Spring Thing! Carpenter's Helper by Sybil Rosen

THE NEW BATHROOM IS HALFWAY FINISHED!

In her overalls and yellow safety helmet, Renata is happy to be helping Daddy. They are refurbishing their bathroom with a fancy oval window and a big old-fashioned bathtub with fancy legs.

SHE CAN ALREADY PICTURE THE CASTLES OF BUBBLES SHE WILL BUILD IN IT.

Renata carefully holds the bracing board as Dad nails it up to support the place where he will cut out the new window! With interest she peeps inside the walls at the pipes and wires inside.

But it is early spring, and Renata's is not the only family working on a new house. After one night, when Daddy leaves the new window space uncovered, Renata's discovers that a pair of wrens seem to be building their new house on the bottom shelf over the tub in her bathroom. Daddy's bathroom makeover has to come to a halt while the bird parents build a snug and comfy nest of leaves, grass, twigs.

And just as soon as Mama Wren lines the nest with soft moss and a squiggle of ribbon for decor, she beds down in it and soon lays four red-brown eggs.

"WE WON'T BE ABLE TO WORK NOW," SAID HER FATHER.

"CAN YOU WAIT THAT LONG FOR YOUR BUBBLE BATH?"

"I CAN WAIT!" RENATA SMILES.

Soon the baby wrens hatch and peep, while the parents fly back and forth through the window with take-out baby bird food to keep the babies growing in their little nest on the shelf.

SOMETIMES PAPA WREN SITS IN THE WINDOWSILL AND SINGS AND SINGS!

And when the little wrens are ready to fledge, Mama and Papa Wren sit in the window frame and churr to the babies to fly to the window and outside with them. But the babies are not able to fly all the way, and all four of them wind up making emergency landings in Renata's big bathtub! Thinking fast, Renata grabs a small plank and puts one end in the bathtub to make a bridge for the fledgelings, and soon they are up and on the wing to the warm spring scene outside, in Sybil Rosen's just published Carpenter's Helper (Schwartz and Wade, 2021).

With this beguiling story of a unusually patient girl and her dad, brought to life with the delightful illustrations done in colored pencil and soft palette by artist Camille Garoche, this is an unusual picture book that utilizes a loving parent-and-child and parallel avian family relationship, a sweet baby bird rescue story filled with the warmth of love and spring.

Says Publishers Weekly's starred review, "Excelling in natural illustrations with a slightly cartoonish bent, Garoche offers fine-lined colored pencil art done digitally in a soft color palette. This gentle story, with its respect for family, nature, construction, and collaboration, will lift readers’ spirits as surely as Renata boosts the wrens.”

Would Wood? Would Could by Tiffany Stone

ONE FINE DAY, WOOD WAS SLEEPING LIKE A LOG.

Wood is a short log who pines for only one thing--a nice, long nap. And then along comes this girl with a toy rabbit to interrupt his sleep.

"LOOK, PRINCE FLUTTERBUTT! A UNICORN!"

"WHERE?" SAYS WOOD. COULD THAT GIRL MEAN HIM?

Wood was about to drift back into his nap, when the girl shouts again.

"PRINCE FLUTTERBUTT IS STUCK IN QUICKSAND!"

The girl is shouting something about a bridge. Wood COULD be a bridge, but. . . WOULD he? It was easier to drift back to sleep!

Then the girl starts calling for help for Prince Flutterbutt, who'd been snatched by an eagle and dropped in his nest, but by this time Wood is sleeping like a log again, snoring like a woodcutter sawing firewood. Would Wood help in the rescue?

Or. . ."woody knot?"

Wood awoke to roll over, deciding to help to root out the culprit.

MAYBE IT WAS TIME TO TURN OVER A NEW LEAF!

YES! WOOD WOULD!

Tiffany Stones' latest, Wood Could (Dial Books, 2021), will provide some fairly sophisticated wordplay for the picture book crowd, assisted by veteran comic illustrator Mike Lowery, who also did the jolly illustrations for Lynne Plourde's How to Talk Monster.

Wood turns out to be a good bloke, er "block" of wood, and logs a good deed, as well, in this punny funny story. Early reading should not be all work and no wordplay, and School Library Journal logs on to say, "A richly executed comedic piece, this hides tenderness in rough bark but is a real softie when it comes to charm. With funny wordplay and pacing to delight with every turn of the page, this one's a must."

OOO-LA LA LA!

Nancy Clancy and her best friend Bree can't wait for the up-coming Bubbles Party, celebrating their science unit on the wonderful things they've learned about bubbles!

But then Nancy gets horrendous news (fancy for really bad!) from Bree: she is sick and won't be back to school until Friday. Nancy is sad that her friend will miss performing in the spendiferous bubble show in the school auditorium! Her class will be demonstrating everything they can do with bubbles. It's too bad that Bree will miss all the fun!

But while Nancy is telling her family all about the Bubble Show, she gets an idea.

"SUDDENLY AN IDEA GOES POP IN MY HEAD!"

Nancy and her class rehearse their own Bubble Party play just for Bree when she gets well and returns to class!

