Gus Upstairs by Carey Sookocheff (Owlkids, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Ms. Wilson lives in a downstairs apartment, where she enjoys the familiar noises of the Lam family in the apartment above her. When they go to work and school, she also relishes the silence and uses the time to play music. When Gus moves in, things change. After being adopted on a Friday, Gus enjoys a weekend of doggy play with the family until they go off on Monday morning, leaving him alone and lonely. He welcomes the sound of Ms. Wilson’s music, but when he tries to sing along, she feels compelled to stop. She leaves a note for the Lams, and it looks like Gus will have to be returned, but the last few pages show a better solution: Gus will spend his days with Ms. Lam, where they can enjoy music together.

I loved the structure of this story, which quickly introduced the character, set up the problem, and provided an extremely satisfying solution. I wasn’t a huge fan of the muted brown and gray color palette, but the simple text and cute cartoon style illustrations eventually won me over.

Big Rig Pig by Claire Tattersfield, illustrated by Rob Sayegh Jr. (Flamingo Books, 40 pages, ages 3-6). Miles Bacon is hauling boxes through town, but when he gets a call for help, he can’t say no. He adds a trailer full of logs to his rig and keeps going. Then a circus needs a hand, and he adds the performers to his truck. Miles goes through his day assisting others until he gets to a hill and can’t get his big load up the slope. Just as he’s about to give up, his friends come to the rescue, each vehicle taking part of the load until Miles can get moving again. First stop? The auto shop for some much-needed repairs.

The rhyming text and colorful illustrations depicting all kinds of vehicles will make this a popular choice with preschoolers. It would make a great match with Towed by Toad by Jashar Awan; both feature kind, friendly truck drivers who learn that it’s okay to ask for help when you need it.