The Cat From Hunger Mountain

The Cat From Hunger Mountain 
by Ed Young

Lord Cat has everything imaginable in his home on Hunger Mountain: the tallest pagoda to live in, the finest clothes to wear, and the most extravagant food.  Most importantly to this story, Hunger Mountain has delicious rice to harvest and, sadly, much of this rice is wasted as it is washed down the Great River.  When a drought and subsequent famine forces his workers to leave, Lord Cat is left without anyone to serve him.  When the hungry cat wanders down the mountain to beg for food, he is led to a kind monk who feeds him a meal of the same rice Lord Cat wasted for years, teaching the greedy feline a valuable lesson.

I loved this book!  It sends a wonderful message about sharing as well as not being wasteful or greedy.  Ed Young's beautiful collage illustrations are outstanding!  The pictures incorporate such an engaging variety of color, pattern, and texture.   I found myself going back and admiring the illustrations over and over again!

Author's website: http://edyoungart.com/

The Blobfish Book

The Blobfish Book
by Jessica Olien

The cover of this book shows a cartoonish pink blobfish excitedly tearing through the cover.  While one may initially assume this is a fiction book, once inside it is clear from the photographs of various deep sea creatures that there is much more to this book than our boisterous (and slightly impatient) pink friend.

This nonfiction book is an excellent introduction to deep sea animals for younger readers.  Large, nearly page-sized photographs of intriguing animals such as anglerfish and viperfish are paired with brief, yet informative, explanations of what these creatures are.  The appearance of the comical blobfish, with his speech-bubble dialogue, adds humor to this engaging book.  The final page includes recommended websites to learn more about the different deep sea animals shown.

Author's website: https://www.jessicaolien.com/

Hippopotamister

Hippopotamister 
by John Patrick Green

When the old City Zoo falls apart, Hippo's friend Red Panda takes off in search of better things in the outside world.  After several visits back to the zoo, Red Panda convinces his unhappy friend to become a Hippopotamister and join him in finding a new, better job.  Although Hippo does well in every job he tries, Red Panda's spectacularly hilarious mistakes makes the pair less than successful in staying employed!  Frustrated and unhappy, Hippo returns to the zoo, where he finds a way to put his new talents to good use.

This is a great choice for growing readers ready to try a comic book.  Most of the pages have only one or two panels, with occasional pages of three or more.  The amusing illustrations are large, colorful and engaging.  Combined with the entertaining dialogue, this funny graphic novel will likely bring about laughter in many readers.

Author's website: http://www.johngreenart.com/

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea!

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea!
by Ben Clanton

When a waffle-loving narwhal meets a jellyfish while out for the swim, it is the start of an exciting new friendship!  Narwhal and Jelly may have little in common, but that doesn’t stop them from having some great adventures together, including creating a fun-loving “narwhal” pod with a variety of other sea creatures and using their imaginations to turn a blank book into a wild story. 

Told in short chapters, this cute graphic novel is a great choice for growing readers.  I like how author/illustrator Ben Clanton uses a combination of comic book panels as well as full paged spreads. The story also includes a short chapter with facts about the two sea creatures.  The simple, yet engaging, illustrations are done in mostly pale blues and greys, with an occasional burst of yellow and other bright colors throughout the book.

Fans of Mo Willems Piggie & Elephant books will want to give this story a try! The next book in this fun new series will be published in May, I’m looking forward to the continued adventures of these entertaining sea creatures.

Book website: http://www.narwhalandjelly.com/

You Are Not a Cat!

You Are Not a Cat!
by Sharon Flake
illustrated by Anna Raff

Duck wants to be a cat, much to the annoyance of his friend Cat.  As Cat unsuccessfully gives numerous reasons as to why Duck cannot possibly be a cat, the happy-go-lucky Duck continues to frustrate his feline friend. Much to Cat’s exasperation, Duck soon finds another animal to be!

This humorous tale, told through speech bubble dialogue between Duck and Cat, will have many readers laughing! Our two main characters are very comical, often having exaggerated expressions that emphasize their emotions. I think that many fans of Mo Willems’ Piggie and Elephant stories will enjoy this funny tale.  

Book trailer:

Author's website: http://www.sharongflake.com/

Illustrator's website: http://www.annaraff.com/