This book belongs to Aye-Aye by Richard Bryne

Last week we bought forty new picture books for our library and over several days I have been reading this set.  While all of them will appeal to our students only one or two had that extra little something.   These are the ones I will add to my own pile of terrific read-aloud books to share with my Kindergarten students.

This book belongs to Aye-Aye has the ingredients of an excellent picture book for a very young child :

1. A young hero that readers can identify with
2. Repeated story elements that allow for the satisfaction of knowing more than the main character
3. Terrific illustrations which go beyond the words
4. A very satisfying ending (although I did not believe these rabbits were completely reformed) 
5. A bonus - in this case a little craft project to try yourself

Aye-Aye loves picture books, he would love to star in a picture book and to this end he attends the most perfect school "Miss Deer's academy for aspiring picture book animals".   One day his teacher announces she plans to give a special award to the most helpful animal this week.  Aye-Aye hopes the prize will be the one thing he wants most in the whole world.  Sadly his plans are constantly thwarted by the cunning rabbit twins.  Happily he has special support from his classmates.

Here is the web site for Richard Byrne.  Take a look at my review of Millicent and Meer also by Richard Byrne.  Here is an instruction sheet showing you how to draw Aye-Aye.  After reading this book you might like to read about the aye-aye which is a threatened species found only on the island of Madagascar.  I was interested to read the aye-aye is nocturnal.  You could make a fact and fiction table with a class comparing the story version of the aye-aye with our little hero Aye-Aye from the picture book by Richard Bryne.