Word Power: One Word from Sophie by Jim Averbeck

SOPHIA'S BIRTHDAY WAS COMING UP, AND SHE HAD FIVE THINGS ON HER MIND--HER ONE TRUE DESIRE AND FOUR PROBLEMS.

When a girl has yen for a giraffe as her birthday present, she knows she'd better put forth a good case.

The jury is a tough one--her mother, the judge, her father, the business guy, her Uncle Conrad the politician, and Grand-Mama', the mistress of propriety. Most parents say, "Use your words," but Sophia's prolix multimedia presentations, sprinkled with words like quadruped, warehousing, defective, and regulations, for each family member would make a lexicographer beam but cut no ice with the four adults.

Too verbose, loquacious, and effusive are the critiques from her elders!

So Sophie tries a new tack. Instead of hundreds of big words, she tries one small, powerful word.

"PLEASE?"

It seems there will be a giraffe in Sophia's future after all, in Jim Averbeck's One Word from Sophia(Atheneum Books, 2015), and the good news brings forth two more power words.

"THANK YOU!"

Averbeck and artist Yasmeen Ismail make a great combination of co-creators, with the author's sparkling (if erudite) text and Ismail's stylized illustrations that capture Sophia's vivacious personality and the dour expressions of her critics perfectly.

Reviewers loved this clever picture book. School Library Journal says, "Ismail's watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations are childlike in the best possible way—featuring bold colors and faces showing great expressions, Sophia's drawings, a pooping giraffe, and just the right amount of detail." And Kirkus, in their starred review, adds "Tutu-wearing Sophia packs determination, whimsy, and a plethora of strategies to handle a passel of impressive words."

And those impressive words are added in a glossary for kids whose gifts run to the garrulous.

When Life Gives You Lemons....: Mr. Putter and Tabby Smell the Roses by Cynthia Rylant

MR. PUTTER AND HIS FINE CAT, TABBY, LIVED NEXT DOOR TO MRS. TEABERRY AND HER GOOD DOG, ZEKE.

TABBY AND ZEKE DID EVERYTHING MR. PUTTER AND MRS. TEABERRY DID.

EXCEPT SOMETIMES ZEKE DID IT THE HARD WAY.

Tabby made a fine Christmas reindeer when she wore her antlers for Christmas. Zeke was cool in his cowl and Batman cape at Halloween. But now Mrs. Teaberry's birthday is coming up on Saturday, and Mr. Putter wants to do something special--but different--for this birthday.

They'd done cake and ice cream. Mr. Putter had blown up many balloons.

But they were always done for when Zeke got his fine teeth into them.

Over several thoughtful cups of cocoa, Mr. Putter finally has an inspiration. He will escort Mrs. Teaberry to the Conservatory. Mrs. Teaberry was partial to beautiful trees, exotic plants, and flowers, especially roses.

On Saturday Mr. Putter wore his best striped tie and pomade on his hair.

"POMADE MAKES THE MAN!" HE TOLD TABBY.

He cranked up his blue Buick with its brand-new tires, and Mrs. Teaberry wore her ruffly dress and zebra earrings. Zeke wore his zebra-striped dog sweater.

But although Zeke was a good dog, he was not always as well-behaved as Tabby. So Mr. Putter had a plan.

MR. PUTTER HAD TOLD ZEKE THAT IF HE WAS VERY, VERY GOOD, HE MIGHT GET A SURPRISE.

ZEKE LIVED FOR SURPRISES.

For five minutes, Zeke was extra good.

THEN HE SAW THE BANANA TREE.

ZEKE THOUGHT THE BANANA TREE WAS HIS SURPRISE.

Zeke sprang straight up and brought down a bunch of bananas. The guard tweeted his whistle, loud and shrill. Startled, Tabby sprang straight up to take refuge in a lemon tree.

Apparently the lemons were ripe, because they rained down on the heads of Mr. Putter and Mrs. Teaberry and several other plant lovers below.

So, clutching fallen bananas and lemons, Mr. Putter, Tabby, Zeke, and Mrs. Teaberry, made a run for it to Mr. Putter's big blue Buick. And having made their getaway, all four of them celebrated at the ice cream parlor with strawberry cake and ice cream. And the next day there was another surprise. . .

LEMONADE!

All's well that ends well, as it always does when Mr. Potter and Tabby entertain, in Cynthia Rylant's brand-new Mr. Putter & Tabby Smell the Roses (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015), the  latest (and twenty-fourth!) in this beloved beginning reader series. As always, artist Arthur Howard adds his inimitable comic illustrations to the recipe for these gentle and sweet stories of an unlikely pair of human and animal best friends.

The Hole Story: Outstanding in the Rain: A Whole Story with Holes by Frank Viva

"ICE CREAM!" I SAY, MY BIRTHDAY SURPRISE.

A boy and his mother get off the subway at Coney Island, set for a birthday treat at the amusement park.

