Art in Our World

Check out one of these great picture books about art . . . . 

The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau by Jon Agee

When Felix Clouseau's painting quacks, he is hailed as a genius. Suddenly everyone wants a Clousseau masterpiece, and the unknown painter becomes an overnight sensation. That's when the trouble begins.

I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt

Teaches the reader to count to ten using worms that have great adventures or everyday experiences, described but not illustrated due to the author/illustrator's inability to draw anything but worms.

Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty

A young boy who spends most of his time alone in his bedroom makes new friends after the monster in his drawing becomes a monstrous nuisance.

When Pencil Met Eraser by Karen Kilpatrick

When Pencil draws on the pages of this book, Eraser erases parts of Pencil's work, and the book itself becomes a canvas for their different takes on creativity - until the two discover their artwork is even better when they work together.

More Books --

Art & Max by David Wiesner

The Artist by Ed Vere

Blue Chameleon by Emily Gravett

The Boy and the Mountain by Mario Bellini

The Concrete Garden by Bob Graham

The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt

Doodleday by Ross Collins

Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont

I Cannot Draw a Horse by Charise Mericle Harper

The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen

Knit Together by Angela Dominguez

Lines by Suzy Lee

Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni

Masterpiece Mix by Roxie Munro

Scribbles and Ink by Ethan Long

Time to Make Art by Jeff Mack

Warthogs Paint by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Aaarrggh! You Read to Talk (And Read) Like a Pirate?

September 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day.  In honor of the upcoming holiday, here are a few of our favorite pirate stories for kids . . . .

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Soon after Peter, an orphan, sets sail from England on the ship Never Land, he befriends and assists Molly, a young Starcatcher, whose mission is to guard a trunk of magical stardust from a greedy pirate and the native inhabitants of a remote island.

Dragon's Plunder by Brad Strickland

Having been kidnapped by former pirates because of his ability to whistle up the wind, fifteen-year-old Jamie agrees to help their leader, a living corpse, find the dragon of Windrose Island.

The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt

Mabel Jones finds herself aboard the Feroshus Maggot--a ship crewed by the strangest bunch of pirates you'd (never) want to meet. She then has to find pieces of an X-shaped puzzle that in her hands could be her ticket home, but in the hands of Captain Split, they'd give him the power to assemble a pirate militia to take over London!

The Jolly Regina by Kara LeReau

Meet Jaundice and Kale Bland, two sisters who avoid excitement at any cost. One day, the Bland sisters are kidnapped by an all-female band of pirates. They're unwillingly swept into a high-seas romp that might just lead to solving the mystery of what happened to their missing parents.

More Pirate Stories --

The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes

Judy Moody & Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt by Megan McDonald

Lintang and the Pirate Queen by Tamara Moss

Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates by Kim Kennedy

The Mona Lisa Key by Liesl Shurtliff

Of Salt and Shore by Annet Schaap

Race to the Bottom of the Sea by Lindsay Eagar

Seven Deadly Pirates by Linda Bailey

The Story Pirates Present: Digging Up Danger by Jacqueline West

Stowaway by John David Anderson

The Twisted Claw by Franklin W. Dixon

The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt

Have you ever picked your nose?
Have you ever picked your nose and eaten it?
Have you ever picked your nose, eaten it, and by doing so get kidnapped by pirates from a world occupied entirely by animals?

Mabel Jones has.

Now, she must work with those pirates to find the missing pieces of "X" to re-open the portal back to her world and her home.



This is a hilarious book by author Will Mabbitt, who also wrote the picture book I Can Only Draw Worms.  I would suggest listening to it on the audio narrated by British actor Toby Jones.  He uses the perfect tones of sarcasm and over-emoting that the book calls for.  I would definitely recommend this book to all kids.

My Favorite Picture Books of 2019

With the start of a new year, it's the perfect time to share some of my favorite picture books that came out in the past year.

I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt
Teaches the reader to count to ten using worms that have great adventures or everyday experiences, described but not illustrated due to the author's inability to draw anything but worms.

Llama Destroys the World by Jonathan Stutzman
Eating too much pie causes Llama to rip his dancing pants, opening a black hole and threatening the entire universe.

I Am a Tiger by Karl Newsom
Despite the evidence, Mouse insists that he is a tiger--or maybe a crocodile.

I'm Worried by Michael Ian Black
Potato is worried about what might happen in the future, causing Flamingo to worry, too, but their friend, a little girl, encourages them to focus on enjoying the present, instead.


More Books --
Can Cat and Bird Be Friends? by Coll Muir
A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey
The Good Egg by John Jory
Grumpy Duck by Joyce Dunbar
I Want a Dog by Jon Agee
Let's Scare Bear by Yuko Katakawa
Lion and Mouse by Jairo Buitrago
The Little Guys by Vera Brosgol
Mary Wears What She Wants by Keith Negley
Nobody Hugs a Cactus by Carter Goodrich
One Is a Pinata by Roseanne Greenfield Thong
Rabbit and the Motorbike by Kate Hoefler
The Sad Little Fact by Jonah Winter
A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel
Turtle and Tortoise Are Not Friends by Mike Reiss

Who Wet My Pants? by Bob Shea

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through January 31, 2020.