Ten Stinky Babies
by Ellen Olson-Brown, Illustrations by Joy Allen (Tricycle Press)
Ten stinky babies,
Start the day on time
One had his diaper
changed
And then there were
nine.
And so forth. This counting book is full of pictures of
adorable babies. Or rather, adorable babies who just pooped. Aww?
ABC Dentist by
Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Liz Murphy (Blue Apple Books)
Plaque.
Plaque is an almost
invisible white,
Sticky coating on
teeth that is caused
By eating sugar and
sticky foods.
If not cleaned off,
plaque can cause
Cavities and gum
disease.
And if you thought that was exciting, wait til you hear the
part about saliva!
Inside the Slidy Diner
by Laurel Snyder, Illustrations by Jaime Zollars (Tricycle Press)
Ethelmae wears a
hairnet to keep
The sticks and pins
from falling into the fryer.
She smells like rotten
grill grease.
When she scratches her
back with the spatula,
Flies stick to her
icky sweater.
Yes, we know that children delight in gross things, but when a book activates a parent's gag reflex (with its description of a diner where “the chocolate milk
isn’t really chocolate” and the greasy booths slide into the street), a line has been crossed.
Mazes Around the World
by Mary D. Lankford, Illustrated by Karen Dugan (Harper Collins)
The Klaas Voogds Maze
is built of fourteen different varieties of hedge shrubs, including the
tecomaria and the hibiscus, which flower year-round.
British water mazes! Swedish stone mazes! Religious mazes!
Woven mazes! Maize mazes! How to say “maze” in Portugese! Talk about a niche
market…
The Grey Boy by
Lluis Farre, Illustrated by Gusti (Winged Chariot Press)
It seemed that Joshua
would stay grey forever
Both inside and out.
His family could
already imagine what he’d be like
When he grew up,
sitting a grey office,
Wearing a grey suit
and tie and filling the world
With grey children.
This is the story of a boy who’s born grey in a world of
colorful people, and is incapable of feeling anything… until he watches his
hamster almost choke to death. Sweet dreams, kiddos!
Old MacNoah Had an Ark by Sally
Lloyd-Jones, Illustrated by Jill Newton (Harper Collins)
And on that ark they
had some lunch
Ee-i-ee-i-o
With a burp! slurp!
here
And a burp! slurp!
there
This Noah’s Ark
retelling doesn’t provide any Biblical reference whatsoever, but it has lots
of burping. Oh, and poop.
Twelve Terrible Things
by Marty Kelly (Tricycle)
1 Oooopsie!
2 There’s nothing
under the bed… There’s nothing under the bed…
3 Say Ahhh…
4 Hold still, I’m
almost done.
Featuring an implement-wielding dentist, a scary clown, an
under-the-bed monster and nine other horrific things staring you down from the
pages, this book is like a Saw movie...for kids.
McFig & McFly
by Henrik Drescher (Candlewick)
At last, McFly settled
into a big old easy chair and started to watch nature show reruns. By the end
of the week – with one loud last snore – he passed away from sheer boredom. He
was buried next to McFig. Their tombstones were exactly the same size.
A cute little tale about the perils of keeping up with the
Joneses turns macabre when both of the main characters, um, die tragically.
No! That’s Wrong! By
Zhaohua Ji and Cui Xu (Kane/Miller)
What are you doing?
Why are you wearing
Underpants on your
head?
It’s not a hat.
They’re underpants.
There’s something vaguely unsettling about watching a series
of forest creatures try on the same pair of lacy red panties in an effort to
determine whether they’re underwear or headgear. Just saying.
What are the strangest children’s books you’ve stumbled
across this year? Let us know in the Comments section! -- Gwynne Watkins
