And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon (Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel) is a very fresh rendition of what may be the most well known nursery rhyme of all time. This one takes a fresh angle, draws in a cast of supporting actors and spices it all up with some very enjoyable humor. (My daughter doesn't see all the puns in there but I laughed at each one.) The "fork in the road" and the map were my favorite elements.
The Three Pigs (David Wiesner) definitely travels far outside the box or at least outside the page. The whole concept behind the story is brilliant, but it requires some amazing artwork to carry it out. Mr. Wiesner's illustrations are mesmerizing. He truly shows his versatility in scene after scene (and you will have to see the book to understand what I'm talking about).
In college, the most sought after literature class was Children's Literature because it was supposed to be the easiest. I believe that kid's books should be sought after because they reveal the newest and greatest trends in both art and creativity. I'm not talking about the latest trends in poorly drawn cartoons (like Rug Rats); the illustrations in most children's books are truly art.
