Colors pop and the imagination soars in How to Read a Book, a set of instructions and a delicious ode to the pleasures of reading from bestselling author and Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander.

Likening a book to a clementine, he suggests that young readers “peel its gentle skin” and let the story unfurl. With language that beguiles each of the five senses, Alexander playfully and reverently pays tribute not only to books themselves but also to the magic of reading and its ability to give our souls “room to bloom.” Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet renders the illustrations via mixed-media collages that include handmade papers, found objects, excerpts from Felix Salten’s Bambi: A Life in the Woods and even a lid from a paint can. Sweet’s distinctive hand-lettered text, which itself becomes another part of the artwork, is a perfect complement to Alexander’s prose. 

A gatefold spread appearing at the midway point features shades of brilliant orange and opens into a book that has morphed into a three-decker bus with 18 windows. Alexander urges readers not to rush through their books (eyes need “time to taste,” after all), and once they set their sights on this visual feast, they’ll know exactly what he means.

“(You never reach) The End,” he writes at the book’s close. This is good news for readers who will want to head right back to the beginning and soak in this lovingly rendered testimonial more than once.

Newbery Medal winner Jerry Spinelli presents an all-American Fourth of July from the viewpoint of a young boy who’s so excited that he runs out to join the parade in his pajamas. Golden Kite Award-winning illustrator Larry Day brings Spinelli’s evocative story to life with his buoyant drawings, splashed with flag-waving red, white and blue.

In this nostalgic story, readers will taste the smoky hot dogs, quake at the earth-shaking boom of the first firework, smell the burnt-toast odor in the night air and finally fall asleep to the creak of a red wagon as a father carries the tired spectator home. It’s been quite a day.

If you were lucky enough to have an Independence Day celebration like the one Spinelli describes, you’ll never forget it. And if you haven’t had an equally memorable Fourth of July, it’s not too late to create your own version. Put on an apron, bake a cherry crumble pie, stuff some deviled eggs, grab your family and head to the park for games, a picnic and the coup de resistance—the fireworks.

Spinelli charms us with his child’s-eye view of the Fourth, and Day’s colorful, panoramic illustrations add a necessary punch of brilliance. Kudos to this author-illustrator team for creating a sweet and fun-filled (if somewhat sentimental) depiction of a uniquely American holiday.

A direct descendant of Maurice Sendak’s Pierre, Michael Sussman’s Duckworth, the Difficult Child tells the story of a boy swallowed by a massive cobra. The book’s memorable opening line sets the stage for readers, just before we see the snake slide out of the boy’s wardrobe: “Duckworth was building a castle out of toothpicks when he heard a hissing sound.” Duckworth’s anxious parents are no help; they’re too busy reading a parenting self-help book to listen to their son and, instead, put him to work, per their book’s instructions, on household chores. After the cobra swallows him whole, the parents assume Duckworth is in a costume and carry on with their day.

Sussman’s sendup of modern parenting (he is a clinical psychologist), dedicated to “difficult children everywhere,” is well paired with illustrator Júlia Sardà, who is capable of pulling off a quirky Gorey-esque vibe. She brings distant, angular lines and cool colors to Duckworth’s home and even to his parents, which are effectively juxtaposed with the curving, sensual lines and vivid orange of the mammoth snake. Sardà does offbeat well; she paints a ping pong table in the middle of the family’s front yard. The book also features a smaller, playful font size when Duckworth speaks to his family from inside the cobra.

The parents, who are far from intuitive (“according to this book” and “the book says,” they consistently tell their son), are actually the difficult ones in this eccentric story. There’s an understated humor to Duckworth’s ability to tolerate them and his necessity for self-sufficiency. After all, in the end, Duckworth saves himself.

Julie Danielson conducts interviews and features of authors and illustrators at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, a children's literature blog primarily focused on illustration and picture books.

In his expansive picture book tribute, You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks, Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning author-illustrator Evan Turk (The Storyteller) honors “the beauty, the monumental history, and the togetherness with loved ones and nature” that constitute visits to the national parks of the United States.

Via full-bleed spreads that include labels of each landscape depicted, spare free verse written in the second person and cinematic, richly colored pastel artwork, we traverse the country, visiting the Rocky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, the Great Smoky Mountains and more. Turk’s magnificent, lush illustrations, with deft use of light and shadow, depict not only grandiose mountains and vistas (Yosemite appears in a stunning double-gatefold spread) but also the creatures therein (a bobcat in Yosemite, fireflies in the Smokies) and the families who visit. The “you” of the title, a repeated refrain throughout the book, refers to park visitors but also to the herds of elk, wildflowers “painting the warming hillsides” and “every river, star, and stone.”

In a spread paying tribute to the indigenous peoples of North America, Turk acknowledges that their ancestors “lived on these lands before the stars and stripes took them as their own,” pointedly adding that these people are “still home.” Detailed backmatter, which includes a map of the parks and more information about them, delves further into the fact that many Native American nations were forcibly removed from their homelands in order to create the parks we visit today. It all adds up to an informative and breathtaking exploration of U.S. national parks.

In her debut as both illustrator and author, Madeline Kloepper depicts the story of a reluctant city kid facing the prospect of a family camping trip with a huge amount of skepticism and reluctance. The narrator, clearly attached to her diverse, urban neighborhood, can’t imagine enjoying herself without electricity, street musicians, fountains or sculptures. “It’s not like there’s anything out here,” she gripes.

The magic in The Not-So Great Outdoors is the juxtaposition of the narrator’s words against Kloepper’s richly imagined wild landscapes, replete with running streams, plants, songbirds and, of course, bears. As the story proceeds, we see the girl, who is part of a mixed-race family, beginning to open up and see the wonders before her. There may not be city lights, but there are stars. And while there are no playgrounds, there are logs to cross and caves to explore.

The Not-So Great Outdoors is also a reminder of the simple pleasures of family camping—toasting marshmallows, going for walks, cooking on a camp stove and fishing. The book is clearly a labor of love for Kloepper, and with its simple, tongue-in-cheek text and gorgeous artwork, it’s the perfect picture book to help prepare those (perhaps reluctant) future campers in your life.

When a talking tiger walks into a family’s campground seeking shelter, one young boy finds companionship and the courage to face the challenges of growing older. Introspective and intriguingly illustrated by John Rocco, Susan Choi’s Camp Tiger leaves readers with a sense of quiet wonderment.

Choi writes the way a child talks, narrating everything the boy sees, does and knows with delightful metaphors and meticulous descriptions. In this candid way, Choi gives voice to the questions and uncertainties that come with growing up.

Rocco illustrates with bold, vibrant colors that seem to deepen and grow more luminous as the pages turn. From vast, idyllic vistas to the cool greens and blues of a shady campsite, Rocco’s use of light and shadow gives readers a tangible sense of place. But while the scenery is sublime, what elevates this camping story is the tiger itself. Beautifully detailed and expressive in the daylight, the tiger shines in the moonlight, magnificent and near-mythic.

More contemplative than straightforward, Camp Tiger’s message may need some unwinding for the youngest readers who will have many questions: Is the tiger real? Why weren’t the people afraid of him? Where does the tiger go at the end? But whether you read Camp Tiger as an allegory for growing up or as the story of a child’s fanciful imagination, one thing is clear: There are lessons to learn from the tigers in the shadows.

When a picture book begins with the dramatic opening line “On Friday, Llama will destroy the world,” it gets your attention. Jonathan Stutzman’s Llama Destroys the World is so ridiculous and hilarious that it works.

While the wide-eyed, self-assured Llama might have an end-of-the-week mission, much gets in his way—namely cake and LOTS of it. From that fateful moment on, the apple cart of Llama’s world is upset, leading to Heather Fox’s illustrations of big burps, tight-fitting (and eventually ripped) pants, silly Llama dances, amazing bologna sandwiches, well-dressed turtles and, well, black holes.

It’s all a playful, zany distraction for Llama as well as for young readers, who will remain glued to the fantastical illustrations and the impending sense of doom in llama’s unconventional world.

Will the black hole consume everything? Will there be another bologna sandwich? What will happen to the turtles with top hats? Will the universe right itself?

This is a super silly, amazingly original, best-when-read-aloud picture book. Thankfully, Llama really does rule the world here. This is a fine debut by this married author-illustrator team.

A young girl named Jamie digs sand and shells on a rock-strewn, sandy beach, completely immersed in the rhythm of her own creative world in Hum and Swish, a reflective picture book from author-illustrator Matt Myers.

“Jamie and the sea are friends. Jamie hums. The waves swish,” writes Myers. As Jamie’s unique rock and shell creations take shape―some resembling people, others resembling increasingly elaborate creatures―a parade of passersby and even her parents cheerily inquire about what she’s making, much to Jamie’s increasing ire. She’s not sure, and no one seems to understand that until a woman sets up her easel nearby. When Jamie asks what she’s making, the woman says, “I don’t know yet,” and both continue to work side by side, quietly enjoying each other’s presence until each proudly completes and shares her masterpiece.

Myers’ understated storyline and moody ocean scenes perfectly complement Jamie’s introspective world and her desire to follow her own artistic instincts. The story’s natural simplicity and Myers’ intriguing illustrations make for a kid-pleasing examination of both the joy and marvelous uncertainty of the artistic process.

Caldecott Honor-winning author and illustrator Vera Brosgol’s new picture book, The Little Guys, charms with a story of a band of acorn-hatted creatures, a gang of inscrutable little guys who live on a small island. They may be small, but they live large. Tiny but strong, they are clever and fearless. Using their noggins, their numbers and their tight teamwork, they ford deep streams, cross dark forests, climb tall trees, lift heavy logs, dig deep burrows and even bounce on the belly of a big brown bear. They do this all to find food for the little guys. But one day, while hunting for their breakfast, they get carried away with their success and leave chaos in their wake.

Soon they have bullied all the residents of the forest and collected a tower of food. All the food is for them. There is nothing for anyone else. The little guys quite literally have everything—everything except one grape in the beak of a small red bird. When the little guys create a tower to grab it, the tower sways and they all tumble into the water. The little guys float along and finally climb out, but only with the help of the forest creatures whose food they’ve taken.

This incident wakes the little guys to the realization that they already have all they need. Together they are strong, they say, as they deliver the grape back to the small red bird. Brosgol’s story filled with bright, cartoonish illustrations will delight young readers and spur conversations about teamwork, greed and even the politics of power.