I love picturebooks! I have found however that whenever I read a picturebook, not only do I evaluate the text and illustrations but I now also analyze which Early Literacy Skill(s) apply to that book and if it's a good fit for storytime. A fun new book published this year that is great for Print Awareness and for use in a small storytime group is OK Go by Carin Berger who is also the author/illustrator of The Little Yellow Leaf.
In OK Go, peapod-shaped cars race across the pages as the word "go" mingles with the illustrations. The pages become increasingly congested with cars and "gos" until a character in the book yells "STOP!" Earth friendly alternatives to cars are then explored with fun rhymes such as "ride a bike, mike and ike", "roller-skate, kate" or "use the bus, gus". OK Go is perfect for showcasing Print Awareness and shares a message to be green without being overly preachy.