When it comes to picture books, my kids and I don't always agree.
As they get older, their likes and dislikes get stronger, which means I don't get to make all the decisions. But since the four-year-old isn't reading at all, and the six-year-old is still learning the ropes, I maintain a bit of leverage.
They need me to read to them. Thus, I have certain rules: I don't read Barbie or Dora stories - they can save those for when they can read themselves.
They like stuff that's repetitive, while I find it kind of annoying. That puts writers like Robert Munsch in a bit of a grey category for us: If I'm in the mood, I'll do it, if not, they're out of luck.
I also don't like "message" books, unless the lesson is smuggled in on the back of a really gripping tale. And I don't like soppy, sentimental "Mommy loves you this much" books.
Where we all agree is if a book is a really great story or a funny one - or better yet, both. Many of our favourite stories have turned out to be variations on old folk tales - currently in heavy rotation is The Little Snowgirl by Carolyn Croll, an older book based on a Russian folk tale.
Here are a few of our favourites released in the past year. All are suitable for ages four and up.
TOADS ON TOAST
By Linda Bailey, illustrated by Colin Jack
Kids Can Press, $18.95
We love this funny little gem by the author of Stanley's Party so much, we've been eating "toad-in-a-hole" - a fried egg in the centre of a piece of fried bread with a hole cut out of it - for breakfast ever since we first read it. It's about a fox who goes fishing for baby toads for a recipe. When he scoops up a bunch of toadlets, Momma Toad turns up to talk him out of eating them, offering the aforementioned recipe as an alternative. No toads were harmed in the making of this book, which includes cartoon-style illustrations of Momma and her havoc-wreaking toadlets.
LESTER'S DREADFUL SWEATERS
By K.G. Campbell
Kids Can Press, $18.95
Witty writing and delightful 1940s-era illustrations knit perfectly together in this book, about a boy who is tormented by a female relative who keeps knitting him atrocious sweaters. The more ingenious ways he devises to get rid of them, the more she knits. The illustrator's wacky sweater concepts alone are worth the price of the book.
VOTE FOR ME
By Ben Clanton
Kids Can Press, $18.95
A donkey and elephant vie for your vote in an increasingly pitched campaign that, yes, involves a fair bit of mudslinging. The outcome is a bit of a surprise, too. With a B.C. election set for next spring, it's a helpful way to explain to kids what's going on.
VIRGINIA WOLF
By Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Kids Can Press, $18.95
This story, inspired by British writer Virginia Woolfe and her painter sister Vanessa Bell, is about two sisters, one of whom wakes up one day in a really grumpy mood. The illustrations show her in silhouette with wolf ears - the same silhouette as a large ribbon in her hair, a clever touch.
It's poetically written and beautifully designed and illustrated, as befitting the women who provided the inspiration. Best of all, it's a scenario any pair of siblings can relate to.
LUMPITO AND THE PAINTER FROM SPAIN
By Monica Kulling, illustrated by Dean Griffiths
Pajama Press, $19.95
Based on the true story of a dachsund that visited Picasso and refused to leave - and was immortalized in some of his paintings and drawings - Lumpito is a simple, fun little tale that has the added benefit of temporarily transporting mom, dad or whoever is reading it to the south of France. Perfect for those blah winter days.
A HEN FOR IZZY PIPPIK
By Aubrey Davis, illustrated by Marie Lafrance
Kids Can Press, $18.95
Set in what appears to be a pre-war eastern European village, this folk-style tale is the story of a little girl who finds a chicken that has dropped off the back of a truck. She's determined to find the owner but he's nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, the chicken spawns a multitude of descendants (she believes it's wrong to eat eggs that don't belong to her) and inadvertently saves an economically depressed village. A great story that illustrates how a child who sees the world in black and white is introduced to shades of grey, with the help of her grandfather.
A BEAR IN WAR
By Stephanie Innes and Harry Endrulat, illustrated by Brian Deines
Pajama Press, $19.95
This reissue of a book originally published by Key Porter Books is a story with difficult themes but it's well told and a great way to explain the impact of war to kids. Told from the point of a view of a teddy bear (bear with me - it's not so bad), it tells the story of a little girl from a farm in Quebec whose father goes off to fight in the First World War and doesn't make it home. Her teddy bear is found on his body on the battlefield. The book, written by the soldier's great-granddaughter, is based on a true story - the actual teddy is in the Canadian War Museum, which might be an excellent excuse to take your kids to the museum if you're in Ottawa.
MIMI'S VILLAGE (AND HOW BASIC HEALTH CARE TRANSFORMED IT)
By Katie Smith Milway, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes
Kids Can Press, $19.95
OK, this is definitely a message book - part of a series called Citizen Kid - but it's a good one. It's written in very simple language and tells the story of a little girl who lives in a small African village without a nurse.
When her sister gets sick from drinking polluted water, the family has to trek many miles for help.
Mimi is instrumental in getting a small clinic built in her village. A bit of an eye-opener for my privileged North American kids.
A GOOD TRADE
By Alma Fullerton, illustrated by Karen Patkau
Pajama Press, $19.95
A Ugandan boy meets up with an aid worker on the way back from fetching heavy jerry cans of water for his family and trades her a beautiful white poppy for a new pair of shoes.
That's it, but Fullerton's version, combined with brightly coloured illustrations, is poetry.
