Book Review: Musk Ox Counts by Erin Cabatingan

Pick up any picture book and there is a pretty good chance that at least one of the characters will be a monkey, a cat, a dog, a horse, a pig, a cow, or a bird--really, any animal you might name when singing "Old McDonald Had a Farm."  But, what about the poor old musk ox?  How often do you find this arctic mammal, known for its musky odor and thick mane of hair, in a children's story?  The fact of the matter is that musk oxen are severely underrepresented in children's literature.  It's a good thing, then, that author Erin Cabatingan and illustrator Matthew Myers have made it their personal mission to raise awareness about this malodorous creature, so that, maybe one day, a child will think to sing "Old McDonald had a musk ox..."

Do you have a kid who’s crazy about wheels?  Two excellent new picture books:  And the cars go… by William Bee, and The Diggers are Coming by Susan Steggall are sure to please the gear-heads in your home.  Both books contain lots of interesting vocabulary words to describe the different types of vehicles and the sounds they make:  "mixers tumble, twist, and turn…..tippers tremble along and trundle about", and both books contain a mystery which is only revealed at the end of the story.   In the case of The Diggers are Coming, the question all along is "what are they building?"  It’s interesting to note the many kinds of construction vehicles necessary to get the job done and to see the progression of the task from empty lot to finished product.       My favorite book of the two, however, is

  

Extraordinary Jane

Jane Bouffant is, sad to say, ORDINARY. Her mom is famous. Her dad is famous. Her six brothers are famous. Her six sisters are, you guessed it, famous. What is even more problematic is that her, dare we say it again, FAMOUS family performs in the equally FAMOUS Barnaby Beluchi Circus. What's an exceptionally undistinguished dog to do?
Hannah E. Harrison takes advantage of every inch of Extraordinary Jane (including the endpapers) to chronicle Jane's misadventures on the path toward self-discovery. The bright acrylic images caper across the pages as cannon launchers, trapeze swings, and a giant out-of-control balancing ball get the better of Jane. The big tent proves perilous for our furry protagonist until slowly but surely Jane's secret talent is revealed to everyone's satisfaction.
Simple sentences and bold text will draw any shy adventurer into Jane's Extraordinary life with a heartwarming welcome.

MightyM