A River by Marc Martin

A River by Marc Martin
32 pages

"There is a river outside my window.

"Where will it take me?

"So begins an imaginary journey from the city to the sea. From factories to farmlands, freeways to forest, each new landscape is explored through stunning illustrations and poetic text from this award-winning picture-book creator."  --from the publisher

What a beautifully-illustrated, sweet, dreamy picture book!  Very nice!  I give it four out of five stars.

Oh, the Thinks you can Think! by Dr. Seuss

Oh, the Thinks you can Think! by Dr. Seuss-48 pages

I enjoy both reading books by Dr. Seuss and watching movies based on his works (like How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Lorax). I don't think I had read this one before reading it for the monthly challenge. This one challenges the reader to think and to use his or her imagination. If one uses his or her imagination, then one can imagine/think up almost anything.

Beautiful Moon

 by Dawn Jeffers - 32 pages

This book is a good reminder to children as to why must come and why they must rest.  It also explores many fun things that children can do throughout a day to experience movement and joy.

Captain Jack and The Night Pirates by Peter Bently and Helen Oxenbury

Captain Jack and the Pirates by Peter Bently and Helen Oxenbury, 28 pages

Jack, Zach, and Caspar go on a make believe pirate adventure.  A fun read too teach children where their imagination can take them.

MSCHMITT--- I am a Backhoe by Anna Grossnickle Hines 29

MSCHMITT--- I am a Backhoe by Anna Grossnickle Hines  29

A little boy who loves vehicles  suddenly becomes one as he acts out the movements of construction equipment. His hands become diggers and scoopers and his body becomes a steam roller as he rolls about on the floor. This book is perfect for those with active an active imagination and energy to burn!

MSCHMITT--- Toys Galore By Peter Stein 30

MSCHMITT--- Toys Galore By Peter Stein 30

Pages and pages of toys! Dolls, dumptrucks, fairies and goo, but there is no toy more special than the you and your imagination.

Sunny, vol 1, by Taiyo Matsumoto, 224 pages

Sunny, vol 1, by Taiyo Matsumoto, 224 pages

I read this based on the cover art- I really like that style of drawing and the few color pages were really attractive.  The story is about a group of children living in a group foster home; some have parents who visit on the weekend, while others do not.  Much of their time is spent in Sunny, an old car that doesn't work, but requires imagination.  Each child gets a chapter, and they are all fairly poignant and frequently sad.  It was a little bit of a downer, but definitely a brilliant downer, if that helps.