SMICK! by Doreen Cronin

A book on the New Shelf that caught my eye is entitled Smick! and written by the author of many ridiculously funny picture books like Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, Diary of a Worm, and Giggle, Giggle, Quack. This one is very short with only a couple of words per page that often rhyme.  There is a dog named "Smick" who plays with a stick and cavorts with a chick.  The illustrator is Juana Medina, a Colombia native and graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design.  She now lives and works in Washington, D.C., and teaches at the Corcoran College of Art + Design.  Her spare artwork is done in mixed media.  The dog is drawn in what looks like black crayon; the stick looks like a photograph; and the chick appears like a red and yellow photo of a flower petal with black crayon features.  This simple story and pictures is a delightful picture book that has already proven to be a hit in storytime.  All the white space on the pages combined with the artwork demonstrates that less is definitely more. Check out Cronin's newest offering and sit back and enjoy all the laughs with the toddler and preschool set.