The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach. With vibrant illustrations and a fun-with-a-twist story to boot, this picture book is a real joy. From the opening page the narrator tells us that “It all started with the bear”… And so follows a grand tale about a joyously illustrated bear and how he gets to that sandwich. But just who IS this narrator? And did the bear really eat the sandwich? I love the story and rich illustrations equally and would definitely recommend for a read aloud!

Goodnight Already! by Jory John, illus. Benji Davies. Poor Bear. Poor, exhausted, bleary-eyed Bear. He wants to sleep more than anything in the world but interrupting and impetuous Duck will not let this happen. This type of ‘go to sleep with a twist’ type story has been done before in similar fashion (for example, see Bear Snores On or Spring is Here) but Davies’ marvelously effusive illustrations and John’s quippy dialogue bring the narrative to life and it reads as very fresh- and very funny.

Adventures with Barefoot Critters by Teagan White. This is a beautiful picture book that goes through the seasons following the letters of the alphabet. In a way that reminds me of Lizi Boyd‘s notable picture book Flashlight or Julie Morstad’s splendid illustrations for Julia, Child, White’s illustrations are those that you may want to gaze at over (and over) again. So much gorgeous detail, done with such precision- I savoured each page of lovely illustration and serene text. I think Teagan White may be one to watch for the picture book scene.

Bunnies!!! by Kevan Atteberry. I checked this picture book out on a whim- purely based on the colourful and comical cover and was very happily surprised. This is an unassuming story about a dear monster who just wants to play with bunnies (!!!). Of course, his being a monster- not to mention his epic enthusiasm- scare the bunnies away…for a while. What happens when the bunnies finally come face to face with monster? The result may delight! Great for fans of Ethan Long, Mo Willems or Jan Thomas, this tale could make for a wild read aloud at storytime.