Dad's Bookshelf: July 2023
Last month on Dad’s Bookshelf we revisited some old favorite picture books, and this month we are doing the complete opposite. In fact, two of the books on this month’s list haven’t even officially released yet! But our store has gotten our shipment of them ahead of release, and I am beyond excited to share them with you!
All three of these new picture books are full of fantasy or whimsy and you know full well that’s right up my alley. They’re sweet and they’re funny and they’re simply beautifully crafted. It’s also no coincidence that two of the books (the ones that release later in July) are published by Enchanted Lion - because they continue to show incredible consistency with publishing remarkable works of art.
I’m also happy to note that I think it will be easy to find a home on some of our picture book lists for at least two of these books. We have both a book for cat lovers and a wordless picture book, and they absolutely will crack my all-time top 10 in those categories we’ve highlighted in the past.
There’s a lot of love and empathy at the heart of these books too, and perhaps that’s why they speak to me. But above all they’re original and full of impressive imagination. They’re telling completely new stories and they’re telling them with their own unique style. It’s a real pleasure to share every single one of them with my kids. This is what storytelling and picture books are all about - and I hope you enjoy experiencing them soon as well.
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 brand new releases, it’s also not uncommon for us to be excited about an older book we just discovered or rediscovered.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links that will lead you to view the books on Bookshop.org and Amazon.
The Magic Cap
Written by Mireille Messier and Illustrated by Charlotte Parent
I love fantasy books, and I live for picture books that simply want to tell a beautiful, imaginative, fantastical tale. The Magic Cap is everything I could ask for in a picture book. Let’s be honest - is there a setting better than a small cottage by a magical forest?
But it gets exponentially better. The two siblings in this story have a sick pet hedgehog named Crispin, and they have the wonderful idea that they need to find some magic gnomes to help heal him. They keep leaving treats for the gnomes in the woods, but animals in the forest keep eating everything. My favorite picture is definitely the guilty frog with berry juice all over his face.
But the entire time the gnomes are actually watching all the events unfold, and they do indeed step up and save little Crispin. It’s a real feel-good story with plenty of chances to engage with the art - like asking your little ones to find all the gnomes on the pages, since their little red hats are often poking out of the bushes. Stories like this always remind me of classic fairy tales and the best of what storytelling and bedtime stories have to offer.
My Very Own Special Particular Private and Personal Cat
Written by Sandol Stoddard Warburg and Illustrated by Remy Charlip
When you know you know, and I knew the second I saw the cover of this book. How could a book called My Very Own Special Particular Private and Personal Cat ever disappoint us? Well it couldn’t, and it didn’t. I’m in love with this book. It 100% gets cats and cat ownership. And not only that, but it also addresses the special relationship between cats and their people with a completely fresh voice in a way I’ve never seen before.
The language in this picture book walks the tightrope of venturing into sing-songy nonsense language - which, along with the artwork, actually gives it a very endearing classic, retro style. And the story begins with a boy loving on his cat a bit too much, as little ones are wont to do. It’s cute seeing the cat a bit grumpy with being dressed up and placed in a miniature bed, but it’s hard to see where the story is going at first, until the cat starts to talk back.
The funniest line in this book by far is when the cat, several lines into its own monologue, offhandedly asks who the boy is. That’s pure genius, and it made me laugh out loud. I also enjoy very much when the boy starts to reflect on his own sense of self. And it all ends with absolute perfection, when the very proud cat still climbs into bed with the boy - but it’s his own decision than you very much.
Bunny & Tree
Written and Illustrated by Balint Zsako
This picture book is 184 pages long, but my daughter and I read through it in less than 10 minutes. That’s because this is actually a wordless picture book - and a very beautiful one at that. It was an absolute delight reading through it for the first time with my 7-year-old, and it completely captured her full interest in the middle of the day - which isn’t always the easiest thing to do.
The very original story tells the tale of a rabbit who gets separated from its family because of a wolf attack. But it soon befriends an unlucky companion in a nearby tree. Together they go on a very fantastic adventure - in which the tree transforms into different modes of transportation to help the rabbit find its family.
Bunny & Tree shows off the kind of creativity in art that I can only sit back and watch with awe. How do you come up with something like this? It’s a beautiful and endearing story that both my daughter and I were instantly engaged with. And being a wordless picture book made the experience even more memorable, as we spent time together on every page talking about what we think is happening in the story. It’s just a delight and a wonderful experience in every way.
Have you seen any of these beautiful books yet? Are they on your preorder list? What books have you enjoyed lately? Let us know in the comments!
