“The World in a Second”
Written by Isabel Minhos Martins, illustrated by Bernardo Carvalho
(Enchanted Lion Books, $19)
Observe the same moment of one spring day all across the globe — from Japan to Russia to Mexico and even from a bird’s-eye view over the Indian Ocean — courtesy of this clever pair of creators from Portugal. The spare text pairs strikingly with illustrations bold in geometry and color blocking. Sometimes the location is clear, sometimes not; Chicagoans will surely recognize their hometown “L” trains. (A map appendix indicates the setting for each double-page spread.) The book concludes with a clever meta moment that brings young readers into the action.
“Wild About Shapes”
Written and Illustrated by Jeremie Fischer
(Flying Eye Books, $17)
Here’s an excellent example of “you really have to see it for yourself”: This sturdy, spiral-bound book for tots performs a magic trick as the pages alternate between card stock and acetate, each with a blot of one primary hue. As young fingers turn the page, presto! An amorphous shape transmogrifies into an animal silhouette, appearing in green, purple or orange. (As much as it’s about outlines, it’s also a study in color; the publisher could rebrand it as a textbook for graphic-design majors: “Wild about CMYK.”)
“Tad and Dad”
Written and Illustrated by David Ezra Stein
(Nancy Paulsen Books, $17)
“Frog-gone-it!” Sometimes keeping up with the tykes feels impossible — even, apparently, in the world of lakes and lily pads. This whimsical picture book from a Caldecott honoree filters the father-and-son experience into the characters of a big daddy bullfrog and his tiny but growing tadpole. It doubles as a bedtime book too, bringing warmth and humor to a ritual parents know all too well: tucking your little ones into their beds, only to have them crawl into yours.
“Over the Hills and Far Away: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes”
Collected by Elizabeth Hammill
(Candlewick Press, $22)
Just in time for National Poetry Month! Some of the world’s most beloved illustrators contribute a double-page spread to this compilation of children’s rhymes. The nationalities and visual styles of these 77 artists — including Eric Carle, Lucy Cousins, Shaun Tan, Satoshi Kitamura, Yasmeen Ismail and Mo Willems — are as diverse as the poems themselves: Curator Hammill has selected verses of English origin, as well as some that filtered in from other cultures.
“Beastly Verse”
Illustrated by JooHee Yoon
More Top Picks Stone Mulch
(Enchanted Lion Books, $19)
This vibrant tome — so vibrant, some parents might wanna wear sunglasses — matches eye-catching illustrations with the animal-centric verse of famed poets, including Lewis Carroll, Ogden Nash, Laura E. Richards and even good ol’ Anonymous. Yoon’s illustrations are certainly bold, as are her poetry selections: The “fearful symmetry” of William Blake’s “The Tyger” wasn’t originally intended for children, but it’s still a great one to read aloud. Even if they don’t understand each poem, kids will love exploring the detailed images, including the pages that hide oversized, fold-out illustrations, like a map to a new consciousness.
Behrens is a freelance reporter for the Tribune.