Billie B. Little

Ross Collins hits the sweet spot of picture books with a story of clever rhymes starring a disgruntled little rodent and a huge squatter of a polar bear who has, sadly enough, taken over Mouse’s chair.

In a brilliant blend of text and endearing drawings, There’s a Bear on My Chair introduces Mouse, a sweater-sporting little guy who longs to sit in his customary spot. Although he admires some of Bear’s qualities—such as his stylish hair and his “fine taste in leisure wear”—Mouse simply cannot support Bear’s taking over his chair. Something must be done. Despite Mouse’s best efforts to lure Bear from his chair, nothing works. He tempts him with a golden pear, jumps out of a box in his underwear and finally loses his temper—all to no avail. Bear stays put.

Only when Mouse gives up and leaves the premises does Bear take notice. He lumbers off the chair and travels far along a snowy peak to his igloo home. There he finds someone (guess who?) snoozing on his bed.

The winning personalities of the two creatures and Mouse’s determination to regain his favorite chair will have little ones begging to hear this laugh-out-loud romp over and over again.

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Nick and his two cats, Verne and Stevenson, do everything together. They swim, they camp, they pedal along on his bicycle. These cats have personality to spare. Verne is loving and playful, while Stevenson is cranky and curmudgeonly—and they have their own ideas about how to spend their free time. When the cats keep Nick from reading by flailing around on top of his open book, Nick decides to teach them to read. The cats ignore his efforts until he hits upon making a flashcard shaped like a fish. Verne loves fish and is suddenly all in. But not Stevenson. He just scowls.

Soon Verne gets his own library card, and he and Nick act out scenes from their favorite books—digging for fossils and bouncing across the moon. They have fun, but they miss Stevenson. When Nick discovers Stevenson’s pirate drawings under the bed, he hatches an idea. Nick and Verne write stories to go with the sketches, and with Stevenson sporting an eye patch, the three huddle under the porch and read their pirate tales. The adventures of Nick, Verne and Stevenson hint that differences in cat’s personalities—and maybe people’s—should be accepted and nourished. We can all get along fine if we focus on each other’s strengths.

In The Summer Nick Taught His Cats to Read, first-time picture book author Curtis Manley delivers an engaging story that blends seamlessly with Kate Berube’s beguiling drawings. The book is sure to become a read-aloud favorite.

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

A long car ride to Grandma’s is much wilder than usual in Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat’s hilarious new picture book. Below the cover’s title line, a family sits miserably in their car—but above it, our far-from-bored young hero rides on a giant T. rex, surrounded by cavorting pirates, cowboys and pyramid builders, while Mom and Dad gape out the window, horrified.

Going to Grandma’s birthday party sounds like fun, but sitting in the back seat for miles is mind numbing, and the view out the car window is anything but scintillating. Mom and Dad are annoyed as the much-dreaded question emanates from the back seat, “Are we there yet?” Of course, the answer to that question depends on where you’re going, and this clever take on a familiar lament stretches the reader’s imagination—even questioning the proper way to hold a book, and which way to turn a page. The reader’s orientation switches from page to page as the sights become more fantastical.

Seconds feel like minutes, minutes like hours, hours like days, and days become years. Before we know it, the car ride has taken the reader back to the days of the dinosaurs. As we savor the excitement of the moment, we’re vaulted into the future. Santat’s dynamic and captivating illustrations remind us that there is no greater gift in life than the present, so we might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

David Barrow, winner of the 2015 Sebastian Walker Award for most promising children’s illustrator, brings new life to the question of outing the “elephant in the room.”

When a large, gentle elephant asks a small boy to play hide-and-seek, the boy accepts at once. Elephant kindly warns the boy that he is VERY good at this game. Despite being put on notice, the boy says he will do his best, counting to 10 while his pet dog scratches nearby. Page after page of hilarity ensues, with Elephant doing an excellent job of hiding practically in plain view—so convincingly that the boy’s mother suggests he give up the search. But the boy and his dog soldier on, until finally, standing right in front of Elephant, he gives up. As the boy wonders about his next move, Elephant tickles him between the shoulders with his trunk. In the excitement of the moment, Turtle enters the scene and asks if they’d like to play tag—with one warning: He is VERY good.

Painted in fresh textures, warm earth tones and pops of reds and purples, Have You Seen Elephant? will engage readers young and old with its vibrant portrayal of an elephant that clearly wants in on the fun. The book is flanked front and back by a gallery of family photos. By story’s end, Turtle and Elephant are members of the family.

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

This article was originally published in the March 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Hop, written and illustrated by Jorey Hurley (Nest, Fetch), dramatizes a day in the life of a cottontail rabbit and her three small bunnies as they go about doing what bunnies do—nibbling grass and bright flower tops, playing tag, sleeping and staying on guard, all day, every day.

Part story and part science lesson, the text pulls no punches but depicts the dangers in the life of every rabbit we see leaping across our front yard or standing, frozen, in a meadow. The bunnies have run-ins with a hawk, a bumblebee and a fox. Luckily, they can listen, run and jump, and can burrow deep underground through tunnels to elude their predators. But when a woodchuck burrows into the other end of their den, the bunnies are on the move again. The book includes an informative author’s note about cottontails, which are common across North America.

Hurley’s springtime meadows are lovely and the images of bouncing bunnies will delight, especially when, safe and sound, they snuggle together to sleep and await the next day.

In each highly textured and patterned page, Hurley's previous work as a textile artist shines through. Parents and children alike will respond to the simple language and the clean, modern Danish feel of the illustrations.

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.