And the kids perform a Bubble Ballet Party to entertain Bree and help her catch up with all the splendid things to know about bubbles. Bree even asks the kids to perform the whole show again so that she can blow the biggest bubble yet!

Fancy Nancy and Friends are always happy for a chance to dress up and perform, as in Jane O'Connor's Fancy Nancy: Bubbles, Bubbles, and More Bubbles! (Harper I Can Read Level 1), combining consideration for a member of the class and showing off their knowledge of the scientific properties of bubbles. With the familiar comic illustrations of artist Robin Preiss Glaser, this one is as light as a feather (er, bubble).

Pig The Pug--Deported! Pig the Tourist by Aaron Blabey

Pig the Pug has proved to be a pain in the patootie plenty of times!

But his putative owners and his co-pet, the timid and long-suffering dachshund Trevor, somehow put up with his pranks.

PIG WAS A PUG AND I'M SORRY TO SAY,

WHEN HE WENT ON VACATION, HE'D CAUSE GREAT DISMAY.

Sweet little Trevor is happy to travel cheerfuly in his little carrier without a whimper, probably because Pig can't pick on him there.

But Pig the Pug skips the leash to outdo himself in mayhem on several continents, leaving a swath of devastation in his wake, be it Brazil's Carnivale, the Great Pyramid and Sphinx, or the Tower of Pisa, now leaning more than ever.

He chases Queen Liz's Corgis right out of the palace, leaving the Monarch both shaken AND stirred, ALAS!

In the Amazon, Pig scoffs at the signage--"PIRANHAS! BEWARE!

So he dives into the river and gets bitten You-Know-Where!

And, dear readers, his bottom bandaged, truth to tell . . .

PIG THE PUG DOES NOT TRAVEL WELL!

In the awesome Aussie author-illustrator Aaren Blabey's tale of the terrible tourist, Pig the Pug, his Pig the Tourist (Pig the Pug) (Scholastic Press, 2019), this canine miscreant provides sight gags and rollicking rhymes to get the giggles from his many preschool and primary fans, who welcome each new entry in this New York Time's best-selling series. Blabey's latest in his Pig the Pug series is Pig the Monster (Pig the Pug)

Winning! Houndsley and Catina by James Howe

CATINA WANTED TO BE A WRITER.

Attired in her classy leaf-print caftan and with her cup of ginger tea, Catina seated herself at her writing desk to write a chapter of her book.

One day her friend Houndsley politely asked how her book was going. Catina reported that it was called Life Through the Eyes of A Cat and that it going splendidly, had seventy-three chapters so far, and would no doubt win her lots of prizes.

But when Houndsley asked politely if he could read it, he saw that it was full of wrong spellings crossed out and the first chapter, on mice, concluded with "I am bored writing abut mice. Who cares?"

Houndsley could not think of anything good to say about about her work, but he was honest.

"I AM AT A LOSS FOR WORDS," SAID HOUNDSLEY.

"I AM SPEECHLESS!"

"THANK YOU, HOUNDSLEY!" SAID CATINA.

"NOW I KNOW I WILL BE A FAMOUS AUTHOR!"

Every Saturday Houndsley made dinner for Catina and his friend Bert. They were not an easy pair to cook for. Bert only liked worms and seeds. And despite her cathood, Catina was a vegetarian.

But one Saturday night Bert praised his worms and broccoli aux poppy seeds. To please Catina, the worms were made of tofu, and she raved over the novel dish. Bert urged Houndsley to compete in the upcoming Cooking Contest, and Catina insisted that it was his duty to share his skills with the world. And, besides, the contest was going to be on TV!

The two persuaded Houndsley to enter the cookoff, and he prepared to show off his friends' favorite recipe, Three Bean Soup with Rice.

Houndsley arrived cheerfully for the contest, but it seems that nothing went the way it should.

First, a big can of tomatoes fell on his foot. Then the rice wouldn't get done. And in all the fiddling with the heat under his pot, Bert forgot to put any of the three kinds of beans in the pot. His three bean chili was a No Bean Bust!

"I THINK I BROKE A TOOTH ON THE RICE!" SAID ONE JUDGE.

"I DON'T TASTE ANY BEANS!" SAID ANOTHER JUDGE.

And all three judges laughed when the third judge suggested it should be called "No-Bean Soup!"

But an invitation from his best buddies to watch the fireflies come out consoles Houndsley, in revered children's author James Howe's gentle story about life's little failures, Houndsley and Catina: (Candlewick Sparks) (Candlewick Press, 2021).

Howe's tale of three friends, written for early chapter book readers, drolly stresses the wisdom that not everyone can win first prize and it's possible to do something just for the pleasure it brings to you and/or your friends. Mary-Louise Gay's pencil and watercolor illustrations are lively and expressive, interacting with and amplifying the text wonderfully. Howe's tales are a wonderful addition to the canon of beginning-to-read books, especially when two best friends help each other.

