Our favorite Tyrannosaurus is back. In spite of all the kindness he revealed in You Look Yummy, his bad rep seems to have caught up with him: He’s busy being “mean and fierce, nasty and selfish.” But is he really? Just as he's raising his usual threatening ruckus,...
One of my favorite new artists – Japanese Canadian Kellen Hatanaka – debuts his first bookish collaboration with first-time author Jon-Erik Lappano and, together, the talented duo plant some mighty magical seeds. Surrounded (choked?) by the crowded urban sprawl of an overgrown city, Tokyo and his family – including his clever and...
Choose Your Days is so many good and meaningful things. But most of all, it's a gift. When Corky is born, Old Bear –bespectacled, wise, never far – appears by her side. As the "keeper of time and keys," he tells her, "Choose your days, make them...
The story here is rather straightforward: a young boy is looking forward to a beach day with his family, but an incoming storm threatens to waylay the weekend plans. What makes this latest from author/illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi – her second translated title from one of Japan's award-winning children’s book creators published by...
*STARRED REVIEW Hippo doesn’t know it yet, but Bird is exactly the friend he needs. Despite Hippo’s insistent rejections (grunts, sighs, definitive cries of “Go away!”), Bird doesn’t give up. Just look! He can be a stylish hat, provide umbrella-like shelter, even stand in for a “hippopota-mustache”! Yet...
Last year’s beaver den is this year’s cozy lair for a mother otter and three newborn pups. When they are finally allowed out, they lose no time leaping and tumbling, pouncing and wrestling, because, well, otters love to play. With their waterproof fur coats, the pups...
A dimple-cheeked girl, a flame-haired boy, and a black-and-white puppy share adventures, no matter the season. For each month, a specific shape suggests a unique detail associated with that month. “Circle round, / ready to roll. / Add two sticks, / a carrot, and coal” reads...
Brothers Joe and Cody, their parents, and Cody’s dog, Ootsie, spend each summer near one of the hundreds of lakes in northern Manitoba, Canada. By naming and playing with sticks, stones, and even small animals, the brothers have no shortage of available “friends.” Their favorite...
Although Bernard Waber passed away in 2013 (at 91!), he's left quite the literary legacy – most especially his beloved, readily recognized Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile! series with almost a dozen titles. This, his latest, pubbed posthumously, invoking his signature gentle, emotive style, starring a young girl and her...
Grace Lin’s 'not exactly the same’-twins debuted in 2010, then 'shared a birthday’ a couple of years later, and had 'twice as silly’ adventures together. Five years since they arrived on bookshelves everywhere, they're still Together in All Weather – and yes, they're as whimsically captivating as...
One night as Dalia sleeps, her hair grows "straight up to the sky, tall and thick as a Cuban royal palm tree." Delighted, Dalia decorates her gorgeous locks with "wild tamarind, violet and coontie leaves," then requests that her mother guess "what kind of tree I...
Somewhere in an old forest, a little tree grows. But the forest is shrinking, the rains shower less often, and the little tree knows that her precious seed cannot flourish there. With the help of a brown bird who has flown far into the blue skies, she sends...
As minimal as the text might initially appear, Muon Van’s debut picture book is as deep as the Sea she references in her title. The resplendently rendered story seems simple: a family awaits for the safe return home of the fisherman father. But, of course,...
In spite of the thunderous rainy hail that greeted me upon arrival at the Salt Lake City airport on Thursday night, I've convinced myself that summer really is on the way in these here mountainous parts! And mark my words: I'm looking forward to the star-gazing...
Yes, indeed – too much of a good thing is detrimentally possible. Take electricity, for example: as much as we need and use that energy, "city lights always [turn] the night sky gray and dull." For young Phoebe, that's especially disappointing, because tonight, Saturn and...
Spring is coming! Start sharing the joy of rebirth – and all the small surprises that the new warmth brings – with this wordless, magical book from our northern neighbors. Here, even weeds can be the most thoughtful, transformative of gifts. Daddy and daughter – we'll call her Little Red...
Ready for an around-the-world, invigorating, aquatic tour? Readers: get ready to be refreshed, guided by Pat Mora’s verses and Meilo So’s artistry...
"As the biggest, [Boniface] had to care for the littlest." He's one of the older boys living in a Kenyan orphanage, known for his gentleness and patience. "[A]ll the children in the orphanage were like a family." On one of their outings to fetch water at...
Thanksgiving approach-eth! Don’t you want to know what will be on the Urban Forager’s table? Read on! Ava Chin, author of recently published Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love and the Perfect Meal, chats about family, motherhood, writing, and the art of foraging – complete with...
