Published by HMH Books for Young Readers 

Summary:  Ever since Henry got Leo the lion for his second birthday, they have been inseparable friends.  One day, the family decides to go for a walk in the woods.  Henry is happy, because he knows that Leo loves the woods.  His sister tells him that Leo isn’t real, but Henry knows better.  By the time the family gets back from their long trek, Henry is falling asleep on his father’s shoulders.  As soon as he gets into bed, though, he realizes something is wrong.  Leo is missing.  The family goes searching, but no Leo.  Henry’s mother tries to tell him that Leo isn’t real.  On the next several wordless pages, we see Leo being discovered by the forest animals.  They work together (with the help of a compass) to figure out where Leo belongs, and to get him as far as the front yard.  In the morning, Henry is overjoyed to see Leo.   Henry’s father and sister are puzzled, certain that they both looked in that very spot the night before.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A worth companion to Knuffle Bunny, this beautifully illustrated story will resonate with anyone who has ever loved and lost a favorite toy.

Cons:  Any mother who says a stuffed animal isn’t real must not have had much of a childhood.  #bigelow

Published by Beach Lane Books 

Summary:  Welcome to the yellow time of year, when geese are gone, but crows remain, and when everyone is waiting for the yellow leaves on the trees to start falling.  Soon the wind comes, and children dance with the swirls of yellow all around them.  When it’s over, the whole world is yellow.  Then it’s time to press leaves in books, remembering what a lovely time yellow time was…and to get ready for the white time.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A brief meditation on fall, that captures the sights, sounds, and smells of the season.  Each page has just a sentence or two of text, accompanied by a colorful (predominantly yellow) illustration.  Use this to inspire children to write about autumn.

Cons:  When I lived in Colorado, October really was the yellow time.  Here in New England, a few more colors need to be included to get the whole picture.

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Summary:  The entire book is an invocation (defined in the author’s note as a poem that invites something to happen) to “change the world before morning”.  As the poem unfolds, we see a girl sadly saying goodbye to her mother one evening.  As the girl and her father sleep, the mother, dressed in an airline pilot’s uniform, drives through an increasingly heavy snow.  By the time she reaches the airport, the planes are covered, and she’s forced to get a ride home in a snow plow.  The world has indeed been changed, and it results in the family getting to spend a snow day together, eating a leisurely breakfast, sledding, and stopping at the bakery for hot chocolate.  48 pages, ages 4-7.

Pros:  Newbery honoree Sidman pairs with Caldecott winner Krommes to create a beautiful, evocative book that perfectly captures the feeling of a snow day.  I would love to see this book get some kind of Caldecott recognition; the scratchboard pictures are gorgeously detailed.  Keep on hand to read right before a snowstorm.

Cons:  I found myself wishing for a snow day in mid-October.

Published by Disney-Hyperion 

Summary:  Reading other reviews for this book, I learned a new word—metafiction, which Merriam-Webster tells us is “fiction which refers to or takes as its subject fictional writing and its conventions.”  Fiction and nonfiction are blurred here as Barnett and Rex show how their book was made, with a few questionable additions like an arm-wrestling tiger, marauding pirates, and a pile of books visible from outer space.  The concepts of author, illustrator, editor, and publisher are all introduced in the context of producing a book from start to finish.  The final page reminds kids that a book really isn’t a book until it is read, so that you, the reader, have been an integral part in the making of this book.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  If you’re looking for a straightforward account of how books are made, this may not be the best choice, but if you’re looking for an exercise in hilarious craziness, this will fit the bill.

Cons:  For the illustrator biography on the back flap, Adam Rex takes the phrase “How this illustrator was made” literally, resulting in a slightly PG-rated couple of sentences.