Published by Roaring Brook Press 

Summary: A hedgehog learns she is moving to a new home, and is heartbroken to be leaving her anteater best friend. They decide to play together one last time just the way they always have.  The two friends are sad, and the hedgehog is scared about moving some place new, but they manage to have one more day of fun together before they have to go their separate ways.  When the hedgehog starts to unpack at her new house, she finds that her friend has snuck pictures and notes into her suitcase.  The last pages shows her sitting in her room, the papers clipped to a clothesline, beginning a letter to her friend.  40 pages; ages 4-7.

Pros:  This simple story would be a good way to help children express their feelings about a move or a friend who is moving.  The sweet illustrations show the fun the two friends have shared.

Cons:  The hedgehog’s face is so small sometimes it’s hard to see her expressions.

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  Gus and Ida are polar bears who live in a park in the middle of a huge city.  Every day the play, swim, and eat together.  Ida can’t see, but she tells Gus that she doesn’t have to see the city to feel it.  At night, each bear goes to his or her own cave to sleep.  Every day is the same until one morning when Ida doesn’t come out of her cave.  Sonya the zookeeper tells Gus that Ida is sick and she isn’t going to get better.  Gus and Ida still have some time together.  Some days Ida can play, but other days she has to rest.  Each night before sleeping, the two bears tell each other they will miss the other one.  Finally, one morning, with Gus at her side, Ida passes away.  Gus continues to enjoy each day, but never forgets his good friend. A brief author’s note tells of the real Ida and Gus who lived in New York City’s Central Park Zoo. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A beautiful story of love and loss, exploring terminal illness and death in a way that will be accessible to preschoolers and early elementary age readers.

Cons:  Good luck reading this one out loud.  Keep the Kleenexes handy.

Published by Balzer + Bray 

Summary: An entire story is told with a single word per page, each word starting with a different letter of the alphabet. A mouse is Asleep when a Ball bounces into his hole, which he proceeds to Catch; the nose of a Dog pokes into the hole, soon followed by its Eye. You get the idea. The action is non-stop as the two animals pursue each other before the mouse finally has a clever idea to make peace. The word on the final page, not surprisingly, is Zzzzz. 32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros: A clever concept for an alphabet book, with cute, action-packed illustrations. Younger kids will enjoy using this to learn the alphabet, while older ones could be challenged to make up an alphabetical story of their own.

Cons: A few pages (To Dog, Very Cool) don’t quite adhere to the one-word-per-page rule.

Publishd by Henry Holt and eCompany

Summary: When 3 decides there’s more to life than being a number, he goes off in search of a new career. He tries a great many options, including being the humps of a camel and the toes of an elephant.  Deciding  he prefers people to animals, he tries being a shoelace and the rim of some glasses.  An anchor?  A rake?  An airplane’s steering wheel?  3 tries them all before finally settling for getting bronzed and becoming a statue in the park.  At first, he is admired and appreciated, but gradually people stop coming to see him, and he realizes it’s time to move on.  In the spring he heads for the fair, but learns it’s not opening this year.  With no 3, there can be no triple scoops of ice cream, three-legged races, or music (“A one, and a two, and a….”).  3 finally realizes his rightful place is with the numbers, and 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are all more than happy to welcome him back.  40 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  A fun introduction to the importance of numbers in everyday life, as well as a bit of an I Spy, as kids will enjoy seeing where 3 is hiding in many of the illustrations.

Cons:  Be prepared for giggles as both a pigeon and a dog cover the statue of number 3 with numbers 1 and 2.

Published by Viking Books for Young Readers

Summary:  It starts out sounding like an ordinary story: “Snappsy the alligator wasn’t feeling like himself.  His feet felt draggy.  His skin felt baggy.”  But then, Snappsy himself interrupts.  “This is terrible!  I’m just hungry!  Why is this rude narrator trying to make it seem like I need a nap?”  The book continues, with the narrator telling the story and Snappsy getting annoyed and correcting the narration.  Snappsy goes to the grocery store, goes home, and shuts himself into his house.  The narrator presses on, and Snappsy reveals that the story has made his day sound so boring, he’s decided to plan a party.  Sure enough, he cleans the house and ends up with quite the shindig, attended by all the neighbors.  At last, even the narrator shows up, turning out to be a pretty fun party guest, but badgering poor Snappsy right up to the very last page.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This would be a hilarious read-aloud.  The usual narrative structure is turned on its head.  The cartoon illustrations are fun, with the narrator’s text written like a regular story and Snappsy’s in cartoon bubbles.  Comparisons with Mo Willems are apt.

Cons:  Those people who kind of remind me of the narrator.

Published by Greenwillow Books

Summary:  Waiting for spring can be hard.  There’s rain, mud, and sometimes, a brief return of winter.  But if you’re patient, you’ll see flowers blooming and eggs hatching, and you’ll feel the warm sun.  You’ll know it’s really spring when there are buds and bees and boots and bubbles; worms and wings and wind and wheels.  But you’re not done waiting, because then it’s time to wait for summer!  40 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  The husband and wife team of Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek has created a book that perfectly captures the slow unfolding of spring from winter. The soft, brightly-colored illustrations perfectly complement the brief, but descriptive, text. The spring endpapers at the beginning and summer ones at the end encapsulate the movement from one season to the next.

Cons:  Don’t read this book until at least late March, or you’ll be depressed when you look out your window.

Published by Carolrhoda Books 

Summary: Great-Grandmother Nell is 96 years old, and prickly enough to be kind of scary. Yet clearly her great-granddaughter, who narrates this book, loves her and is fascinated by her.  Great Grandmother insists on being called Great Grandmother.  She may be old, but she is still stylish, occasionally inviting her great granddaughter into her room for a little practice applying lipstick and wearing perfume.  Great Grandmother claims to remember every day of her 96 years, including the day her heart was broken when her best friend said they couldn’t be friends anymore because of Nell’s brown skin.  A wordless two-page spread shows some of her other memories, like the March on Washington and a performance by the Alvin Ailey dance company.  At the end, the narrator sneaks into her great grandmother’s room for a good night kiss while Great Grandmother is sleeping.  32 pages; grades 1-3.

Pros:  This is a great mentor text for characterization.  So many interesting details about Great Grandmother Nell really make her come alive for the reader, and also reveal a bit about the narrator.  The bold, colorful illustrations help flesh out both characters as well.

Cons: Some adult readers may be offended by the “glass with something that looks like apple juice” that Nell sips during the day and once offers to her great granddaughter.