Sharing and Caring: Love Monster And the Last Chocolate by Rachel Bright

Love Monster's mind is still on his vacation, sadly now over, as he approaches the door of his own cozy den.

BUT WAIT! WHAT WAS THIS?

A BOX OF CHOCOLATES!

JUST SITTING THERE!

Could one of his friends have left him a surprise welcome-home gift? They all know how much monsters love chocolates.

Love Monster considers the joys of a mixed assortment of chocolate-covered delights. Which flavors may be inside? Chocolate-covered peanut-butter brittle? Fizzy fruit sherbets? His favorite, berry swirls?

BUT THEN HE THOUGHT A THOUGHT THAT HE JUST COULDN'T UN-THINK!

He really should share this box of chocolates with his friends.

He should... but there are problems.

What if there are not enough pieces to go around? Or worse, what if they choose all his favorites?

And worst of all... what if the only piece left for him is one of those coffee-flavored thingies?

EEEEEUUWWWWWW!

It's a crisis of conscience for Love Monster. He weighs the question: To share or not to share?

I'M SORRY TO TELL YOU THAT LOVE MONSTER DECIDED IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR EVERYONE IF HE KEPT THE CHOCOLATES.

Decision made, he brews himself a cup of tea. He peers through the peephole to make sure the coast is clear and then sits down happily with the whole box of chocolates in his lap.

But just as he is ready to open the lid, he notices a queasy feeling inside... that feeling that means what he's about to do is not the right thing to do.

Love Monster is out the door, scurrying to find his friends with the still unopened box, feeling good about making the right choice.

But in Rachel Bright's latest Love Monster story, Love Monster and the Last Chocolate (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015), there's a surprise waiting for our hero when, with his friends gathered around, he opens that box with a flourish, to find it empty--except for just one piece!

"SILLY MONSTER! WE SAVED THE LAST PIECE (YOUR FAVORITE) FOR YOU!"

There's just a touch of irony when author Bright's cute little fuzzy monster finds out that his friends are one step ahead of him all the way, in this sweet story of Valentine candy sharing, and readers will likely not be surprised to learn that the last piece left is not the coffee-flavored thingie. Bright offers up a savory moral but dips it in her sweet but insightful comic coating in illustrative storytelling that makes this one a treat for young readers. Pair this one with Mo Willem's equally empathetic Should I Share My Ice Cream? (An Elephant and Piggie Book) (see my review here).

Rachel Bright's early books in this Valentine-approved series are Love Monster and Love Monster and the Perfect Present.

Babylove! I Love You, Baby by Giles Andreae

GUESS WHAT I'VE GOT?

A BRAND-NEW BABY TO LOVE!

And Baby makes FOUR in this family, as a toddler big brother welcomes the new baby!

This older sibling feels lucky to have a baby. He's round and dimply, with chubby cheeks and a cute little nose, and the tousled-haired new big brother can't wait for him to learn to say "Hello" and to learn to play with him.

Meanwhile, Big Brother goes along with Dad to the pool, where he shows the baby how to kick and splash in the pool. And when Baby is tired and bedtime comes, his big brother gets to say goodnight as the little one goes off to sleep first.

Although Mom's lap is now a bit crowded with her two boys, there's a lot to love, in Giles Andreae's I Love You, Baby(Hyperion, 2015 American ed.), welcoming the entry of the newest member of the family. Illustrated by notable artist Emma Dodd, this celebration of new babies is a fine gift for Valentine's Day (or any time) for big brothers with a new baby in the house. As Publishers Weekly says, "a baby lovefest from start to finish!"

Other books in Andreae's and Dodd's series are I Love My Mommy, and I Love My Daddy (Board Book).

Where Have All The Colors Gone? Arctic White by Danna Smith

WHEN YOU LIVE IN THE ARCTIC ALL WINTER, EVERYTHING IS A SHADE OF WHITE.

THE BLUE WHITE OF THE TUNDRA,

THE YELLOW-WHITE OF THE POLAR BEAR,

THE SILVER-WHITE OF THE ARCTIC FOX.

Arctic days are as dark as the night. The only light, from the stars and the moon, is white, too.

True, the girl's parka is brown, her grandfather's sled is brown, and so is her dog. But in the winter darkness, they hardly count as color.

SOMETIMES WHEN YOU WISH ON A STAR FOR MORE COLOR, YOU ONLY GET GRAY,

AND GRAY IS A SHADE OF WHITE.

