Library Books We Are Sad to Return

Oh, Ann Arbor District Library! You have such lovely books. Since I have 166 items checked out and 29 on hold, I think it's time for a bit of returning. Some books we have had checked out for so long, they felt like a part of our own library. But at close to 200 items, some pruning was necessary. Too much makes it hard to use what you've got!

The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg (Quirky story. A pencil caters to his creations until the eraser starts causing some problems. Ahlberg is a gem.)

Lights Out by Arthur Geisert (Fabulous pictures for a Rube Goldberg in training. Nearly wordless.)

Dogs by Emily Gravett (Clever concept book about dogs with a surprise narrator. Short text, I always enjoy Gravett's pictures.)

The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett (Clever book about Duck waiting for the egg he found to hatch along with the others. The hatching pages are use a cut-away-stair-step. Typical with Gravett's work, a surprise waits at the end. Very satisfying.)

Wolves by Emily Gravett (Rabbit is worried about wolves, so he checks out a book about them. I really relate to the library usage! Two endings.)

Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman (Cute, repeating phrase, day of the week structure, great use of pictures-especially for the ending)

Red Rubber Boot Day by Mary Lyn Ray (Perfect poetry. Celebrates the little things in life. I love how the child fills the day, simply and with joy. The perfect gift for a toddler- of course accompanied by red rubber boots.)

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld (Clever book- two off the page characters are arguing over whether they see a duck or a rabbit.

My Baseball Book by Gail Gibbons (Short little nonfiction book. Great for introducing a sport- nice features, such as diagrams, captions and labels.)

Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier (Sweet story- fabulous pictures. Millie the cow enjoys scaring the mailman until the day she takes it too far! Nice story arc.)

One Boy by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Counting Book. Great cutaways to frame pictures and for word work.)

The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen (Amazing pictures- the kids loved the page where the animals are hiding. We fell in love with the illustrations in Mercy Watson books- and so we looked up his work. Does not disappoint!)

If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen (Funny- great book for a kid in Detroit!)

Chester by Melanie Watt (Melanie Watt and Chester the cat share the pen. It doesn't always go so well... And it's a hoot. Watt never disappoints.)

Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino (This starts with a note about the author eats breakfast with his son every Friday- the text is perfect, simple, and tight. The pictures are retro and modern at the same time. I love the celebration of ritual in our daily lives.)

Thank you, books! You will be missed, and we hope to see you again!