100 Easy
That Is Not a Good Idea! by Mo Willems
E WILLEMS, M.
My co-workers in the children’s unit, as well as many of our patrons, know that I am obsessed with Mo Willems. His illustrations and stories are hilarious. That is Not a Good Idea! came out in April 2013. This book is unlike anything he has published before. The story is told in the style of an old silent movie. The colorfully illustrated pages have no words on them at all. The words to the story are located in white dialogue boxes on black pages. The characters in this story are a hungry fox and a mother goose and her chicks. The fox invites the goose to dinner and the chicks say, “That’s not a good idea,” but it’s not for the reason you think. This is a great interactive story for children of all ages. – Jessica Bingham
This Is Not My Hat by John Klassen
E KLASSEN, J.
Jon Klassen’s picture book definitely deserves the Caldecott Medal, as half of the tale is told through subtle picture changes. The story begins with an illustration of a small fish wearing a small blue hat. He precociously states to the reader, “This hat is not mine. I just stole it.” As the story continues, the little fish gives all the reasons why he will never get caught; he is very, very sure of himself. Throughout this telling however, the large illustrations reveal a somewhat different turn of events. That big fish just may be smarter than he looks! I absolutely love, love, love this book! This is Not My Hat is a great read-aloud for preschool to early elementary age children. Kids and grown-ups alike will laugh out loud as they try to predict what will happen next. – Heather Cunningham