The Adventures of Taxi Dog
written by Debra & Sal Barracca, picture by Mark Buehner
Published 1990. I remember reading this book when I was a kid at my elementary school. The art by Buehner is stunning and vivid. The colors and composition bounce on the page. The layout of the book gives great movement and motion to the story. This movement and motion play well with the secondary characters. They also enhance the rhythm of the text itself. A very fun story and book.
I am Every Good Thing
by Derrick Barnes & Gordon C. James
Published 2020. I must say, the artwork is exactly the type of art I love. It is painterly and unique, and everything is so well portrayed. Stunning artwork that, alone is worth the pickup of this book. The story is powerful, to undersell it. After reading this story, it filled me with inspiration and a desire to be a force of change. “I’m a coooooool breeze.” is a fantastic line and takes on such meaning with the whole of the story. To touch on one last element of the story, I loved " I am skateboard tricks, scraped knees and elbows." What I enjoyed most about this line is how it captures a ‘real’ element of life. It isn’t perfect. We fall and get hurt, and we continue, especially growing up. This element of expression could’ve appeared elsewhere in the story. But, you shouldn’t miss reading this story and book.
Cats got Talent
by Ron Barrett
Published 2014. love Love LOVE this book. The style of the illustrations are fun and captivating. The story draws you in and tells a fantastic story from beginning to end. I don’t want to spoil you on the story, go and find this book immediately.
Chicks Run Wild
by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, pictures by Ward Jenkins
Published 2011. A sweet simple story about chicks that won’t sleep until mama joins and wears them out. The art isn’t what I’m looking for, but it was very well done. The text brimmed with energy and exciting things to discover. A great simple and easy-to-read book.
Animal Baths
by Bob Barner
Published 2011. An easy informative book on hygiene. I loved the animal focus and very unique artwork in the book. Not much in the story but I wouldn’t say it needs it exactly. Pick it up for a fun pre-bathtime treat.
If you liked this post, I hope you’ll consider becoming a free subscriber and joining our crew (discussions via Substack are always a delight!). That’s it for this edition of The Weekly Picture, I hope you have a wonderful day and as always, thank you for reading!
Caleb
