Frank’s Red Hat by Sean E. Avery (Walker Books Australia, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Frank has more ideas than your average penguin, and although they don’t always work out as planned, he keeps trying. When he shows up wearing a red hat before, the other penguins are skeptical, having never seen the color red before. He hands it to Neville for a closer look, and by an unfortunate coincidence, Neville gets swallowed by a killer whale at that very moment. The other penguins back away immediately, and a disappointed Frank drops that hat on the snow. Thinking the color may have been the problem, Frank creates a variety of other hats, but the penguins reject them all. Finally, he gives up, only to unexpectedly discover that the seals have been picking up his discarded hats, and they love them! This encourages Frank to keep creating, and on the last page, he’s shown unveiling his latest invention…the scarf.

Seven: A Most Remarkable Pigeon by Sandra Nickel, illustrated by Aimée Sicuro (Candlewick, 40 pages, ages 4-8). When a baby pigeon arrives alone–usually there are two pigeon eggs–his parents try to make up for it by giving him the name Seven, considered lucky in the pigeon community, since the farthest a pigeon has flown home is 7,000 miles. Seven has an excellent sense of smell and gets great joy from collecting flowers and eating rice. His parents, who collect straw and twigs and eat bread crumbs like the rest of the pigeons, frown on these activities and try to get Seven to conform. And the rest of the flock is horrified when Seven doesn’t learn to home right away, instead following the yummy smells all around him. Seven tries to be like the other pigeons, but it makes him sad. When the flock gets fogged in by clouds after a long journey, Seven’s keen sense of smell brings them home again, and the other pigeons begin to see the value of Seven’s uniqueness. Includes additional information about pigeons.

Both of these books use humorous storytelling to teach important lessons about being true to yourself and honoring your own unique gifts. Although they’re quite different from each other, I loved the illustrations in both books portraying Frank’s and Seven’s urban and Arctic environments.

A Book of Maps for You by Lourdes Heuer, illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III (Neal Porter Books, 40 pages, grades K-3). “I made a book of maps,” the narrator explains, showing the cover which shares the title of this book. Inside there are maps of many places in the community: the narrator’s town, house, school, the library, the park behind the library, Main Street, a favorite art store. Helpful facts are included on each page, like the cafeteria lunch menu on Fridays and the best swing at the park. The purpose of this book of maps is made clear on the last two spreads, when the narrator leaves it on the front porch before climbing into a car behind a moving van, then a new kid sits on the porch, surrounded by boxes, and picks up the book.

This charming book will have readers thinking about what maps they could draw of different places in their communities and what facts to include about each. The ending is kind of poignant, although it could provide a helpful project for kids who are facing a move. My favorite book for teaching about maps remains What a Map Can Do, but this one is a close second and may have the edge for thinking about community and inspiring creative projects.

Cranky, Crabby Crow (Saves the World) by Corey R. Tabor (Greenwillow Books, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Crow greets each animal’s friendly overtures with a loud “Kaw!” which sends each one away, miffed at the bird’s rudeness. Finally alone, Crow gets a phone call from a red phone attached to a telephone pole. “Have you cleared the area?” asks a voice. “It’s time.” A door in the pole leads to an elevator, which Crow rides down to an underground bunker, where a bird-sized spacesuit and rocket are waiting. Crow flies into space to launch missiles and lasers that successfully destroy an asteroid threatening the Earth. Back home, Crow once again perches on the wire, where one by one the animals reappear, each clutching an invitation from Crow. Night falls, and there’s a spectacular display of shooting stars–or rather fragments of the asteroid traveling through space. Is Crow smiling?

I’m always delighted to learn that Corey Tabor has a new book out, and this one is sure to be a favorite. I found more details as I reread it, particularly in the clever illustrations that include visual humor like the buttons for cupcakes and bubbles alongside the missile and laser ones. The text is simple enough to make this a good choice for early readers, and also perhaps for a Geisel award, if not a Caldecott.

Here Is a Book by Elisha Cooper (Henry N. Abrams, 40 pages, ages 4-8). An artist is inspired by the nature around her and creates a book. She pedals her bicycle into town to deliver her work to her publisher. From there it goes to a printer, where it is turned into books. The books travel to the city, where one of them ends up in a school library. A child borrows the book and brings it home, where she is inspired by the illustrations to make a book of her own.

I was expecting this to be more of a “how a book is made” story, but I really loved the exploration of how one artist inspires another. Each step of the way includes a list of what is in that location: the artist’s garden has sun, rain, dirt, shovels, seeds, and love; the printer makes the book using paper, ink, printing presses, binding machines, glue, thread, and time; and the child’s room has paper, pencils, a desk,, a chair, stuffed bears, hot chocolate, days, nights, art, and wonder. The watercolor illustrations beautifully capture all of these things on each two page spread.

Let’s Be Bees by Shawn Harris (Neal Porter Books, 40 pages, ages 3-7). A man and a child are sharing a book; when the man says “Let’s be bees. Let’s buzz,” the two of them turn into bees, buzzing and popping right out of their human clothing. Similarly, they turn into birds, trees, a storm, and more, making the appropriate sounds and shape shifting into all sorts of things. Their final transformation is into the Earth, where they make every sound. The reader says, “Now let’s be me and say,” and the cartoon bubbles show both of them saying “The End,” each one sporting long hair and a beard like the reader. On the last page, they both turn into the child and say, “Again!!”

This simple but clever book celebrates the power of reading together and letting books unlock the imagination. The illustrations look like they were drawn by a child, and kids could use this book as a starting place for creating their own pictures based on its theme. Either one of these books could be considered for another Caldecott for their artists.