James Howe is the noted author of his perennial best-seller series, Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery and sequels, Bunnicula in a Box: Bunnicula; Howliday Inn; The Celery Stalks at Midnight; Nighty-Nightmare; Return to Howliday Inn; Bunnicula Strikes Again; Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow (Bunnicula and Friends) and his hit middle school series, The Misfits (Turtleback School and Library Binding Edition).

The Take-0ff! See Otto by David Milgrim

SEE OTTO GO!

Otto is the cutest litte robot you ever saw. He's brave, too, as he waves goodbye to Mom and Pop Robot and enters his spaceship heading for an earth landing.

Right on the plan, Otto steers his little rocket expertly past rocky asteroids, small planets, orbiting satellites, and assorted space junk, until he spots a likely looking planet which looks a lot like Earth. So far its A-OK!

But Otto hasn't had much training in what to do next, and he finds himself out of gas and ... falling, falling, falling, into a crash landing (BOINK!) on his head in some jungle, to the surprise of the bemused monkey population--not to mention a rather hostile hippopotamus who finds him dazed and confused, a stranger in a strange land!

Otto knows what to do when confronted by strange life forms. He gives them his biggest smile. But the natives are not friendly. The hippopotamus is faster than he looks, and he also knows what to do with that horn on his nose.

RUN, OTTO, RUN!

But Otto is not fast enough, and the hippo sends him flying, not into space, but into a tree with two surprised monkeys.

LAUGH, EVERYONE!

It's back to the old drawing board for Otto, or, in this case, back to the old typewriter for author David Milgrim, in his Ready-to-Read book, See Otto (READY-TO-READ PRE-LEVEL 1) (Simon Spotlight Ready to Read).

As the main character in a winner of the American Library Association's Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, this beginner book, with its charming little astronaut has all the right stuff--limited vocabulary, repetition, and funny, irresistible characters for the t novice reader. Keep smiling, Otto. You've got what it takes for lift-off for rookie readers! And there are many more Otto titles waiting for early readers!

No Map Needed! Hidden Treasure by Ellie MacKay

I'M FEELING LUCKY. HOW ABOUT YOU?

DO YOU WANT TO LOOK FOR TREASURE, TOO?

Her shorts over her bathing suit, a young girl sets forth with Dad and her shaggy dog for the beach. As they make their way down toward the beach, a row of seagulls, like a group of soldiers at attention, review their passing from a rooftop.

EACH TIME I COME, THERE'S SOMETHING NEW.

Carefully the girl chooses her new treasures from the flotsam and jetsam along the waterline and from under the pier. She leaves some behind, knowing that they will be easy to re-find.

THE WATER'S COLD, BUT HERE I GO.

I SPOT A GLIMMER DOWN BELOW.

Leaving a moth's cocoon to hatch later, she lays out her ocean finds on the sands and tries to decide what to keep for a while--a softly gray gull feather, a sea-polished rock, a perfect pink shell with the sound of the sea. Which ones will it be?

Every find has its own tale to tell, and some belong in their place by the sea.

I'LL ALWAYS KNOW WHERE THEY WILL BE.

Hidden treasures are revealed in Ellie Mackay's Hidden Treasure (Running Press Kids, 2021) in her elegantly misty and lovely paintings and simple but telling poetry of a time to be treasured in memory.

Not all things can go home from a beach walk, but beautiful memories can remain as bright and shiny as a freshly washed-up shell, and the real treasure here is the experience itself.

Says the New York Times reviewer, "The medium perfectly fits the message in this one-of-a-kind book about a girl’s search for wave-washed treasures."

YAR! YERG Sammy the Seasick Pirate by Janelle Spirnger-Willms

SAMMY WANTED NOTHING MORE IN THE WORLD THAN TO BE A PIRATE CAPTAIN WHEN HE GREW UP.

Sammy made a list of the skills he would need and his pirate Papa agreed to teach him all of them. Papa's lessons are no crip course. To master the undeniable need to swim, Papa tosses him off the ship and into the sea. Sammy rises to the occasion and to the surface and splashes to shore!

Swimming--CHECK!

Sammy substitutes archery for swordplay and splits all of Papa's apples right down the center. Mama is mad about the mess, giving Sammy a chance to check swabbing decks off his list. In jig time he finds buried golden coins and passes the buried-treasure test by sinking them secretly into the sand again. Sammy passes his treasure map test.

It's time for the final seafarers' exam: sailing the ship, from hoisting sail, map-reading, and steering from the helm.

EVERYTHING WAS GOING WELL. UNTIL...

A wild and windy storm blew up.

HIS STOMACH WENT SWISH! THEN SLOSH!

THEN ... BLEEAHH!

Papa Pirate tried all the remedies for seasickness in his list, all followed by a sickening. |. . .

"BLEEAHH!"

It seems that Sammy's hopes of a swashbuckling life's work are sunk. Is there no way he can be a successful corsair without sailing the (BLEEAHH!) bounding seas?

But where there's a will, there is a way to find treasure without setting foot on shipboard, in Janelle Springer-Willms' newest, Sammy the Seasick Pirate (Reycraft Books, 2021).