But one day there is a sort of hum in the air. Grandfather promises something golden, the color of hope. The girl is intrigued as that night he leads the whole family across the tundra to a special spot. Everyone seems quietly excited, and the girl wonders what Grandfather means by his promise. He tells her mysteriously

"YOU NEED THE DARK TO SEE..."

And with first a flash of gold, and then orange and red, then blue and green, the aurora borealis fills the sky with more color than she has ever seen, with just enough light to see the pleased twinkle in her grandfather's eyes.

Danna Smith's Arctic White (Harper, 2015) is set in the far north, but its theme is universal. All peoples who know the long black nights of winter experience some yearning for the light and colors of summer. We gather to share winter festivals, decorating with colored lights that remind us that, as Keats put it, "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" Author Smith gives few details about her Arctic family, but like all of us, they share hope, warmth, and pleasure at the experience of the warmth and colors of the Arctic sky.

Smith's lean and lyrical lines draw us into the simple story, and the artwork of Lee White adds much to the text, lovely in its stark, straight lines and many shades of white, punctuated by the joyous swirls of color from the sky at the ending. With a theme of longing and light that all ages will feel, this book is also wonderful for classroom units on color to show the power of white, which is, after all, the true color of light, and that the blackest of nights can make colors more dazzling.

All Downhill From Here: Max and Marla by Alexandra Boiger

MAX AND MARLA ARE OLYMPIANS--REAL-LIFE, HONEST-TO-GOODNESS OLYMPIANS.

Never mind that Max is a very small boy, and Marla is an owl. (Well, she IS a snowy owl.) The two friends are determined to medal in the upcoming winter games.

They board their bobsled at the top of the hill and hunker down bravely to take the speedy curves. But the sled won't slide.

TRUE OLYMPIANS NEVER GIVE UP.

It seems the runners need a bit of soaping. Max applies the wax the next morning, and donning their helmets, the would-be winners approach the bobsled run again. The wax works.

They slip down the slope way too fast. CRASH!

"MARLA, WE NEED TO TAKE A SICK DAY."

Olympians may never give up, but sometimes they have to adjust their training program. Max and Marla are not just lying around lazily on the snow. Making snow angels is now part of their training, along with rolling downhill as giant snowballs without a sled, in Alexandra Boiger's newest, Max and Marla (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2015). And who needs Olympic medals when you have doughnuts to hang around your neck and nibble as needed?

Boiger's now familiar illustrations (cf. her artwork in Marilyn Singer's hit series begun with Tallulah's Tutu) create a blue and lavender winter wonderland in which her little athletes sweetly play at fame. "Boiger excels at closely observed, affectionate details, like Max carrying a snoozing Marla to bed, or the friends stringing donuts on ribbons to serve as Olympic medals," adds Publishers Weekly.

We've Got to Stop Meeting Like This! The Red Hat by David Teague

BILLY HIGHTOWER LIVES ATOP THE WORLD'S TALLEST BUILDING.

IT WAS THE WIND AND BILLY HIGHTOWER . . . UNTIL ONE DAY A LADDER APPEARED, FOLLOWED BY MEN IN HARD HATS AND THEN...

A GIRL. SHE WORE A RED HAT.

Life at the top is hard. Well... lonely. And when the appropriately named Billy Hightower spots the girl in the red hat, he is determined to catch her eye.

He shouts his hello, but the whirling wind around their skyscrapers carry his words away as if they were whispers.

Billy crafts a carefully composed note:

Hi,
My name is Billy Hightower. I like your hat.

He sends his message to her on the wings of a paper airplane, but the wind takes it off before it reaches her. He attaches it to a red kite and sends it sailing across the distance between the two towers,  but the wind snatches it away just as the girl reaches for it, losing her own red hat to the wind as well. Desperately, Billy grabs a red blanket and holding onto the corners, tries to parasail to the top of the girl's building.

THE WIND RAGED. IT BLEW ACROSS THE BOULEVARD, TRYING TO DRIVE HIM BACK.

Billy soars even higher with the wind, tantalizingly past the girl's outstretched arms. Then the wind changes and he spirals down to the ground, finding himself on the sidewalk in front of a building named The Crimson Towers. Billy almost gives up his mission, until he spots the red hat caught on a shrub near the entrance.

It is just the lead that Billy needs, in David Teague's new The Red Hat (Hyperion Books, 2015), and he carefully retrieves the red hat and runs into the building, heading for the top floor. where he and his mystery girl meet face to face at last.

