The Monster Returns

Author	Andrea Zimmerman
ISBN	0805082034

A picture book for the very young that celebrates a child's excitement for construction vehicles

"Honk the horn!
Flash the lights!
Scoop the rocks!
Push the mud!"

A little boy imagines driving a great big digger-scooping and pushing mud to make a playground for his baby...

Author	Eric Rohmann
ISBN	1596431504

One of School Library Journal’s Best Picture Books of 2011
One of Horn Book’s Best Picture Books of 2011

Ghost dogs and skeletons in a tall tale with a tender heart from the Caldecott Medal-winning creator of My Friend Rabbit.
 Gus doesn't feel like doing much after his dog Ella...

Author	Tao Nyeu
ISBN	0803735650

In a series of four short stories and silkscreened illustrations of sea life, this picture book follows the adventures of two friends, Squid and Octopus. Even though they sometimes don't agree, they are always there for each other in the end. My favorite story is "The Hat" in which Octopus spies a boot...

Author	Matthew Cordell
ISBN	0312643241

Davy was happy being an only child sheep, but bam-bam-bam - 12 brothers came along.

Soon he had 12 little shadows, following him around, doing whatever Davy did.







(My favorite is when they're all pretending to be monkeys, but I can't find a picture of that....

Author	Claudia Rueda
ISBN	1419701703

This interactive retelling of the Three Little Pigs story allows the reader to play the part of the big bad wolf. Three interior die-cut holes invite readers to huff, puff, and blow the pigs’ houses down! This fractured fairy tale ends sweetly when, rather than blowing down the third pig’s brick...

Author	K.L. Going
ISBN	0803734791

Dog has been such a good boy that his humans leave him in charge of the cats when they go out to run errands. Of course, as soon as they leave, the cats find all sort of mischief to get into. They practically wreck the house and nothing that Dog says can stop them. But when he gets so tired from chasing after them...

Author	Michael Catchpool
ISBN	0375870113

One small boy has a special gift—he can weave cloth from the clouds: gold in the early morning with the rising sun, white in the afternoon, and crimson in the evening. He spins just enough cloth for a warm scarf. But when the king sees the boy's magnificent cloth, he demands cloaks and gowns galore. "It...

Author	Barney Saltzberg
ISBN	1419703773

When Andrew gets hold of a pencil, anything can—and does—happen in this innovative and artistic book. The story literally unfolds step-by-step as readers are invited to follow Andrew through flaps and gatefolds. After sharpening his drawing implement on the first page, Andrew challenges the...

Author	Tammi Sauer
ISBN	1442408103

Cave Boy wants a pet more than anything. Can he find one that the whole family will agree on?

Cave Boy has lots of things. Rocks. Sticks. A club. But no pet! Cave Boy decides he must have a pet, but his parents object. He brings home animal after animal in hopes of overcoming his parents’ steadfast...

Author	Jane Breskin Zalben
ISBN	1596435496

When Janson the mouse who lives in a museum stumbles into the parts of the museum where artwork is displayed, she begins copying the artistic styles of the artists whose work is on display. Eventually, her work is seen, leading to her own art exhibition and developing her own art style. the author/illustrator...

Author	Carter Goodrich
ISBN	1442435356

Fashion goes to the dogs in this lovable follow-up to "Say Hello to Zorro!"

Mister Bud and Zorro get along just great. They wake up together, have walk time together, and take naps together. But something is about to interrupt their schedule: Zorro has to wear a fancy outfit.

Zorro is...

Author	Marianne Dubuc
ISBN	1554537827

Come one, come all to the animal masquerade! The lion is going as an elephant, the elephant as a parrot, and the parrot as a turtle! Each costume gives way to another, yielding new surprises on every page, and revealing a menagerie of familiar and unusual animals. Young children will delight in the absurd...

Author	Louise Yates
ISBN	0375870679

This sequel to Dog Loves Books mentions the bookshop that Dog opened in the previous story. But this one focuses on art. When Dog's aunt sends him a blank sketchbook, Dog draws a door and steps through it. Then Dog draws a stickman and some other new friends. Together, they draw themselves an adventure....