A celebratory ice cream cone is in order right away, but no sooner has the lad claimed his treat than the big scoop falls off the cone.

"OH, NO! I SCREAM!"

"The medium is the message," is the premise of Frank Viva's latest book, Outstanding in the Rain (Little, Brown and Company, 2015) a die-cut "toy and movable book" which utilizes holes placed strategically into the illustrations and text of the pages. The opening cut-out of the rows of subway cars opens to become the boy's screaming mouth, while the "ICE CREAM" on the vendor's cart becomes the second-page caption, "I SCREAM!"

What follows is retro day at the amusement park set in mid-twentieth-century Coney Island. The boy and his mother take a crazy, splashy slide ride and enjoy a picnic on the sand, where a beach umbrella's handle opens to a candle on his birthday cake.

And at the day's end, mother and son wait in the light summer rain to take the subway back home.

OUT STANDING IN THE RAIN

which, with a page turn, yields to

A NIGHT TRAIN

...and the birthday outing ends well, as AN ICE MAN opens to become A NICE MAN, who provides the birthday boy with a replacement ice cream cone with a smile.

As in his earlier noted works, Along a Long Road and A Long Way Away Viva's art, done in unusual eggplant, mango, and aqua tones, is both retro-styled and avant-garde, while his die-cut-revealed wordplay in the use of "oronyms," words and word parts which change meaning with context and shape-shifting detail is clever and creative. Some kids will be charmed and drawn into the well-executed illustrative details and wordsmithery on each page, while more literal-minded readers may wonder where the story went in this quiet progression through a birthday outing.

Surprise! Bulldozer's Big Day by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann

IT WAS BULLDOZER'S BIG DAY.

AND HE COULDN'T WAIT TO INVITE ALL HIS FRIENDS TO HIS PARTY.

Little yellow bulldozer, his blade held high with anticipation, makes straight for his big friend Digger, already at work.

"GUESS WHAT TODAY IS!" HE BLURTS OUT.

"DON'T HAVE TO GUESS. TODAY IS SCOOP DAY," GRUMPS DIGGER.

Muttering about his job, grimly scooping and scooping, he turns back to his task.

Little Bulldozer is taken aback, but he bustles on across the construction site, his blade drooping just a bit, to find other buddies.

But one by one, Cement Mixer, Scraper and Grader, and Roller Truck have no time for chit-chat. They all have big work to do and that's job one for the day.

Finally, Bulldozer drags his drooping blade over to where Crane Truck is busy with some heavy lifting.

Bulldozer asks his question one more time, tentatively:

"I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU KNOW WHAT TODAY IS?"

"IT'S LIFTING DAY!" CRANE BARKED. "LIFTING, LIFTING, LIFTING!"

THIS IS MY SIXTH AND LAST...."

And what is Crane lifting from its hiding place below ground? Kids will know just what is to be expected with the next page turn, in double Caldecott-winning author Candace Fleming's Bulldozer's Big Day (Atheneum Books, 2015), illustrated by Caldecott-winning illustrator Eric Rohmann's signature thick blackline drawings.

Little kids have loved big equipment from Mike Mulligan and More: Four Classic Stories by Virginia Lee Burton right up to the continuously best selling Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site (see review here), and Fleming and Rohmann's new book has all the charm and insight into children's feelings that these notable titles have brought to preschool children's literature. Like Tom Lichtenheld, Eric Rohmann has two Caldecott medals under his belt, for My Friend Rabbit and Time Flies, and his artwork perfectly catches the youngster's yen for his birthday celebration to begin. Fleming builds suspense with each double-page encounter, and when that five o'clock whistle blows, it's time for the party to begin!  WOOOOOOT!

Bottom-Up Birthday: The Backwards Birthday Party by Tom Chapln and John Forster

ON MY BIRTHDAY MORNING
THE SUN WAS SINKING LOW.

I PUT MY CLOTHES ON INSIDE OUT
AND DOWN THE STAIRS DID GO.

We've all heard of retro parties, but this is ridiculous!

This go-with-the-flow birthday boy takes it all in stride, though. The banner suspended across the living room reads "!SNOITALUTARGNOC" The guests say goodbye and wave as they walk out the door.

But not to worry. The party's not over. It's just taking place in reverse. They guests appear with a magical page turn, where the good-natured host re-wraps his opened gifts and presents them to his guests as they enter. Then, in a crowd-pleasing choice, they eat the cake first.

THE ICE CREAM WAS HOT.

THE CANDLES WERE NOT!

The blindfolded donkey pins the tails on the kids, with the usual hilarious results. And the longer the kids party, the earlier the day becomes, with the hands on the clock going counter-clockwise until it is the wee hours of the morning, and the party turns into a de facto sleepover. It's actually the perfect birthday, and there's a bonus when at dawn the still sleepy host finally pushes the party goers out the door...

I WAS ONE YEAR YOUNGER
THAN I WAS THE DAY BEFORE.