Aye, Me Hearties, there's gold in them there sands and loot to be harvested from shipwrecks if a bright lad is willing to work on shore, in Springer-Wilms' clever new look at a dryland desperado. An afterword to Springer-Willms' story reveals that there was indeed a famous Barbadoes pirate, Sam Hall Lord, who made a fortune from looting beached privateer shipwrecks.

Illustrated boldly with plenty of action on each page by artist Damien Jones, this entertaining new picture book manages to salvage its queasy protagonist from a life of piracy, with an alternate career as an on-shore entrepreneur. Yo Ho Ho and a pocketful of gold!

The One Good Question! A Kid Is A Kid Is a Kid by Sara O'Leary

"BEING THE NEW KID IS HARD."

"I CAN THINK OF BETTER QUESTIONS THAN WHETHER I'M A BOY OR A GIRL."

Inquiring minds want to know, and some kids are not shy about asking. Like...

"WHERE DO YOU COME FROM?"

"HERE!"

Some of their questions have obvious answers. "Why do I keep my nose in a book?" "I like to read! DUH!" "Why do I wear the same shirt all the time?" Obviously because it's fantastic! "Are you two identical twins?" "Ah, do we look exactly alike?"

Other questions are too nosy. "Why is your sister different?"

"EVERYONE'S DIFFERENT."

But there is one question that almost ANY KID wants to hear!

"WANT TO PLAY?"

It's natural for kids to ask questions. But some questions need a bit of an, uh, filter, in Sara O'Leary 's latest, A Kid Is a Kid Is a Kid (Groundwood Books, 2021).

Learning the social skills of asking the right questions in the right way is the subject of this new picture book, illustrated with great good humor by artist Qin Leng, Author O'Leary skillfully points out some questions that are better not asked at certain times. Some are hurtful, some are rude, some are critical, and some others just don't need to be asked at first meeting. This book has good possibilities for shared reading, with one child reading one question and another reading the reply and a discussion of how each question in the story might make them feel, and what might be a kinder way to phrase it.

Says Booklist, "Illustrated in fine-lined drawings and watercolors, the funky and droll children (no adults here) sport wild styles, active postures, and creative antics to make their point."

Share this one with its companion book, Sara O'Leary's A Family Is a Family Is a Family.

What Do We Want? WE WANT SNOW: A Wintry Chant by Jamie A. Swenson

"WE WANT SNOW--UP TO OUR ANKLES...,

"SHINS..., KNEES..., AND CHINS!"

The kids are ready; they want the whole nine yards of the snow season.

But so far the winter sky watch has been a bust. Their snow watch is a fluke, for heaven's sake! But, Wait!

"A FLAKE!"

And do the kids get their wish!

They pile on their sleds, dachshunds and all, slipping and sliding down the hill. They make snow forts and have a snowball fight. This is the way to do winter right! Snowmen grow fat and tall with woolly mittens and puffy coats for all. Ice skates and skiis are sure to please. Kids and dogs, and grownups, too, play outside until their noses turn blue.

And then, they have a different thought.

"WE WANT COCOA--PIPING HOT!"

"WITH MARSHMALLOWS--WE WANT A LOT!"

But ... as the wintry days continue and the weather remains windy, dark, and cold... the kids' desire for snow days begins to grow old.

"WHOA! BRRRRRRR! TOO MUCH SNOW!"

"SNOW IN OUR HAIR AND UNDERWEAR...."

And snow keeps coming everywhere.

It seems that there can be ... TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING!

"HOW ABOUT AN EARLY SPRING?"

Jamie A. Swenson's just-in-time chiming, rhyming, loving salute to snowtime, We Want Snow: A Wintry Chant (Sleeping Bear Press, 2021) is a joy to read for kids who can't wait for the white stuff to fall.

Swenson's clever rhyming storytelling, matched to the jolly illustrations of Emilie Boon, make this one an irresistible read-aloud story and a charming performance script for Christmas parties and parent programs, with the winsome warning that it's perhaps good that snowy days and nights, despite their lively delights and charming good cheer, don't last all year!

Poet Percy Shelley's longing got it about right! "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"

We can only hope so!!

Suitable for All Occasions! BEAR Is a BEAR by Jonathan Stutzman

BEAR IS A BEAR FULL OF LOVE.

BEAR IS A SOFT, WARM PILLOW.

BEAR IS A NEW FRIEND.

To a young one, a big toy bear can be many things, a soft, snuggly sleeping partner, a special guest at a tea party, a lusty pirate, a fellow ghost for Halloween, and a big, strong protector in a scary storm. He goes on wild explorations outdoors, shares a story book or a telescope under a starry sky. . . He dries tears and shares hours of too much homework.

And then, when the child has grown and moves out into the big world, Bear goes into a storage chest.

BEAR IS A MEMORY.

But...

BEAR IS REMEMBERED....

BEAR is not forgotten in Jonathan Stutzman's just published masterwork, Bear Is a Bear (HarperCollins, 2021). This well remembered childhood toy is resurrected, an old friend who becomes a new companion for another child in another time.

