Published by Disney Hyperion

Thanks to Disney Hyperion for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

Summary:  Sophia decides to run away, taking her cat with her.  Clearly, there has been some sort of incident involving a time-out, and Sophia has decided she’d prefer to live by herself on the moon.  She writes her mom a letter to let her know. Her mom responds calmly, saying that she misses Sophia, but will be hosting Grorg, a young alien who has run away from the man on the moon.  As Mom describes the dinner and bedtime routine she is planning for Grorg, Sophia starts to have second thoughts. She suggests that Grog might be homesick, and that maybe Mom could bring him back to the moon.  After a reunion and a hug, Mom writes one last letter: “Even when you’re mad, I love you to the moon. And I love you all the way back.” 32 pages; ages 3-6.

Pros:  An excellent choice for showing unconditional love between a parent and child.  The letter format is a fun way to keep things light, and the cute illustrations help readers understand what’s really going on.

Cons:  I’m kind of done with the whole “I love you to the moon and back” thing.

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Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Thanks to Little, Brown Books for providing me with a copy of this book to review

Summary:  “Life happens when you least expect it.”  With this message, a girl gets a mysterious box dropped off on her front doorstep.  When she opens it, out pops a weird gray creature…Life! Life can be weird (look at these last few weeks), It can also be messy, stinky, and crazy. You never know where it’s going to take you, and it’s a journey, not a destination.  You shouldn’t waste a second, because Life is short, and ultimately…Life is beautiful. 40 pages; ages 4-adult

Pros:  Lots of great (if somewhat clichéd) advice for anyone.  The illustrations are cute, especially the fuzzy gray Life.  This would make a good graduation gift.

Cons:  The message seems more appropriate for older readers, and may go over the heads of the younger audience.

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Published by Candlewick (released May 26)

Thanks to Candlewick for providing me with a free digital copy of this book.

Summary:  Khalil and his big, noisy family live in the upstairs part of a two-family house.  Mr. Hagerty lives by himself downstairs. They both like to spend time in the backyard, Mr. Hagerty gardening and Khalil hunting for bugs, rocks, and buried treasure.  Sometimes they help each other with words: Mr. Hagerty when Khalil can’t read a word in one of his library books, and Khalil when Mr. Hagerty can’t remember a word. One hot day, Khalil can’t find anything interesting and Mr. Hagerty only digs up small, shriveled carrots.  Discouraged, they retreat to Mr. Hagerty’s place for some milk and chocolate cake. That night, they both have ideas, and each one sneaks out to bury something for the other to find. The next morning, Mr. Hagerty digs up big juicy carrots, while Khalil unearths some treasures to play with.  They celebrate with carrots and more chocolate cake, and that night each one thinks about the same word: friend. 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A brief, but beautifully told story with collage illustrations are as bright and cheery as a summer day.  Pair this with Birdsong by Julie Flett for a story hour celebrating intergenerational friendships.

Cons:  I can’t help thinking Mr. Hagerty’s joy about his gardening success will be short-lived.

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Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Straw always wants to be first and zips through any beverage like it’s nothing.  But one day, stuck into an icy slushie, he gets a brain freeze and ends up collapsed at the bottom of the cup.  A loopy crazy straw comes to his rescue, reminding him that sometimes it’s okay to slow things down. Straw learns to stop and smell the milkshake, slowing down enough to notice big red strawberries and swirly whipped cream.  It’s a lesson he doesn’t always remember, but most of the time he’s a bit more chill these days. 48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  As she did in Spoon and Chopsticks, Amy Krouse Rosenthal has lots of fun with language and usually-inanimate objects to teach a lesson in a way kids will enjoy.

Cons:  While reading other reviews for this book, I learned that Amy Krouse Rosenthal passed away in 2017 at the age of 51.

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