Recycling their 1994 children's song, Tom Chapin and Chuck Groenink's brand-new collaboration, The Backwards Birthday Party (Atheneum Books, 2015) uses clever page design strategy to highlight the premise, with letters turned around and one page actually reading bottom to top. Refrains recur frequently to give listening kids a vocal role in the fun. Illustrator Chuck Groenink plants humorous sight gags aplenty on the pages, and the authors even append the words and music as endpapers. It's all there except a warning that the unimaginative reader might turn the book upside down and read the story back to front! Otherwise, as the creators put it, this one is "the partyday birthwards back!" !!YADHTRIB YPPAH

Spring Forward! Happy Spring, Chirp! by Satoshi Iriyama

Spring has sprung, and little peeper Chirp springs into action when Mama Hen asks him to take a basket of fresh flowers to Auntie Duck's birthday party. With a peep and a cheep, he's off with the bouquet basket in his beak.

OFF CHIRP GOES.
BUT WHO IS HIDING BEHIND THE BUSHES?

Through a cutout on the verso page, Cheep spots a fuzzy face and part of one ear!

With a page turn we see Bear pop up with a big BOOOOO!

Cheep drops the basket and the flowers are scattered, a little the worse for wear!

Bear apologizes and offers an alternative idea for replacing the posies.

"I'LL TAKE YOU TO GET A NEW PRESENT!"

Chirp clings valiantly atop Bear's head, as with a beep, Bear bumbles on, even swimming across a pond with much splishing and splashing and a spooked Chirp precariously hanging on.

And there they are, at Bear's favorite strawberry patch. Bear hunkers down to eat a few, while Chirp searches for the sweetest, biggest, most perfect strawberries to fill his little basket. He assures Bear that he knows just how to find Auntie Duck's pond all by himself, but after a while all the meadows begin to look the same. As Chirp stops to get his bearings, a bird swoops down and makes off with the most perfect strawberry from the basket. The startled Chirp drops the basket and the birthday present berries begin to roll down the hill, with Chirp tumbling behind....

Will Chirp fail in his solo mission? Not to worry, in Sateshi Triyama's just published Happy Spring, Chirp! (Chirp the Chick) (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015). In a grand eight-page gatefold spread, Chirp and his berries tumble down, down, right into Auntie Duck's pond just in time to make  a dramatic splash at the birthday bash.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUNTIE!" SAYS CHIRP.

"THANK YOU, MY SWEET CHICK," SAYS AUNTIE DUCK. "AND A HAPPY SPRING, TOO!"

With flaps, cut-outs, pop-ups, and vertical and horizontal gatefolds done up in sturdy stock, there is plenty for young fingers to do in this sun-drenched, pastel-paletted springtime story. Chirp is as cute as an Easter basket peep, and with the many critters--rabbits, ladybugs,caterpillars, moths, beetles, and birds--in the background, youngsters can have fun seeing how many of those pictured on the endpapers they can spot throughout the story.

Triyama's latest "toy and movable book" board book joins the earlier Good Night, Chirp (Chirp the Chick).

Make A Wish! Tyler Makes a Birthday Cake by Tyler Florence and Craig Frazier

It's Tyler's pup, Tofu's, birthday, which calls for a cake. Tyler knows how to cook pancakes--and spaghetti--but neither of those seem like birthday party fare. How do you make a birthday cake?

LET'S GO TO THE BAKERY AND FIND OUT HOW!

Ty remembers how delicious Mr. Baker's carrot cake is, so he asks for some expert help. Mr. Baker launches into a full scale How-To demo!

"WE CAN CREATE ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR IMAGINATION TO!" SAYS MR. BAKER.

"WHAT ABOUT A SPACESHIP? A RACE CAR? A PIRATE SHIP?" SAYS TYLER.

The master baker starts the first step--assembling ingredients, pointing out to Tyler that he will recognize some of the same things that went into his delicious pancakes--flour, butter, and eggs. But for a carrot cake, they will also need carrots--and pineapple Pineapple?

"Aloha. Tyler!" laughs Mr. Baker. He explains that pineapple is a fruit from Hawaii that looks like a pinecone but which is sweet and crisp inside--like an apple. He shows Tyler how it is prepped for the cake. He goes on to explain the other ingredients that make this cake unique--raisins (dried grapes), cinnamon (the dried and grated bark of a tropical tree), walnuts (from a walnut tree) and vanilla (made from vanilla beans). While the cake bakes, they make the frosting--with cream cheese made from milk from dairy cows.

But Mr. Baker points out that carrot cake is for people, and since Tofu is a dog, he gets a special canine kind of cake that dogs will love--made with peanut butter, more shredded carrots, grape seed oil, and whole wheat flour. And... they can bake Tofu's cake in the shape of a bone, and decorate it with a topping of dog treats!

Tyler blows up the balloons, puts out party hats, and sets the table for the party.

They sing "Happy birthday, dear Tofu!" Can the dogs dig into Tofu's birthday cake now?

