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6 Totally Wackadoo Picture Books That Totally Wonderfully Work
In a genre in which the characters can be human, animal, food-based, or some other completely crazy thing, still it can be hard to stand out from the picture book crowd. Personally, I am already 65% done creating my own illustrated, extremely condensed version of A Tale of Two Cities, told from the perspective of a sentient spinach lasagna, written entirely in a series of villanelles. Don’t steal that idea. These actual, already-published books have some of the strangest plots imaginable, and, as such, are some of the most enjoyable.
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Parts, by Tedd Arnold
Imagine being a first-time visitor to your own body. Imagine being a five-year-old kid smart enough to have words like “amazed” and “dismayed” in your lexicon, yet being completely unacquainted with peeling skin and snot. I don’t know a three-year-old who could meet those criteria, even given a pass on the vocabulary words. Unlikeliness aside, the progressing horror the protagonist experiences as he discovers just how gross the human body really is, coupled with a pleasant rhyme scheme, and energetic illustrations, makes Parts a truly delightful read. With any luck, your kid will also gleefully shout, “It’s ear wax!” when the final, rhetorical question is posed.
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Shh! We Have a Plan, by Chris Haughton
What a great title. What a fun, well-paced, simple picture book. What lovely, striking illustrations. WHAT ARE THOSE GUYS, ANYWAY?? Why do they want that bird? What will they do with it? How will they transport it? Where did the second guy leave his net? Shh! They have a plan!
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Henny, by Elizabeth Rose Stanton
Maybe it’s not fair to include Henny on this list. It’s possible I’m being judgmental or naïve about the commonplace nature of picture books featuring chickens born with arms instead of wings. I’ve tried to do diligent research here, I really have, but on the off chance that this isn’t the only such tale, it is certainly the most heartfelt and whimsical. I would have liked to hug this book; alas, I was born with wings where my arms should have been.
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It’s Only Stanley, by Jon Agee
I have this fantasy that every family of six is just like the Wimbledons of this book. Everyone’s name starts with the same letter; there is one dog (Stanley), and one cat. The parents manage to begin the night sleeping peacefully by themselves but are soon joined, in turn, by each successive child whose sleep has been disrupted by a noise or smell that is of course caused by their beagle doing typical beagle things like fixing the oil tank, or cooking catfish stew. And, as in every family of six, the parents really just want to get some sleep, so an awful lot of strangeness is going to get overlooked.
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Shark vs. Train, by Chris Barton and Tom Litchtenheld
In college, a good friend and I spent much more time than is reasonable trying to make and film the “Shark vs. Goat Olympic Games.” This book takes that concept and runs wild with it, except with a train instead (instead of a goat, of course). Train vs. Goat?! Can you even imagine? You’re weird.
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The Watermelon Seed, by Greg Pizzoli
The only thing I know about what alligators eat is from when I took an airboat tour of an alligator preserve in Florida. There, the fat, sleepy reptiles gorged themselves on chickens. Hundreds of chickens. This book is about a crocodile that loves watermelon, and, as such, is much more enjoyable than any trip to Florida.
What are your favorite wackadoo picture books?