hat upon arrival, so Henri makes chase and finds himself in front of a trunk full of hats.
Henri tries on each hat . . . and imagines himself a race car driver, a sea captain, a flying ace, and more!
Papa finally catches up to Henri and George, and that’s when Henri hears Papa’s stories, real stories, about racing, sailing, flying, and more!
As Henri heads home, he looks up at the stars and begins to dream . . . of being just like Papa.
- Dear Substitute by: Audrey Vernick, Liz Garton Scanlon
- 40 pages – on shelves now
Dear Substitute is about a little girl who is not used to change. When a substitute teacher shows up in her classroom, the little girl is upset and misses her teacher. She decides to write many notes to the substitute, the library, the class turtle, and more! These notes are just like poems.
The illustrations in this story are very pretty. I liked how they fit in with the sentences perfectly! For example:
Dear Line, Yes I do know I’m supposed to be the line leader this week. Especially since I was the chair stacker last week. I’m sorry that You-Know-Who doesn’t know how we do things in Room 102.
Along with the sentence was a picture of a bunch of figures holding hands and walking in a line. It’s so cute!
My favorite part of the story is the Tank Tuesday letter. This letter has a picture of the class turtle in his tank that really needs to be cleaned, but the substitute says, “Maybe tomorrow.” What was funny is that the turtle wrote “Help me!” on the one of the tank walls.
I recommend this book to little kids who don’t really like change. This book will show them that sometimes change is a good thing, even if it is sad or scary!
When a substitute teacher named Miss Pelly comes to class, one student bristles at the change in routine—Miss Pelly doesn’t follow the rules like Mrs. Giordano. But in time, our student learns that even though the substitute may do things a little differently, and she may be a bit silly, mixing things up might not be so bad. Told in a series of epistolary poems, this funny, relatable picture book is a great fit for classrooms and for any child nervous about new experiences.
Hi! I am the Neurotic Disney Kid – sharing my expert kid-opinion all about everything Disney! My favorite attraction is The Enchanted Tiki Room and my favorite park is Magic Kingdom. I love to read and take pictures!
