Published by Margaret Ferguson

Summary:  Toasty is a piece of bread who dreams of being a dog.  He can see there are differences–he doesn’t have fur, he has two arms and two legs, and he sleeps in a toaster–but he’s sure he can overcome these.  He can bark like a dog, so he confidently decides to head out to the dog park.  When he tries to play with the other dogs, they see him as a tasty snack to chase, and Toasty is forced to hide in a sandwich.  Just as a girl is about to eat him, he starts barking.  The girl is delighted: she’s always wanted a dog, but is allergic.  The two become fast friends, and the final page shows them snuggling down to sleep.  32 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  Quirky? You bet, but strangely sweet as well.  Kudos to Sarah Hwang for creating illustrations of a slice of bread that is as endearing as a puppy.

Cons:  Will there not be a mold issue?

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Fred enjoys running around the house without any clothes on, but when he gets to his parents’ room, he decides to explore.  He considers both dad’s and mom’s clothes, then decides that mom’s are more to his liking.  He puts some on, then decides to check out her jewelry and makeup.  He’s just had a little lipstick mishap when in walk Mom and Dad.  A wordless page shows them all looking at each other; the next wordless page has them all smiling.  Then the three of them (and the dog) get to work decorating themselves, and pose at the end for what looks like a photo with the caption “Now Fred is dressed.”  The final page shows him running away, his dress revealing his backside and the one garment he has failed to put on.  48 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  A fun celebration of individuality which makes its point about gender clothing choices without hitting the reader over the head with it.  As soon as I saw the first page I thought of Peter Brown’s Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, and indeed, there were some parallels, with clothing representing the tension between doing what society expects and following your heart.

Cons:  Those writing the one-star reviews on Amazon might want to go go back and reread Mr. Tiger Goes Wild.

Published by Tundra Books

Summary:  The narrator enjoys writing letters, loves stamps, but does not like Yolanda.  She writes to her pen pal in Sri Lanka, her grandma in Washington, DC, and her friend who moved to Uganda.  She does not, however, write to Yolanda.  Turns out Yolanda is a post office worker, and the girl has had some bad experiences with her.  Once, she spent an hour drawing a picture on her envelope, only to have Yolanda slap a postage label across it.  Another time, she dropped some change that Yolanda was giving her and didn’t have enough money to buy her stamps.  One day, she gathers up all her lucky charms and goes to the post office, hoping to get anyone but Yolanda to wait on her.  But wouldn’t you know it, Yolanda is the only one working.  So she tries something new: she asks Yolanda how her weekend was.  And Yolanda tells her.  She made the meal from Babette’s Feast, and it was delicious.  The girl realizes she has all kinds of questions about the meal as she walks away, and resolves to get in Yolanda’s line next time so she can ask them. 44 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  Another picture book celebrating letter-writing and the postal system.  This one has an important message about confronting your fears, especially those around other people, and how sometimes we mask those fears by deciding not to like someone.  Definitely a fun conversation starter.

Cons:  It seemed unlikely that this girl would be captivated by a meal that included turtle soup, caviar, and rum sponge cake. 

Published by Henry Holt and Co.

Summary:  It’s a beautiful, bustling morning in Happy County, and the animals are ready for a busy new day.  Community helpers are around to take care of the county, a job that includes chasing down a herd of playful porcupines.  There are street signs around to help everyone find their way, with explanations of what the different signs mean.  Cars, trains, and airplanes move the animals around the county, and allow readers to explore roads, airports, and waterways.  As the sun sets at the end of the day, the porcupines are back at Pauly and Polly’s Porcupine Playland, and the Happy County residents are ready for a relaxing evening.  48 pages; ages 3-6.

Pros:  Fans of Richard Scarry’s Busytown will enjoy this series (this is book 3) which, like Scarry’s books, is a visual feast of quirky characters engaged in interesting activities.  There’s also an educational element in each book; in this case, it’s teaching about signs and directions.  Fun for the whole family.

Cons:  The characters are introduced on the front endpapers, which of course means I couldn’t see them all in my library book.  By now, I’m sure you know how I feel about that.

Published by Katherine Tegen Books

Summary:  A girl shares her day at the pool with poetic second-person narration: “Your friends circle up/Dunk and splash/Bump and crash/Laugh and laugh/Duck–and up!”  Her mom and younger brother are peripheral characters as she imagines a magical undersea world.  A brief thunderstorm clears the pool, but after it passes, the girl is off again.  There’s no end to the fun in sight, as the last page shows everyone floating on a giant inflatable ring.  32 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  An energetic summer slice-of-life, with both the text and illustrations celebrating the fun of a day at the pool.

Cons:  My fingers and toes feel pruney.