My children (ages 3 and 7) have fallen in love with two new picture book series. These books are actually fun to read (as an adult), easy enough for the second grader to “help with”, and have engaging illustrations.
The first book was our introduction to Scaredy Squirrel. We read Scaredy Squirrel Goes to the 
Beach. The plot is not complicated, but as Squirrel enacts his plan to find a perfect shell, he discovers some fun and some courage on the way. This book brought many giggles and a request to be read multiple nights in a row.
Scaredy Squirrel has a number of adventures, including making friends and experiencing nighttime. It’s the rare book that is appealing and understandable to a parent, a toddler, and a primary school student all at once.
I am Otter follows an otter who lives with Otter Keeper and a teddy bear. Ott
er’s misadventures are charming and humorous, as are the illustrations. Despite the newborn- 4 rating, a grade schooler will enjoy reading this book to a younger sibling and is more likely to appreciate the nuances of the story and Otter’s good and bad choices. We haven’t yet sought out the other Otter books, but tonight’s story time ended with a request to “get them all”.
We borrowed Scaredy Squirrel from the library and ran across Otter in a trip to the bookstore. While storytime favorites can come and go, these stories combine the right mixture of fun, sentence length, readability, and visual delight to become staples in our house and maybe in yours.
Reads All The Things 