Recent Reads: Children’s Picture Books

I love a good picture book, and so do my kidlets, who are now big kidlets. I think illustrated books are for people of all ages. Here are some of our recent favorites:

• Douglas by Randy Cecil: This is a lovely story, and the illustrations are terrific, so many details! We really enjoyed this one.
• Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker: Mr. TOF and I loved reading this book about Katherine Johnson, how she broke barriers in math, science, and technology, and how she saved the mission of Apollo 13. He and I first learned about Katherine Johnson last year when we visited the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. This book really brought the story to life.
• Hundred Year Barn by Patricia MacLachlan: Having grown up on a farm, I know how special a barn can be. Every farm has a barn that is a bit different from the next. This book is a delight. The illustrations are beautiful, and it’s such a peaceful, story about community.
• Celebritrees: Historic and Famous Trees of the World by Margi Preus: I enjoy almost everything written by this author who is local to our city, and perhaps our neighborhood, I think! (Fun!) This book is a really fun look at some amazing trees throughout the world, and it somehow makes something that might be a little boring into something fascinating. I learned a lot from this little book.
• This is not that kind of book by Christopher Healy: A fantastic introduction to literary genres, this book is hilarious.
• Five Minutes: That’s a Lot of Time (No It’s Not)(Yes, It Is) by Audrey Vernik: This book gets so much right! Five minutes can seem like forever, or like two seconds. It all depends on what you are doing. Mr. TOF and I really enjoyed this one.