This is a strange story of two wind-crossed friends, with an unusual talisman, a red hat, and a attraction between the two represented visually by the color red. Artist Antoinette Portis makes the most of this color motif, illustrating the story primarily in thick blackline, white, pale gray, and the blue of the sky, with contrasting accents of red in Billy's paper airplane, kite, and blanket, the door of the girl's apartment, and, of course, the hat. The quixotic wind is shown vividly in silvery swirls, lovely, yet malevolent, echoed, too, by the whirling sweep of the text across the page, but finally foiled at last with the help of the the iconic hat. Although the boy and girl portrayed seem too young to be seen as sweethearts, a Romeo and Juliet separated by two different worlds, the final page of the book does leave us with two words....

THE BEGINNING....

Of this non-hearts-and-flowers, perhaps Valentine story, School Library Journal says, "This dynamic, gorgeously rendered glimpse into the fledgling bond between two people demonstrates the power of persistence."

My Favorite Things! Love Is My Favorite Thing by Emma Chichester Clark

I AM PLUM, BUT I LOVE BEING CALLED PLUMMIE.

AND LOVE IS MY FAVORITE THING.

Plummie is an ebullient, enthusiastic, and often ecstatic mutt who loves just about everything--her little squishy bear, her fleecy warm bed, frisbees and the neighbor kids Sam and Gracie, who come over to throw the frisbees with her, and her owners Emma and Rupert, who take her to the park and praise her poos, even if they have to bag it!

"I LOVE ALL KINDS OF WEATHER, ESPECIALLY THE WIND.

(BUT I DON'T REALLY LOVE RAIN.")

But some of Plummie's enthusiasms turn out to be unfortunate! She learns that sofa cushions filled with feathers are not appropriate for a game of tug of war with Sam and Gracie and that going for a impromptu swim with her friend Rocket does not please Emma at all. Some of Plummie's favorite things have pitfalls.

Take ice cream, for example.

It's hard for Plummie not to follow little kids with double-dip cones. She well knows that toddlers and tall cones often lead to tipping and plopping--and sudden dog treats. So when she spots a likely tot with a teetering cone, she dogs her steps until, intimidated, the little kid throws the cone into a tote bag, Plummie is off with her prize, bag and all.

"I COULDN'T HELP IT. I GRABBED IT! THEN EVERYONE WAS CHASING."

"BAD DOG! COME HERE!

WHAT A NAUGHTY GIRL!!"

Emma and Rupert are so upset that they banish Plum down the dark stairs to the cellar.

I STARED INTO THE DARKNESS. WOULD THEY EVER LOVE ME AGAIN?

Preschoolers who are sometimes naughty despite themselves will love this well-told shaggy dog story, Emma Chichester Clark's Love Is My Favorite Thing (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2015). Plum is a whiskery, bouncy pup with mischief in her eyes who will steal everyone's heart in this well-paced story. Clark's jolly pencil-and-watercolor illustrations tell the story by themselves, especially her empathetic portrayal of the the little malefactor doing penance in the dark. School Library Journal says, "Dog owners will recognize the authenticity in Plum's voice, that live-in-the-moment attitude, the inability to understand why certain actions are prohibited (hence the lack of explanations in the text), and that particular look that says, 'Please love me.'"

A great Valentine Day's read-aloud and a good book about unfailing love for any time.

Heart to Heart! Evermore Dragon by Barbara Joose

AT THE BREAK OF DERRY-DAY

THE FRIENDS DECIDED WHAT TO PLAY.

"HIDE-AND-SEEK! HIDE-AND-SEEK!"

DRAGON JUMPED UP AND DOWN. "ME FIRST!"

While Girl closes her eyes to count, Dragon hustles off to hide--behind a rather small (that is to say, way too little rock to hide his bulky, angular body. But Girl kindly pretends to search for him fruitlessly.

SHE PEEKED INSIDE HIS LAIR.

"NO, HE ISN'T THERE!

As she feigns being flummoxed, Dragon jumps out with a jolly "BOO!" and Girl declares him the cleverest Dragon ever!

But now it is Girl's turn to hide and she is determined to show Dragon she can be truly clever. She climbs inside a hole in a tree, and totally concealed, she waits to be found.

DRAGON LOOKS EVERYWHERE... EVERY HERE, EVERY THERE.

And Girl waits... and waits, and finally falls asleep in the cozy dark of the hollow. But when she awakes, it's not bright derry-day; it is  a deep, deep dark outside her hiding place, too. Where is Dragon? Girl tries not to cry, but she cannot control the loud, fast beating of her heart.

And still searching, the loyal Dragon's super senses catch the faint sound of her heart.

AND HE BREATHED HIS DRAGON FIRE

AND IT LIGHTED UP THE SKY.