Not yet! There's just one more thing to do.

MAKE A WISH!

In their latest in series, Tyler Makes a Birthday Cake! (Tyler and Tofu) (Harper, 2014), Tyler Florence and Craig Fisher bring back Tyler for another kitchen adventure, every kid's favorite, the birthday cake. With Chef Florence providing the culinary chops, artist Frazier provides the eye-pleasing illustrations of the novice Tyler and his pooch Tofu, whose doggy doings provide the comic relief to the cuisine lessons. Craig Frazier's stick figure characters contrast well with the round and furry Tofu and his canine friends, with a few humorous touches (Tofu's fireplug pinata), that make this book a good read before a baking lesson or a trip to the bakery for a primary class. Other Tyler stories are Tyler Makes Pancakes! (Tyler and Tofu) and Tyler Makes Spaghetti! (Tyler and Tofu)

Best Friends Know Best: A Birthday for Cow by Jan Thomas

October 17 is circled on the calendar.  It's Cow's birthday, and Duck, Pig, and Mouse are set to celebrate. Pig and Mouse obviously know the drill, and set to work right way preparing a lavish birthday cake for the occasion.

Duck seems surprised. "CAKE?"

Wielding their implements of mixing, Pig and Mouse get ready to whip sugar and eggs to a frenzy in a big bowl. In goes the two cups of flour and then Duck proposes his own special ingredient.

"A TURNIP?"

Pig and Mouse nix the turnip.

Next they're read to mix it all together. Duck has just a unique suggestion for a mixing tool.

You guessed it!

Pig says nope, and Mouse suggests a spoon might serve them better than a root vegetable.

At every step in the mixing, Duck tries to include his turnip, green tops and all, but the two chefs persist in sticking to their recipe. When it's time to decorate the cake, Duck suggests a turnip for the top. Mouse and Pig proffer six striped candles.

At last they see Cow coming and Mouse proudly holds up his cake, candles aglow. Duck still has his turnip in hand. They all sport big grins at the chance to surprise their friend Cow.

Cow IS surprised.

"IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?

OH, BOY!

A TURNIP!

It seems Mouse and Pig have a whole birthday cake, guttering candles and all, on their hands--which isn't all that bad, really!

Meanwhile Cow chomps down the birthday turnip with gusto. Yummm!

As Pig and Mouse, almost foundered on birthday cake, lie around digesting, Duck and Cow walk away, sharing another tidbit about their mutual affection for turnips. Says Duck...

"SOMETIMES I BRUSH MY TEETH USING A TURNIP."

"REALLY? ME, TOO!"

Jan Thomas' A Birthday for Cow! (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,) is not what you expect in a birthday party book among friends. Festively unwrapped in its fresh board book edition, her critter characters are funny but friendly, with a lot of giggle bait in the horrified looks on Pig's and Mouse's faces as Duck tries to introduce a freshly pulled turnip into every step of the cake baking. And Jan Thomas' story and illustrations keep the fun coming to the very last page in a birthday story that surprises but doesn't disappoint.

Frenchy Dog Has His Day: Fancy Nancy: Puppy Party by Jane O'Connor

TOMORROW IS FRENCHY'S BIRTHDAY.

WE ARE HAVING A HUGE CELEBRATION. (THAT'S A FANCY WORD FOR PARTY.)

Fancy Nancy Clancy is a gal for whom almost any occasion is an opportunity for celebration!

So when her dog Frenchy's natal anniversary rolls around, a can of Chow Hound Dog Food with a Milk Bone stuck on top for a candle won't do.

Nancy's mom, ever game, shapes canned dog food into three layers, frosts them with yogurt, and pops in rawhide chews for candles. Nancy sends her handmade invitations to Frenchy's canine (that's fancy for dog) friends--Bree and little Freddie's dog Rusty, Sam's Scamp, and her babysitter Alex and his beagle Buddy.

Frenchy gets beautified with a doggy bubble bath, a blow dry, and a thorough brushing and is the reluctant recipient of a doggy manicure, (fancy for a toenail trim).

Nancy's Frenchy is all set to be the hostess with the mostest, but after they sing "Happy Birthday," she can't resist lunging for her delicious-smelling birthday cake as soon as Mom appears at the door, struggling to keep it upright.

Down come the three layers, and all the guest dogs dive in to help Frenchy divvy up her birthday treat the way dogs do it.

IT'S TOTAL PANDEMONIUM! (THAT MEANS ALL THE DOGS GO WILD).

With her usual elan', Nancy wades in to save the party with a sign that advertises NANCY'S DOG GROOMING CENTER! FREE! FREE! FREE! Mom mops up while Dad hoses down the dogs and Mrs. DeVine, Nancy, and Bree give them all glamour shampoos and combouts as party favors, in Jane O'Connor's inexpensive little paperback, Fancy Nancy: Puppy Party (Harper Festival, 2013), with internal illustrations by Carolyn Bracken. As in most of her adventures, Nancy takes life's lemons and turns them into lively lemonade for all.  For more giggle-provoking canine corralling, pair this one with the similarly themed OLIVIA and the Dog Wash (Olivia TV Tie-in) for plenty of tail-wagging fun.

