Who? Are You A Cow? by Sandra Boynton

HEY! I'm a chicken.
Yes, it's true!

Tell me, Tell me.
What are you!

A brand-new Sandra Boynton board book for babies is cause for bravos--or in Boynton's case, MOOING, OINKING, BARKING, BAAING....

A cross-eyed, upside-down chicken is the interlocutor in this call-and-response narration which pulls the listening tot right into the story with its first bouncy quatrain. The inquiries come fast: Cow? Dog? Lamb? Hippo? Hold on! You can't be a hippo; they're really large--and YOU are not! Well, then what are you?

You must be YOU!

Boynton's barnyard and zoo critters are as charmingly comic as ever, clearly what they are, and more, in this lively exploration of who is who in this rhyming romp through self-identity in her latest, Are You a Cow? (Little Simon, 2012). Kirkus Reviews gives Boynton's newest a coveted starred review and high praise: "Boynton has perfected the art of creating developmentally appropriate books for babies that keep their parents engaged too, and this is no exception. Tots will be thrilled at the chance to use one of their favorite two-letter words ("no!") over and over again."

Moods: Happy Hippo, Angry Duck by Sandra Boynton

HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY?

YOU MIGHT BE TERRIFIC--OR ONLY OKAY.

Angry Birds are no strangers to most kids, but Sandra Boyton's angry duck has dibs on being there first. And messy moods are no stranger to even upbeat toddlers, as parents can attest.

But Sandra Boynton's Happy Hippo, Angry Duck: A Book of Moods (Boynton on Board) (Little Simon, 2012) is here to clear up those mysterious moods which strike even the most diverse of critters. Pigs can be amused at strange events, but cows might merely be confused. A moose can be grumpy, no doubt. (People report that you don't want to get on the wrong side of one of these big boys!) But can a frog really be content?

With light-hearted rhymes which sneak in a bit of the vocabulary of feelings and emotions and with her familiar expressive line drawings of curious critters, Boynton teaches that all these moods are all around us, in anyone we may meet (even a sad chicken). And her upbeat ending reminds us all that even when we're down, friends will be around, and bad moods have a way of coming any day, but thankfully they usually don't stay.

EVERYONE'S MOODS WILL CHANGE DAY TO DAY.
UNLESS YOU'RE THAT DUCK. HE'S ALWAYS THIS WAY.

Sing Along with Spooks: On the Thirteenth Night of Halloween by Guy Vasilovich

ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF HALLOWEEN

MY MOMMY GAVE TO ME

A BRIGHT SHINY SKELETON KEY.

And what does that magical skeleton key open for our little pigtailed gal during those last days of the scary season? Well, all sorts of those costumed critters and and creepy spook house icons to be expected on Halloween night.

There are three "baseball bats," the flying kind, of course, dressed in baseball caps, icky eyeballs, singing skulls and caroling corpses, werewolves wailin', witches witching, and to finish off the countdown of this creepy crew, thirteen thirsty vampires, all ready to par-TAY on the big day. This alliterative counting book comes all ready for a sing-along to the well-known tune to "The 12 Days of Christmas," so most kids can jump right in on the performance.

In his new The 13 Nights of Halloween, veteran animator Guy Vasilovich's quirky illustrations have a bit of the feeling of Gus Grimly's drawings in Neil Gaiman's The Dangerous Alphabet, a good pairing with this new book, both of them just spooky enough for a little frightful fun for those final days of October.

A Friend Indeed: Noodle and Lou by Liz Garton Scanlon

SOME DAYS DON'T GO RIGHT FROM THE START.

NOODLE WOKE UP WITH A RAIN-CLOUDY HEART.

When a worm is feelin' down, he's really got the low-down blues, and Noodle's spirits are draggin' lower than his nether end. Who's he gonna call to get him out of his muddy funk?

It's Lou, of course, a perky blue jay who's never down, even when he flies down to earth for a mood elevating session with Noodle. Noodle complains that he's always dirty and that even so, birds think he's a neat treat to eat. But with an upbeat friend like Lou, eventually things start looking up--even for Noodle.

NOODLE HAD TO ADMIT
THAT HE AND HIS FRIEND
WERE A VERY GOOD FIT.

In their just published Noodle & Lou (Beach Lane Books, 2011), Liz Garton Scanlon's easy rhymes and Arthur Howard's charming and personable illustrations are downright uplifting. If a bird and a worm can find common ground, there's hope for us all!

"Hoppy Days" Are Here Again: If You're Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre

IF YOU'RE HOPPY AND YOU KNOW IT....

YOU'RE A FROG!

