November is Picture Book Month!  Please be sure to visit the Picture Book Month website to hear from authors, illustrators and picture fans about why they each think picture books are important.

This  year, Caroline leaves for school long before Katherine. I hadn’t realized how much this would change the pace of the morning but it turns out it has been really different. By focusing on one child at a time, there seems to be more down time with each. Katherine and I have been spending some of our time reading picture books.

Here are some of the ones we have enjoyed lately… 

Louise Loves Art by Kelly Light. Louise loves art is a celebration of art, individuality and awesome siblings. This one made me smile.

Elizabeth, Queen of the Sea written by Lynne Cox and illustrated by Brian Floca. Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas tells the true story of an elephant seal that insisted on living in the river by Christchurch, New Zealand instead of the open ocean. This was a fascinating tale that led to more research about elephant seals.

Remy and Lulu written by Kevin Hawkes with miniatures by Hannah E. Harrison. This book has accurately been compared to Officer Buckle and Gloria. I would add that it is also a tribute to individuality in art and well worth the read.

Gaston written by Kelly DiPucchio with pictures by Christian Robinson. Gaston is yet another book that celebrates a person (or in this case a dogs) ability to be who they want to be. Individuality seems to my accidental theme this week.

Dragon’s Extraordinary Egg by Debi Gliori. This book is filled with cute illustrations and a story that- wait for it- celebrate individuality. A penguin and a dragon who are meant to be together. Hard to beat that!