Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  “A stone sat still with water, grass, and dirt/and it was as it was where it was in the world.”  While the stone remains constant, perceptions of it change. To a chipmunk, it’s dark, but to an owl, it’s bright.  When a gull uses it to break open a clam, it’s loud, but it’s quiet to the snake resting on top of it. Over time (“And the stone was a blink/and the stone was an age”), the landscape changes and the stone becomes an island, then eventually is submerged underwater.  “Have you ever known such a place? Where with water, grass, and dirt, a stone sits still in the world.” 56 pages; ages 3-300.

Pros:  This is a truly amazing book with so many different levels: it can be read as a nature book for the kiddies, or as a Zen guide to learning to connect with the eternal in a transient world.  I wasn’t a huge fan of Wenzel’s Caldecott honor book They All Saw a Cat, but I sure would love to see this one get some Caldecott recognition.

Cons:  I feel like I need to retreat from the world and just think about this book for awhile.

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Published by Candlewick Press

Summary:  The narrator describes her beloved grandmother, and how they spent their days together as she grew up in Iran.  Grandma never minded her granddaughter following her around and doing the things she did, even when the little girl climbed on top of her during her morning prayers.  The two often visited their friends next door–the two girls played together while the women drank coffee and talked. The grandmothers would pray for each other, one in a church and one in a mosque.  The narrator concludes, “In this big universe full of many moons, I have traveled and seen many wonders, but I’ve never loved anything or anyone the way I loved my grandma. She was kind, generous, and full of love.  I still want to be just like her.” 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This would be a great mentor text for learning about narrative fiction or writing about a character.  The illustrations are beautiful, and interesting facts about Iran and Islam are woven throughout the story.

Cons:  It would have been nice to see some other family members interacting with Grandma and the little girl.

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Published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Summary:  A diverse cast of characters uses books to spark their imaginations, comfort themselves, lose themselves, and to find a friend.  A baby even uses the corner of a book for teething. Only nine sentences long, the text works well with the mostly purple illustrations, with the different books providing spots of other colors.  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  Short, sweet, and simple, this would be a great way to generate classroom discussion about the wonders of books and reading.

Cons:  It seemed a bit too short. 

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Published by Tilbury House Publishers

Summary:  When Miss Mellon’s class goes out to recess, many of the kids find friends to play with, but a few are left out.  As the story unfolds, we learn the various reasons: a broken leg, a stutter, old clothes with holes, being small…all are reasons why kids feel like they don’t fit in.  A post-recess conversation results in the class banding together to build a buddy bench. The other kids know when they see someone sitting on the bench, that child is looking for someone to play with.  Includes information and additional resources about buddy benches. 36 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A perfect start to discussions about how to include others.  Even if kids don’t have the know-how or resources to build a buddy bench, they can work together to find solutions to make sure everyone gets included at recess.

Cons:  The rhyming text felt a little forced.

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Published by Farrar Straus and Giroux

Summary:  Tallulah is like no tooth fairy you’ve ever seen.  She’s the CEO of her own company, Teeth Titans Incorporated, as well as the founder of the National Association for the Appreciation and Care of Primary Teeth (NAACP-T).  But Tallulah’s not all about work. She believes in finding a balance between the three P’s: passion, purpose, and what pays. She does yoga, chats with her therapist, and visits museums.  She recruits and trains other tooth fairies, and when night falls, off they go to collect teeth from kids around the world. One night, Tallulah encounters something unusual: a boy who’s lost his tooth and left her a note instead.  After a quick consultation with her Board of Directors, she leaves a note in return, gifting him with a tooth compartment lanyard from her company to help him keep track of his teeth in the future. The final page shows the boy with a gap-toothed grin and Tallulah watching him from the bushes outside his house.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Kids will love unconventional fairy Tallulah, and may be inspired to come up with some of their own ideas about the tooth fairy.  Tallulah is smart, savvy, and nobody’s fool…a great role model for girls and boys.

Cons:  Some of the humor will be appreciated by adults, but may go over the kids’ heads.

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Published by Harry N. Abrams

Summary:  Anyone needing to brush up on their dance moves will find inspiration in this book.  Everyone dances–kids, adults, parents, grandparents, principals, and construction workers.  Everyone, that is, except for one boy who crosses his arms and flat-out refuses. A girl (his sister?) tries to convince him, showing him different places and moods that lend themselves to dancing, and even giving him a chart with more than a dozen dance moves.  But even a two-page-spread dance party that includes robots, dinosaurs, and a giant disco ball fails to convince him. Finally, he stalks off to his room, where he reveals that his preferred style of dancing is alone, and shows his moves on the final page. 40 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  So much energy!  This would make a fun dancing storytime, with plenty of inspiration in the cute illustrations.

Cons:  I wished a few of the pictures were a little bit bigger for the purpose of sharing with a group.

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Published by Neal Porter Books

Summary:  “Why?” a curious rabbit asks his friend the bear.  “Because flowers need water to grow,” answers the bear as he waters his flowers.  “Because they are very far away,” he responds as the two look through a telescope.  “Wind” is the simple answer as the rabbit hangs on to a branch, and “Gravity” as he is blown off and falls into Bear’s arms.  When Rabbit asks about a dead bird, Bear says, “I don’t know why. Sometimes I just don’t know why!” As he heads for his den, Rabbit begs him to stay.  Now it’s Bear’s turn to ask “Why?” To which Rabbit responds, “Because then I would miss my friend. That’s why.” 32 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  You can’t really go wrong with a Laura Vaccaro Seeger book.  This one is an ode to friendship and also parent-child relationships with adorable animal illustrations.

Cons:  All those “why’s” can get a little pesky.

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Published by Dial Books

Summary:  Every cloud has a silver lining in this book that traces a friendship between two girls, Stella and Charlie.  Stella says a teary goodbye to her mom as she gets on the school bus, but the goodbye leads to a hello from new friend Charlie at school.  Goodbye to snowmen means hello to puddles; goodbye to the sun means hello to the stars. The final goodbye, as Charlie moves away, seems insurmountable (“goodbye to holding tight is hello to letting go”), but by the last page a new girl has moved in, and Stella is saying “hello” just like Charlie did to her.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This would be a great book for anyone going through a transition, whether it’s starting a new school, moving, or even losing a pet (“goodbye to an empty [fish]bowl is hello to a full heart”).  Kids could enjoy brainstorming hellos and goodbyes.

Cons:  A few of the transitions, like the dead fish example above, seemed a little contrived.  Sometimes it’s okay to just be sad and not have to find that silver lining, at least not right away.

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