And all's well that ends well for the frightened maiden and her protector dragon, in Caldecott-winning author (for Mama, Do You Love Me?) Barbara Joosse in her Evermore Dragon (Candlewick Press, 2015), a companion book to her Lovabye Dragon. (see my 2012 review here). Damsels and dragons are a staple of folkloric tales, and Joose's clever wordplay and artist Randy Cecil's atypical fairy-tale illustrations make a striking pair together in this quixotic picture book. As Publishers Weekly puts it, "The unexpected contours of Cecil's figures, like Girl's pancake-flat head and Dragon's ping pong ball eyes, add smiles, but there's also unexpected depth in the tiny, scratchy strokes and dusky shades of his paintings. It's a noteworthy alternative to more commercially flavored princess stories."

"Not Fade Away!" Imaginary Fred by Eoin Colfer

BEING ALONE IS NO FUN.

At least, being alone is not good when the result is loneliness. And Sam is lonely.

But there's an app for that. He's called Fred. He's a turquoise-toned collection of pixels and he is available for lonely kids.

IF the conditions are right, Fred can appear in a flash of lightning, available for best friend duty.

FRED FLOATED LIKE A FEATHER IN THE WIND...UNTIL A LONELY CHILD WISHED FOR HIM.

And Fred can be very versatile. He tries hard to do whatever the kid imagines a friend can do with him. He can shoot free throws... or he can be the basketball flying through the hoop. There's just one problem for Fred. His job never seemed to last very long.

ONE DAY A FRIEND WOULD FIND A REAL FRIEND IN THE REAL WORLD, ONE WHO WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE IGNORED WHEN GROWNUPS WERE AROUND.

WHEN THIS DAY CAME, FRED WOULD FEEL HIMSELF FADING.

Call it the Tinkerbell Effect. When Fred's friend doesn't need him anymore, he starts to fade, pixel by pixel, until he's just a wisp of himself and the wind blows him away.

And then a friendless boy named Sam wishes for a friend, and ZAP! Fred reports for duty. They do everything together.  They make up plays to perform and play music together. They build a clubhouse with its own sign that reads...

[DRAMATIC DUO]

This time Fred doesn't want Sam to find a forever friend to replace him. He wants to stay and play with Sam always. But when Sam meets a girl named Sammi at a party, it looks like friendship at first sight. They do all the things together that Fred used to do with Sam. Sam is sensitive and tells Fred not to fret; he's his main man forever. Still, the more Sam and Sammi play together, the more Fred notices that sadly he is beginning to fade.

"I CAN SEE THROUGH MY HAND," THOUGHT FRED.

But there's one thing about Sammi. She, too, has an imaginary friend, Frieda, and Fred and Frieda discover that they have something more than pixels in common--the friendship of their friends. And then they notice a promising change in themselves.

Their pixels seem to be becoming permanent

As the two twosomes become a friendly foursome, it looks like nobody is going to fade away, in the imaginative collaboration of noted middle reader author Eoin Colfer and Caldecott-winning artist Oliver Jeffers in their Imaginary Fred (Harper, 2015). Jeffers' witty and wispy pen-and-ink drawings are the perfect medium for portraying an imaginary friend, setting off Colfer's quirky characters skillfully as together they explore the ineffable nature of friendship with the help of a bit of inventive fantasy. Says the New York Times reviewer, "Jeffers could illustrate a tax return and make it funny; his charming, willowy pen-and-ink artwork adds his trademark irreverence to this gentle tale about the ever-shifting landscape of friendship."

Pair this one with last year's Caldecott winner, Dan Santat's The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend. (Read review here.)

Personal Leave! Groundhog's Day Off by Robb Pearlman

EVERY YEAR, ON ONE SPECIAL DAY IN FEBRUARY,
GROUNDHOG WAKES UP EXTRA EARLY.

CROWDS OF PEOPLE GATHER OUTSIDE.

NEWS REPORTERS WITH LARGE MICROPHONES AND BIG, SHINY TEETH ARE WAITING.

The mayor will be there, with concerned citizens, along with the media--all with one question, the same boring question--will winter last six more weeks, or will spring begin today?

Groundhog is over the hoopla and weary of his celebrity. All the people care about is the message. Forget the messenger, who lies awake on the night before February 2, worrying about making the right call. They only want one thing--just the facts, Groundhoggy!

NO ONE ASKS "HOW ARE YOU FEELING?" OR HAVE YOU SEEN ANY GOOD MOVIES LATELY?"

Groundhog is sick of being thought of as a one-trick pony. This year will be different. Toward the end of January, he posts a letter informing the citizenry that he taking February 2 off. And, not only that. . .

