Boy + Bot (2012) - Ame Dyckman & Dan Yaccarino

Boy + Bot looks like a throwback to the 1950s with its robots and weird scientists, but it works well in modern times as well. It's a very cute story about understanding and helping others who are different from us, so for that, I give it high marks. The book is bright and colorful but it has several small pictures (or panels, for those of you who read comics/graphic novels), which would probably make it a difficult Storytime book. Still, it's probably worth a try. Good for Robot Storytimes or Friendship Storytimes.

Storytelling  4

Color Attractiveness  5
Book Size 3
Text Size  3
Illustrations  4
Participation Potential  3 
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 3.5

Moo Hoo (2012) - Candace Ryan & Mike Lowery

Moo Hoo is a fun, silly, clever and maybe just a little hard to pronounce, book of rhymes. When I first started reading it, I was envisioning dividing up the Storytime crowd into too groups, the Moos and the Hoos, both of which would shout out their word on cue. Before long, I decided that this probably wouldn't work. :( It probably would work, that is, until Kangaroo shows up and things get phonetically complicated. I'm not sure I could pull it off, but it's a very cute book.

Once again, the book is a little on the small side, so it would probably work better for smaller groups than large ones. And the tongue twisters are not easy! Still, it's a very cute book. I just might try it....

Storytelling  4

Color Attractiveness  3
Book Size 3
Text Size  4
Illustrations  4
Participation Potential  3 
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 3.5

Oh No, George! (2012) - Chris Haughton

Poor George... He tries so hard to do the right thing. This is a good book for kids, because it's sometimes hard for them to do the right thing, too.

Oh No, George! has a lot of purple and orange colors with some blues and greens thrown in here and there. It's a very attractive book with funky fonts, but a good story. The book is quirky enough to work for some kids, but others used to clear, bold lines may not fully appreciate the artwork. Some of the illustrations are small, but most are full-page-sized. So there are some slightly negative points, but the book's selling point is its charm.

Crowd participation (with a little instruction) is possible and recommended. A fun time!

Storytelling  4

Color Attractiveness  4
Book Size 4
Text Size  3
Illustrations  4
Participation Potential  4 
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 4

Otto the Book Bear (2011) - Katie Cleminson

Otto is a very cute bear, which makes the story lovable and compelling. But, Otto is very small, both in stature and on the page, which makes for a frustrating storytime experience. This book would work wonderfully as a one-on-one and also for a storytime of a dozen or so kids. For larger crowds, this is probably not the bear book you're looking for.

Storytelling  4

Color Attractiveness  3
Book Size 3
Text Size  4
Illustrations  3
Participation Potential  3 
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 3.5

Solomon Crocodile (2011) - Catherine Rayner

Solomon Crocodile is a quick, fun book that kids should enjoy, mainly due to the colors and alliteration. Solomon is the terror of the swamp (even though he's not very frightening), but he really just wants to play. You could probably find better crocodile books, but if you're doing a crocodile storytime, why not toss this one in? 

Storytelling  3

Color Attractiveness  4
Book Size 3
Text Size  4
Illustrations  4
Participation Potential  2 
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 3

Along a Long Road (2012) - Frank Viva

Along a Long Road is a fun book with a nice twist (no pun intended) that kids will no doubt enjoy. Although it uses only five colors, the book is eye-catching, especially the yellow ribbon of road that winds along throughout. This is another one of those books that probably work best with either smaller storytime groups or in one-on-one situations.

Storytelling  3

Color Attractiveness  4
Book Size 3
Text Size  4
Illustrations  3 (a little too detailed on some pages)
Participation Potential  2 
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 3

A Ball for Daisy (2011) - Chris Raschka

Chris Raschka's A Ball for Daisy is a wonderful, wordless picture book that's absolutely adorable. (I am, if nothing else, a sucker for dog books.) Parts of the book "read" like a graphic novel with several "panels" on some pages, which might require the "reader" to point a lot and ask "What's happening here?" Other pages are self-contained with a few more in the style of splash pages (in this case, one picture taking up two pages). The book could work with a small group, but is probably best suited to a one-on-one situation. 

Storytelling  4

Color Attractiveness  4
Book Size 3
Text Size  (No Text)
Illustrations  3
Participation Potential  2 
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 3  

Blackout (2011) - John Rocco

I love the idea behind Blackout and the execution of it: The power goes out in a city block, forcing a family to abandon their phones, computers, video games, cooking and anything else connected with electricity. Of course, the story is about how families can reconnect without technology (always a good lesson) and the doors that simpler times allowed.

The artwork is gorgeous and the nighttime scenes are simply wonderful. The book might work as a storytime prospect, but programmers may have to fill in some gaps for the kids, asking questions like "What are they doing here?" and such. (Younger kids who live in Suburbia might also need to have some aspects of "city life" explained.)

Storytelling  4
Color Attractiveness  4
Size of Book  3
Text Size  3
Illustrations  3
Participation Potential  3 
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 3

Say Hello to Zorro! (2011) - Carter Goodrich

Say Hello to Zorro! has a lot going for it. Not only is it a great dog story, it also says a lot about how siblings can behave towards each other. When a new dog comes into the family, there's always potential for shenanigans and there certainly are many here. This book would work well for smaller storytime groups, since the text and pictures are a bit on the small side. Of course, for a one-on-one book, it should be a big hit. Goodrich's artwork is excellent, especially the facial expressions of the dogs. (You just have to be pretty close to see them.)

Storytelling  4
Color Attractiveness  3
Size of Book  3
Text Size  3
Illustrations  5
Participation Potential  3 
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 3.5