Raymond Huber reviews books for younger readers.
Duck, Death and the Tulip by Wolf Erlbruch ($19, Gecko Press) handles the issue in a strangely appealing and even life-affirming way.
Death (a smiling skull in a dressing gown) comes to take Duck away but she befriends him first.
They play and discuss the possibilities of life after death, but Duck eventually dies and is carried away by the Great River.
The last line is a beauty: But that's life, thought Death.
The illustrations are an exquisite mix of drawing and collage.
Max dumps his toys and food in the tub and then tries to give the dog a bath too.
This single incident is told with a few well-chosen words which give the child just the right amount of information.
Children will love the heart-warming and funny characters, Max and Dog.
A highly recommended picture book.
Billy is a worrier.
He worries about everything from shoes to giant birds in the night.
Luckily, Grandma knows the solution: Guatemalan worry dolls.
Billy names the dolls and invents a system to prevent further worries.
The pictures move from spooky to comforting, and the book should be a cure for young worriers.
His giant red hanky comes in handy as a sail, a parachute, a tent and even a signal fire.
It brings in all the elements of a traditional pirate story and Geoff Tobin's illustrations are exuberant and his captain characterful.
The audio CD is well produced, making this an ideal baby-sitter book for preschoolers.
There are some very strange creatures in the forest including a "stickleback twitch" and a "pineapple pig".
But they are all worried about a terrible thing called the "dudgeon".
Naturally, it turns out to be the opposite of their fears.
Dodd has great fun creating a wacky assortment of animals in the pictures.
A girl has a whale living in her garden pond and writes to Greenpeace for advice.
They respond politely but do not believe the girl.
Finally, she meets the whale in the ocean.
The conservation message is not pushed here; instead it allows the fantasy elements to draw the reader in.
Suitable for ages 5 to 7.
But the too-big trousers get him into all sorts of trouble.
He flies like a kite, gets stuck on the clothesline, chased by animals and sinks in a pool.
Finally he washes them and has the opposite problem.
The fast-paced rhymes and nicely exaggerated pictures (by Dave Gunson) make this a good read-aloud for young children.
It's in the form of a dialogue with the reader where the pigeon begs for a puppy.
She promises to take care of it and give it water, but when the dream becomes reality she changes her mind.
Willems has given the bird a distinctive voice which makes this a wonderful book to dramatise when reading.
Using both Maori and English phrases, it explores a variety of moods.
The illustrations are perfectly matched to the feelings, using colour, expression and shape to convey emotion.
Duck is gloomy for some unknown reason and she feels like hiding in a small corner.
With the help of her toy Dudley, they eventually find the sun and peace returns.
The illustrations here are beautiful, slowly moving from stark black outlines to flecks of colour.
For very young children.
