Earth to Clunk (2011) Pam Smallcomb & Joe Berger

Earth to Clunk (2011) Pam Smallcomb & Joe Berger

Earth to Clunk is a wonderful story about a boy who’s forced to have a pen pal, even though he doesn’t want one, not even an alien pen pal named Clunk. The boy sends all sorts of disgusting things (including his sister) to Clunk, hoping that each package will end the “friendship.” But Clunk keeps sending the boy cool, strange presents. 

I loved what Earth to Clunk has to teach kids about friendship and diversity. It’s a fun story that would be most engaging for an older Storytime audience. Vibrant colors, imaginative artwork and a compelling story make this one a winner for smaller, older groups. (If your group has more than 20 kids with most of them in the 2-3 year-old age range, this one probably won’t work so well.)

Storytelling  5
Color Attractiveness  5
Size of Book  4
Text Size  4
Illustrations 4
Participation Potential  3
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

Animal Baths (2011) - Bob Barner

Animal Baths is a simple, colorful, fun book that would be great for a Bathtime or Nighttime Storytime. The colors are big and vibrant with a great mix of animals kids love. Kids can easily identify most of the animals and can learn about some (like the manatee) that might be unfamiliar. The last two pages (which would be great for one-on-one) teach the correlation between each particular animal and getting clean. Good clean fun!

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

See Me Run (2011) - Paul Meisel

See Me Run is a cute, fun dog book, but it's really more of an easy reader than a picture book: lots of simple sentences, few words on a page, and word repetition. It's certainly fun watching dogs be dogs and Meisel's drawings are cute and playful. The ending, however, has the potential to scar dog-loving kids for life. Nothing in the story prepares kids for the final three pages. Not good for storytime.

Storytelling  1
Color Attractiveness  2
Size of Book  2
Text Size  2
Illustrations  2
Participation Potential  1
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 1

Big Little Brother (2011) - Kevin Kling, Chris Monroe

Big Little Brother is a cute, funny, and probably realistic look at the advantages of being a big brother.... Until he grows taller than you! 

I really enjoyed the book and thought it had lots of subtle ideas dropped here and there that worked well (fear of the dark, the love/hate relationship of siblings, etc.), but think it would work far better as a one-on-one book than a storytime prospect.

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

Everything Goes on Land (2011) - Brian Biggs

Everything Goes on Land is a wonderful book that would work best in a one-on-one situation or possibly a small storytime setting of just a handful of kids.

There's lots going on with just about every page. Busy streets provide lots to look at and identify, making the book far too detailed for large groups, but great for one-on-one reading. Kids can hit visual overload on some of these pages, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, since Biggs pauses to give young readers an in-depth look at the parts of a car, an 18-wheeler, a camper, motorcycle, bicycle and more. It's definitely a fun book that gets kids to notice the world around them, even if they're stuck in traffic. Again, great for very small groups, but not-so-good for large storytimes.

Storytelling  4
Color Attractiveness  5
Size of Book  4
Text Size  2
Illustrations  3
Participation Potential  2
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 3

Grandpa Green (2011) - Lane Smith

Lane Smith's Grandpa Green has a lot going for it, but it's probably not one of those books you'll use very often in a one-on-one situation. Like many other picture books out there, it's as much (maybe more) for adults than for kids.

The book is a touching look at life, love and death, not exactly the type of thing you want to promote in Storytime. ("Okay, kids! It's Death Storytime today!" Don't think so.) The illustrations, while excellent, are too detailed and too subtle for most children. I would never use this book for Storytime and would even hesitate to use it in one-on-one situations, and even then only if you're dealing with the death or near-death of a close family member, and even then only if the child was ready for it.

Storytelling  2
Color Attractiveness  2
Size of Book  2
Text Size  3
Illustrations  3
Participation Potential  1
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 1

Shout! Shout It Out! (2011) - Denise Fleming

Shout! Shout It Out! by Denise Fleming doesn't have much a story, but for a storytime setting, who cares? It's got everything else: big bold colors, counting, ABCs, animals, and much more.  This book practically demands audience participation!

The story also includes a cute little mouse that kids in a storytime setting could probably see if you pointed him out. The little guy says something on just about every page, but it would probably be more effective to read his words in a one-on-one setting only.

Storytelling  2
Color Attractiveness  5
Size of Book  5
Text Size  5
Illustrations  5
Participation Potential  5
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime  5

I Must Have Bobo (2011) - Eileen Rosenthal, Marc Rosenthal

I Must Have Bobo (2011) by Eileen Rosenthal and Marc Rosenthal is a cute, fun book about a boy named Willy who has trouble keeping up with his favorite toy, a sock monkey named Bobo. This trouble is due to the fact that Willy's cat Earl like Bobo too.

Unfortunately, the book and its text size are just too small for large storytime groups. The main characters are colorful, but little else is. There's really not much potential for audience participation, other than asking the kids where Bobo went. I Must Have Bobo would probably work great as a one-on-one book, but is not recommended for large storytime programs.  

Storytelling  3
Color Attractiveness  3
Size of Book  2
Text Size  2
Illustrations  3
Participation Potential  1
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime  2