Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  A huge variety of animals is greeted in brief rhyming text: “Hello Hello/Black and White/Hello Color/Hello Bright.”  The mixed-media illustrations depict lines of animals stretching across each two-page spread, looking at each other with oversized eyes.  The author’s note explains that many of the animals are endangered, and that a lot of people don’t know they exist.  He encourages readers to learn more about them, starting by saying hello.  All 92 animals are identified on the last four pages in order of appearance; the animals also appear on the endpapers, in silhouette in the front of the book and in vibrant color in the back.  52 pages; ages 3-6.

Pros:  Who can resist all those animals, with a riot of colors, shapes, and patterns?  Placing them on a clean white background with simple black text emphasizes the unique beauty of each creature even more.  Caldecott consideration?  We can hope.

Cons:  It’s a quick read, but go slowly to savor all the illustrations.

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Published by Holiday House

Summary:  Everyone in the neighborhood knows where to go when they hear, “Meet me at Big Tree!”  Big Tree provides shelter, shade, and hiding places.  But one night, a thunderstorm hits the town, and the tree is destroyed by lightning.  The huge branches take down some wires, resulting in a neighborhood blackout.  The process of removing the tree and wires is shown, with plenty of interesting-looking vehicles.  Neighbors are sad to lose their beloved tree, but enjoy the firewood and mulch left behind.  The final page shows a family planting a sapling named Little Tree to replace their old friend.  32 pages; ages 4-7

Pros:  A perfect read for Arbor Day or Earth Day, celebrating community trees.  Fans of construction vehicles and other trucks will enjoy the illustrations of police cars, cherry pickers, dump trucks, and more.

Cons:  Some tree-related back matter would have added to the educational value.

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Published by Candlewick

Summary:  When Rescue hears his trainer say, “You aren’t meant to be a Seeing Eye dog.  The service dog team is better for you”, he’s worried.  He doesn’t want to let anyone down.  When Jessica hears, “You’re an amputee now.  You have to wear a prosthetic leg or use a wheelchair for the rest of your life”, she’s worried; her whole family is concerned about her, and she doesn’t want to let them down.  Fortunately, Rescue and Jessica find each other, and a whole new world opens for both of them.  They learn how to do new things together, and each one thinks the other is amazing.  Even when Jessica loses her other leg, Rescue is by her side, helping her get back on her feet again.  “You rescued me, Rescue,” says Jessica at the end.  The last page: “But the truth was, they had rescued each other.”  Includes a note from the authors, a husband-and-wife team who lost their legs (both of Jessica’s and one of Patrick’s) at the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, that tells about their real-life dog, Rescue.  32 pages; grades K-5.

Pros:  A powerful story that will captivate kids and maybe inspire them to support the NEADS World Class Service Dog organization described in the author’s note.  The illustrations are adorable, and the final one of Jessica and Rescue crossing a bridge over the Charles River into Boston is beautiful.

Cons:  I want to read this to kids, but I can’t even proofread this review without choking up.

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Published by Harry N. Abrams

Summary:  A girl offers a stream-of-consciousness meditation on the world around her.  It begins with colors: “They say blue is the color of the sky. Which is true today! They say the sea is blue, too. It certainly looks like it from here.”  From the beach, she moves to a meditation on colors she can’t see, but knows are there like the golden egg yolk or her red blood. Later, her thoughts turn to the changing seasons, as she imagines herself a tree, first green, then brown, then covered with white. Finally, she moves back home, where she thinks of black, the color of her hair and of the crows she sees from the window as her mother braids her hair.  40 pages; ages 5-8.

Pros:  Caldecott honoree Jillian Tamaki has created beautiful (potentially award-winning) illustrations on every page , her colors and bold strokes of acrylics on watercolors perfectly rendering the various seasons and setting the narrator imagines.  The wandering narration captures the spirit of children’s conversations.  

Cons:  Some readers may struggle to figure out what this book is about.

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Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  A girl imagines what it would be like to have a horse.  At first, both she and the horse would be shy, but gradually they would become friends and learn to work together.  She pictures the horse helping her to make friends with other horses and their riders, but still keeping their own unique identities.  By the end of the book, the girl is visualizing herself standing on the horse’s back, fearless enough to do anything.  The illustrations are all in silhouette, with the dark figures of the horse and girl against a watercolor background that goes from the pink of early morning to the purple of twilight.  40 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  The unique illustrations are Caldecott-worthy, and the brief text is inspiring.

Cons:  Readers expecting a “horse-ier” book may be disappointed.

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