Picture This (1)

Picture This is a brand new feature at Laina Has Too Much Spare Time that I'm hoping to make a weekly thing if you all like it. Thanks goes to Alea at Pop Culture Junkie for inspiring this feature. (Go tell her she's awesome, guys.)

Rabbit Pie by Penny Ives (author and illustrator)

Page count: 32 in the hardcover copy according to goodreads.
Genre: I think this would be a humorous fiction book, but I'm not sure. Suggestions? Do picture books have genres?
Reading level: Easy/Juvenile Fiction (this is what my library calls them.)
Storytime Themes: Rabbits, bedtime, recipes, families, Easter, spring.

Summary:

6 small rabbits
1 bath
6 pairs of pajamas
6 cups of milk
1 story
A sprinkling of kisses
6 large carrots

These are the ingredients for rabbit pie, a mama rabbit's recipe for tending to her six little ones.With warm and cuddly illustrations and a simple text, Rabbit Pie will appeal to parents, grandparents, and children alike. The youngest readers will be fascinated by the big rabbit family and their going-to-bed ritual. Best served at bedtime or wake-up-in-the-morning time, this book is sure to be a favorite read-aloud treat.

(Summary from goodreads.)

(Bear with me while I figure out what I'm doing here, okay? Haha.)

This is seriously one of the cutest books I've ever read. The illustrations are just beautiful, with enough colour and energy to keep younger childrens' attention. The pictures are fairly detailed, which, combined with the shorter text, is good for a younger audience. Oh, and since the text is so large, it's easy to upside down or at an angle (always a bonus).

Depending on the mood of the group, you could spend time on each page giving the child/children time to point out different things on each page, or get through it fairly quickly if their attention spans are fading or they're getting restless.

I think this would go over great with the age group I get for my Storytime (generally, three to five), and would also be a good book for beginner independent readers. The recipe-style of the storytelling is also pretty unique, as far as my experience.

I've already had a rabbit-themed week, but I'll probably use this one later during a bedtime-themed week. It's so cute, I honestly can't resist using it. Another thing I like about it is that the cover is solid, with the spine being covered in fabric (think hardcover Lemony Snicket books), no dust jacket. I think that would go over really well with younger kids who are still a little rough on books.

4 and a half out of five carrots? I'm not sure how to rate picture books, and I don't think I will anyways, because I haven't read these to a kid yet, so I don't know how they'd like it, I'm mostly just guessing.

Okay, so, I think that's everything. Sorry about the writing on the picture, picture book covers are hard to find. Even the author's website didn't have one.

Let me know what you guys think of these new posts! Good idea for a weekly thing? Also, do you like the new darker purple for reviews?
Peace and cookies,
Laina