Surprise! Happy Birthday, Hamster! by Cynthia Lord

YOU ARE INVITED TO HAMSTER'S BIRTHDAY PARTY.

BUT SHHHHHHHH! IT'S A SURPRISE!

What's more fun than a birthday party? A surprise birthday party--especially when the guest of honor is totally clueless.

Hamster is sure that his friends, especially his best friend Bulldog, will remember his birthday, but as the day goes along without a mention of the big event, Hamster starts to fret.

Sure, Bulldog comes over and congenially invites Hamster to keep him company as he does his daily errands. First stop is the bakery, and Hamster looks hopefully at the birthday cakes in the case.

PINK CAKE, BLUE CAKE.

CHOCOLATE THROUGH-AND-THROUGH CAKE.

"WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?"

Hamster volunteers that he would picks the biggest, with the most frosting, but Bulldog just nods and orders a bag of dog biscuits. Hamster's heart sinks.

A trip to the toy store is even more disheartening. All those nifty toys, and despite yearning looks and hints by Hamster ("I LOVE toys!"), Bulldog selects a utilitarian ball for himself.

"WAIT! HAVEN'T YOU FORGOTTEN SOMETHING?" HAMSTER SAYS.

Bulldog agrees, and heads on to finish his rounds in the barber shop and party store, where he bypasses all of Hamster's hints and glancing at the festive balloons and pirate costumes, buys a greeting card "for a friend," and declares himself satisfied with his completed shopping expedition.

Hamster heads for his house, sadly contemplating a lonely birthday, and morosely and perfunctorily invites his friend in when they reach his door.

And of course by this time everyone but Hamster knows what is going to be behind that door! Newbery-winning author Cynthia Lord's and artist Derek Anderson's brand-new Happy Birthday Hamster (Scholastic, 2011) ends with a happy surprise--a happy birthday surprise in which Bulldog's assistant mice, only partially in view, stealthily taking notes all through the expedition, have picked up on all of Hamster's hints along the way, and he finds just the kind of birthday party he dreamed of. Lord's verse and Anderson's illustrations, first found together in their hit Hot Rod Hamster, are full of birthday cheer sure to please honorees and guests alike.

Toy Story, Too! Can You See What I See? Toyland Express by Walter Wick

Walter Wick is back, with toys sporting a fresh coat of paint and a jolly toy story to tell.

His just-published Can You See What I See?: Toyland Express: Picture Puzzles to Search and Solve (Scholastic, 2011), Wick provides much more than intriguing search-and-find puzzles to solve. The book is itself a toy story, recalling for young readers the premise of last year's movie, Toy Story III, as we see a wooden toy train, innocent of paint, a jumble of carefully crafted parts in the "Maker's Workshop," as readers are challenged to find "a pencil, a pail, a ball of string..." and other items. The next double-page spread offers a full-page picture of the train being painted, with more picture puzzles to spot, and, as in many of Wick's picture book creations, the "lens" zooms out to show the completed toy train the center of a "Toy Store" show window display, followed by "Happy Birthday Box," in which the boxed set of train, trees, and houses has just been unwrapped at a party.

In subsequent spreads we see the train set up ("All Aboard") and ready to go; traversing a carefully constructed tinker-toy trestle ("Mountain Pass"), and tootling past a fully-furnished doll house, just visible through the little dwelling's windows in "The Passing Train."

But the tale eventually turns wistfully tristful. The following spread shows the train and other toys "Forgotten" in the attic, some broken, all dusty and deserted as only cast-off toys can seem, lit only by a stray dust-mote-filled sunbeam streaming from the garret window. But this is not to be a sad, James Whitcomb Riley "Little Boy Blue" ballad, but a joyous story of toy resurrection, as the toys are sold at a "Yard Sale," and find their reincarnation in a happy "In For Repairs" workshop scene which recalls their beginnings, ending happily with the "Toyland Express," restored and repainted, back on track in a new and welcoming home.

Wick's books are a wonder, with educational activities and aesthetic mixed-media qualities that knock your socks off. Sly wit and humor permeate the work, textually and visually, especially in the partially concealed presence of Wick's iconic little wooden bead man, Seymour, (a bit of delicious wordplay in that name!) to be spotted on each picture page. Walter Wick & Co. is an industry all to itself. Wick, who seems to have found himself an enviable career in which he is allowed to create and to play with delightful toys, can be seen at work in his fabulous workshop here. Great for gifts, a must-have delight, a great entry in this genre.

I'll Never Grow Up! Bumble-Ardy by Maurice Sendak

BUMBLE-ARDY HAD NO PARTY WHEN HE TURNED ONE.
HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY FROWNED ON FUN.

