Mustache

Author: Mac Barnett
Illustrator:   Kevin Cornell
Publisher:  Hyperion
Publication Year:   2011
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   Junior Library Guild Choice

Summary: King Duncan is so vain that his kingdom falls down around hm while he spends his time admiring himself (and putting up billboards "Remember: Your King is a Dreamboat!") His subjects demand that he does something to fix things. But instead he creates a large scroll that says "I'm Great!" which someone vandalizes with a mustache. Everything in the kingdom gets mustaches too and the king is perplexed. The reader gets let into the secret when we find out that everyone in the kingdom is drawing mustaches, so the king makes the whole kingdom into a jail for the people. At the end the king decides to join in on the fun and draws on his own mustache. The framed illustrations refer back to classic fairy tales, as do the illuminated initials and the scroll-like textboxes.

Classroom Ideas: This book will make kids giggle in glee at the silly king. A good compare and contrast could be done with Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, another vain character.

Z is for Moose

Author: Kelly Bingham
Illustrator:   Paul O. Zelinsky
Publisher:  Greenwillow Books
Publication Year:   2012
Location: Knox County Public Library- Powell

Awards:   Featured on "Calling Caldecott" blog, Publisher's Weekly Kirkus and Horn Book starred reviews,

Summary:  Hilarious version of an alphabet book! Everything starts out well until Moose jumps onto the 'D' page. Zebra, acting as a director, is not impressed with Moose and sends him off to wait for his turn. He continues trying to get into all the pages in creative ways- under the ice cream, on the jam label, in kangaroo's pouch, until the M page comes. But wait! M is for Mouse? Moose is mad and starts destroying the book until Zebra comes up with a compromise. This adorable book made me laugh out loud several times!

Classroom Ideas: Smaller readers would love correctly identifying the pages that Moose has ruined. With older kids, this could serve as a mentor text or start a discussion about problem solving and compromise.