Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  “My grandmother came to visit.  I had met her once before.  She lived far away.  Her hair was very white and very, very long.”  This somewhat mysterious grandmother proposes that she and her grandchild play jaguars.  And suddenly, they ARE jaguars, heading out into the night, where they hunt (“I didn’t want to eat a raw rabbit so I said I was allergic”), run, and travel to the Himalayas.  Suddenly remembering school, the narrator says he has to get back soon.  The grandmother gives him a long look with her jaguar eyes, but then they run back to the school.  “Who knew how much school I had missed?  But it was okay…my grandmother wrote me a note.”  The final illustration shows the silhouette of a jaguar sitting in class and a teacher holding a piece of paper with a paw print on it.  44 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  This ambiguous tale is beautifully written and illustrated, leaving open the question of whether the jaguar adventures were real or imagined.  As an aside, I only recently realized that Dave Eggers is a big deal in the world of adult literature as well as children’s (a line from April Ludgate in a Parks and Recreation episode tipped me off).  This story would make a good mentor text for teaching similes and other figurative language.

Cons:  Some kids (and adults) might not like the ambiguity.

Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  At the start of this book, “Yes” belongs to the dog, while “No” is the domain of the cat, as they are asked questions from their offstage guardian: Are you awake? Did you sleep well? Are you both excited for the day?  Sent outside to play, the dog is a whirlwind of activity, digging and chewing everything in sight, while the cat perches in a tree.  The owner, seeing the destruction in the yard, sends them farther afield, and they head off.  Several wordless pages show the pair traveling together, then gazing at the scenery as they sit side by side.  When it’s time to come inside and get ready for bed, it’s the dog who starts saying no, but he finally admits to being ready for sleep, as the cat heads out a window into the night.  40 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  Reminiscent of Cooper’s Caldecott book Big Cat, Little Cat, this fun book is sure to spark debate between dog people and cat people.  The illustrations and sparse text perfectly capture each animal’s personality.

Cons:  It doesn’t pack quite the emotional punch of Big Cat, Little Cat.

Published by Triangle Square

Summary:  Teenagers lurk in the shadow of Mrs. Lucy’s garage.  Before she can stop them, they’ve spray-painted it with graffiti.  The next morning, she paints over the words, chasing the kids away when they start to play ball near her house.  They move on, but they don’t let Tasha join them.  Disheartened, Tasha offers to help Mrs. Lucy, and the two of them finish the job, then have a snack together.  That night, the cycle repeats itself, with Mrs. Lucy and Tasha doing clean-up together in the morning.  On the third night, Mrs. Lucy hides in the bushes by her garage, determined to catch the culprit.  This time, though, there’s only one kid–Tasha.  “I just–I just wanted to come over again,” she stammers when Mrs. Lucy catches her.  They make plans to work together in the morning.  32 pages; grades K-5.

Pros:  An unusual and thought-provoking story with intriguing illustration by Caldecott Medalist Ed Young. 

Cons:  Kids may need to brush up their inferencing skills to understand what is going on in the story.

Published by Dial Books

Summary:  When Sunday quits, saying she is tired of being a day, the other days of the week have to scramble to fill her place.  They get all kinds of applicants: FunDay, RunDay, Caterday, and many, many more.  Finally, a young girl shows up with a seedling in a flower pot.  Monday guesses that she wants to apply for Eggplant Day or Cabbage Day, but the girl says no.  She has grown a plant to say thank you to Sunday for being such a nice day.  Sunday, suddenly not tired anymore, agrees to go back to her old job, and the other days try to play and appreciate each other more…every day of the week.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  With lots of zany visual humor and the possibility for kids to create their own days, this is sure to be a big hit with kids and teachers alike.

Cons:  I wish the editor had worked a little harder to keep this book to 32 pages.  The multiple suggestions for new days of the week felt a bit long.

Published by Tundra Books

Summary:  A special family lives in the village of Fengfu.  What makes them special?  They have ten sons.  Their parents call them their ten little dumplings because they are round like dumplings, and because dumplings, like boys, are auspicious.  The ten little dumplings grow up into ten fine young men.  But wait!  The person telling the story is actually their little sister.  You may not have noticed her in the pictures, but she was there!  She too grows up and discovers her own talent, becomes a successful artist and one day has a dumpling of her own.  An author’s note explains the inspiration for this book comes from her father’s family of ten boys and one girl…who was often left out of the stories.  48 pages; 4-8.

Pros:  A fun story with an unusual structure that will definitely send readers back to the beginning to look for the little sister.  The author’s note in which she wonders who has been left out of stories and why provides a good discussion starter for older readers.

Cons:  I couldn’t find the sister in all the illustrations, but that might just have been my lack of observational skills.