P.S.: I'M TAKING MY SHADOW WITH ME!

While Groundhog swaps the frenzy for a few days off at the spa, the mayor and the media are in a mess. They advertise widely for someone to take on Groundhog's responsibilities. But the candidates that show up to audition are a motley lot.

Elephant can only get his trunk into Groundhog's den. Ostrich pokes his head into the hole rather than popping out of it on time. Bat, Owl, and 'Possum, nocturnals all, sleep right through the alarm. The others are no better: Penguin and Raccoon haven't a clue what to do, and Giraffe? GIRAFFE? Seriously?

Nobody can do the job Groundhog does. He's punctual and he's honest! He calls 'em like he sees 'em, even if it makes him unpopular. He's irreplaceable!

Luckily, by January 31 Groundhog has had enough of hot towels and scented candles and answers the call, and this time the media make sure he gets an up-close-and-personal interview on the famous couch of the late, late show on Groundhog's Eve.

Is all well that ends well? Well, there may be an unfortunate pattern trending. It seems the Easter Bunny has had it with the basket gig, and auditions for his position will be scheduled soon, in Robb Pearlman's Groundhog's Day Off (Bloomsbury Press, 2015). Pearlman's spoofy text pokes fun at media types and the always discontented public, and the noted Brett Helquist's bright and brash illustrations provide additional sight gags to add to the fun of the year's silliest holiday. Says Publishers Weekly in their starred review, "Pearlman has written an up-to-the minute mashup of American folklore and contemporary culture, expertly abetted by Helquist’s knowing illustrations. Yes, some grownups may see Groundhog’s 'You really, really like me!' speech coming from a mile away, but getting there is enormously fun."

Pair this one with Pat Miller's Substitute Groundhog, (see review here) for more will-he, won't-he spring suspense.

Dig and Delve: On the Construction Site by Carron Brown

For construction crazy kids, diggers on duty are the best sight on the building site!

In Carron Brown's newest addition to the Shine-A-Light series, On the Construction Site (Shine-A Light Books) (The Ivy Press, 2015) there's a special feature added to this study of heavy equipment involved building a skyscraper. Areas with a flashlight icon can be held up to a light to see what lies underneath the scene on the page: for example, what's inside the dump track headed away?

ROCKS AND RUBBLE!

Meanwhile diggers are revealed constructing the foundation, and whooshing cement mixers are shown squirting out the concrete footings, while concrete scrapers are waiting in the wings to do their thing, leveling the concrete so that it can dry nice and smooth.

Then here comes the crane operator, followed by iron workers, high steel workers, acetylene torch welders, and glaziers ready to put in the giant sheets of glass in those oh-so-high windows. And finally the less glamorous plumbers, flooring specialists, and electricians take over to finish up an apartment for the family just waiting to move in.

Author Carron Brown tells the whole story, with breaks to peer at just what's just under the surface, and Bee Johnson provides the stylized but realistic illustrations of equipment and workers as the skyscraper rises.  This one is non-fiction fun for youngsters who love heavy equipment, all identified in the appended picture dictionary.

Can't Please 'Em All! Substitute Groundhog by Kristen Remener

"I SEE MY SHADOW!" GROUNDHOG DECLARED.

HALF THE ANIMALS CHEERED. THE OTHER HALF GROANED.

Mama Squirrel is particularly displeased. Being stuck for six more weeks in a hole in a tree with her little nutters is making her nuts!

"I JUST CALL IT LIKE I SEE IT!" GROUNDHOG MUMBLED.

The restive early spring advocates are disgruntled by the message and berate the messenger. Poor Groundhog ducks back down into his den and lays low until spring finally appears in its own time.

At last everyone comes out to forage, Mama Squirrel still lamenting that berries six weeks earlier would have tasted better, while Hare lavishly praises Groundhog for giving her fur coat extra time to become even more luxurious and proffers a basket of berries to her benefactor.

THIS EXCHANGE DID NOT GO UNNOTICED.

Suddenly, Groundhog finds himself everybody's new best friend. Mama Squirrel invites her "old pal Groundhoggy" to sit with her and share some peanuts at the opening baseball game, with a hint that perhaps he can return the favor next February 2. Despite his protests that he can't control the weather, Groundhog finds a lot of his would-be friends also vying to grease his palms with a little payola for a promise of an early spring.

Coach Sparrow offers him a special perk, a position on the baseball team, to sweeten the deal for an early spring training next year, and Hare drops by with a pie in the way of a counter offer for fur-growing chill. Bear offers an obvious bribe for more sack time next spring, and soon even our virtuous hognosticator finds himself giving in to the inducements of his opinionated public with vague promises to both sides.

