Bunnies, Squirrels, and Bears Oh, My! Winter 2015 Picture Books

Winter 2015’s selection of picture books delivers a sizable amount of excellent animal-related picture books. Some touching. Some funny. Some thought-provoking. See what you think!

Winter 2015 Picture Books (with Animals)

Otto the Owl who Loved Poetry by Vern Kousky

You’ll fall in love Otto, a book-loving owl who teaches his owl and mice friends the beauty of sharing poetry. Beautiful!

Spots in a Box by Helen Ward
There once was a guinea fowl without any spots. So, he wrote a letter requesting spots. (Of course!) And that is the fun of this book. He is sent too-big spots, no spots, glow-in-the-dark spots, connect-the-dot spots, and other not quite right spots. Until he decided to wear the spots he’s been sent. The best part of this book is the touch-and-feel and peek -through spot illustrations. Good for discussions about beauty.

Farewell Floppy by Benjamin Chaud
Floppy is pretty much a “useless” pet, so the boy decides to abandon him in the woods. (I KNOW!) Until he does abandon Floppy but regrets it immediately. (GOOD!) After searching high and low, and panicking a little, the boy finds Floppy in a warm cabin with a girl and her dog having tea. Ask your kids what’s the lesson the boy learned. Amazing artwork by the same illustrator as the picture book, Bear’s Song.

Goodnight Already! by Jory John and Benji Davies

Bear’s neighbor Duck just wants to hang out. Duck wants to play cards, watch a movie, make smoothies, talk all night, play cards, . . you name it, he’s awake and wants to do it WITH BEAR. Poor Bear only wants to sleep. (Tired parents, we totally get this!) Bear gets more and more annoyed. We, the readers, think it’s pretty funny to watch Duck bug Bear. (Because doesn’t this remind you of your kids!?) It’s funny and sort of sad at the end when Duck falls asleep and Bear is wide awake. Oh, yes. This happens all the time.

Bunnies!!! by Kevan Atteberry

You got to love the enthusiasm of Declan the monster when he sees BUNNIES!? Well, the bunnies aren’t loving it actually. In fact, they’re scared out of their little bunny minds! Poor Declan. Luckily the bunnies take a risk and soon Declan and the bunnies are happily playing. Wait — are those BIRDIES? Declan is off to accidentally scare a new group of creatures.

Mogie: The Heart of the House by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Marc Rosenthal
I fell in love with Mogie, a loving dog who helps the kids living at the Ronald McDonald House. Based on a true story, I loved the skillful way the author shares about the Gage without being preachy or pedantic. Kids will love how Mogie brightens Gabe’s life until Gabe feels more like his old self.

Aw, Nuts! by Rob McClurkan
Squirrel wants that perfect acorn so he chases it through the city, all the way to Bucksnort, Tennessee even to a girl’s birthday party where he catches a balloon ride to follow it some more. Will he ever get that perfect acorn? Aw, Nuts. I don’t think so. Funny and quirky!

Where Bear? by Sophy Henn

When the little bear grows into a big bear and does things big bears do, the boy and the bear must find a new place for the bear to live. Not the zoo, not the toy shop, not the circus, but “where, bear?” Not the forest, not a cave . . . but where? Snow. That’s where bear wants to live. The bear and the boy were happy and stay the best of friends even living in different parts of the world. An enjoyable story of friendship with beautiful illustrations that could lead into a study of habitats.

Polar Bear’s Underwear by Tupera Tupera
If you’re like me, you didn’t realize that polar bears wore underwear. Well, they do! And this polar bear has lost his!! Help mouse and polar bear search for bear’s missing underwear. You’ll find striped, ity-bity, treat-filled, and polka-dot underwear but it’s all other animals’ underwear. Until . . . oh, silly bear. He forgot he had on white underwear the whole time. What a great surprise ending!

The Mouse Mansion by Karina Schaapman
The photographs of the mouse dollhouse and the mice engaging in all sorts of adventures for the stories in this book fascinate me. There are visitors, new babies, pancakes, a birthday party and so much more. Each story revolves around best friends Julia and Sam with photographed scenes. Would you want this mouse dollhouse? Would this book inspire writing?

Everybody Sleeps (But Not Fred) by Josh Schneider
The animals on the farm, in the ocean, and everywhere relax and sleep. But not Fred. He’s busy jumping, testing his horn collection, and hunting the legendary Sasquatch. Will Fred ever sleep? We sure hope so!

Who Wants a Hug? by Jeff Mack
What an endearing book! Bear loves to hug. Skunk does NOT. Despite Skunk’s attempts to thwart bear and his happy hugs, all that happens is bear promising he’ll save Skunk a hug for later. Hilarious antics by skunk will keep you laughing through the entire book. Even at the end when the two do eventually hug.

Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zachariah OHora
We love Dot because we know she’s like us, super smart and very observant. She is the only one in her family who notices that their newly adopted family member is a wolf! And might just eat them. Her parents adore their little Wolfie (a wolf dressed in a bunny outfit!) and ignore Dot’s warnings. Surprisingly enough, it’s Wolf who is threatened to be eaten and Dot who saves him. Sweet.