It's official.
This is my current picture book favorite.

I am enamored with Penguin. Note the pose. Note the way he rocks red boxers with tiny hearts, even with flippers and a wisp of a protruding tail. He is sporting a bright yellow slicker with matching rain hat and boots, which is interesting attire for a bird with waterproof feathers. Not everybody can pull off this look. But Penguin manages to achieve definite panache.

I shared Claire Messer's Grumpy Pants with several young and not-so-young readers who were experiencing a "grumpy pants" moment. They appreciated how the book acknowledges the bad moods which occur in all of our lives. Grumpiness notwithstanding, these test readers were captivated by the Penguin with an attitude.
Ultimately it's easy to get lost in the charm of Penguin's plight. Both illustrations and text work together to provide delightful reading.

​​Thanks Claire Messer for this little gem.
​I hope that we will see more of Penguin in future books.

A Clatter of Jars by Lisa Graff

Meet Benjamin Putter, an eleven year old boy with a serious problem: a golf ball has lodged itself in his throat. Yes, he has been to the doctor. Yes, his throat was x-rayed. Yes, no matter what anyone says he knows what he knows and the golf ball is there.
Life has been difficult for our young protagonist. He never seemed to measure up to his father's expectations. His father loved two things: golf and barbecued pork. Ben prefers drawing and painting. Now his father is dead and Ben is left wondering if his father really loved him, if he is meant to follow his father's footsteps or if he should chose another path.
He meets a mysterious girl named Noni and together they set out on a quest to bring Ben closure by transporting his father's ashes to the Augusta National Golf Tournament and scattering them on the eighteenth hole.
Noni has her own secrets and joins the journey, searching for her own sign.
This odyssey involves hopping atop the coal car of a passing train, stealing a truck and driving (yes, eleven year old Ben drives while Noni attempts to navigate) and hiding out in a peach orchard.
The youngsters' pilgrimage from Hilltop, Alabama to Augusta, Georgia is peppered by encounters with quirky characters. Pastor Frank owns the local bar, which is presided over by Mrs. Clucksy, a chicken who in addition to picking up stray corn nuts on the counter top, also serves as overnight security for the bar's cash. Pastor Frank hides the night's earnings in a plastic egg, which resides safely in Mrs. Clucksy nest inside the hen house.
Did I mention that Benjamin's father speaks to him? His father (from inside the urn) and Ben often engage in soul-searching conversations. But then, many objects both real and inanimate speak to Ben. From the mosquito on his arm to the kitchen appliances, all have something to say to this boy.
Near the conclusion of the book, readers will begin to sense what is coming (no spoilers from me). I will say that the ending left me with a huge lump in my throat. And I don't want it to ever go away.

Use the interactive map to follow the Masters National Golf Course in Augusta to the eighteenth hole. 

Highlights from April Henry's visit to Four Bluff High School

It is a challenging task to continually check the library collection for books that need to be "retired". Some decisions are obvious. Books with broken spines, pages missing, worn and torn covers are ready to leave the shelf. Books with outdated material need to be retired: Think geography books and maps mentioning countries which no longer exist. Think Pluto.
These types of books are easy to spot and replace with clean copies and updated information.
Picture books present anongoing challenge. Perusing a shelf of books for youngsters looking for images that are outdated takes a considerable amount of time.
Consider picture books about families. Many of the books which currently reside on the shelf are limited to one type of family. Enriching the library's offerings to include representation of a diverse configuration of families helps to make the picture book collection more inclusive.
Fortunately, there are some new books about families which address this concern. Here are two titles worth considering:
Albert Whitman and Company has updated All Kinds of Families by Noram Simon with illustrations by Sarah S Brannen to present a contemporary and realistic representation of many families. Warm reassuring images and text celebrate the importance of families, particularly in the lives of children and invite them to "talk about their own families and to discover the variety of people who fit under the big umbrella redefined as family."
Holiday House Books has a terrific book about contemporary families. Families by Shelly Rotner and Sheila M Kelly uses vibrant photographs to showcase of a variety of families, people who collectively care for and support one another on an ongoing basis.
These books can update a picture book collection and offer young readers an image of families that "look like my family".