By Jim Seymour
For Variety

EVERYBODY loves a parade. The variety of colors, sounds, and amusing entertainment holds the interest of spectators young and old. And when you tire of standing (or sitting in your lawn chair if you planned ahead!), you can relax with a cold drink or a favorite tasty treat in whatever bit of shade you can find. And of course, you’re sure to see friends and family with whom you’ll chat and laugh, catch up on the latest news or just share opinions of the parade participants.
A picture book parade can provide you and your children with an equally fun time. Don’t believe me? Just try it! For more inspiration, join the 13th carnival of children’s literature over at Jen Robinson’s site: http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2007/04/13th_carnival_o.html.
So here are some suggestions to include in your picture book parade. Don’t forget the icy drink, bit of shade and a gaggle of kid-friends to share the fun.
Not a Box, by Antoinette Portis (Harper Collins, 2006). Start the parade with a bunny and his box. It could be an Easter parade, but it’s not, and it’s not a box, either. Bunny Rabbit transforms an ordinary box into a variety of exciting, adventure-inducing contraptions. At first, this book seems pretty ordinary, with a brown-bag cover, very simple line drawings, spare text, and few colors. But as with most parade starters, there’s inspiration in this entry. Kids will relate with Bunny when the parent-voice scolds and questions. And they’ll know exactly how Bunny feels each time he steps up to his box. This affirmation of a child’s imagination will resonate with all small children, which is probably why it has a Dr Seuss choice award sticker on it! (Ages 2-8).
Flotsam, by David Wiesner (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin, 2006). Parades are all about contrast, and here’s a book that immediately strikes the eye with elaborate art and the sound of a fancy-word title. The story is as complex and patterned as the scales on the fish that graces the cover (although the scales are only seen on the back of the book). But the only word is the title. This is a graphic story, told entirely in pictures. And what pictures! This book won the Caldecott Medal.
A boy plays at the beach, examines what the ocean brings to him, and finds an imaginary world through a magic camera. The thrill of discovery, the unusual tribute to M.C. Escher’s use of pictures within pictures, and the connection between children of the world forged by the oceans between them elevates this book to the level of high art, enjoyable by children and their parents who are “reading” the book with them. (Ages 4-10).
Gone Wild, An Endangered Animal Alphabet, by David McLimans (Walker Publishing, 2006). Here is another book, starkly different than the prior parade entries, yet just as gorgeous in its own way as the lavish book before it. Gone Wild is black and white and red, only. And it is a traditional alphabet book, going through A to Z. What makes this a winner in the parade (my personal favorite), though, is the combination of art-lettering and thematic content. Each alphabet letter portrays some wild animal, or a feature of a wild animal, in a bold simple graphic of black on white. The animal’s name is listed by the plain letter text in the upper page corner, and a small box outlined in red contains a brief bit of information about the animal’s habitat locale and its present status as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.
Gone Wild can be used by children just learning their A, B, C’s. It can be used by older children studying science and learning about conservation. And it can inspire artists of all ages who want to explore calligraphy or graphic art possibilities. A Caldecott Honor book. Wow! (Ages 4+).
Granny Gert and the Bunion Brothers, by Dotti Enderle, illustrated by Joe Kulka, (Pelican Publishing, 2006). Every parade needs something a little odd, something so unexpected you’re not quite sure how to react to it. That’s this picture book! A tale from Texas, full of cornpone and humor, but a bit on the mischievous side for the picture-book crowd. The Bunion brothers are not smart, and Granny knows just how to take advantage of their kind of stupidity. She’s hiring for her rickety farm, and keeps them scared enough to follow her orders with threats about Mad Dog, but entices them to stay with her lovely daughter, Starla. Both brothers fall in love with Starla. The commotion that follows is predictable (to adults, but perhaps not to children), and humorous. There’s a silly twist at the end, too.
The author, Dotti Enderle, has a twang in her style that makes you feel like you’re in Texas. The illustrator, Joe Kulka, uses bright colors and exaggerated shapes to emphasize and add to the humor. This is not an award winner, but when you’re having a parade, you appreciate the peculiar, as well as the dazzling. (Ages 6-9)
Library Lion, by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Candlewick, 2006). All parades feature a traditional entry, one you can count on to deliver the expected delight in straightforward and familiar fashion that is nonetheless enjoyable. Here’s the picture book parade entry in that category.
In Library Lion, Mr. McBee races to inform the head librarian, Miss Merriweather, about the frightening arrival in the public library of a lion. Miss Merriweather is an expert at enforcing the rules, but when she discovers that the lion is not breaking any rules, he’s just a lion in the library, she insists that Mr. McBee “let him be.” Mr. McBee is not happy. He thinks libraries are no place for lions.
Lion proves himself to be well-mannered and helpful. The children share his love of books read aloud during story time, and soon he’s a favorite, but suddenly, lion faces an unexpected situation in the library and must decide between obeying the rules and doing what he thinks is right.
Lion, Miss Merriweather, Mr. McBee, the library and the child patrons are rendered in acrylic and pencil, capturing the timeless quality of libraries everywhere. Even the old style, large type of the text speaks of generations of children reading books. And the story satisfies, as a classic always does. (Ages 4-8).
Moses, When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Hyperion Books, 2006). Life is not complete, and neither is a parade, without a reflection on times past and the miseries of war, strife and life created by humans and our ability to overcome them. There is little more disturbing than slavery, and nothing more inspiring than escape into freedom. This story celebrates the heroism of Harriet Tubman in gaining her own freedom and in her risking return to enslavement to save others.
Author Carole Boston Weatherford focuses on Harriet’s spiritual journey and faith as well as her physical trek. The stunning art that captures both Tubman’s humility and the sublime power of belief won both a Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King award for illustration. You can see more of Kadir Nelson’s work at his Web site www.kadirnelson.com. This book is the perfect ending to any parade of picture books. (Ages 6+).