Published by TOON Books

Summary:  When Henrietta’s mom gives her some colored pencils (“A box of colored pencils is as close as you can get to owning a piece of the rainbow”), she’s inspired to write and illustrate a book entitled, “The Monster with Three Heads and Two Hats”.  The rest of the book is her story as it unfolds, with side pictures of her working, sometimes inspired by her cat, Fellini.  Henrietta struggles with writer’s block, but eventually gets so into her work that she scares herself at times.  The final page shows Henrietta and Fellini walking with the pages of the book tucked under Henrietta’s arm as she says, “Now let’s go look for a publisher.”  A Spanish language version, Escrito y Dibujado por Enriqueta is also available.  Ages 5-8.

Pros:  A celebration of a child’s creative process, told in cartoon form.  Readers will enjoy both Henrietta’s book and her efforts to produce it in this colorful easy reader.

Cons:  Some of the hat varieties (fedora, montfra, Phrygian cap) may be challenging for beginning readers.

Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books

Summary: Starting with a pig in a wig on a boat in a moat, the story goes on to need a frog, a dog, and a goat on a log, a rat with a hat on a trunk with a skunk, and so forth. When the boat gets too crowded, the pig in a wig starts unloading her boat, but loneliness compels her to wish for a bigger boat to accommodate everyone. This appears to be the first book in the “A Pig in a Wig” series.

Pros: A delightful easy reader, with rhyming words and repetitive text making this a good choice for beginners, as well as a story that both readers and listeners will enjoy. Ages 3-7.

Cons: The next book in the series isn’t being published until 2016.

Published by TOON Books

Summary: Benjamin Bear has a series of brainstorms, pretty much one on each page. Every page has a title, with a comic strip that tells the story of Benjamin having a clever idea to solve a problem. This is part of the TOON Books collection, and it’s a Level 2, which means there are 300-700 words, with short sentences and repetition. It’s all explained at the back of the book, along with a guide for how to read comics with kids. Ages 4-8.

Pros: Apparently, TOON Books have been around for a while (this is the third Benjamin Bear book). They seem like an appealing option for beginning readers.

Cons: Okay, I wasn’t exactly splitting my sides over the humor, but this would probably tickle the funny bone of someone who routinely cracks up over the antics of Elephant and Piggie.

Published by Disney-Hyperion

Summary:  Best friends Ballet Cat and Sparkle Pony are trying to decide what to play.  Sparkle makes several suggestions, but all Ballet Cat wants to do is dance.  After dancing a while, Ballet Cat notices that all is not right with Sparkle Pony.  At first Sparkle Pony doesn’t want to tell her, but after some prompting, he/she (not sure which…we’ll go with he for now) admits his secret:  he doesn’t always want to play ballet but is afraid Ballet Cat won’t want to be his friend if he doesn’t.  Ballet Cat assures him there is one thing she loves more than ballet, and that is being his friend.  On the last page, the two friends are playing checkers, surrounded by craft materials and lemonade, all the activities suggested by Sparkle Pony.  Ages 4-8.

Pros:  Fans of Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series will enjoy this new easy reader.  Just like those books, this has simple illustrations with cartoon bubbles color-coded to each speaker, and celebrates the ups and downs of childhood friendships.

Cons:  This seems a bit too derivative of Elephant and Piggie, with less appealing illustrations.  Also, will boys warm to a series with characters named Ballet Cat and Sparkle Pony?