Beautifully illustrated by Caldecott Medal artist Dan Santat, this just-published book joins stories those other memorable "lovies" of childhood, one to comfort and love and to live again in the life of another child. In the love of the giver--parent, grandparent, or family friend, such a Bear looms large in the life of a child who loves and depends on him, working the magic of a special toy, it seems, into the next generation.

Whether that special toy is stored away or just a well-remembered childhood friend, it livea in our minds as long as we have memories. Says Booklist, "... a tender and surprising tribute to the beloved companions of our childhoods."

Dream Big! Brontorina by James Howe

Brontorina had a dream.

"I WANT TO DANCE! IN MY HEART, I AM A BALLERINA!"

It's no surprise that Madame Lucille, owner and operator, and her ballet-slipper-shod little students are astounded, standing on the stairs of Madame Lucille's Dance Academy and gaping at the would-be pupil presenting herself as a potential danseuse. After all, Brontorina is a big orange brontosaurus, and moreover, as one little pupil points out...

"SHE DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT SHOES!"

Clara and Jack insist that she be given a chance. Madame Lucille is a noted dance instructor, but she's never taught a dinosaur. Nonetheless, with the boys and girls in the class keeping a safe distance, at the next lesson she welcomes the eager Brontorina inside her studio, politely asking her large pupil not to squash the others. Madame Lucille orders her somewhat appalled pianist to play for the lesson and leads the troup through their warmup moves:

"PLIE!"

Brontorina's plie is perfect! But her RELEVE', while done with elegant form, forces her head through the ceiling. Her ARABESQUE is daintily done, but her JETE' rips a long rift through the roof!

"WHAT A GRACEFUL DANCER YOU ARE, MY DEAR! BUT I AM AFRAID YOU ARE TO0 BIG!"

But Clara insists that her mother has been making something for Brontorina, and at the next lesson she brings Brontorina a pair of beautiful Size XXXXX ballet slippers. Brontorina is thrilled, but then admits that perhaps she is just too big for Madame Lucille's Dance Academy.

"FIDDLESTICKS!! THE PROBLEM IS NOT THAT YOU ARE TOO BIG!

"THE PROBLEM IS THAT MY STUDIO IS TOO SMALL."

And soon the class is back in session with a new location (a pasture) and a new sign--

MADAME LUCILLE'S OUTDOOR DANCE STUDIO~~BOYS, GIRLS, DINOSAURS!

And soon all the young danseurs and danseuses are ready to execute a grand tours jete, in the famed children's author, James Howe's, Brontorina (Candlewick Press). James Howe, the prolific master of droll children's stories with the appropriately whimsical illustrations of artist Randy Cecil, which encourage young readers to think "big''-- and outside the box!

"Text and illustrations work beautifully together in this witty fantasy. . . ." says Booklist in a starred review.

Job Swap: Dogs At Work by Margaret Cardillo

THERE THEY GO. WHAT DO THEY DO ALL DAY?

SOMEONE NEEDS TO TAKE CARE OF US!

WHAT IF--our dogs all went out to work all day? What are kids supposed to do? Kids need someone to take care of them--to notice if they are happy--or not! Who will take them out for a walk...or stop them from unwinding all the toilet paper? Who will see that they have something to eat... Who will keep them safe... or give them cuddles and good night kisses?

WHAT IF THEY NEVER COME BACK?

Dogs (and other assorted pets) dress up in their working clothes or uniforms and head out to the job, boarding the bus and going out into the world to do very important things, like emcee a TV show, run for mayor, rescue people in fire trucks or helicopters or on skiis, read to toddlers in the library, herd sheep, or deliver the mail! And the kids miss them a LOT!

But, wait! Someone's coming in the door!

HERE THEY ARE!

I KNEW YOU WOULD COME BACK!

Author Margaret Cardillo turns the tables on tots and their pets, in her latest, Dogs at Work: Good Dogs. Real Jobs. (Balzer and Bray, 2021), as kids wait in their empty homes, while their pets go out to do the work of the world.

Being a kid's best friend is an important job, but in her book's Barkmatter (Backmatter), author Cardillo also describes actual working dogs doing their jobs--lobster-diving dogs, truffle-sniffing dogs, herd dogs, search and rescue dogs, fire service dogs, therapy and guide dogs, and sled and hauling dogs, as well as a "Furrier" Further Reading, and online sources. Noted artist Zachariah Ohora furnishes the jocular illustrations of real and comic dogs doing their thing to add to the fun of this turnabout pet tale.

Says Publishers Weekly, "The scenes showing canine morning and evening commutes represent lovely moments of deadpan humor, and each image reminds readers of what they love best about their pooches: their tenacity and steadfastness, whether at home or on the job."

Three's A Crowd! Norman Didn't Do It! (Yes, He Did!) by Ryan T. Higgins

Norman the porcupine is not really a normal porcupine.

NORMAN'S BEST FRIEND WAS MILDRED.

MILDRED WAS A TREE.

They spend a lot of time together, playing baseball and chess, and birdwatching. (Birds like Mildred, too.) Norman even reads her bedtime stories. They are a perfect pair.

Until one day, Norman noticed a seedling sprouting.

"WHO IS THAT?"

"IT WAS ANOTHER TREE!"

Their perfect pairing was no more. And as the little tree grew, he and Mildred grew close and closer. NOW it was a threesome. And one ominous day, Mildred and the other tree touched branches. Norman is jealous!

THIS IS THE LAST STRAW!

By dark of night, Norman digs up the other tree, deposits him, root ball and all, into a wheelbarrow and pushes it through darkness until he comes to a lake. He rows to an island far out in the middle of the lake, where he digs a hole and re-plants the tree all alone.

THE OTHER TREE WAS GONE.

Norman and Mildred are a twosome again. But their easy companionship is gone. Mildred seems droopy. And Norman knows why.

"WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

"WHAT IF IT WAS THE WRONG THING TO DO?"

Norman also worries that his perfidy might have been seen by someone else. It was dark, very dark, and he saw no one, so who could have observed his dastardly deed?

OMG!

"OH, NO! THE TREES!"

Norman knows what he must do and he does it, in Ryan T. Higgins' latest, Norman Didn't Do It! (Yes, He Did).

Author Higgins' reformed hero even finds that a treesome threesome can provide a good place to hang his hammock! Ryan T. Higgs is a prolific source of comic hits for the primary set, such as Mother Bruce (Mother Bruce, Book 1) (Mother Bruce Series, 1) and We Don't Eat Our Classmates! (Penelope).

Says Publishers Weekly in a starred review, "...an astute and endearing story of displacement anxiety.... Higgins knows exactly when to go in for a close-up and focus on Norman's comic sturm und drang. The porcupine is a protagonist that readers should find deeply relatable: reveling in unconditional love, prone to impulsiveness and rumination, and absolutely capable of self-redemption."

Witty in Pink! Pink by Lynne Rickards

One morning Patrick the Penguin woke up to a SURPRISE!

HE WAS PINK FROM HEAD TO FOOT!

A quick trip to the penguin pediatrician Dr. Black found nothing wrong--except that Patrick was no longer feathered in basic black and white.

"I'M A BOY! BOYS CAN'T BE PINK!" PATRICK CRIED.

His dad consulted his BIRDS OF THE WORLD BOOK.

"FLAMINGOS ARE PINK," MUSED HIS DAD. "AT LEAST HALF OF THEM ARE BOYS."

The kids at school are quite taken aback at his change from being black! Patrick decides he does not like being different! He packs his backpack and sets off to swim to Africa where the flamingos live and his pinkness won't stick out in the crowd!

But after swimming for seven days he finds that he's still different. They have long, long legs and wade deep in the lake where they spear fish for lunch. Patrick's flippers are way to short. And when the flamingos nap, they stand on one of those long legs and put their heads under their wings. Patrick really tried to follow the crowd.

HE WAS HOPELESS.

AND WHEN SUNSET CAME, THE FLAMINGOS FLAPPED THEIR WINGS AND ROSE INTO THE AIR LIKE A BIG PINK CLOUD.

And Patrick sees that being pink on the outside doesn't make him a flamingo. It's a long swim back to the South Pole for Patrick, a trip only a true penguin could carry off, in Lynne Rickard's Pink! (Windmill Books/Wacky Bee Books, 2020). Sometimes changes in latitudes do not make for a change in aptitudes! Rickards's back-to-basic-black pink penguin tale humorously points out that most differences in outward looks can be less unimportant when it comes to whom you are inside, backed up by Margaret Chamberlain's humorous illustrations of a penguin trying out flamingo-hood.

The Littlest Things: The Rescuers of Tiny Creatures by Curtis Manley

Everyone wants to help little lost puppies or cuddly kittens. Many famous people support saving elephants and rhinos and gorillas. But Roberta cares about really little things--like gnats and bees, millipedes, and spiders!

"I rescue tiny creatures. It's a special job.." A job no one else seems to care about," says Roberta.

Roberta reads books about insects and helps beetles who get stuck on their back. She saves millipedes stuck on hot sidewalks. She removes a baby snail from the radishes in the garden. She tells lost ladybugs to fly away home! But only her cat and her little brother care enough to helps her. At school, the other kids think she is just weird!

"Ms. Williams! Roberta has been picking up worms again," tattles Luis.

"Oh, Roberta, don't touch anything!" said her teacher.

"No one has ever been harmed by earthworm slime," I say, but no one hears me.

But one day when Roberta gets to school, her teacher and all the kids are crowded into one corner of the classroom.

SPIDERS!

Hundreds of tiny spiders have just hatched and are climbing up everything in the room. Nobody knows what to do--except Roberta!

Quickly, Roberta shows them how to make small origami boxes for the spiders and teaches the kids to catch the spiders and take them outside and sit the open box beside the wall at the front of the school. Immediately the little spiders head for the wall and start to climb up the wall to the roof of the school. Ms. Williams gives Roberta the job of explaining why.

"They'll stand on tippy-toes and unfurl their spider silk. And then the breeze will float them away like balloons... to new homes!"

All the kids are wowed as they watch the little spiders soar away on the breeze. Some even want to take their box of spiders to watch from home. And one girl named Maria confides to Roberta that she wants to help her rescue little animals and even bigger animals, like pandas and pangolins, polar bears and elephants.

Author Curtis Manley's latest, The Rescuer of Tiny Creatures (Roaring Brook Press, 2021), has a lot to say about the value of kids who march to a different drummer, and the value to society that such differences in interests can play, especially those interested in science, (even KRAKENS!

Artist Lucy Ruth Cummins, who did the illustrations for the popular pumpkin season story, Stumpkin, (read my review here) adds humor and empathy for the characters in this story, even the millipede, (but maybe not the KRAKEN!) Author Manley also adds an appendix with a picture glossary of tiny critters (and the Kraken) and the directions to make a small origami box with lockable lid.

Writes Publishers Weekly's review, "... both a STEM tale about insects and a lesson in staying true to oneself, as Roberta’s distinctive interest takes her from odd kid out to minor celebrity."

The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side: If Only by Mies Van Hout

THE CHILD THOUGHT,

IF ONLY I WERE A BUTTERFLY,

THEN I COULD FLY EVERYWHERE,

Sometimes it seems that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. A little girl watches the butterflies fluttering around overhead and admires their freedom to fly freely. Little does she guess that the butterfly has other wishes. In her case, the butterfly wishes to be a stick insect, almost impossible to see on his tree, inconspicuous instead of flashy! But the slow-moving stick insect longs to zip and zag and whirl across the surface of the pond like the whirligig beetle. But the swift and shifty beetle wishes he could be a firefly with his own spotlight in the night!

THE FIREFLY THOUGHT,

IF ONLY I WERE A BEE,

THEN I'D ALWAYS HAVE FRIENDS TO HELP ME.

But the busy bee secretly longs to be alone sometimes, doing things all by herself, like the spider.

The spider, however, knows that she's a bit off-putting, with her eight long creepy legs and scary fangs!

IF ONLY I WERE A LADYBUG,

THEN EVERYONE WOULD THINK I WAS ADORABLE!

But there's a downside to being cute, as the ladybug longs to be as purposeful and strong as an ant! And while the slow-moving snail envies the ground-covering leaps of the grasshopper, he wishes he had the helicopter-like mobility of the dragonfly, who can even fly backwards!

And whom does the dragonfly envy?...

...Someone who can giggle and sing, play hide-and-seek and count and hop, and think up how to make all kinds of things out of all kinds of things--a kid-- in Mies Van Hout's jolly new picture book, If Only... (Pajama Press, 2021).

The old proverb that says "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride," warns against jealousy of what others are and can do, but for a human child, it's sometimes a good thing to imagine how to turn those wishes into new ways and skills in how to do things. In author-illustrator Van Hout's bouyant and imaginative collaged illustrations, youngsters can learn about backyard creatures, learn to appreciate the abilities of each, and be inspired with the possibilities that being a human child also offers

In its starred review, School Library Journal says, "Spread after spread of exuberantly busy, beautiful life…. A visual delight, this picture book offers openings for conversation about wishes, predictions, and one's own enviable strengths."

Too Much of A Good Thing? The Bruce Swap by Ryan T. Higgins

There was a forest in front of the little cabin Bruce the curmudgeonly bear shared with three goslings and four mice.

Sure, it's the North Woods, so there are some evergreens around the lake, but Bruce's yard was mostly a forest of signs beginning with the word NO--NO TALKING, NO SWIMMING, NO FISHING, NO CAMPING, NO PICNICKING, NO TRESPASSING...! Bruce was no fun. The mice longed for adventures. The geese just wanted--sandwiches!

ONE MORNING THERE WAS A LETTER IN THE MAILBOX AT 13 GO AWAY LANE!

It was a letter from Bruce's fun-loving cousin Kevin, saying he's coming for a fun-filled vacation. But nobody knew that--because one of the goslings ate the letter. So on the day of fun-loving Kevin's arrival, nobody knew they were about to have guests! Bruce went fishing, leaving a note, but one of the goslings ate that, so nobody knew that either.

So when fun-loving Kevin arrived with outdoor equipment and a bag of sandwiches, the mice and geese thought he was Bruce. But not the party-pooping Bruce they knew. This was a different Bruce.

"ALL OUR WISHES HAVE COME TRUE!" SAID THISTLE.

"WAIT! THIS MUST BE BRUCE'S DOPPELGANGER!" SAID RUPERT.

"DINGLE POOPER?" ASKED NIBB.

But no matter! This version of Bruce was nothing but fun. He gave them all the candy they could eat and then inspired a candy battle. He pulled out a pogo stick and hopped all over the cabin. He ordered endless pizzas. Then he flooded the cabin to make an indoor swimming pool. His rowdy buddies showed up and finished wrecking the cabin, so the party moved outside. Dingle Pooper Bruce taped Rupert to a kite and sent him up for his first flight. The cabin and yard were a dreadful MESS! Since MESS is not fun, fun-loving Kevin and his chums piled into their van and left the premises.

SOME OF THE FUN WAS.... QUESTIONABLE.

"NO MORE FUN! NO, NO, NO! PLEASE!" THE GOSLINGS PLEADED.

THEY ALL WISHED FOR REGULAR BRUCE TO COME BACK!

There's such a thing as too much fun for the mice and goslings, who were actually glad to see the real party-pooper Bruce putt-putting back up the road on his motor skooter, in Ryan T. Higgins' latest in his Mother Bruce series, The Bruce Swap (Disney Press, 2021). (But at least there's plenty of pizza left over!)

Author-illustrator Higgins combines hilarious comic illustrations, oddball family affection, and one of children's literature's greatest grumpy bears in his Mother Bruce series, which began with Mother Bruce (Mother Bruce, Book 1) (Mother Bruce Series, 1)

"A gentle, silly picture book about balancing fun and responsibility," says Kirkus Reviews

Houdinipus: The Octopus Escapes by Maile Meloy

THE OCTOPUS WAS HAPPY IN HIS CAVE.

The view is one of a kind. Colorful fish swim lazily or dart around, some in schools and some solo. Jellyfish and starfish and mussels are visible from his door. Chilly waves breeze by and some tumble around him and leave messy sand for him to sweep out. Crabs come by for dinner. Everything is great in his life, until...

...something odd floats inside his cave. It's a glove, and he takes it for his own. And since it's empty, he slips inside of it to get out of sight.

BIG MISTAKE!

An arm with five fingers grabs the glove, and Octopus soon finds himself in a tank inside a big glass building called an aquarium. A human with a clipboard stares at him.

SAD GRAY SHARKS WERE IN GLASS HOUSES OF THEIR OWN.

THE HUMANS GAVE HIM TESTS THAT LOOKED LIKE TOYS. THEY TAUGHT HIM TO TAKE PICTURES.

But the octopus missed his cave and all the different fish and the starfish and mussels. He missed everything being different every day.

HE TRIED TO TELL THE HUMAN HE WAS BORED.

But when she doesn't seem to understand, Octopus decided to escape. That night Octopus pushed open the top of his little tank and crawled away.

HE TOOK ONE PICTURE SO THEY WOULDN'T WORRY. HE SQUEEZED UNDER THE DOOR AND DROPPED...

Off the pier he fell into the ocean, his ocean, and swam and swam until he came to...

HIS CAVE.

Octopus hadn't thought his home was special until he was taken away to be studied in an aquarium, but in Maile Meloy's charming "no-place-like-home" story, Octopus uses his smarts and his shape-changing skills to return to his home, sweet home, in The Octopus Escapes (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2021), illustrated in beautiful vibrant paintings by Felecita Sala. Her sly red octopus helps show young readers how intelligent and dexterous octopi can be in this nature story, based on the achievements of real octopi in recent aquarium studies. For more of those great escapes that would make Harry Houdini jealous, see Inky the Octopus: The Official Story of One Brave Octopus' Daring Escape (Includes Marine Biology Facts for Fun Early Learning!).

There's More Than One Side to Everything! Turtle in a Tree by Neesha Hudson

It's absurd! A greyhound sees something that should not logically BE!

A TURTLE IN A TREE?

His friend, the little bulldog, declares that that cannot BE! Surely that's a squirrel up in that tree. Everyone knows--turtles don't climb trees. Squirrels climb trees. Ergo, That must be a squirrel up there. The bulldog climbs up on the greyhound's shoulders for a closer look.

"I SEE A LONG BUSHY TAIL." SAYS THE BULLDOG....

But the greyhound sees something else.

"A ROUND, LUMPY, TURTLEY SHELL!"

Whatever it is in the tree starts tossing acorns at the two dogs. HA! Proof positive. It's a squirrel!

TURTLE!

SQUIRREL!

TURTLE!

SQUIRREL!

Then--the moment of truth! A squirrel leaps down from the tree! HA! The greyhound admits he was wrong. But before the bulldog gets a chance to celebrate...

THUNK!

A turtle drops like a stone from the tree! What are the odds? A squirrel AND a turtle together in a tree? Could that ever BE?

And as the squirrel rides off on the turtle's back into the sunset (Well, actually, off for a cruise on the turtle's back in the pond), the two dogs ponder what they have learned.

It seems that sometimes two different things can be true at one and the same time, in author-illustrator Neesha Hudson's philosophical little parable, Turtle in a Tree. (Dial Books, 2021)

It's an amazing world, one in which a turtle may be in a tree and a squirrel might take a dive into the pond!

Perhaps Lewis Carroll's Alice was right--believing "six impossible things before breakfast" is the way to go to prepare for life in this amazing world! Says Booklist, "Using sparse text, chuckle-worthy sound effects, and several absolutely wonderful and expertly placed wordless spreads, Hudson is clearly a storyteller and artist who understands intuitively how to use silence and image to amplify laughs."