But he knows this popularity can't last. Spring will come when it comes no matter what. Either way, someone is going to be feel cheated. Groundhog spends a winter of discontent doing some serious thinking, with musings of "First to thine own self be true."

And on Groundhog's Day, Mother Nature doesn't make it any easier. It dawns chilly and--the whistlepig's worse nightmare--partly cloudy. Groundhog sighs as he pokes his head out of his hole.

"I'M SORRY, EVERYONE.

I CALL IT LIKE I SEE IT!" HE SAYS.

It's a victory for honest public servants, in Kristen Remener's Groundhog's Dilemma (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2015). Author Remener tells her tale well, laying out the temptations to please the public in a little parable of local politics for young readers, and artist Matt Faulkner uses his noted skills to make the self-serving motives of the characters comically evident in his clever illustrations. With a piquant little story for this admittedly minor "holiday" that broaches the subject of public honesty lightly but clearly, this is one of the best of this year's bunch for Groundhog's Day. Say the Kirkus reviewer, "Remenar's graceful prose and the subtlety of her message, pitched to older preschoolers and early-elementary students, are a good match. A sly and funny take on truth-telling and friendship."

For an absolute glut of February 2 tales, see my Groundhog Roundup here.

Rig Riddles: Whose Truck? by Toni Buzzeo

WHEN SOMEONE HURTS
LIGHTS FLASH AND GLOW.

WHOSE TRUCK IS THIS?
DO YOU KNOW?

Noted author Toni Buzzeo's Whose Truck? (Whose Tools?) (Abrams Appleseed Books, 2015) has all the right stuff for young truck fanciers, whose numbers are legion! Buzzeo builds into this picture book staple an engaging design which works as a basic identification book for toddlers and a vocabulary-building nonfiction entry for older readers.

Each of the six featured service vehicles has a literal three-fold exposition. The verso (left-hand) page features a rhyming riddle with clues to the identify of each truck, while the recto (right-hand) page shows artist Jim Datz' realistic but stylized drawing of each one on the job. Then the eye-catching gatefold opens to show the workers associated with the vehicle, each performing his or her particular role with the appropriate equipment or tool. The electric utility truck gatefold shows the workers repairing fallen power lines with the help of their aerial bucket and boom, and the ever-popular firetruck pages show the hydrant intake hose, the deluge gun, and the fire fighters with their ladders and axes on the job. EMT technicians block traffic, examine patients, and load them into their first-response facility for the trip to the ER.

Also featured are highway maintenance vehicles--scapers, asphalt trucks, concrete spreaders, and all; the construction vehicles include all the usual heavy-duty equipment--cranes and levelers, and even the broadcast trucks and their news hounds show off their antennas, cameras, and cable teams.

Even toy trucks are given their due, in this outstanding salute to those community services and equipment that kids love to watch on the job. Male and female workers of both genders and various ethnic groups are featured by illustrator Datz plying their trades with zest, making this book one that even young readers will enjoy perusing closely all on their own. "A must for toddlers and preschoolers," says Kirkus in its starred review.

Both Sides Now: Cloud Country by Bonny Becker

Gale floated on a warm breeze, watching the Land Below. Far off deer trotted across a meadow. Ducklings scrambled after their mother.

Gale sighed, wishing she could look at it all forever.

"Earth-gazing again?" asked her mother.

Gale is a young cloudlet, a drifter who loves the beautiful shapes on the Land Below. But her time to earth-gaze is running out, and soon she will face the feared Formation Examination under the stern eyes of the Guardians, who expect mastery of the required forms for clouds--cumulus, cirrus, stratocirrus, and cumulonimbus, et al.

Even her little brother, aptly named Nimbus, has already mastered the boisterous tornado shape. But when Gale thinks fluffy, floating thoughts, her attempt at a cumulus cloud comes out looking like and elephant or a lamb, at least according to Nimbus. Gale tries to practice, but she can't seem to concentrate on the standard conformations and finds herself earth-gazing far too much.

"Don't worry," said Mama softly. You can do it."

But Gale just can't keep her head in the clouds. The dreaded Formation Day looms, and Gale fears she will not be among the happy cloudlet graduates who will take their place in the business of being mature cloudforms.

Then the trials begin.

Cirree stretched herself into a cirrostratus, and Strato whirled into a dark funnel shape. And when it was her turn, Gale nervously chose the simplest formation of all.

"Cumulus," she said softly.