It's spring at last, and everyone--frogs, bunnies, crickets, and even grumpy people tired of woolly hats and darkling skies, are feeling a bit hoppy with joy.

Based on the idea and rhyme scheme of the popular nursery song "If You're Happy and You Know It," here comes April Pulley Sayre's joyfully new If You're Hoppy (Greenwillow, 2011), giving everyone an opportunity of stretch their legs and flap their wings under the spring sky. Even if there's still a bit of the winter blues hanging on, Sayre has a rhythmic rhyme to pull you out of your winter funk. If you're still feeling "growly," you might be a dog...or worse a bear, or perhaps ....

... A TUMMY OVER THERE!"

What youngster could resist singing and acting out lines like

IF YOU'RE SLOPPY AND YOU KNOW IT...

YOU'RE A HOG!

Sayre's text is buoyed by the charming and ebullient cartoon-style illustrations of Jackie Urbanovic, author-illustrator of the best-selling Duck series, which seem to bounce into motion on the page. This is a great storytime book with lots of possibilities for movement and song, for springtime and Eastertide, which, as School Library Journal says, is “sure to be a storytime staple!"

Shoe Chic: Shoe-La-La! by Karen Beaumont

PARTY DRESSES, PARTY HAIR...

NEED NEW PARTY SHOES TO WEAR!

Four young fashionistas must find footwear! Emily, Ashley, Kaitlyn, and Claire have a party to go to and they can't wait to choose new shoes for the fete!

Where else should they repair if not to that super stylish shoppe, Shoe-La-La, appropriately situated on the corner of Hightop and Oxford Streets? The clerk, elegantly turned out with his French mustache well-waxed, is ecstatic to see his four young customers, and the little style seekers are enthralled with his stock of merchandise:

SHOES WITH ZIPPERS, SHOES WITH STRAPS.

SHOES WITH BUCKLES, SHOES WITH TAPS!

The girls try on dozens, hundreds of pairs, seeking just the right slippers to grace their party gowns, from fringed cowgirl boots to bridal slippers, from poofy slippers to dainty Hepburnesque high heels, but the shoe seekers turn out to be savvy shoppers, wisely eschewing shoes that hurt their toes--or strain their budgets.

Finally, leaving Monsieur Shoe-La-La exhausted and sprawled over a mountain of rejected footwear, the four fashion lovers confess that nothing pleases them, and with a diva-esque "Sorry, Sir," take their leave.

Back home, it's custom design time. The four still-barefoot girls pull out their stash of ribbons, beads, feathers, and paints and recycle four pairs of old shoes into stylish party steppers:

SPARKLY DIAMONDS, PRETTY PEARLS!
RITZY, GLITZY GLAMOUR GIRLS!

Creatively refurbishing the plot of Stan and Jan Berenstain's classic Old Hat New Hat (Bright & Early Books(R)), Karen Beaumont's brand-new Shoe-La-La! (Scholastic, 2011) successfully celebrates the thrills of shopping and the fun of frugality, as the young fashion followers become their own personal designers. As in her earlier rhyming hits, I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! (ALA Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards)) and Doggone Dogs, done with artist David Catrow, Beaumont's witty and sparkling verse sparks the text, buoyantly illustrated by LeUyen Pham, whose own hits include Grace for President and the recent Bedtime for Mommy. Shoe-La-La! with four fashionistas who almost out-fancy Fancy Nancy Clancy, is sure to be popular with the many followers of pinkanista lit.

What? It's About a Bot? The Twelve Bots of Christmas by Nathan Hale

It had to happen! "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" has been spoofed about as many ways as it can be stretched and "Jingle Bells" has been jangled by every celeb, not to mention mewing cats and barking dogs. So why should "The Twelve Days of Christmas" be spared the parry of the parodist?

Nathan Hale's new The Twelve Bots of Christmas (Walker and Company, 2010) features a takeover of the traditional English folk song by a bunch of bots and their automated mates--a Cartridge in a Gear Tree, Two Turbo-Doves, and Three Wrench Hens--for starters, along with a zippy refrain:

ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, ROBO-SANTA GAVE TO ME

FIVE BOT-O-RIES...."

And tons of batteries will be in order to power the rest of these robots, which include "six Geese-o-Matics" and "nine Droids a-dancing" on the way to the twelfth day. Hale's clever illustrations outshine his text, with lots of inside jokes for the gearhead cognoscenti concealed in the bright and shiny digital art. It's not a song for the traditionalist, of course, but the those motorheadz and bot boyz out there, it's a funny and punny way to count down to Christmas.