Author	Bethanie Deeney Murguia
ISBN	0545342155

A story where getting dressed inspires big dreams!

Each day is full of possibilities, and Zoe wants to be ready for everything this one might bring. But that makes getting dressed really, really hard! If it's a twirling day, she'll need to wear the purple skirt. But if it's a cartwheeling day,...

Author	Matthew McElligott
ISBN	0802723985

In the follow up to his breakout picture book, Even Monsters Need Haircuts, Matthew McElligott brings back the young barber in a new tale where his culinary concoctions bring him galaxy-wide fame. Creating snacks that make most humans queasy, this chef has found a new clientele-aliens. Readers will...

Author

Tor Freeman

Review for: Olive and the Big Secret
Reviewed by: Alycia & Erica McGee, posted by Jennifer McGee

When it comes to reviewing a book written for a child, I thought what better than going straight to the source? Even better, what if I have both of my kids review it. Oh, that child-like honesty...

Author	Lindsay Ward
ISBN	0803737181

One cold winter day, Blue returns to her nest to find something wonderful: Egg! Or rather a snowball she mistakes for an egg. Blue puts Egg in a pail and sets off to look for Egg's mother. But as the winter winds down and the temperature goes up, Blue is in for a sad surprise. Not to worry, though. In this sweet...

Author	Annette Simon
ISBN	0763651249

Perfect for high-energy story times, this cumulative tale is a madcap mash-up featuring robots, shapes in motley amalgamation, and . . . pie!

Squares, rectangles, ovals, triangles, and other colorful shapes are sorted and arranged into - two robots! But why stop there? Shape by shape, costume...

Author	Will Hillenbrand
ISBN	0823416038

Two friends are excited to have a windy day in which to build and fly a kite. Yay! But the kite string snaps--oh no! Then the kite lands in a tree and shelters a bird family.

I want to like this book more than I do. The illustrations are colorful and cute. It's a book about friends working and playing...

Author	Judy Sierra
ISBN	0307931781

The tree kangaroo at the zoo would like nothing more than a baby of her own. So, when a new egg arrives via the endangered species van, the 'roo jumps at the chance to take care of it, even when no one else wants it. Soon, out comes a penguin and all the animals chip in to help because, as the tree kangaroo says,...

Author	Nicholas Blechman
ISBN	0545462630

Count the nighttime lights on a train, a helicopter, a fire truck, and seven more vehicles in this bold picture book with die-cut surprises.

1 light, shining bright? A train!
7 lights, flashing red and white? A fire truck!

And so on all the way to ten lights. Part guessing game, part...

Author	Anne Villeneuve
ISBN	1554539412

Loula has had ENOUGH of her TERRIBLE triplet brothers. She's leaving home and going to Africa! Though her quirky parents are too distracted to pay much attention to her plans, Loula has a good friend in the family chauffeur, Gilbert, who gently inquires, ?Mademoiselle, may I ask, why Africa?? ?Because!?...

Author	Michael Chabon
ISBN	0061914622

Awesome Man can shoot positronic rays out of his eyeballs, fly as straight asan arrow, and hug mutant Jell-O! Even villains like Professor Von Evil and the Flaming Eyeball are no match for this caped crusader.

But Awesome Man also has a secret. . . . Can you guess what it is?

The first picture...

Author	Caryl Hart
ISBN	0763665320

Lily-Rose May will not eat her peas. Even when her father turns them into the most fabulous smoothies, shakes, or cupcakes, Lily can always tell they are there and turns her little nose up at them. Luckily, the doctor knows exactly what to do. He diagnoses an incurable case of princess-itus and sends Lily...

Author	Rachel Vail
ISBN	0312649886

A sweet story about a pig who knows he's really a bunny

Most piglets want to be pigs when they grow up. Not Liam. He wants to be a bunny. Even if it takes a lot of practice to learn how to hop...and to eat salad. Even if no one believes that a piggy can be a bunny. With a lot of determination, and a little...