"Tugboat?" guessed the Head Guardian.

Gale feels rain beginning to form deep within her. She sinks lower as she chastises herself for too much earth-watching and not enough formal practice. But then she is surprised.

"Finally!" the oldest Guardian said, "We have been waiting for another Daydream Cloud for a long time!"

And Gale finds her place after all, in Bonny Becker's Cloud Country (Pixar Animation Studios Artist Showcase) (Pixar/Hyperion Books, 2015), strikingly illustrated by Pixar's art director, Noah Klocek. Author Becker joins singer-songwriter Judy Collins, in "looking at clouds from both sides now," in her fantasy of a little cloud who daydreams about the Land Below while people sky-gaze and daydream about many familiar forms in the clouds above. Becker's tale of the importance of the dreamer, the character who thinks outside the box, is made accessible to young readers in the evocative and gorgeous purple, blue, lavender, gold, and gray paintings of artist Klocek's ever-changing cloudscape. "A crackerjack salute to the creations of the mind," says Kirkus.

Bonny Becker is also the crackerjack creator of the delightful A Visitor for Bear (Bear and Mouse) and the several sequels in this sweet and funny series (see reviews here).

The Times They Are A-Changin': Big Sisters Are The Best! by Fran Manushkin

THERE'S SOMEBODY NEW IN OUR FAMILY.

OUR BABY IS LITTLE, AND I AM BIG.

I AM A BIG SISTER!

Babies are a big deal. They need a mom and dad. They need a crib. They need attention. They need feeding. They need QUIET in the house when they are sleeping.

They cry when they are hungry or need a diaper change.

And when they need attention they can be LOUD! And SMELLY!

But a big sister is beyond all that. She is BIG. She sleeps in a big-girl bed. She gets an occasional cupcake with sprinkles. She can put on her own socks, and she knows how to play quietly during baby's nap time or go outside with Daddy and get twirled around! And get her turn at yelling--LOUD!

She is so BIG that she can help burp the baby. She can help with dressing by fetching a clean diaper and putting on his tiny little socks. And she can make the baby smile.

OUR BABY HOLDS MY FINGER TIGHT!

"BIG SISTERS ARE THE BEST!"

Big changes come when a new baby comes into the family, and Fran Manushkin's charming pre-primer on the subject, Big Sisters Are the Best (Fiction Picture Books) (Picture Window/Capstone Books), gives expectant or new older siblings a look at both sides of being the big kid. True, life is not the same: siblings have to share time and attention with the new baby, who suddenly takes up a lot of both. Older children have to be quiet when they want they would rather be noisy, and they may have to wait for Mom or Dad to play with them until Baby is happy. But as Manushkin shows, hugs and kisses are quiet and sweet, and soon there is another person who gets to share the parents' role as caretaker, and another person in the family who will soon love HIS big sister a lot. Manushkin takes a positive tone while touching all the bases in her sweet little manual for older daughters, and Kirsten Richards's illustrations done up in pastel drawings inside frames, as spot-art, and full-bleed pages to bring out the best in the new baby experience. Share this one along with that classic tale of siblingitis, Russell and Lillian Hoban's A Baby Sister for Frances (I Can Read Level 2).

[Expletive Deleted]: Little Bird's Bad Word by Jacob Grant

Little Bird and Papa are having lunch out together. Papa's picked up their food and they're flying to a good place to share their picnic.

"LUNCH IS EXTRA WIGGLY TODAY," NOTES PAPA.

Lunch is a big pink worm, who obviously does not wish to go to lunch with them. He wiggles so well that Papa drops him. And before he can think, that word pops out of Papa's beak!

"BLARK!"

Little Bird is intrigued. He's gotta say that word, too! In fact, he says it three times!

"THIS IS NOT A WORD FOR LITTLE BIRDS!" PAPA SAYS.

But despite the warning, Little Bird can't wait to try it out with his friends.

"Blark!"

His friend Frog is affronted. Moose is not amused. Ladybug and Fish are offended.

Turtle is so taken aback that he clams up inside his shell!

Maybe that interesting word is not a GOOD word!

Papa apologizes and points out that Little Bird has a lot to learn about words, especially words that may do some harm to others. And he teaches Little Bird a new word.

"SORRY!"

But author-illustrator Jacob Grant gives the LAST word about bad words to Little Bird's new catch for lunch, the worm, who is clearly having a very bad day, in his Little Bird's Bad Word (Feiwel and Friends, 2015). This is a fresh and funny introduction to the power of words and the use of certain words that little ones should not use.  Grant's illustrations are cute and comic, but reveal volumes in the facial expressions of his characters. Kirkus Reviews calls it "... a charming, tender and ever pertinent life lesson."

