STARTED & FINISHED:

McCarty, Peter. (2007). Fabian escapes. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

[Ugh. How many times and ways can I say that I LOVE this guy's illustrations? This is his latest and I'm already WAITING IMPATIENTLY for the next one. The story here is a bit disjointed, with the dog (Hondo) going out for a walk and the cat (Fabian) going for an adventure by jumping out the window, but the look is just so soft yet textured. Hondo and Fabian themselves are so darned adorable, and I dare any cat owner not to go "Awww!" when looking at the picture of Fabian rolling in the dirt. Oh, and the illustration of the three dogs "playing" chase with Fabian - with the dogs smiling and Fabian looking a bit terrified. Super cute. Nice, simple language and situations make this one a great potential read-aloud.]



Shulevitz, Uri. (1995). The golden goose (the Brothers Grimm). New York: Farrar Straus and Giroux.

[Love Shulevitz and his illustrations, but the story in this one isn't a particularly "happening" one to me. So, a fool goes to cut down a tree and a golden goose appears. Everyone that touches him inexplicably becomes stuck to him, and then, inexplicably, gets unattached. Um, ok. What's the point here? Not sure if it's the fault of the Brothers Grimm, or Shulevitz's retelling. Should probably consult the source material before making too much of a judgement...]



Cate, Annette LeBlanc. (2007). The magic rabbit. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

[Heard such good things about this one a few months ago when someone reviewed it at ACL, but I found it kind of bland. Again, nothing really happens here: magician loses his rabbit - rabbit is all alone - rabbit eventually finds his way home by following a trail of stars. Am I missing something? Sure, the illustrations are great, and there may not be anything cuter than the picture of the magician and the rabbit watching a movie on the couch together (look at the rabbit's adorable little feet!), but even the way that the two get separated seems forced and too easy. Now, this isn't all to say that I would never use this in a storytime or recommend it to a parent looking for a sweet story about friendship, but it just didn't do so much for me personally as a reader.]

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