In fact, piglet Bumble misses his first eight opportunities for a birthday bash with his Puritanical pig family, who discourage any joy among their brood. They, however, do not eschew the pleasures of the trough for themselves, and eventually get so temptingly plump that nature (or animal husbandry) takes its course:

BUT WHEN BUMBLE-ARDY WAS EIGHT,
(OH, PIG-KNUCKLED FATE!)
HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY GORGED AND GAINED WEIGHT
AND GOT ATE.

However, fate steps in for our porcine orphan, and Bumble-Ardy is adopted by the kindly and doting Adeline ("an aunt divine!") and things look hopeful for his upcoming ninth natal day. In fact, the day starts promisingly, with a lovely cake and a festively-wrapped gift, a captivating Hotsy-Totsy Cowboy suit complete with Stetson, high-heeled boots, and a pair of six-shooters. Bumble is sure that this will be the year for his first party.

EXCEPT, HIS AUNT, SWEET ADELINE,
WHO LEFT AT ONE PAST NINE
TO GO TO WORK FOR SMITH AND KLEIN,
JUST HATED SWINE TO DRINK HER BRINE,
NOT EVEN ON A DAY SO FINE
AS BUMBLE'S BIRTHDAY NUMBER NINE.

SO HE SIMPLY DIDN'T TELL HER.

As Bumble admires his costumed image in the mirror he has an idea, a magnificently mischievous idea. He can throw his own birthday bash--a piggy costume party to make up for the belated eight he has coming to him.

AT NINE PAST NINE THE PIGGY SWINE
BROKE DOWN THE DOOR AND GUZZLED BRINE
AND HOGGED SWEET CAKES
AND OINKED LOUD GRUNTS,
AND PULLED ALL KINDS OF DIRTY STUNTS.

It is a proper Sendakian "wild rumpus" as the porkers party hearty in Aunt Adeline's pristine house, a Bacchanalian swirl of swigging swine and hip-hopping hogs. It seems as if every character in Western literature and folklore makes his piggy cameo appearance, even the Grim Reaper swinging his scythe along with his booty as the guests parade a banner proclaiming "MAY BUMBLE LIVE 900 YEARS!"

The mob boogies down and Bumble is ecstatic until suddenly the mistress of the house returns:

"I'LL GIVE YOU PIGS TILL NUMBER NINE,
TO SCAT, GET LOST, VAMOOSE, JUST SCRAM.
OR ELSE I'LL SLICE YOU INTO HAM!"

And then she turns her ire on the perpetrating piglet, the now weeping Bumble-Ardy.

"OKAY, SMARTY, YOU'VE HAD YOUR PARTY.
BUT NEVER AGAIN."

"I PROMISE, I SWEAR!
I'LL NEVER TURN TEN!"

This poignant promise melts Aunt Adeline's anger away, and all ends well in the sort of forgiveness that any young miscreant might hope for, as she envelopes him in her arms.

"OH, MY PESKY BUCKEROO!
DO YOU LOVE ME LIKE I LOVE YOU?"

Based on an animated Sesame Street film done with Jim Hensen in 1970, Maurice Sendak (yes, that Maurice Sendak!) is still around and in fine form in the first picture book written and illustrated by the old master since Outside Over There, his just published BUMBLE-ARDY (HarperCollins, 2011).

Like most of Sendak's classics, his latest is a deeply layered story, with dark insights interwoven with pure childlike exuberance. Nobody does a Freudian ruckus like Sendak, whose text and characteristic illustrations have the power to return to prod young readers' psyches long after they think they've put away childish things like picture books. A must-have for every picture book collection, and a gift from a giant of children's literature who shows he's still got the goods. Like the returning Max's waiting dinner*, Sendak is "still hot."

*Remember the last page in Where the Wild Things Are?

Boutique Birthday: Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique by Jane O'Connor

It is my sister's birthday on Saturday, so we are going on a shopping spree. That means we're buying balloons, napkins, party plates, cups--a ton of stuff.

My sister and Freddy are only interested in pirates, pirates, pirates... They're completely obsessed.

When she's not looking, I get my sister the perfect present--a black eye patch.

After they're done at Party Time, Mom, with sister Jo-Jo and Freddy still wearing their pirate hats, treats Nancy to a quick stop at Belle's Fabulous Fashion Boutique. On the sale table Nancy spots a fancy fan she's long had a yen for, but, alas, she's blown most of her money on her sister's gift. Then she has one of her brilliant (that's fancy for supersmart) ideas:

I will open my own fabulous fashion boutique and sell some of my old gowns and accessories. If I make enough money, that lace fan will be mine.

