Published by Groundwood Books

Summary:  A young girl (who could also be a boy, but is referred to as a girl on the book flap) is worried about her first summer at sleepaway camp.  She and her mother have a lot to do before she goes, but they find ways to stay in touch through post-it notes.  The entire story is told through these brief messages.  The girl’s grandmother, Mimsy, arrives, and shows her pictures of her mother crying before she went to camp.  The mom replies that her tears didn’t last, but her memories did.  Finally, the big day arrives, and the girls goes off on the camp bus, with notes from her mother to write and have fun.  The penultimate page shows three post-its with these messages, “So far I have two new friends.  And 3217 enemies [accompanied by a picture of a mosquito].  Next year’s goodbye will be easier!”  And the final page shows the happy girl hugging her mother upon her return.  32 pages, ages 4-7.

Pros:  Kids will want to pore over the busy watercolor illustrations to understand all the details of the story.  The post-it notes are an unusual but effective way to show how a mom stays connected with her daughter despite their busy lives.

Cons:  A notation on the calendar reading “hearing aid battery” made me wonder if one of the main characters had a hearing loss (which would maybe explain all the written communication), but I couldn’t find any other evidence for this.

Published by Candlewick

Summary:  It’s a big night for Little Wolf–his first howling.  He and his father, Big Wolf, travel to just the right spot under the stars and a full moon.  Big Wolf demonstrates, “Aaaaaoooooooo!”.  Then Little Wolf tries.  “Aaaaaooooooooo! I’m hoooowling, ‘oooowlng, ooooowling!”  Hmm, not quite.  Big Wolf tries again.  And again.  But each time Little Wolf adds more and more, skiddily skoddily beep bop and some diddily daddily dooooooo.  Big Wolf tells him it’s not proper howling form, and Little Wolf tries one last time.  This time, Big Wolf can’t help himself.  His paws start tapping, and before long he joins in, do-wopping just like his son.  “Wait until we tell the others!” exclaims Little Wolf as they head for home.  “Oh, I expect they already know,” says his father.  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  The pictures are gorgeous, perfectly capturing the moonlit night and the two beautiful wolves.  The message about self-expression is just right for kids.  And the right reader could have a lot of fun reading those howls.

Cons:  I suspect I’m not the right reader.

Published by 21st Century

Summary:  Niko loves to draw his feelings.  When he sees something, he tries to capture the way it makes him feel with splashes of color on the paper.  His family and friends don’t understand.  They keep trying to figure out what the object is that he’s drawn.  This makes Niko sad, and he draws that sadness.  Then one day, he meets Iris.  When she asks to see his pictures, Niko is hesitant, afraid she will react like everyone else.  Finally, he takes her to his room, and she looks at all the pictures.  She just looks at first, but when she sees his picture of sadness, she says, “You must have been sad when you drew that picture.”  Nico feels like a window has opened in his brain.  Immediately, he draws a new picture–one that shows how it feels to make a new friend.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A gentle, warm introduction to art, friendship, and being yourself..

Cons:  Young readers may label Niko’s drawings as “scribbling”.

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Auggie, the protagonist of Palacio’s Wonder, narrates this book, explaining that he is different from other kids.  Even though he does ordinary things like ride a bike and eat ice cream, the way he looks sets him apart and sometimes makes him a target for cruelty.  His mom tells him he’s a wonder, and he’s sure his dog Daisy thinks that he is, too.  When life gets too difficult, Auggie and Daisy pretend to blast off into space and hang out with the aliens on Pluto.  He concludes by stating that if people could see differently, they would realize that he and everyone else in the world are all wonders.  The final illustration shows Auggie making a new friend.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A good introduction to the themes introduced in the longer book. Lots of appeal for younger audiences, particularly with the movie of Wonder coming out in the fall.

Cons:  Will R. J. Palacio eventually write a new story, or will she just have one hit, Wonder? (See what I did there?)

Published by Candlewick

Summary:  Jameson refuses to wear anything but green pants, going so far as to wear them exclusively for swimming.  Any attempts by others to foist red or blue pants on him result in blue pants in a tree or red pants on the dog.  Jameson believes he can do anything, as long as he’s wearing his green pants.  So he can’t make up his mind when Uncle Armando and his beautiful fiance Jo invite Jameson to be in their wedding.  He really wants to do it, but one of the requirements is wearing a tuxedo–with black pants.  His indecision persists until moments before the big event.  Finally, with a little help from Jo, he’s able to be in the wedding but still find a way to express himself.  40 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  An empowering story for kids who have definite ideas about their likes and dislikes.  The illustrations are funny and pretty cute.

Cons: I’m no fashion expert, but has anyone actually worn green pants since Mr. Green Jeans hung out with Captain Kangaroo?