By Jennifer G. of Maricopa County Library District
“Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” by Mo Willems features a wild and wacky pigeon who will do anything to be allowed to drive a bus! The book, along with all of the books in the series, encourages audience participation and has appealing, cartoony illustrations, making the series an all-time favorite with children and caregivers! If you are looking for more books that feature wild and wacky characters, fun illustrations to share, and are fun to read aloud, check out these recommendations:
“Scaredy Squirrel” series by Mélanie Watt
The “Scaredy Squirrel” books all feature a nervous squirrel who plans for the worst-case scenario, develops a contingency plan just in case, and then, ultimately, finds out there was nothing to fear in the first place.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT:
With his nervous grin and the funny stories, “Scaredy Squirrel” will win over anyone who has ever been afraid of anything! Cartoony, cute illustrations, combined with the quirky, but loveable squirrel, makes for a perfect read-alike for Mo Willems’ “Pigeon” series. The books have also been adapted into a TV series!
“You Are (Not)” series by Anna Kang
Kang’s fuzzy, cute, little monsters have wide appeal in the “You Are (Not)” series. Fun, straight-forward illustrations and the funny dialog make the books in this series very fun to read aloud.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT:
The books explore important concepts and emotions in a humorous way that is perfect for preschoolers. The creatures are appealing, and their friendships are sweet and heartwarming.
“The Mother Bruce” series by Ryan T. Higgins
This hilarious series features grumpy bear Bruce, who lives with four geese because he is their adopted mother. Each book in the series takes this odd, but lovable family, on a new adventure.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT:
Detailed illustrations, silly scenarios, and witty writing make this a fun read aloud that will have the younger ones asking for more!
“Goodnight Already” series by John Jory & Benji Davies
In another unlikely friendship book, grumpy bear wants nothing more than to go to sleep, but wide-awake duck wants to have fun with Bear! Their encounters get sillier and sillier until finally, Bear is wide awake, and Duck is fast asleep.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT:
Caretakers will relate to this classic cartoon trope of two characters, one who only wants to sleep and the other, wide-awake, who wants to have fun. The book is fun to read aloud, lending itself to various voices. The illustrations are appealing to all ages with repeating patterns and pops of color.
Jennifer is a librarian with the Maricopa County Library District. Her favorite books include anything by Kate DiCamillo and books about cats.
