The Ladybug Picture Book Award is chosen annually by New Hampshire children from preschool to 3rd grade.  The kids vote for their favorite of the ten nominees in throughout the month of November.  We are discussing the nominees in no particular order.

Bonny Becker.  A Visitor for Bear.  Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton.  Candlewick, 2008.  56 pages.  Age 4 to 8.

Bear is so sure that he hates company that he spells it out on his door:  “NO visitors allowed.”  When mouse shows up for a spot of tea, Bear gives him the boot and continues preparing breakfast for one.  But mouse keeps showing up in impossible places, like the cupboards and the refrigerator, much to Bear’s distress. Even after boarding up the windows, stopping the chimney, and plugging the bathtub, the mouse finds his way back, causing Bear to weep dramatically and yell, “I am undone!”  They have their tea, and Bear finds that he rather enjoys the company.  I mean, what’s the point of knowing how to do a headstand if you haven’t have any friends to see it?

Adam Rubin.  Those Darn Squirrels!  Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri.  Clarion, 2008.  32 pages.  Age 4 to 8.

Beak-nosed Old Man Fookwire loves watching and painting birds, and misses them terribly during the winter.  He decides to invest in some bird feeders to convince them to stay, but those darn squirrels keep stealing all the seeds!  The old man battles the squirrels with clever traps, but it’s all for nothing when the birds decide to take off anyway.  The squirrels can’t stand the sight of him crying into his cottage cheese, and cheer him up with gifts and clever costumes.

Again, we were split for favorites with these two.  Geraldine said she likes A Visitor for Bear better, especially when they become friends.  Rhys likes Those Darn Squirrels! because they throw a party in Old Man Fookwire’s house at the end, and his “Those darn squirrels!” refrain is delivered with a smile.  I’m going to side with Rhys on this one.  They’re both good books, but Those Darn Squirrels! is packed with quirky humor that I find appealing.

More Ladybug Award reading:
Graves girls read! No. 13.1 – Bedtime at the Swamp and Little Blue Truck

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