On the Rocky Road to Love: Hedgehugs by Steve Wilson and Lucy Tapper

HORACE AND HATTIE ARE THE VERY BEST OF FRIENDS.

THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THEY LIKE TO DO TOGETHER.

They do duo daisy chains, splash in rain puddles, and research the four-leaf clovers by the river.

In fact, there's just one joint venture in which they don't succeed--HUGS!

Hugs are hard for hedgehogs.

THEY ARE JUST TOO SPIKY!

Not that they haven't tried several approaches. Rolling in fresh snow results in snow cover, but they are too frozen to enjoy their snowy hugs. They squeeze inside sections of hollow log, and try to embrace, but logs are just too lumpy.

They try spearing strawberries on each of their prickles, but attempting to embrace simply results in the makings for a strawberry smoothie.

Finally they stumble upon a solution--thick woolly stockings! They nibble out a hole for their heads in the heels and with a bit of a struggle, pull the socks over their prickles. AH! Comfy and completely non-abrasive body stockings! Now for...

... A PERFECT HEDGE-HUG!

Love conquers all, in Steve Wilson's and Lucy Tapper's Hedgehugs (Henry Holt and Company, 2015), a sweet tale of a too-spiky pair who find a way to show their affection. Tapper's soft-colored collaged backgrounds are pleasantly pretty and do not distract from the lovable digitally-produced main characters, and author Wilson offers a closing joke that the old problem of missing socks in the wash are a sure sign of hedge-hugs happening somewhere. For a Valentine's Day read, this one sticks to the theme that love always finds a way!

Other tales of of hard-to-hug American porcupines and British hedgehogs include Kara LeReau's and Scott Magoon's Mr. Prickles: A Quill-Fated Love Story and Benn Sutton's Hedgehug: A Sharp Lesson in Love. For more tales of the propinquity-challenged prickly people, see reviews here.

Bear and Bunny by Daniel Pinkwater

THE BEAR IS SURE THE BUNNY IS A VERY SMALL BEAR. THE BUNNY IS SURE THE BEAR IS A VERY LARGE BUNNY.

THIS IS NOT SO, BUT IT WOULD BE TOO HARD TO EXPLAIN IT TO THEM. BESIDES, IT DOESN'T MATTER.

Titles and taxonomies are not important between true friends, and besides, the two are on what that other unlikely pair, Pooh and Piglet, called an "expotition."
They are wandering.

Wandering in the woods the bear finds an exceptional pine cone. A discussion around what to do with such a prize ensues, in which the bunny is led to ask an even more pertinent question.

"WHY DON'T WE HAVE SOME KIND OF PET?"

"WHAT IS A PET?" THE BEAR ASKS.

The bunny offers the information that a pet is an animal you take care of and that loves you. Puzzled, the bear replies that they are animals and they love each other. The bunny ponders his definition and points out that pets are small and not as clever as they are. Pine cones are smaller, yes, and certainly not at all clever, but they are definitely not animals. With that out of the way, pine cones are out of the question as a pet. A caterpillar is an animal, but since it finds its own leafy food, it doesn't need them to take care of it.

"DON'T GET ME WRONG," SAID THE BEAR, BUT I DON'T SEE THAT A CATERPILLAR WOULD BE MUCH FUN.

TOO MUCH THINKING. I NEED A NAP."

Luckily, following a restorative nap, they spot a frog, which they identify as a "kitty." But that brings up the pertinent question of what it eats.

"STRAWBERRIES, I THINK. IF IT DOESN'T WANT TO, WE CAN TRY OTHER THINGS," THE BUNNY CONCLUDES.

That sounds like a sensible plan, as the bunny and the "kitty" ride home on the bear's broad back, in this sequel to his notable Bear in Love, Daniel Pinkwater's newest picture book, Bear and Bunny (Candlewick Press, 2015).

Pinkwater does droll with the best of the buddy stories authors--A. A. Milne and the pals in the Hundred Acre Wood and Arnold Lobel and his Frog and Toad, and Pinkwater's goodhearted friends are a breath of fresh air, giving youngsters a chance to chuckle knowingly as they enjoy the pair naively thinking their way through life's novelties. Artist Will Hellenbrand is back to add his charming illustrations, done with a light line and soft pastel palette, which extend the story visually with elan. Wry, whimsical, and sweet, these stories deal simply but sagely with the serious question of what it means to be a friend and to care for each other--and, in this case, another. A truly satisfying read for the preschool and primary reader.