Published by Candlewick Press 

Summary:  Act I: Every morning, Lucy the dog awakens in the alley where she’s spent the night, and goes to wait on the front doorstep of a certain house.  Every morning, Eleanor, the little girl who lives in the house, prepares a treat and hangs it out the window on a string.  Every morning, Sam, Eleanor’s father, juggles a few items, then heads out to his job at the grocery store.  Every evening, Sam tries to juggle onstage, gets stage fright, and is pulled off with a giant hook.  This pattern repeats in the second section of the book, Act II.  But in Act III, some changes are afoot.  As Lucy becomes more and more a part of Eleanor’s life, she is able to help Sam overcome his anxiety, and to gradually show the world his juggling talent.  In Act IV, only two pages long, Sam juggles for Eleanor and Lucy, now a firmly established member of the family.  144 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This may be the sweetest story of 2016 thus far.  Perfectly illustrated with small gray-toned pictures, Lucy and Eleanor’s tale will capture the hearts of young and old alike.

Cons:  At 144 pages, this book bends the picture book rules.  Librarians may be scratching their heads about where to shelve it.

Published by Alfred A. Knopf 

Summary:  Do you have what it takes to be a superhero?  This step-by-step manual takes a young hero-in-training through seven steps to launch his career saving the world.  While he chooses his super name, puts together a uniform, and decides on a sidekick, his sister looks on, hoping to help him, but eventually giving up and going her own (super) way.  Arriving at Step 7: Save the World, our hero goes forth to do just that.  His canine sidekick, however, has a different idea when a squirrel crosses their path.  The ensuing chase proves to be pretty much the opposite of saving the world; meanwhile, his sister is shown helping to clean up a spill, throw away trash, and fix a bike chain.  In the end, the two siblings realize that joining forces may be the quickest path to world redemption.  40 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  A fun addition to the superhero picture book shelf.  Teachers could use this as a procedural writing mentor text.

Cons:  The ending was a little predictable.

Published by Running Press Kids

Summary:  Noah loves visiting his grandparents, especially his grandfather, who starts off every day with exuberant singing.  But this year, grandpa seems different.  One morning he can’t remember how to cut his French toast.  Worst of all, he wakes up from a nap one day and for a moment, doesn’t know who Noah is.  Noah is understandably upset, but his grandmother steps in to explain that Grandpa is having trouble with his memory.  She reminds him that they should focus on appreciating what Grandpa still has; Noah thinks that’s like appreciating all your toys when your favorite one has been left at the beach.  But later that day, he discovers a way to reconnect with Grandpa, and from then on, he finds he has a special way of helping his grandfather to remember.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A beautiful story about a subject many young kids have to deal with.  The illustrations are gray when Grandpa is struggling with a memory issue, then turn colorful again when he remembers something.  While this story can’t have a completely happy ending, it does conclude on a hopeful note.

Cons:  I would feel foolish critiquing a book written by the man who edited the Harry Potter books.

Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  Nick loves his two cats, Verne and Stevenson, and spends his summer hanging out with them.  Unfortunately, when Nick sits down to read, the cats are uncooperative.  So Nick decides to teach them how to read.  It’s an uphill battle, but one day Verne becomes intrigued by the word “fish”, and that opens the door for him.  Pretty soon he has his own library card, and Nick can hardly haul home all the books his cat picks out.  Stevenson stubbornly refuses to join in, though.  One day, Nick discovers a pile of papers under his bed, and realizes that Stevenson has created a wordless story.  When Nick writes words to go with the pictures, Stevenson sticks around and listens to the story. Before long the three friends are all reading, then enjoying acting their favorite stories.  The only thing the cats can’t do is read stories to Nick…but Nick may have a solution to that as well.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This would be a great read-aloud to introduce the joys of reading, as well as the concept that different students learn reading at different times and in different ways.   An engaging story and illustrations.

Cons:   Emerging readers’ expectations may be set unrealistically high when Stevenson goes to bed one night apparently illiterate, and is up reading Treasure Island early the next morning.