Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Summary:  When a marble falls from the sky, the insects are amazed.  They spend the day speculating on what this marvelous object might be.  The next morning, they discover that the thing is caught in Spider’s web.  Spider claims it now belongs to him, and no one can remember whether or not the web was there before.  Soon, Spider has created WonderVille, a place to come see the amazing object that fell from the sky.  Spider gets wealthier, but also greedier, and eventually animals stop coming.  Then the worst happens: a hand reaches down from space and grabs the marble.  But Spider has a plan: after building another web, he patiently waits for other objects to fall into it.  His persistence pays off, and soon WonderVille is launched again, this time freely available to all.  56 pages; ages 4-9.

Pros:  The Fan Brothers have done it again, creating amazing illustrations that seem to pop off the page.  Their use of color helps tell the story: most of it is in black, gray, and white, with only the marble and the leaves Spider collects in color.  The last few pages, when everyone can enjoy Spider’s wonders, are in full color.

Cons:  Most of the insects were male; Luna Moth was the only one referred to as “she”, Her reaction to the marble was to try to keep it warm and hatch it, which seemed a little stereotypical.

Published by Balzer + Bray

Summary:  Everybody in the red brick building is asleep until…a baby wakes up with a loud “WaaaAAH!”  That wakes up Rahan who gets out of bed to check on his parrot.  The parrot makes a “Rraak!” sound, which gets three boys out of their sleeping bags and up for a game of flashlight tag.  And so it goes until the apartment building is a cacophony of all different sounds.  Then one by one, the sounds die down, lights turn out, people (and animals) get back into bed until…everybody in the red brick building is asleep.  32 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  Caldecott honoree Oge Mora brings her distinctive collage illustrations to this cumulative, circular tale that would make a perfect bedtime story and that could put her in the running for another Caldecott.

Cons:  That parrot wouldn’t last five minutes in my house.

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  As a mother awaits her baby’s arrival, she gathers items for a medicine bundle: an eagle feather, cedar and sage, a handmade star blanket, and a stone.  When the baby is born, the mother presents the different items: the feather as a reminder of beauty all around, cedar and sage to keep the spirit strong, and a stone to remember the stories from the land and from within.  The blanket is to wrap the baby, as the mother whispers, “I loved you before I met you.  Before I held you in my arms, I sang you down from the stars.”  Includes notes from the author and the illustrator.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade has created some spectacular illustrations, with what she refers to in her artist’s note as “swoosh” around each depiction of the mother and baby.  She writes that the swoosh depicts “a flow of energy that connects all living things on a metaphorical level and connects from one page to the next on a literal level.”  As the baby is given each gift, visual references are made to the illustrations when the mother gathered each item.  The author’s note tells how the story connects to her Inniniwak Nation.  An excellent and unique gift for a new baby.

Cons:  The story may appeal more to parents than to children, at least at first.

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  The narrator loves fishing from a neighborhood dock that no one else uses but him.  Returning home one day, he finds his parents and neighbors preparing for an impending hurricane.  The family hunkers down when the storm hits, and the illustrations show flooding and fallen trees.  The weather is calm and sunny by the next morning, but when the boy goes to the dock, he finds it has been almost destroyed.  Unable to get help from the adults who are busy with repairs and cleanup, he decides to try to fix the dock himself.  He makes a valiant attempt, but after several days he is ready to give up.  At that moment, his parents and neighbors show up, and everyone works together to rebuild the dock into a place for the whole community.  It’s still the boy’s favorite place, but now there are others around to enjoy it with him.  Includes front endpapers showing how a hurricane forms and back ones with the parts of a dock.  Also a photo of a note from 6-year-old John Rocco informing his parents that he is off to go fishing.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  John Rocco’s books are always fun to read to kids (Blizzard is one of my go-to reads for winter), and this one has illustrations that will particularly appeal to young engineers, with detailed information about hurricanes and dock building.  

Cons:  Key parts of the endpapers were covered up by the taped-down dustjacket of my library copy.