Shove Off! Yellow Kayak by Nina Laden

Fish jump.

Loons float.

Seals watch.

Little boat.

Two adventurers go down to the sea in... well, not ships, but a little yellow kayak, waving goodbye to the watcher on the hill. Seagulls squawk as they soar across a cloudy gray sky, as the breezes become winds.

Maybe the two boatmen should have checked the weather forecast!

A sudden squall blows up, with howling winds, blowing rain, and roaring thunder!

But the little kayak rides out the storm as the sun begins to set in a pink sky.

Bail boat.

Good save!

And what's this? The denizens of the deep appear around them--seals rise, an octopus floats by, and hulking whales circle around to give them a gentle nudge toward their shore.

Lighthouse beams.

Welcome paddlers.

Sweet dreams.

It's certainly no jolly journey with the Beatles on their Yellow Submarine, but author Nina Laden and
artist Melissa Castrillon nevertheless create a magical mystery tour of the wonders of the ocean, in their Yellow Kayak (Paula Wiseman Books/Simon and Schuster, 2018, in the best nautical bedtime poem since Wynken, Blynken, and Nod sailed off in their wooden shoe! Castrillon's swirling colors and flowing line add a hypnotic aura of gorgeous fantasy to this imaginative sea story, told in soft, sybillant verse. Says Kirkus Reviews,"A gentle story of calm courage and of quiet, trusting perseverance that will comfort readers in their anxious times."

The Trouble with Giraffes: Two Problems for Sophia by Jim Averbeck

Sophia has achieved her heart's desire--her giraffe Noodle for a pet. But Noodle has a long tongue and when he feels affectionate, he bends down and comes in for a big--SLURP!

He was especially fond of Grand-mama.

The feeling was not mutual.

"And besides, he snores," she says.

So Sophia has two problems, perdurable problems as Grand-mama puts it--slurping and snoring.

But Sophia is a scientist, so she conducts some research with a leader in the field of giraffe tongues.

"Noodles neck-to-lung capacity ration creates a giant echo chamber," said Ms. Canticle, an acoustical engineer.

In layman's language, his neck is too long. But Sophia knows that long necks are part of what makes a giraffe a giraffe. The professor suggests teaching Noodle to twist and change the shape of his neck, but the results are negative.

And now Father complains that Noodle is not worth the costs of his upkeep, which are perpetual.

Sophia has learned two new words but still has no solutions. Ms. Canticle suggests some sound baffles, so Sophia constructs noise-reduction ear gear prototypes for the whole family. But they can't wear them all the time. Uncle Conrad demands an abiding solution to the snoring problem.

So Sophia designs a sound transformer for Noodles' snores.

Can Sophia's science come up with an abiding, perpetual, and perdurable solution to the problem? Can Grand-mama come up with a way to muzzle Noodle's sloppy nuzzle?

It's science plus family feeling to the rescue in Jim Averbeck's Two Problems for Sophia (Margaret K. Elderderry Books, 2018). As in their first book, One Word from Sophia, Yasmeen Ismail's spotchy, blobby illustrations and Sophia's perseverance make for a funny and fun "Can-I-Keep-Him" pet tale with a penchant for science and vocabulary. As Bulletin for Children's Books starred review says, "A welcome addition to positive portrayals of young girl STEM enthusiasts.... This makes an outstanding readaloud."

Standing Out! Geraldine by Elizabeth Lilly

"I AM NOT MOVING!"

"GERALDINE," SAYS MOM. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT BEING A DRAMA QUEEN?"

Geraldine is a drama queen, but this time she has good reason. In her old school, where everyone was a giraffe, she didn't exactly stand out in the crowd. But when Dad takes her to her new school, she's the only one who is DIFFERENT--in a great big way!

"Here, I feel like That Giraffe Girl."

Suddenly, Geraldine has become an introvert. Even her voice is tiny and timid.

At lunch time, Geraldine takes to hiding, or trying to hide, behind a tree, but her long neck seems to have no place to go. Then she notices she's not the only one lunching alone.

"I bet you've heard of me," the solitary girl says.

"I'm that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and likes to organize her food."

Cassie and Geraldine hit it off and soon learn that they have a lot in common. Cassie is a bit different, but she's fun and does a fabulous handstand! Cassie discovers that Geraldine is more than just different, too. She's quite the dancer and a naturally dramatic actress.

And soon, bolstered by their friendship, Geraldine drags Cassie to brave the bunch at the lunch table.

"Cassie can stay in a handstand for 167 seconds," Geraldine announces.

Melinda Bucket is very impressed.

And Geraldine cracks up the whole lunch bunch with her outstanding imitation of the Queen of England, and soon nobody calls her Giraffe Girl anymore.

