Readers and writers: Delightful picture books for the little readers

Mary Ann Grossmann, Pioneer Press
·6 min read
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Birds and their songs, dogs and other animals inhabit this week’s lively picture books for the little ones.

“Go and Get with Rex”: by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka (Candlewick Press, $17.99)

The award-winning team of LaRochelle ad Wohnoutka are back with an invitation to participate in an alphabet scavenger hunt.

The narrator invites the kids in the book and the dog Rex to “go and get” items that begin with a letter. “F” is the first. Jack brings back a frog (“Ribbit! Ribbit!”), Jill brings a fish and Rex brings a duck. But, says the narrator, duck doesn’t begin with an “F.” Rex says this duck is his friend, which begins with an “F.” The game goes on through several letters and Rex always brings back the wrong one but explains his way out of it. When he brings a box full of ducks for the word starting with “M” he says these ducks are musicians so it’s OK. But Rex gets the letter “D” right because — he’s a dog! A two-page spread of 20 words beginning with D are illustrated with Wohnoutka’s goofy illustrations such as ducks resting on a davenport, driving a dump truck, visiting the dentist and disguised as a dolphin.

LaRochelle, who lives in White Bear Lake, and Wohnoutka, a Minneapolitan, are members of a game night that played weekly until the pandemic hit and they had to play virtually. LaRochelle needed to come up with a group game that could be easily played over the internet and that inspired this book. The partners, who separately have their own books, collaborated on “How to Apologize,” a Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year, as well as the trio “See the Cat” (Theodor Seuss Geisel Award-winner), “See the Dog,” and “See the Ghost,” as well as other books.

“How the Birds Got Their Songs”: by Travis Zimmerman,illustrations by Sam Zimmerman, retold in Ojibwemowin by Marcus Ammesmaki (Minnesota Historical Society Press, $17.95)

In this bilingual story Great Spirit realizes the Earth is too quiet after he has brought everything into being. He calls together all the birds and tells them to fly as high as possible. When they returned to Mother Earth they would receive their special song. The mighty eagle is sure his strong wings will carry him the highest, but didn’t realize the little hermit thrush had snuggled into the big bird’s feathers to take a nap. The eagle flew higher and higher, so high the sun scorched his wing tips:

“Meanwhile, the little hermit thrush, fresh from her sleep, continued to fly toward the sun. She came upon a hole in the sky and flew through it into another world. It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. There she learned the most beautiful song.”

On the way back to Earth, the thrush realized the eagle might be angry at not having flown the highest, so she headed for the deepest part of the forest and sang her song: “To this day, when you go deep into the forest at dusk you will hear the most beautiful melody coming from the trees. And you will know that the hermit thrush is still hiding from the mighty eagle — and singing the prettiest song of all the birds.”

This story, handed down through the Zimmerman family, features traditional knowledge from the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Grand Portage direct descendant Sam Zimmerman provides vibrant illustrations that showcase his love and respect for feathered creatures. Marcus Ammesmaki’s text encourages language learners to explore this depiction of our natural world.

Travis Zimmerman is site manager at the Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post, Sam Zimmerman creates paintings in his Duluth studio and shares them at @CraneSuperior, and Ammesmaki teaches at Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute in Hayward, Wis.

“Ready to Soar”: by Cori Doerrfeld (Dial books for Young Readers, $18.99)

Riley wants to try something new, so he fashions a paper airplane that will soar. But an eagle says it’s too small, a parrot thinks it’s too boring, and bird after bird criticizes him even though he takes their advice. Then Riley meets a supportive little penguin who teaches him to believe in himself. Doerrfeld, who lives in Minneapolis, is the author/illustrator of three previous books including “The Rabbit Listened,” a bestseller and winner of a Minnesota Book Award.

“Dress Up Dog and the Dog Show”: by Robin Spevacek, illustrated by Marilyn J. Brown (Kirk House Publishers, $18.95)

This is the second edition of this touching story about a good dog who doesn’t understand what’s going on. First published by Beaver’s Pond Press in 2022, it’s about 6-year-old Ellie and her dog, Nell, who enter a contest set up by Priscilla, the neighborhood mean girl whose poodle “looked like a triple scoop vanilla cone.” Ellie gives Nell a bath and they head for the competition, where Nell does everything wrong. She doesn’t know commands for “sit” and “down” and she chases a rabbit instead of following the course. Ellie and Nell are miserable. As they walk home in defeat they see a box of old clothes and Ellie dresses Nell. They return to Priscilla’s and insist on a prize for the best-dressed dog. Nell even gives Priscilla a big lick on the cheek. The author was inspired to write this book because her daughter Sara loves dogs and played dress-up. Robin lives in Chanhassen; Sara and her husband have a dog training and boarding business in a Minneapolis suburb.

“Adi’s Animal Adventures”: by Julie Schanke Lyford, art by Maria Luzina (Wise Ink, $18.95)

Did you know snakes smell with their tongues? This and lots of other interesting information about animals makes up this book set in a public school where there are more than a thousand animals. Readers accompany the Critter Crew as they complete their weekly task list, ranging from harvesting lettuce to animal enrichment to cleaning and refilling tanks and exercising Squishy, the Sulcata tortoise. The kids provide “critter food,” including live insects for the reptiles. And they go on a field trip during which they walk through a glass tunnel to see tropical fish, bamboo sharks and a giant green sea turtle. Lyford, who lives in West St. Paul, wrote the award-winning “Katy Has Two Grampas.” She doesn’t indicate where Adi’s school is located, but in her internet messages she reveals part of her successful Kickstarter campaign for the book will go to Heritage E-STEM magnet middle school in West St. Paul for a new jellyfish tank. The kids’ field trip sounds like the Sea Life exhibit at Mall of America.

“I Love Harriet Kippley”: by Jenny Lynn Pease, illustrated by Alessia Girasole (Free Spirit Publishing, $18.99)

In this story of self-love, it’s time for the class art party and Harriet doesn’t know what to draw, Everything she likes has been chosen by other classmates, even “Platypus, xylophone, and fuzzy socks…” Harriet wants to make something unique so she asks her parents and Grandma (who rides a motorcycle) what they love. They reply they love her the most. After considering a lot of words, Harried realizes she is unique and draws a picture of herself. The author lives in Pennsylvania and the illustrator in Milan, Italy. Free Spirit is based in Minneapolis.

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