Published by Little, Brown, and Co. 

Summary:   Thunder Boy, Jr. has a secret.  He hates his name.  He’s named after his father, and he wants his own name, preferably one that celebrates something cool he’s done like Touch the Clouds for the time he climbed a mountain or Gravity’s Best Friend for his bike-riding skills.  While he’s trying to figure out how to tell his father that he wants a new name, Dad comes along and suggests that from now on he be called Lightning.  Delighted, Lightning goes off with Thunder Boy, Senior to light up the sky.  40 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  Plenty of humor and Yuyi Morales’ lively illustrations recount a problem other kids may relate to, not liking your name.  The names and the illustrations suggest a Native American family, a welcome addition to the multicultural bookshelf..

Cons:  The ending was a bit of an anticlimax.  Also, be aware the story contains the f-word.  (Fart, that is.)

Published by Schwartz and Wade 

Summary:  The narrator starts out by taking the reader on a tour of her handmade dollhouse.  Formerly a cardboard box, the house now is furnished with homemade furniture, rugs, and wallpaper.  The family that lives there is composed of human dolls, except for Dad, who is a bear, and Grandma, a mouse.  On the other hand, her friend Sophie has a “real” dollhouse, which arrived already furnished and inhabited by a slightly more conventional family.  The only problem is, the girls are bored playing with it. When they go to the narrator’s house, she’s a little nervous about showing Sophie her homemade dollhouse, but Sophie quickly enters into the spirit of imagination, and their play date flies by in no time.  The last pages finds Sophie making plans for a return visit, and the narrator gazing proudly at her dollhouse.  40 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  A wonderful celebration of imaginary play and the joys of creating it yourself.

Cons:  Kids, don’t be discouraged if your dollhouse and furniture don’t turn out quite as perfectly as the one pictured here.