Geraldine knows that she will always stand out in a crowd in Elizabeth Lilly's Geraldine (Roaring Book Press, 2018) and that's a good thing. Author Elizabeth Lilly' portrayal of Geraldine lets her stand tall and be herself among her new friends, and Lilly's artwork make the most of the possibilities of that long, long neck, as Geraldine dries her eyes on the flag at the top of the flagpole. dunks the basketball on the playground, and is a natural starring as the tallest tree in the school play. Author Lilly's debut is a lighthearted look at being yourself and going with what you've got in a gentle but genuinely funny story about accepting differences. Says Kirkus in their starred review,"Lilly's bright, classic watercolors, brimming with whimsy and charm, create an immersive world of details big and small. Readers will fall in love with Geraldine in this stellar debut."

Nose To Nose! Neck And Neck by Elise Paisley

Life in the zoo was glorious for Leopold.

Every day kids laughed and cheered, and the snacks... were delicious.

The morning began with the usual squeals of admiration.

"Oh, boy! Oh, boy! The TALLEST ANIMAL IN THE WORLD!"

Leopold RULES the ZOO. He's the tops--literally.

But one day as he is greeting his loyal public, he gets a shock.

Leopold turned... and gasped

at the gleaming smile bobbing beside him.

It's a gigantic giraffe-head balloon, held by a grinning boy. And Leopold's erstwhile fans are fickle!

For some reason, the kids are quite taken with the thing! They go ga-ga over the balloon, as the kid holding the string makes it bob and duck and do loop-the-loops. He brags that it smells fresh and doesn't have to have to be fed giraffe treats.

Leopold gives himself a sniff. Who says he's not fresh? He twists himself like a pretzel, looking between his legs at his tail. Who says he can't do tricks?

"I zoom! I bounce!" Leopold boasts.

But all eyes are still on the balloon. Leopold finds himself a bit winded, while the balloon zebra's fat face still has that phony smile. They're eyeball to eyeball, and Leopold has just blinked.

He stalks off to sulk under his favorite tree. How can his former fans desert him? His rival is an airhead, full of hot air. He's a grinning, gassy, goofus! As Leopold ponders the fickle finger of fame, he spots something with... possibilities. His acacia tree has... THORNS! Hmmmm!

CHAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGE!

BLAM!

But Leopold's glee turns glum when he sees the crestfallen face of the kid holding the now deflated balloon.

Awwwww! Now all the kids are sad. Leopold feels terrible. What can he do?

Will Leopold redeem himself?

Is this a picture book or what? There's a surprise ending in store (and lots of laughs and a little lesson in humility all around) in Elise Parsley's latest, Neck and Neck (Little, Brown, 2018). Author-illustrator Parsley, creator of the top-selling If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don't! (Magnolia Says DON'T!) and sequels, (see reviews here), is back in fine fettle in this new one. Her premise is as preposterous and her illustrations as wild and woolly as ever, and her story is perfectly paced to keep the pages turning in this nose-to-nose, neck-to-neck, eyeball-to-eyeball face-off that is fantastically full of top-of-the-heap fun.

Spoiler! Giraffes Ruin Everything by Heidi Schulz

What do you know about giraffes?

They have long necks. They have long legs. They are quiet and gentle.

But that's not all.

Giraffes spoil everything!

Take you average birthday party. The kids are well-dressed and behave nicely. But a giraffe will stick his long neck across the table, and with that long tongue he can lick up most of the cake. No ice cream cone in the room is safe. And that pitcher of punch? One glug down that long throat, and it's history.

At the movies he blocks the view of anyone behind him, all the way back to the last row.

You'd think, wouldn't you, that a giraffe would be an asset at a basketball game. I mean, dunking the ball is a sure thing for a sixteen-foot-tall center, right?

But nobody scores when the giraffe sticks his head up and through the hoop.

Giraffes spoil everything.

Except, maybe when you get your friend's brand-new kite stuck high in a tree, in Heidi Schulz's Giraffes Ruin Everything (Bloomsbury Press, 2016). Sometimes you have to take the bitter with the sweet, and when it comes to an unusual friend, his virtues may just  be the flip side of his vices. Artist Chris Robinson's slightly retro illustrations make the most of the mischief that a long-legged, long-necked giraffe can get into, and both the narrative and the artwork have nostalgic touches of Dr. Seuss' If I Ran the Zoo (Classic Seuss) or H.A. Rey's evergreen Curious George Flies a Kite, not to mention a final page dominated by an huge, house-wrecking elephant--a witty wink and a nod toward a future sequel. "A heartwarming lesson of learning to understand and accept friends as they are," says School Library Journal.