Dad's Bookshelf: June 2021
This month on Dad’s Bookshelf we have some incredibly creative books. We’ve fallen in love with all of these books recently, and all for very different reasons. One is spooky, one is hilarious, and one is a pure celebration of childhood imagination and creativity. Now, doesn’t that sound like us?
Only one of these books actually came out this month, but it’s certainly not unusual for us to feature books that have been out for a while. What’s important is that these are books that shouldn’t be overlooked. And I hope that some of you get the chance to discover them now and fall in love with them just like we did.
It’s also difficult to tie these books together into an overarching theme with any kind of rhyme or reason. It just doesn’t exist this time around. These are simply incredibly imaginative works of art - with certain features that make them really stand out from other books.
One thing I can say is that all of these books have done a great job firing up my kids’ imaginations - and mine as well. I’m deeply impressed with their quality and creativity. Quite frankly, this is one of those times that I enjoy the books 100% just as much as the kids. I suppose this is Dad’s Bookshelf after all.
Dad’s Bookshelf is a continuing, monthly series featuring the kids books we are most excited about each month. The series is named after the real life bookshelf we have in our home, where I keep all of my favorite picture books of all time. While the books we share on Dad’s Bookshelf are often new releases, it’s also not uncommon for us to be excited about an older book we just discovered.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links that will lead you to view the books’ listings on Amazon or Bookshop.org.
When You Look Up
Written and Illustrated by Decur
I’m trying to find the right words to use to convince you that you simply can’t overlook this book. When You Look Up is an incredibly special work of art that you really must get your hands on. If you enjoy creative and quirky art, and there’s a soft spot for childhood imagination and creativity anywhere in your heart, you can’t afford to skip this. I stake my reputation on the fact that you won’t be disappointed.
This is an anthology story - several separate stories that tie up together into one major framing story. And the main story is that a boy who is glued to his phone discovers a secret notebook in his new house - and it’s full of very curious tales. It’s quite a bit longer than your average picture book, but still very doable in one sitting - and you could also break it up into separate readings if you really want to.
But I must beg and implore you to look this one up and give it a chance. I am absolutely in love with it.
Inside the Villains
Written and Illustrated by Clotilde Perrin
Clotilde Perrin has made a reputation of crafting incredible interactive books with flaps to lift and many secret things to discover. I also very much appreciate that they tend to have spooky and dark themes on display. And Inside the Villains is no exception, because this amazing, oversized book features three notorious fairy tale villains.
On first glance, you might think that Inside the Villains is a reference to understanding the villains - another attempt at making famous villains more understandable and relatable. But that isn’t really the case. You do learn lots about the villains, but they aren’t exactly apologetic about their bad behavior.
In fact, Inside the Villains might more directly be a reference to the fact that you can life the flaps and discover what the witch is hiding under her dress - or even what (or who) the wolf has in his belly!
While there are fun facts to read and beautiful flaps to discover (and both of my kids truly love the flaps), our favorite part is actually the classic stories that are included. The Wolf, the Giant, and the Witch all have their own classic fairy tale to read in this book. And the funny thing is that we didn’t even know that at first, because the entire story is hidden underneath another flap. And the spooky fairy tales turned out to be a giant hit in our house, with multiple requests for re-readings.
Strange Planet: The Sneaking, Hiding, Vibrating Creature
Written and Illustrated by Nathan W. Pyle
This book undoubtedly crossed our radar because our son is quite obsessed with cats at the moment. After looking through a few of the pages and reading some of the jokes, I knew that he’d be one to truly appreciate this book.
The Sneaking, Hiding, Vibrating Creature is a celebration of the eccentricities of your favorite feline friends. How they like to scratch and climb up the backs of chairs, or sit right on top of random things - it’s a great collection of their lovable quirks. But, best of all, it’s all told from the perspective of aliens trying to understand cats.
A lot of the humor comes from the aliens’ objective observations of life. Our 8-year-old loves the fact that they call waffles “criss-cross floppers” and the cat’s claws “deathblades”. Their cluelessness is the source of lots of laughing out loud in our house, so I have a good feeling many other young cat lovers out there will appreciate this one quite a bit.
What great books have you discovered recently? Have you read any of the books on Dad’s Bookshelf this month yet? Let us know in the comments!
