Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Captain Swashby and the sea have been friends throughout his sailing career, so when he retires, it’s only natural that he settles down by the sea.  But avast!  The captain’s peaceful retirement is interrupted by an exuberant girl and her granny who have moved into the previously vacant house next door.  When they start invading the beach, Swashby leaves messages in the sand to keep them away.  But the sea, knowing what’s best for the Captain, intervenes, and washes some letters away.  “No Trespassing” becomes “Sing”; “Now vanish” turns into “w–ish”.  When “Please go away” is transformed into “Pl–ay”, Swashby no longer can resist, and ends up tutoring the girl on how to build a sand castle.  The sea has one more trick to play to seal their friendship, and before long, Swashby is leaving a new message, “Thank ye, friend”.  Which gets transformed to “Th-e end.”  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  An adorable and clever story about friendship and the power of words.  The illustrations by Caldecott honoree Juana Martinez-Neal could be in the running for some awards this year.

Cons:  Swashby is quite the grouch.

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Published by Salaam Reads

Summary:  On Musa’s first day of kindergarten, his teacher, Ms. Gupta, tells the kids that the first day of school is her favorite day of the year, and announces that they will be sharing their favorite days for show and tell throughout the year.  A few weeks later, Musa is excited to tell his classmates about Eid al-Fitr.  As the year goes along, the other boys at his table get to share Rosh Hashanah, Las Posadas, and Pi Day.  When the rest of the kids learn about the food and fun associated with each of these events, they understand why it is that boy’s favorite day.  At the end of the year, Ms. Gupta gives them a calendar with all their favorite holidays so that they continue to celebrate even when they’re no longer in a class together.  Includes a bit more information on each of the holidays mentioned in the story.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This would make a great first day of school book, and Ms. Gupta’s idea is a fun one for encouraging her students to learn about each other’s cultures.  The kids in the illustrations are adorable, and the endpapers feature a striking patchwork quilt with patterns and symbols from a wide variety of cultures.

Cons:  What kindergartener’s favorite day of the year is Pi Day?  

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Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers

Summary:  If there’s one thing we’ve all learned in the last few months, it’s that nothing is predictable, and here is a book to drive that point home.  Whether they’re things we enjoy (soap bubbles, music) or aren’t so fond of (wounds, lice), things generally go away eventually.  Some, like sleep and dust, regularly return.  Each two page spread has a piece of tracing paper inserted with black marks on it that fit into each illustration when you turn it.  So the black specks that look like head lice become part of the design on the girl’s dress when you flip the page.  “Eventually, everything passes, moves on, or changes.  But one thing never goes away, and never will.”  The last page shows a mother hugging a child with the single word “Never”.  40 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  This unique book is fun for kids, but could also serve as a meditative tool for us oldsters.  The illustrations are beautiful, and the whole book, which was originally published in France, has a bit of a European feel to it.

Cons:  The black marks on the vellum pages weren’t well-incorporated into the left-handed illustrations.

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Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  “My friend Earth wakes from a winter nap,” says the narrator on page 1, with a flap that changes a sleeping girl into one who has just woken up.  The flap also reveals a hole in the snowbank (and the page) with a robin peeping out.  Turn the page, and it’s spring, with Earth hearing the sounds of that season.  The narrative goes through the year, as Earth sees and hears the rhythms and changes of each season.  And she’s not just a passive listener: she guides and guards animals, pours summer rain down, and blows autumn winds.  Finally, snow has fallen once again, and Earth settles down for a rest, ending up where she started.  44 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  An unusual way to represent Earth and look at the seasons.  Kids will love the busy illustrations with die-cuts that offer a hint of what’s coming on the next page.

Cons:  Those flaps and die cuts often don’t hold up well in the library.  The copy I borrowed from my library had already been ripped and repaired.

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Published by Beach Lane Books

Summary:  A community rooftop garden takes shape, bringing together a diverse group of neighbors who grow an equally diverse collection of fruits and vegetables.  From “Garden ready, garden new/Garden so much work to do” to “Garden growing like a child, rosy, leggy, fresh and wild/Wild in this muddy mess, garden, thank you…Garden, yes!”, the brief rhyming text celebrates different stages of gardening.  A girl and a boy meet each other through the garden, and enjoy all the different aspects, even the rainy days and the bugs and worms that they discover.  The final illustration shows the whole group sitting down to enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of their labors.  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  This bouncy rhyming ode to gardens is a perfect summertime read.  Kids with gardens will connect with the different phases of growing produce, and everyone will enjoy finding details in the cheerful illustrations, such as the recurring appearances of a garden gnome and two toy vehicles: a blue truck and a yellow car. 

Cons:  A gardening activity at the end would have been nice.

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Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Summary:  A young girl introduces her new best friend, who is smart and she laughs at everything.  The two friends like to run around, quacking like ducks, then sit quietly under a tree.  Even though one loves strawberry ice cream and the other hates it, they are still friends.  When they’re drawing, she draws her friend and her friend draws her, and they make hearts around their pictures.  “She is my best friend I think.  I’ve never had a best friend so I’m not sure.”  As the two girls go their separate ways, each with a parent, the narrator reveals that they don’t know each other’s names, but they can find out tomorrow “because we are best friends.”  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  As she did in When’s My Birthday?, Julie Fogliano perfectly captures the voice of a very young child and explores what it’s like to instantly become friends with someone new.  Caldecott honoree Jillian Tamaki explores their friendship in green and peach illustrations surrounded by white space; she’s deserving of some Caldecott consideration once again for this book.

Cons:  I have a personal preference for illustrations using a wider palette of colors.

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