Stalactite and Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little Cave by Drew Beckmeyer (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Two nubs of rock in a cave greet each other as the one above drips a steady stream of water drops onto the one below. They’re friends from the start and enjoy the company of other more transient creatures as they witness the history of life on Earth. First a trilobite, next an Ichtyostega with some new legs, then a triceratops who enjoys a dazzling light display before disappearing. Ice Age creatures give way to early humans, and finally, contemporary human tourists marvel at the stalactite and stalagmite that are almost touching each other. A futuristic city appears outside the cave, then darkness as the two fuse together into a column of stone. Includes additional information about some of the creatures and a timeline of the time period covered in the story.
Enjoy a warm, fuzzy friendship story while simultaneously feeling insignificant as you follow this rocky relationship over millions of years. Drew Beckmeyer makes it look easy to create an amazing picture book with plenty of humor that introduces the entire history of life on earth.
Papilio by Ben Clanton, Corey R. Tabor, and Andy Chou Musser (Viking Books for Young Readers, 48 pages, ages 3-7). Three friends and beloved author-illustrators have created a story in three parts about Papilio, a black swallowtail butterfly. In the first, by Clanton, Papilio hatches from an egg and explores life as a caterpillar before creating a chrysalis. Tabor takes the story from there, narrating from inside a chrysalis that is almost eaten by a bird. Having safely survived, the newly emerged butterfly’s tale is told by Musser, as she learns from other flying insects how to use her wings. The stories are tied together by Papilio’s interactions with a mouse, and readers will enjoy seeing the different depictions of it by the three different artists. Includes additional information about butterfly metamorphosis, as well as notes from each of the creators about how they came up with their stories and illustrations.
I was excited to see this book by Ben Clanton and Corey R. Tabor, who are well-loved in my library (I’m not yet familiar with Musser’s work), and it did not disappoint. Kudos to them for taking on the well-worn tale of butterfly metamorphosis and finding something new. It’s fun to compare the illustrations, which are similar but have distinctive differences from the three different artists.
Caboose by Travis Jonker, illustrated by Ruth Chan (Harry N. Abrams, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Hippo loves being first in line, and he’s learned all kinds of tricks to get there: running, sneaking, even slingshotting to the head of the line. But one day, Hippo takes it too far, and Fish gets hurt. “You may not be first anymore!” declares the teacher, and Hippo is banished to the end of the line. It takes a little adjustment, but before long, Hippo has a series of strategies to make sure he’s always the caboose: walking like a turtle, politely letting everyone go ahead, pretending his sneaker has a giant knot. But “caboosin’ it up” causes Hippo to go too far once again, and now his assigned place is in the middle of the line. And the middle proves to be the best place for him, right in the center of all his classmates.
Hippo definitely cracked me up, and there are lessons to be learned about working with others. Kids may recognize themselves or a classmate as Hippo slowly learns line etiquette and how to be respectful of his classmates. The illustrations are adorable, with a huge variety of animals, but I have to say I struggled a little to grasp the lesson Hippo learned at the end.