"Loveabye Dragon" by Barbara Joosse (Candlewick Press, $15.99)
This is a sweet story about a girl who dreams of having a dragon as a friend. The writing is poetic: “Oh, she cried silver tears so wishing for a dragon-so lonely for a dragon-and they trickled down the stairs. Past a teeny-tiny mouse in his teeny-tiny house. Past a boat in the moat. Past a frog in the bog …” Randy Cecil’s illustrations are adorable.
"My Pop-Up World Atlas" by Anita Ganeri and Stephen Waterhouse (Templar Books, $18.99)
This geography book for children aged 5-8 is loaded with easy to understand information. Young readers will appreciate the colorful pop-up illustrations of continents, landmarks, wildlife and the names and the locations of various countries from Andorra to Zimbabwe.
"Bananas in My Ears: A Collection of Nonsense Stories, Poems, Riddles, and Rhymes" by Michael Rosen (Candlewick, $15.99)
Reading should be fun, right? This collection contains the gems “Hard-Boiled Legs,” “Smelly Jelly Smelly Fish,” “Spollyollydiddlytiddlyitis” and “Under the Bed.” Quentin Blake’s illustrations and cartoons enhance Rosen’s poems. Here’s one: “there’s a boy over there, and he’s sitting on the rocks, eating apple crumble, washing dirty socks.” To read it is to smile.
"The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" an Aesop fable retold by Helen Ward (Templar Books, $16.99)
This re-telling of a classic Aesop’s fable is breathtakingly beautiful. Helen Ward’s artwork is stunning and in perfect harmony with this timeless prose. The country mouse longs for the beauty and serenity he remembers: “the song of the thrush, the sound of the worm in the earth, and the buzz of the crickets in the hay meadows.” This is pure artistry.
"Fluff and Billy" by Nicola Killen (Sterling, $14.95)
Fluff and Billy were best friends. They have a fight. Then they make up. Friends can disagree and they can forgive one another. These wee penguins can make fine role models. Gentle lessons are paired with whimsical illustrations.
"Hit the Road Jack" by Robert Burleigh (Abrams, $17.95)
This tribute to the writer Jack Kerouac features a rabbit named Jack. Our bunny takes a trip across America much like Kerouac did for his book “On the Road.” There’s some footloose philosophy here: “You miss a meal once or twice, you’re broke — but well, so what? ‘Cause money’s only something, Jack, that gets you in a rut.” Ross MacDonald’s 1950s-styled pictures are tastefully hip.
"A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet" by Kathryn Lasky (Candlewick, $14.99)
Phillis Wheatley was a slave who lived in Boston during the American Revolution. She wrote poetry and found an English publisher to publish “a slave girl’s book-the first book ever written by a black American woman.” This biography is an inspiring piece of history.
"Icky Sticky Monster: A Super Yucky Pop-Up Book" by Jo Lodge (Nosy Crow, $12.99)
Some kids are reluctant readers. Fortunately there are books that are so cleverly written and thoroughly amusing that even reluctant readers find them difficult to resist. This blue monster knows how to amuse youngsters: “Icky Sticky Monster is being very naughty. That stinky little monster is hiding in the potty.” What a little darling. Our dear Granny might not agree.
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