Published by Minnesota Historical Society Press 

Summary:  Grandma doesn’t look like other grandmas.  She’s tall and bony, and she likes to tuck her pants into her boots and go tramping through the woods.  She doesn’t bake cookies, but she knows how to grow and can tomatoes and string beans.  Grandma’s daughter worries about her living alone in the woods, but her granddaughter knows she would be unhappy if she had to live away from the animals and birds that she loves.  As the two of them lie in the snow out by the pond on a moonlit night, the little girl hopes that she grows up to be just like Grandma.  Grades K-3.

Pros:  A beautiful intergenerational story illuminated with lovely illustrations showing Grandma’s cozy cabin and the woods surrounding it.  This would be a great mentor text for characterization.

Cons:  I can’t help thinking there must be a real “North Woods Girl”, but there was no author’s note.

Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Summary:  It’s been quite a few years since Stephen Johnson received a Caldecott honor for his Alphabet City but he’s back for a similar foray into a school.  From the easel that forms an A to the yellow lines on a blacktop that make a Z, Johnson has found the shapes of letters in the classroom, library, gym, cafeteria, and playground.  Readers will be on the lookout for letters and numbers all around them and may be inspired to try to make an alphabet book of their own.  Ages 3-7.

Pros:  The artwork is unique and beautiful.  Kids will enjoy finding the shape of the letter in each picture, then looking to find those shapes around them.

Cons:  I would have liked a description of how the distinctive artwork was created.  It’s a cross between a photo and a painting.

Published by Holiday House 

Summary:  “Open your eyes, and look.  Open your eyes, and see.  And say thank you, for today is today.  Be grateful, for everything you see.  Have gratitude.  Today is today, and it is a gift.  So, be grateful.”  That is the entire text of this little book, illustrated in Tomie dePaola’s distinctive style.  A young boy wakes up, looks at the world around him, and is shown on his knees praying with his little sister on the final page.  All ages.

Pros:  May Thanksgiving find you as full of gratitude as this book.

Cons:  Gratitude and turkey can be a dangerous combination.  Go easy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  Each two-page spread poses a question: Who didn’t get enough sleep?  Who played with that mean cat?  Readers have eight to ten choices of kids and animals to figure out who looks sleepy or scratched.  There are twelve questions at all, and answers to all are given at the end.  Ages 3-5.

Pros:  This unique book helps preschoolers sharpen their powers of observation.  The cartoon illustrations are fun, and kids will enjoy playing detective.

Cons:  Be prepared for episodes of hilarity over “Who forgot a swimsuit?” and “Who couldn’t hold it?”

Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  The wordless first few pages show a bored Sophie rushing through her homework so she can watch TV.  For her assignment to write three facts about polar bears, she scribbles, “They are big, they eat things, they are mean.”  As she settles down in front of the TV, a polar bear named Olafur shows up to tell her, “We’re not all mean.”  He then whisks her away to the Arctic where he shows her the beauty of his home, and shares how he spends his days fishing, swimming, and listening to whales.  As the two of them finish their day watching the Northern Lights, Sophie promises her new friend she’s going to go home and tell everyone about him.  The last page shows her immersed in research, surrounded by books, notes, and a map of the Arctic.  Ages 4-8.

Pros:  Nothing like a little excitement to encourage curiosity and learning.  You can almost feel the Arctic chill from the beautifully detailed illustrations.

Cons:  Melting polar ice caps.

Published by Roaring Brook Press 

Summary:  This year, Sam is old enough to help his parents with the cranberries.  He enjoys driving with them to the marsh, then participating in each step of the process that gets the berries from their vines to the delivery truck.  After the harvest, the whole family enjoys cranberry pies for Thanksgiving.  Back matter includes recipes for cranberry sauce and cranberry pie, a glossary, and an author’s note that describes her family’s Wisconsin home in a cranberry marsh.  Grades K-3.

Pros:  Lively illustrations of the family and the various trucks and machines involved in harvesting match Sam’s enthusiasm as he describes the process.  Perfect for Thanksgiving story times.

Cons:  I didn’t quite follow all the steps of harvesting.

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing 

Summary:  A little girl in a red hood gets to borrow a book her teacher promises is full of wonderful stories.  As she races home with the book, the words leak out the bottom and drift away, until a clever fox catches them in his net.  Arriving at home, the girl is disappointed that the book has only pictures, no stories.  She’s about to abandon it when she hears a whispered voice telling her to use her imagination.  Back she goes to the first illustration, trying to imagine what the story would be.  Her stories grow more creative and complex with each page, until she falls asleep.  In the morning, she rushes back to tell her teacher how much she loved the book, helping the clever fox reach some grapes along the way.  Grades K-3.

Pros:  This book reminded me of one of my favorite elementary school creative writing exercises, where the teacher would post a picture and we’d have to write a story about it.  The sumptuous illustrations could inspire endless stories.  This would also make a great introduction to wordless picture books and how to make up your own stories.  Look for the fox’s appearance on every page.

Cons:  Kids may need some help appreciating this book, which doesn’t have the conventional story arc.