Claudia Rueda

I don't know why I picked this up at the thrift shop, but I've got to call my mother to thank her for not traumatizing my childhood by reading me this particular nursery rhyme. The illustrations are especially horrifying.

A little old granny smirks evilly as she stalks and consumes increasingly larger creatures until she dies, presumably of intestinal rupture. But based on her deathbed expression, I suspect she eventually rises to join the ranks of the undead.

I thought the metafiction and interactive elements would make this fun, but moving the book around was more bother than pleasure, and the particular copy of the book I had seemed to be missing the attached ribbon that was supposed to be used to help the bunny with his apple harvest. Blah.

Colombian artist and picture-book author Claudia Rueda - whose English-language projects include the artwork for Pam Muñoz Ryan's Nacho And Lolita, as well as her own Let's Play In The Forest While The Wolf Is Not Around - delivers an appealing arctic reassurance tale in My Little Polar Bear. "Am I a polar bear?" inquires a fluffy white youngster, and his mama reassures him, listing all the qualities and abilities that make him what he is, and promising to teach him all the skills he will show more need...

Rueda's simple text, with a few words per page, is matched by her simple digital illustrations, in which white bears cavort against a background of soft blues and purples. The scenes with swirling snow are particularly lovely, capturing the enchantment of winter. Although I wouldn't describe My Little Polar Bear as a particular favorite, I think its union of appealing text and artwork make it a worthy addition to the genre. Young polar-bear lovers will be especially pleased. show less

Though traditional folk and fairy tales are part of our shared culture, it's difficult to find a version simple enough to share with toddlers in a meaningful way. Huff & Puff makes this look easy. With sparse and straightforward text (only one line per plain white page),

"First pig building a house."

"First pig inside the house."

"One wolf huffing and puffing,"

and delightfully innocent-looking pigs, you'd think that Huff & Puff couldn't get any better. But wait, there's more. Each time the wolf show more comes along, the reader is presented with the wall of the house (straw, stick and brick) and a hole for, you guessed it, huffing and puffing! The reader is the wolf! All the illustrations are drawn with a wolf's-eye view, including the birthday cake with candles that awaits the wolf on the final page.

"Three pigs and one wolf are happy."

Awww.

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