Back home, the whole family, even Jo-Jo and Bree's little brother Freddy, pitch in to create an al fresco boutique a la Belle's with "Bargains Galore," and as Frenchy's sign proclaims, "Dogs Welcome!" Nancy makes her first sale to twins Rhonda and Wanda. Wanda's a bit short on funds to pay for a glamorous necklace with genuine fake diamonds, but promises to return with her allowance money on the next day to pay for it. But there's a problem. Nancy's little sister, heretofore glamour proof, suddenly has to have it. But a deal is a deal, and Nancy has to say no to Jo-Jo. She tries appealing to her sister's fashion sense:

"Pirates don't wear rhinestone necklaces."

But her little sister is disconsolate. Nancy somehow feels bad for her sister. After all, it is her birthday. At last, Nancy gathers up her entrepreneurial earnings and treks over to persuade (that's fancy for getting somebody to do what you want) Wanda to accept a refund on the necklace. But Wanda takes a markup on the merchandise and drives a hard bargain, and Nancy is left with only pocket change, not enough to buy that lovely lace fan.

Still, Jo-Jo is thrilled with her eye patch and the sparkly necklace and wears both with her party pirate attire. Nancy bounces back with her usual elan, and when rain spoils the outdoor pirate treasure hunt, she comes through with an alternate activity--a dress-up fashion show for the little kids, using her leftover merchandise, with Nancy herself doing the fashion commentary and teaching them runway technique balancing bananas on their heads. The party is saved, and when it's time to blow out the four candles on the treasure chest cake, Nancy leans back against her dad with a feeling that she's done the right thing.

"You are a wonderful big sister," my dad whispers to me. I feel so happy, almost like it's my birthday too.

Jane O'Connor's just published Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique (Harper, 2010) shows our tutu-togged heroine in action. Nancy may be a first-class fashionista, but even better than her fashion sense is her ability to improvise her way through life's little fiascoes with a warm heart and inventive head. Robin Preiss Glasser's illustrations only grow more artful at portraying personality and emotion in her subjects' posture and expressions, and the deft details in her illustrations continue to give these picture books plenty of pizazz.

Big sister Fancy Nancy once again proves that she's the gal with the right stuff--and not just in her closet!

NO BIRTHDAYS! A Birthday for Bear by Bonnie Becker

Whish. Whish. Whish. Bear swept the floor. He was very, very busy today.

Bear was always very busy on his birthday.

He opened the door to shake out his broom and there was Mouse--small and gray and bright-eyed.

"Happy birthday, Bear!" cried Mouse.

"It's not my birthday," lied Bear.

"But it says so right here!" said Mouse, waving a party invitation.

"This is your handwriting!" protested Bear. "YOU wrote it!":

Mouse hung his head. "Shameful trickery," he confessed. "Terribly sorry. But perhaps we could have just a little party?"

"I DO NOT LIKE PARTIES. I DO NOT LIKE BIRTHDAYS. AND I ESPECIALLY DO NOT LIKE BIRTHDAY PARTIES FOR ME AT MY HOUSE," Bear announced, and he swept Mouse out the door.

Who doesn't like birthdays? Well, apparently that curmudgeonly, persnickety bachelor bear beguiled into friendship by the ever-cheery Mouse in Bonnie Becker's multiple prize-winning A Visitor for Bear.

This time Mouse is back, still small, gray, bright-eyed...and determined to interrupt the drudgeful Bear with some diversion, this time his own birthday! Mouse subsequently appears at the back door, disguised as a deliveryman bearing three birthday balloons, only to be turned away. ("But surely you would like just one balloon? It bats about nicely.") He appears at Bear's window as a minuscule postman bearing a birthday card, only to have the window slammed shut by the unwilling birthday bear. Undaunted, Mouse drops down the chimney upon the hearth, costumed as a tiny Santa Claus bearing a large gift box.

"Ho, Ho, Ho!" cried the little Santa Claus. "A Christmas gift for Bear!"

Christmas already? thought Bear. "Wait a minute! It's not Christmas! It's my birthday."

"You said it wasn't your birthday!" The little Santa looked very pleased with himself.

But Bear again roars out his disapproval of all things birthday, and Mouse sadly departs the now squeaky clean premises, dragging his rejected gift by its bow. It seems there will be no birthday for Bear.

But of course, Bear has second thoughts. No one has ever given him a birthday present. And then there is a Ding-Dong at the front door. Sure it is Mouse in another guise, Bear throws the door open abruptly, only to find a pink box on his doorstep.

"You don't fool me, Mouse! I know you're in there," Bear cried, springing open the lid of the box.

But inside was just a cake. A big cake, with chocolate sprinkles and the words Happy Birthday, Bear in chocolate icing.

"I do not like birthday cake, either!" Bear announced loudly so that Mouse would hear.

But Bear cannot resist taking the cake inside and steathily scooping up a big pawful of fluffy chocolate frosting.

Out of the cake popped Mouse! Small and gray and bright-eyed.

"A-haaa!" cried Mouse. "You do like birthday cake!"

As before, the sociable Mouse prevails, and a happy birthday celebration ensues, with a grateful roller-skating Bear and bright-eyed and satisfied friend finishing every crumb of Mouse's homemade chocolate cake.

