my cousin momo. zachariah ohora (305)

my cousin momo is the story about cousin momo, a flying squirrel, and his visit to his cousin's house.  his cousin were extremely excited about his visit.  however, momo's odd behavior, made them upset about the trip.

for example, momo, wanted to be a muffin man when they dressed up as superheroes! (i thought his costume was amazing!):

and then while playing hide and seek, cousin momo got distracted by the mushrooms and had to take pictures:

though we were not told this, it's obvious that cousin momo is a hipster flying squirrel visiting from williamsburg.  i mean i totally wanted to be his friend!  however, his cousins not so much.  there was an awkward moment where momo was about to head home but the cousin see that is fun, not weird.  so they all played together:

pastry power!

and accepted cousin momo for the hipster that he is!

a cute story with great illustrations! i highly recommend it!!

hug machine. scott campbell. (261)

i came across scott campbell's hug machine while checking out his art on his website.  his work is always on show at this one gallery i love, gallery 1988.  however, i didn't check out the book until strand books instagram reminded me that it would be a great valentine's day read.

hug machine is an adorable picture book about a little boy that loves to hug.  

he hugs to help:

and he hugs everything:

(the ice cream truck is my favorite drawing!)

he encounters some challenging things to hug (i won't ruin the surprise) but always accomplishes his mission:

and pizza is his fuel!!!

as you can see the illustrations are adorable and this book is a delight. it is a new favorite of mine!!! i want to give it a hug!!

journey. aaron becker. (179)

i discovered journey on npr's list of picture books that make us wish we were a kid again.  journey is a beautiful picture book of a little bored girl that uses a magic crayon that goes on a journey and ends up discovering a friend.  there is no text but none needed.  i shared it with a second grade class i subbed with and they became excited with each picture and even made predictions about what was going to happen next.  one student even said it reminded them of harold and the purple crayon!  npr made the same connection! a truly beautiful book, be sure to check it out! i will be adding it to my book collection as well.

here is a sneak peak: