What's the BIG Idea? Twenty Big Trucks in the Center of the Street by Mark Lee

On a sunny, tree-lined city street, a boy bikes through the park. And then something happens!

ONE ICE CREAM TRUCK, SELLING EVERYTHING SWEET,

BREAKS DOWN AND BLOCKS THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET.

And before the vendor gets out to check under the hood, the mail truck comes along and stops behind him.

And one after the other, more trucks are stopped behind them--even a truck with bales of hay! Looks like nobody's going anywhere today!

And behind him, others stop--a pick-up truck full of landscaping trees, a giant yellow crane truck, delivery trucks of all kinds, two moving vans (who won't be moving), a stake truck of pigs, and a dump truck loaded with sand. Two traffic cops show up, but they're no help. Nobody can back up or go forward. Meanwhile, a cement mixer and a gasoline tanker pull in behind. Next come a tar truck and a truck for towing; nobody here is going to be going.

A garbage truck, a bread truck, a truck full of meat, no is moving on this street. Everybody frets, without a clue. There must be something somebody can do!

A small voice speaks up--the kid on the bike. At first they ignore him, then realize he's RIGHT.

PLEASE LOOK! CAN'T YOU SEE?

THE BIG CRANE TRUCK IS WHAT WE NEED!

And suddenly the stalled crane operator swings his boom over the others and lifts up the ice cream truck, swinging him down to the grassy park's side, leaving the others to continue their ride.

And with the ice cream truck open for business in the park, the boy gets a free ice cream cone, in Mark Lee's latest, Twenty Big Trucks in the Middle of the Street (Candlewick, 2022). Author Mark Lee lets the youngest bystander save the day and help everyone else be on their way, Kids get to polish their counting skills as well in this reading treat, and illustrator Curt Cyrus adds to the fun with his realistic vehicle drawings, All's well that ends well (and with ice cream for all comers.)

Writes the Wall Street Journal's reviewer, "Handsome entertainment. This softly rhyming picture book presents children with a small but exciting dilemma that quickly involves—hurrah!—all sorts of trucks.

Beware! Cat Traps by Molly Coxe

For a big orange cat, there is nothing sadder than an empty bowl.

CAT WANTS A SNACK.

He snickers as he locates the perfect device--a spring-release mouse trap! But the trap does not catch a mouse.

CAT CATCHES A BUG!

YUCK!

Down near the chicken coop, Cat tries another idea, a wire cage with the door propped open. The chickens cluck all around it and then stroll off, free, but Cat's trap catches a pig.

TOO BIG!

Cat really wants a snack. By the pond, he tries to catch a fish in a net. The fish is so big that it tows him around the bend in the net

Next, the poor hungry cat strikes out with deadfall trap for a bullfrog and gets an angry dog instead. Then he nets a duck. You know what? Angry ducks are mean!

BAD LUCK!

Then he spots a girl with a sack of promising tidbits and follows her home. He still wants a snack....

And what's in her sack? Could it be... Oh, JOY!

CAT CHOW!

Molly Coxe's Cat Traps (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1) proves that persistence pays in this bright early read for preschoolers and primary grade students who still need picture cues to help with word recognition. Coxe's illustrations of his hapless hunter will tickle youngsters' giggle boxes and persuade them to keep reading to see what happens next. Other books in this series on this level by author-illustrator Molly Coxe include Big Egg (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1) and Hot Dog (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1).

Good Intentions Go a Long WAY! Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug by Jonathan Stutzman

Little T. Rex is feeling blue, and not just because his skin is naturally baby blue. He's blue because his friend Pointy is very sad and needs a hug, and Tiny T. Rex's arms are way too short to deliver a big hug.

POINTY NEEDS ME!

Tiny T. Rex asks his family for help. But his dad, as mathematicians often do, turns his question into a mathematical equation!

POINTY DOESN'T LIKE MATH.

Mother counsels that it's not how long his arms are, but what's in his heart.

AUNTIE SUGGESTS CUCUMBER JUICE.

Tiny T. Rex's brother and sister say he needs to practice more.

.

"I WILL PLAN MY STRATEGY," TINY T. SAID. "I WILL PRACTICE MY HUGS."

Tiny T. Rex looked around for something to practice hugging. Perhaps a tree would work. He spots something tall and green with big arms.

It is a...

CACTUS!

Not a smart strategy, considering that the spines are quite sharp!

Tiny T. decides he need some altitude to spot a more suitable tree for hugging, so he hops on a flying dinosaur, but soon slides off, sailing down, down, down, until...

CONK! He lands right on top of Pointy's head and holds on tight.

"THAT WAS THE BIGGEST HUG EVER!"" SAYS POINTY.

It seems Mother was right. It's not the size of the hugger, but the size of his heart, in Jonathan Stutzman's Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug (Chronicle Books).

As illustrated sweetly by artist Jay Fleck, Tiny T., this diminutive dinosaur certainly has plenty of heart, in author Jonathan Stutzman's book in his popular Tiny T. Rex series, starring as its undeniably charming and cuddly little hero. Other books in this series are Tiny T. Rex and the Perfect Valentine, Tiny T. Rex and the Very Dark Dark: (Read-Aloud Family Books, Dinosaurs Kids Book About Fear of Darkness), and Tiny T. Rex and the Tricks of Treating.

Dognabbit! Interrupting Cow: New Tricks for The Old Dog by Jane Yolen

The cows were lounging around in front of the barn, when Interrupting Cow appears and tosses out an old cannard.

"KNOCK KNOCK!"

Interrupting Cow, giggled, rolling in laughter on the floor, while the clueless cows rack their brains for the meaning of that non sequitur, and an old gray dog appears in the barn door with a smug smile.

"NOT FUNNY!" REPLY THE COWS.

In a huff the cows vacate the barn. To the surprise of Interrupting Cow, the old dog giggles again, with a winner's chuckle.

For parents who've endured those "Guess What?/That's What?" jokes, look who's the one who gets the laughs now?

At least Old Dog gets a laugh out of Interrupting Cow this time in Jane Yolen's latest in her nonsense beginning readers, New Tricks for the Old Dog: Ready-to-Read Level 2 (Interrupting Cow) (Simon Spotlight, 2021). Make way for certain silliness here. It's Old Dog who scores the first giggle in this book by the noted Jane Yolen, author of the best-selling How Do Dinosaurs..., rhyming easy-to-read series.

Teatime Catastrophe: Phoebe Dupree Is Coming to Tea!> by Linda Ashman

PHOEBE'S AS PERFECT AS PERFECT CAN BE!

She's certainly one of the cool kids! It's quite the coup to travel in her company, and our girl hopes that everything will be a perfect as Phoebe. She even bathes her dog Louie, and prompts him to be on his best behavior. He's instructed to offer one paw to shake, and he's NOT to dig holes or jump in the pool!

NO SHEDDING! NO DROOL!

Phoebe's so clever and stylish, with plenty of smarts. She rates fine china, eclairs, and fruit tarts!

The table is set with pink tablecloth and matching flowers. It's ready ahead of time, by hours and hours. At last, says the clock, it is almost three. And right on time, Ding Dong, it's Phoebe Dupree! She greets Louie gently when first she comes in, with an appropriate little chuck of his chin. The teapot is fetched, and tea poured without a drip...

But the triple-tiered tea tray starts to slip...!

IT WOBBLES, I STUMBLE...THEN I TRIP...!

The eclairs fly through the air, Phoebe jostles a chair, and the table totters, with a tumble and a tip!

It's a teatime catastrophe, a hostess' disaster!

And then, to make things worse, Louie runs in from a dip in the pool. His shakes distribute equal amounts of pool water and... drool.

The party is a washout; is this teatime done?

"OH," SAYS PHOEBE, "THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN!"

And Phoebe IS perfect, displaying grace under pressure, as our would-be hostess with the mostest discovers, in Linda Ashman's delightful Phoebe Dupree Is Coming to Tea! (Candlewick Press, 2021). Consoled with some slightly smooshed eclairs and cookie shards, and with the lively, comic illustrations of Alea Marley documenting the calamity, a good time is had by all in an absolutely memorable tea party.

"Funny, subtly empowering, and sweet," is the verdict of Kirkus Reviews.

Do It Your Way! Zuri Ray Tries Ballet by Tami Charles

 

ZURI RAY LOVED TRYING EXTRAORDINARY THINGS, ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY THINGS.

With Jessie, her BFFD (Best Friend from Diapers), she has taken on snorkeling, science experiments, ghost-hunting, and being detectives. They always take turns choosing what to do next. This time it's Jessie's turn and she chooses a week at Ballet Camp. She takes to the tutu, the pirouette, and the jete' right away.

But ballet is a bust for Zuri. The tight chignon hurts her head, the tutu is scratchy, and her slippered feet slide on the floor, and she finds herself, not en pointe, but en derriere!

It's an embarrassment for Zuri, who fancies herself a soccer star. When she arrives at home, she declares . . .

"I QUIT! IT'S TOO HARD FOR ME!"

But big sister Remi reminds Zuri what her family always says.

"WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE RAYS GET TOUGHER!"

Zuri realizes that she can't let her family down. But the next day finds her still doing a pas de deux with the floor even more. She tells the teacher that she just can't move like the other little would-be ballerinas.

And her teacher tells her something that gives her a new way to look at the chasse' and plie'!

"DANCING IS ALL ABOUT IMAGINATION."

And when Zuri shows up for class the next day in her soccer uniform, she performs the high kicks her way, in Tami Charles' Zuri Ray Tries Ballet (Quill/HarperCollins, 2021).

It's different strokes for different folks, in a sweet story of friendship honored while being true to self. Author Tami Charles shows adventurous little friends who are willing to remain open about trying out new things while seeking their own "thing." Illustrator Sharon Sordo handles this difficult transition for the two Best Friends Forever as they navigate their first major disagreement with warmth, understanding, and humor, and pictures the importance of support from a loving family.

Says School Library Journal, "Young elementary-age readers will adore the vividly animated characters and feel encouraged by Zuri Ray and her example of finding compassion for herself and practicing honesty in friendship. A wonderful addition to any collection."

T'was the Night... : Five Little Monkeys Looking for Santa by Eileen Christelow

On the night before Christmas, what do little ones want? Eggnog? A kiss under the mistletoe? Fruitcake? An early bedtime?

We wish!

No, since the celebrated Clement Clarke Moore penned his classic, we know that parents want their children all snug, asleep in their beds. But for little Santa fans, Christmas Eve brings the worst insomnia a youngster can experience! And how are those five little monkeys, famous for jumping on their bed, sleeping on this Christmas Eve?

YOU GUESSED IT!

CREEPING PAST MAMA SLEEPING,

SNEAKING DOWN EACH STAIR. . .

Santa's not putting presents around the Christmas tree, but-- what's that noise in the kitchen? Clickety Clack! Is Santa raiding their fridge for a snack? No, it's Grandpa, having a cookie and cocoa, with a time-honored warning.

"SANTA WON'T COME WHILE YOU'RE AWAKE!"

"GO BACK T0 BED, FOR GOODNESS SAKE!"

But the five little monkeys are still worried. Does Santa know their address? And what's that noise in the bathroom? Santa?

It's Mom in her bathrobe. She repeats Grandpa's advice and shoos them back to bed. But it's not long before they hear a bump on the roof. Is it Santa making a very bad landing?

Quick as a flash, they're out the front door in their jammies, looking up on the roof. The noise is still there, so they find a long ladder and scale it double quick. But there's not a sign of Old St. Nick!

SUDDENLY, WITH A BIG GUST OF WIND AND A CREAKING SOUND...

. . .the monkeys see their ladder blown down to the ground! OOPS! Now how do THEY get down?

Shivering, they brainstorm the only way. If Santa can do it, SO CAN THEY! It's down the grimy chimney for the tired little monkeys.

And sooty and chilly, they now want to sleep. They crash on the couch, all piled in a heap.

And when Santa finally comes down the chimney with care, he finds them all snoozing, totally unaware.

So Santa fills each stocking, grinning from ear to ear.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS, LITTLE MONKEYS! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!"

On Christmas Eve what do Santa newbies do? It's an old plot, but for little ones it's all brand-new. As bells jingle and snowflakes glisten, they lie in their beds sleepless, with nothing to do but listen!

Eileen Christelow, the author of so many hilarious books about the Five Little Monkeys, has a good reason for a new one for this season, Five Little Monkeys Looking for Santa (A Five Little Monkeys Story) (Clarion Books, 2021). For youngsters who've yet to meet Christelow's mischievous five, this seasonal story is a great introduction to these famous characters.

Bedtime Story: Time for Bed, Old House by Janet Costa Bates

ISAAC LOVED THE NEW PAJAMAS HE GOT FOR HIS FIRST SLEEPOVER AT GRANDPOP'S HOUSE.

He loved playing blocks and board games on the floor with Grandpop. But he wasn't sure he loved the idea of spending the night at Grandpop's house.

"I'M NOT SLEEPY,"HE SAID.

So Grandpop suggests that he help put the old house to bed. They have to be very quiet and walk softly. They turn off the light switches and lamps as they go, when Isaac hears a weird sniffing sound. But it's only Grandpop's old shaggy dog, Snuffles, ready to go to bed, too.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!"

"WHAT'S THAT?"

It is a scary noise, but Grandpop has Isaac look outside a window to see the old swings in the yard, blowing in the wind. Then it's time to pull down the shades.

"LOOKS LIKE THE HOUSE IS CLOSING ITS EYES TO SLEEP," SAID GRANDPOP.

The two make their way upstairs to Mom's old bedroom. Grandpop hands Isaac a book to read for a bedtime story. Isaac protests that he can't read yet.

"YOU CAN READ THE PICTURES!" SUGGESTS GRANDPOP.

Snuffles settles down, and Isaac climbs in his grandfather's lap and begins to read the pictures on each page. And when he finishes the book, Isaac finds that he's read his Grandpop to sleep. He covers his grandfather with the throw. He pulls down the window shade in Mom's old room. He reads the pictures in another book to himself, turns off the lamp, and pats Snuffles on his head. The old house is asleep, and soon Sniffles and Isaac are, too. No one is awake to hear the snores of all three of them.

It's bedtime and all is well, in Janet Costa Bates' brand-new bedtime book, Time for Bed, Old House (Candlewick Press, 2021).

In this easy-going account of a childhood milestone, it is the child himself who, after some clever priming by Grandpop, takes charge of his own first sleepaway night. Noted artist AG Ford's warm and homey illustrations make the best of this endearing story of grandparent and child. Says School Library Journal, "The rituals of bedtime, as encompassing and timeless as the bonds between generations, elevate a simple tale and make it an essential purchase for every collection."

Candle Light, Window Bright! Happy Llamakkah by Laura Gehl

CANDLES TO LIGHT.

MORE EVERY NIGHT!

In the time of the darkest dark of winter, the candles of Hanukkah appear, lighted one by one until the last, highest candle glows, ready to go into the window to challenge the dark.

Dreidles get spun to remind that miracles were done.

Gifts are given, bright gold foil-covered glittery gelt.

Latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganlyot (donuts) are fried in plenty of oil to remind the children of the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days when the temple was re-consecrated.

It's Llamakkah for young llamas, likely making a debut as a stars of a story about religious festival, in a path well-paved by bears and mice, reindeer and dogs in all those Christmas storybooks, in Laura Gehl's cleverly portmanteau-titled Happy Llamakkah! (Abrams Appleseed Books, 2020).

Written in tercets, with three-line rhymes, the young celebrants move through the games and rituals of the special days, one candle at a time, and ending with the lighted menorrah glowing in the window, proudly displayed for the world to see, just as lighted Christmas trees and candles also shine--as the author points out in her Author's Notes, for all to see, a symbol of freedom of religion, freely granted to all. Artist Lydia Nichols' little llamas and alpacas go through the beloved rituals of celebration, softly portrayed, mostly in profile, as they share the fun of the days of Passover. A good read-aloud to recognize the rituals of Hanukkah for preschool and early primary children.

Lean On Me! Nook by Sally Ann Garland

NOOK WAS SMALL AND GENTLE.

SHE LIKED TO SIT WITH HER BACK PRESSED FIRMLY AGAINST SOMETHING SO THAT SHE COULD FEEL SAFE.

Indoors, she chose to sit in corners and in large, pillowy chairs and watch the others play together, and outdoors...

... HER FAVORITE PLACE WAS THE HOLLOW OF AN OLD TREE.

From her comfy spot, Nook watched the other youngsters play alone and with each other. Sometimes they asked her to join them, but she preferred to stay in her safe spot. The others knew that spot was Nook's place.

BUT HER SPIRIT FOLLOWED THE OTHERS WHEN THEY WENT BACK TO PLAY.

But one morning, everything changed. There was a big, grumpy badger sitting in her place against the tree, who snarled out a warning.

"MINE!"

Nook felt terrified, standing all alone, out in the open with nothing around her. But then she heard a strong voice behind her.

"THAT'S NOOK'S PLACE!"

Bear, Fox, Squirrel, and even Mouse stood right behind her, staring at the intruder. Badger refused to budge.

So Squirrel and Fox each took one of Nook's hands and led her off to the middle of the playground to play.

"YOU'RE WITH US!" THEY SAID.

In Sally Ann Garland's sweet story of shyness and friendship, Nook - A Book About Kindness, Inclusion, Confidence, Trust, and Friendship (Sunbird Books, 2021), timid Nook discovers that with friends who "have her back" she is not shy or fearful anymore.

Author-illustrator Garland's theme is a simple one of friendship and safety in numbers, and her appealing artwork, done in textured colored pencil and paint, portrays her timorous but charming little white lop-eared bunny perfectly, a true shrinking violet blooming in the warm light of friendship. It's a hopeful note for all the faint-hearted, which most of us are at some time in our lives, and especially affecting for those retiring preschoolers and primary graders who find it hard to venture right out into the middle of things.

Things That Go Bump...: Tiny T. Rex And The Very Dark Dark by Jonathan Stutzman

WHEN I AM INSIDE, THE DARK DOESN'T SEEM SO DARK.

OUTSIDE THE DARK IS VERY VERY DARK. THERE ARE NO NIGHTY LIGHTS TO TURN ON.

AND WHEN THERE ARE NO NIGHTY LIGHTS TO TURN ON, THE GRUMBLES AND NOMBIES COME OUT.

Tiny T. Rex and his brother Pointy are new to this sleeping out business. Mom had told them that if they were brave, they would find a light out there somewhere, but they are not so sure about that.

Is there light inside the stomachs of the Crawly-Creeps? Yikes! They need a plan.

While Dad in his chair is nodding over his newspaper, they sneak back inside and get a string of Christmas lights out of the closet. They hustle back out, put up a tablecloth tent, hang up lights all over the backyard trees, and huddle together, hoping their PLAN works.

WE HAVE MADE A SUPER-BRIGHT NIGHTY LIGHT!

But even Dad's snoring and Mom's crunching a celery snack inside sound like the Crawly Creeps and the Grumbles and Nombies coming after them. Are they brave enough to huddle together and look around for those lights Mom promised?

And the two little dino brothers discover that Mom was right. The stars always come out and the moon always rises, in Jonathan Stutzman's not-too-scary scary story about the things that don't quite go bump in the night, Tiny T. Rex and the Very Dark Dark: (Read-Aloud Family Books, Dinosaurs Kids Book About Fear of Darkness) (Chronicle Books, 2020).

Author Jonathan Stutzman's text builds tension cleverly as illustrator Jay Fleck's adorable T-Rex brothers, Pointy and the wee Tiny T., tough it out and fight the fright in their first night sleepout, and young readers will be find reassurance as well.

Share this one during the scary season with Stutzman and Fleck's just published Tiny T. Rex and the Tricks of Treating (Chronicle Books, 2021).

Neighbors: Bird House by Blanca Gomez

 

ON A SNOWY DAY, MY ABUELA AND I FOUND AN INJURED BIRD.

ABUELA TOOK CARE OF IT.

The bird has a broken leg and back at home she bandaged it and put the little bird in an upright bird cage in their living room. The bird seems happy, and the cat is curious. As the little yellow bird's leg heals, Abuela lets it fly around their apartment to keep its wings strong.

IT WAS FANTASTIC!

The cat is fascinated. And Abuela begins to build a little bird house.

And when the bird's leg is healed, Abuela says it is time to let it fly free again. The cat is a bit upset, and the girl is sad, as the little yellow bird flutters up and soars away, soon lost among the tall buildings and the clouds. But Abuela and her granddaughter put up their bird house right away, right beside the door.

SNOW MELTED INTO SPRING.

And one day, when Abuela is watering her flowers on the balcony, the yellow bird returns to check out the new bird house and become their new neighbor....

In author-illustrator Blanca Gomez' newly published Bird House (Abrams Books, 2021), there are many gentle lessons, the nurture of a grandparent for a small child, and the care and the respect for all creatures that share our world. Gomez' meticulous paper collage illustrations are both simple and softly evocative of the theme of this lovely story.

Says Kirkus, "The simple, flowing first-person narrative flits from page to page in a gentle lilting commentary on harmony and respect."

Planting Planning! How To Help A Pumpkin Grow by Ashley Wolff

DIG IT! SPADE IT! SEEDS TO SOW!

Gardeners have to plan for the future. It's early spring, with just the first tree blooming, but Farmer Dog is already getting ready to grow pumpkins for the fall.

He has his seeds in a pail and an intriguing assortment of umbrellas in a box and stakes out where his patch will be fenced and tilled. He spades away in his plot, but he is not alone. Curious animals appear, a goat who's been tasting the blossoms on the tree, a gray mouse who watches from a hole in a tree, a duck dunking for tidbits in the pond, a rabbit nibbling weeds, and a crow with a clear interest in seeds--all are drawn closer as the building and tilling continues.

When Farmer Dog raises an umbrella over each planting place to shelter the seeds from the late spring snow, the curious critters come closer. With a knowing eye especially on Crow, the farmer asks...

WANT TO HELP A PUMPKIN GROW?

And all the animals DO! He shows them how to take care of the growing plants, and they are eager to help. Crow steps up to hold the hose as Farmer Dog waters the little plants. Rabbit eats the weeds and Duck pulls them up, while Mouse watches from the fence. Goat helps wind the vines around the fence and stakes so the leaves can get plenty of sunshine and soon the little white pumpkins become big orange pumpkins, still growing in the long days of summer sun.

TWINE THEM, VINE THEM.

WATCH THEM GO!

FILLING UP THE GARDEN--WHOA!

All the animals pitch in to pick and load the pumpkins on a cart, and now it's Goat's turn to show off, as he steps into the traces to pull the load of pumpkins to the kitchen.

PICK THEM! STACK THEM!

OVERFLOW.

And in the kitchen there are soon piles of pumpkin seeds, some to toast and eat and some to save for next year, and there are plenty of golden pumpkin pies all in a row, even a small one for little Mouse. They're all happy they helped to make them grow.

And that's not ALL! There are still enough pumpkins to . . .

CARVE JUST SO

PLACE THEM SO THE CANDLES SHOW.

And what's left now for their pumpkins to do but...

GLOW!

A bright and shining new pumpkin book for the scary season, veteran author-illustrator Ashley Wolff's latest How to Help a Pumpkin Grow (Beach Lane Books, 2021) does it all, with warm rhymes, and fall scenes of a variety of animals adding to the fun of growing and processing pumpkins to share with all.

This new book by the celebrated illustrator of Joseph Slate's classic Miss Bindergarten books for early graders is a real winner, sure to take its turn in the read-aloud rotation of autumn stories, introducing various animals while also working in the themes of pumpkin gardening, cooperation according to abilities, seasonal stories, cooking, and Halloween and Thanksgiving symbols.

While including all these items in the early education curriculum, Wolff also works in a charming visual joke in which she "hides" the little mouse throughout the story: Mouse, visible partially on almost every page, offers some counting fun for sharp-eyed young "readers." All this comes with the warmth of color-saturated acrylic gouache illustrations that glow with the outdoor pleasures of the growing seasons, especially autumn.

Says Kirkus Reviews, "A rhythmic seasonal read-aloud with rich, detailed illustrations." A first purchase for school and public libraries for sure!

Super Student! Super Milly and the Super School Day by Stephanie Clarkson

TODAY IS SUPERHERO DAY AT SCHOOL.

Milly is super creative. She makes her superhero costume with a cape made with foil and red tea towel with a hole (it doesn't show), her brother's yellow underpants, and big, peel-off M sticker.

Milly's very inventive, but that doesn't mean she thinks she has real SUPERPOWERS. She knows she has no X-RAY vision. She can't leap tall buildings (or even climb up the sides of skyscrapers) and her brother Joe always beats her to the last slice of toast.

And there is already an emergency at school!

WILLIAM'S MOM FORGOT THAT IT IS SUPERHERO DAY!

He's crying in the corner. Milly knows that a real superhero would whirl up a super cloud to change school clothes into superhero tights and a cape. But she can't do that.

Instead, she has a super idea. She peels off her big M, turns it upside down, and sticks it on William's chest.

BAM!

WONDER WILLIAM!

Then Amazing Archie must have green paint for his superhero's picture, but the selfish Spider Sid won't share! Smart Milly has a super solution.

ZAP!

WE CAN MIX BLUE AND YELLOW!

Being kind and imaginative is Super Milly's superhero power, in Stephanie Clarkson's latest, Super Milly and the Super School Day (Nosy Crow, 2021).

Super Milly's special powers are just what her class needs for Superhero Day. Artist Gwen Milwand provides the jolly blackline drawings of typical tykes for this story about just the Right Stuff to save the day. This one is a good read-aloud choice for teaching youngsters empathy as well as how to think outside the box!

Comin' Down! Hello, Rain! by Kyo Maclear

THE AIR IS FULL OF WAITING.

THE SKY IS FULL OF BREEZE.

THE TREES GUST AND BILLOW....

Before the rain... there's a tension in the air. Leaves and birds begin to fly, to... somewhere.

PLINK, PLUNK, PLONK, ON THE ROOFTOP,

METAL MAILBOX PING.

Kids suit up in full raingear. Umbrellas bloom like multicolored morning glories and the kids step out into...

A DELUGE, DOWNPOUR, SPRINKLE, STORM, DRIZZLE OR MIZZLE...

So many raindrops it takes to make just one puddle big enough to go...

SPLASH!

But so many raindrops makes streams flow and gardens grow!

PINK ROSES, BURSTING PEAPODS, PLUMS IN THE FRIDGE, SWEET AND COLD...

And all too soon a summer rainstorm moves on to become a memory, as sweet as a plum, in Kyo Maclear's just published Hello, Rain! (Chronicle Books, 2021). Maclear's inspired picture book portrays in powerful poetic language that happy sortie of high summer, playing outside in a rainstorm, something every child should savor. The author's use of evocative imagery and well-chosen wordplay is appealingly illustrated by artist Chris Turnham, great for a thoughtful read aloud or for quiet reading on summer days when clouds begin to gather. Kirkus Reviews raves, "In text that begs to be shared aloud, evocative figurative language. . . a heaping dose of onomatopoeia. . . and delicious vocabulary. . . vividly animate the thrill of heading outside when 'the sky is an adventure.'"

Dreams Can Come True! Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn by Shannon Hale

KITTY THINKS SHE MIGHT BE A UNICORN.

With cardboard and glue, yarn and some poster paints, she creates a just-her-size unicorn horn and with her itty-bitty horn on top of her fuzzy fur, Kitty fancies she had become...

.

But her co-pets, Parakeet and Gecko, beg to differ. She's a cat, they agree. They point out her fuzzy fur and her tiny little tail. They tell her she has soft kitty paws with claws, not hard hooves that prance! Itty-Bitty Kitty puffs out her tail....:

NEIGH! NEIGH!!"YOU'RE A CAT!" SAID PARAKEET.

"THAT'S THAT!" ECHOED GECKO!

<

But that's not that! Just as Kitty-Korn sadly takes off her horn, they hear it...

CLOP! CLOP! CLOP!

"NOW THAT'S A UNICORN!" CRIES GECKO!

And Kitty-Corn is happy to find out that the Unicorn likes her fuzzy fur, tiny tail and her crafted unicorn horn, and they play all afternoon until at last their merging shadows rest together in the setting sun, in Shannon Hale's Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn (Abrams Books, 2021), illustrated in completely unashamed, totally adorable, pink cuteness by artist Leyuen Pham. Fanciful dreams can make for good fun in this book for young unicorn fanciers. Writes Publisher Weekly, "What ostensibly starts out as an almost criminally cute tale of pretend play transforms into something much more: a celebration of claiming and naming one’s identity and having it affirmed by others."

Missing Person Mission: Duck Duck Moose by Mary Sullivan

It's a serene morning on the farm until as frantic girl races up with a disturbing query--

WHERE IS GOOSE?

Oh, dear! Moose takes charge! The tractor is still attached to its trailer, perfect for a missing person search...

GET BIG MOE!

Big Moe is cranked with amid some clunks and pows as Duck and Duck and Moose climb into the trailer and the girl takes the wheel, all with one mission, to find Goose immediately. Bucolic bystanders, Horse and Sheep, point the way they saw Goose go. But soon there's an obstacle--the gate is locked and the key is hanging on the tree, way up there. Leaps and flapping attempts to reach it fail, so Moose tries a totem pole arrangement, with the two ducks on top of each other on top of his head. The top duck stretches high into the tree and ...

BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ!

A swarm of hornets bring them all crashing down in the mud.

THONK! WHACK! STING! STANG! STUNG!

Mission aborted. After soaking in a bubbly bath, the three call it a day, and plastered with bandaids, Goose, Goose, and Moose repair to bed, still sad and without the mysteriously missing Goose.

The Caldecott-winning author-illustrator Mary Sullivan's latest, Duck, Duck, Moose (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021) is a beginning reader full of merry mayhem with onomatopoeic words and obvious affection for the muddled characters' missing friend (who, in the conclusion, shows up with beach bag, surfboard, and a mystified expression at her reception). With controlled vocabulary, visual cues, and plenty of repeated words and phrases, this slapstick story is filled with action and humor, perfect for early readers.

Sullivan's literary output is filled with delightfully humorous picture books that charm young listeners as readalongs, readalouds, or beginning readers: Ball, Treat, Up On Bob, Frankie, and Nobody's Duck. (See reviews here).

Moving House! Moose, Goose, and Mouse by Mordecai Gerstein

Even the rubber ducky in the bathtub is unhappy.

MOOSE SAID, "THIS HOUSE IS WET AND OLD."

GOOSE SAID, "IT'S FULL OF MOLD!"

"ACHOO!" SAID DUCK. "IT'S VERY COLD."

Clearly it is time to move to a better house. Moose wants one that's sunny, Goose votes for funny, and Mouse prefers one that comes with a bunny.

The three hop a train to search for a new house, taking a seat in the pink caboose. They all approve of the caboose. But the engineer takes the the mountain route, and the tracks carry the three up and up, and then up and down and up and up, until the caboose, uncoupled, comes loose. Yikes!

"HELP!" YELLED MOOSE.

"IT'S NO USE!" SAID GOOSE.

"THIS IS FUN," SAID MOUSE. "RIDING IN A LOOSE CABOOSE!"

The tracks take the loose caboose down, down, down, until the tracks end, inexplicably, into a palm tree which stops the upended caboose and the three at the edge of the sea. They survey their new neighborhood.

Hey! This isn't so bad. The seaside is sunny!" notes Moose. Goose finds an upside down caboose quite funny!

"IS THAT A BUNNY?" SAID MOUSE.

What more could they ask for, in Mordecai Gerstein's Moose, Goose, and Mouse (Holiday House, 2021), his latest and last book for children, with kid-pleasing digital paper collage with co-artist Jeff Mack in a goofy and good-natured look at an unplanned household move with a jolly surprise ending. A sweet and easy beginning reader in rhyme and a noodlehead tale of three zany housemates who find an new neighbor, this one is a Seussian candidate for a new classic. Says Kirkus Reviews, "Madcap humor at its finest."

Mordecai Gerstein received the Caldecott award as the author-illustrator of his stunning The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (see my review here).

Fraught Friendship: My Friends Make Me Happy! by Jan Thomas

Sheep greets her three friends--Donkey, Bear, and Duck--with a challenge. She even offers them a hint!

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY?

IT STARTS WITH THE LETTER F.

Donkey guesses that what makes Sheep happy are FISH!

Looking very pleased with himself, Bear suggests that FANS (the breeze-making kind) make her happy.

Duck is stumped. Finally Duck comes up with something:

TURNIPS?

Donkey tells Duck to get serious. Bear points out that turnips doesn't even start with an F!

All three of Sheep's friends begin to bicker, each insisting on their first choice. Sheep is fast approaching her wit's end with her argumentive friends. She stops the squabbling with what seems a straightforward answer.

MY FRIENDS MAKE ME HAPPY!

But Duck raises a new question: What is the next best thing that makes her happy? Sheep's three friends go back to arguing their original answers! It's bedlam! Sheep sees that her friends also make her...

CRAZY!

Can't live with them and can't live without them is Sheep's dilemma, in Jan Thomas' My Friends Make Me Happy! (The Giggle Gang) (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).  The author and illustrator of the Giggle Gang series has another gigglebait easy reader for book beginners in this latest title in the series. With comic characters portrayed in black-line cartoon illustrations with simple and repetitive text, made easy by the illustrations, these books are a jolly way to practice reading skills and learn a little bit about friendship in the process. Says Publishers Weekly, "Readers old and young will recognize the truth that friendship can be both wonderful and exhausting!"

Other Giggle Gang laugh-fest easy readers by Jan Thomas include What Is Chasing Duck? (The Giggle Gang), The Doghouse (The Giggle Gang),  and her magnum opus My Toothbrush Is Missing (The Giggle Gang).

You Can Count On Me! Everyone Counts! by Judy Sierra

It started out small, with no creatures at all,
Just a musty, old, dusty tumbledown mall.
Then along came Takoda the tiger cub, who
Saw the tumbledown mall and imagined a zoo.

But the animals soon see that to build a zoo... there's a LOT to do!

... to build a new zoo takes a mighty big crew.

Two tough rhinos bulldoze the trash from the mall, and three lemurs lean in with paint rollers to provide orange walls.

Ten bugs offer their skills to the zoo, which the big animals eschew:

"You bugs are too small.
"You don't count at all."

Four oryx carve square windows, and five bears build their own lairs. Six giraffes contribute tall towers. seven bats display banners, while eight elephants engineer the playground... and some optimistic soul gives nine crocodiles the contract for the water slide. But all is peaceful collaboration until some bullies try to take it all over for themselves, and then it's -- pesty bugs to the rescue.... All for one and one for all!

The companion book to their top-seller, Wild About Books, author Judy Sierra and artist Marc Brown (of Arthur fame) provide a rollicking, alliterative lilt with Sierra's clever couplets and plenty of detail in Marc Brown's comic characters to keep kids looking at the busy pastel illustrations, as they go up to ten and down again in their latest collaboration, Everyone Counts (Alfred A. Knopf, 2019). The title itself is a catchy pun which adds fun to this new title by two picture book pros. And although this inviting counting book is aimed particularly at preschool youngsters, older kids will want to sneak a peek at the hilarious animal riddles--old groaners and some new zingers--on the endpapers. Says Kirkus Reviews, "This rhythmic, imaginative romp practically reads itself aloud."