Like its predecessor, author Bonny Becker and artist Kady McDonald Denton have another read-aloud winner in their just published A Birthday for Bear (Candlewick, 2009). Listening and early reading kids will eat this one up as happily as Bear and Mouse finish off their cake and will definitely be asking for more Bear and Mouse books.

Delish storytelling--at its best!

Lonely Guy: The Big One-Oh by Dean Pitchford

I couldn't really say that there was anybody in school who I could call a friend. And certainly nobody who would call me a friend.

Except Jennifer, and I didn't even want to be seen with her.

But is that so bad--not having friends? I wondered. After all I've got school, I've got Boing Boing my dog and Monsters & Maniacs comics and making dinner every night. My life is full, I told myself. Even if it does get a little lonely sometimes....

I hadn't thought of it before, but, yeah, it gets lonely.

Charley Maplewood has always known he has no real friends, but he has a life-changing moment of truth one afternoon as he watches his weird next-door neighbor Garry Quarky being dumped by his unattractive girlfriend, nicknamed "Pincushion" by Charley for her unattractive body piercings and prickly personality. As she wildly steers her van over Charley's mom's shrubbery, she yells out her final breakup complaint:

"You can't change, Garry. Look at you! You're a grown man with no social skills...no fashion sense... and NO FRIENDS!

Face it, Garry. You're a FREAK!"

Suddenly in Garry's devastated face Charley Maplewood sees his own future. Somehow, he realizes, he's got to get some social skills and some friends. (Fashion sense can wait.) Charley pins his hopes on a party to celebrate his upcoming birthday, the big one-oh!

His mother is overjoyed to see Charley acting like a normal kid, and the birthday boy throws himself into making plans for the food, the decor, the entertainment, and oh, yeah, the hardest part--some friends to attend. His mania for horror comics gives him the idea for his theme, "House of Horrors," but he's without a clue how to carry it out until his dog Boing Boing runs into a problem with Garry. It seems Boing has nabbed a fake bloody foot from Garry's garage and Garry is desperate to get it back. In the course of retrieving the disgustingly realistic latex body part, Charley and Garry hit it off and Charley learns that his freaky neighbor is a former special effects expert whose resume is filled with ultra-cool B horror films and whose passion is sculpting scars and dismembered body parts. When Garry offers his collection of grisly props as decor for the party, Charley's double-digit birthday plans are a go--except for coming up with some actual friends to invite.

Charley's birthday theme is disgustingly gross enough to attract eight possible celebrants--Donna, the class golden girl, and her followers Dina and Dana, Leo, the coolest dude in the class, Darryl, the class nerd, and Leland, a.k.a "Cougar," the class bully, and his hanger-on, Scottie, and, in a weak moment of compassion, the hopelessly dorky Jennifer. But then, when he accepts a UPS delivery of special latex for the absent Garry, Charley can't resist using some to try making his own body parts and accidentally burns down the garage. His irrate mom forbids him even to speak to Garry, and when she has to take on extra work on Saturdays to pay for the damage, she cancels the birthday party as well.

But Charley has already invited the guests, and he knows his reputation at school will go down the tubes if he has to un-invite them, so he resolves to do the party on his own. His party-day prep turns out to be a disaster: his sister opens the oven and his cake batter falls to the thickness of a pancake; the DVD player jams, canceling his fall-back plan to show a horror movie; and the only decoration he can come up with is the lame clown-themed helium balloon bouquet his father sent from Scotland. Then, just as Cougar pronounces this the suckiest party in the history of the universe, there's an ominous knock at the door.

Outside lightning bolts zapped and threw quick spooky shadows on the wall. Thunder rattled our windows. In low, horrid tones, the Monster rumbled. "The Birthday Boy asked me to drop by and eat some of his..." He stopped and cleared his throat. "I mean, meet some of his classmates."

Since Cougar was in front of the pack, I could see his face the clearest. And it went white. "Uh, Charley's here somewhere." he stammered.

"Charley? Ah," said the Monster. "I've already seen him."

And, as he said that, from out of his overcoat he pulled... my head!

I'm serious! He was holding my head by my hair, and it had been cut off at the neck!

Everybody's jaw dropped down so far that I could see who still had their tonsils and who didn't. Then, in one big tidal wave of noise, they all screamed together.

Of course, it's Garry to the rescue of the big one-oh party, and with the coolest, most spectacular birthday party entertainment under his belt, Charley's social status is secured. Even Cougar, who is so scared that he has to borrow dry underwear from Charley, looks like he's going to be on his side in the future. It's the best birthday ever for Charley Maplewood.

Dean Pitchford's The Big One-Oh has guaranteed guy appeal, but it's no simple gross-out story. Charley's clueless longing for social acceptance is genuine, and the other characters--his hard-pressed mom, the geeky but kind Garry, and even his sarcastic teenaged sister--come across as real people. There's humor and pathos and genuine fun here, making this a sure-fire good read for middle graders.