LEILA IN SAFFRON. Written by Rukhsanna Guidroz. Illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova. Salaam Reads/Simon and Schuster. Ages 4-8. $17.99. When Leila arrives at her grandmother Naani’s house for a family dinner, Naani greets her by telling her the saffron beads on her dress go well with her dark eyes. This warms Leila’s heart. She tends to...
SATURDAY. Written and illustrated by Oge Mora. Little, Brown and Company. Ages 4-8. $18.99 Ava and her mother look forward to Saturdays together. This Saturday they have special plans. However, everything goes wrong! Story hour at the library is canceled, their new hairdos are ruined when a passing car splashes them, and the park is...
GOING DOWN HOME WITH DADDY. Written by Kelly Starling Lyons. Illustrated by Daniel Minter. Peachtree Publishing Company. $17.99. “On reunion morning, we rise before the sun. Daddy hums as he packs our car with suitcases and a cooler full of snacks. He says there’s nothing like going down home.” In this 2020 Caldecott Honor award-winner,...
DON’T WORRY, LITTLE CRAB. Written and illustrated by Chris Haughton. Candlewick Press. Ages 2-5. $17.99. This book is like WE ARE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT with an ocean setting. Little Crab and Very Big Crab decide to leave their tidal pool and go to the ocean. They pass through rocks (tic-a-tic tic-a-tic), more pools...
SANDCASTLE. Written and illustrated by Einat Tsarfati. Candlewick. Ages 4-6. $17.99. Einat Tsarfati, an Israeli author-illustrator, is the new Martin Handford (WHERE’S WALDO?). SANDCASTLE opens with a little girl at the beach. Immediately, there is glorious detail for children to explore. Amongst the human sunbathers are a mermaid, a seal, and a coven of witches...
THAT’S GOOD, THAT’S BAD. Written by Joan M. Lexau. Illustrated by Aliki. Prestel. Ages 3-7. $17.95. Originally published in 1963, this updated version of THAT’S GOOD, THAT’S BAD features digitally enhanced reproductions of Aliki’s original prints. She initially did her own color separation by printing each color on acetate film and layering the sheets. The...
ONE HUG. Written by Katrina Moore. Illustrated by Julia Woolf. Katherine Tegen Books. Ages newborn-4. $14.99. “One hug, two hugs, sometimes three, Hugging makes us family!” Written in short rhyming verses, this delightful book is perfect for family hugging. It shows many ways hugs can happen, even hugs from the family pet: “Some hugs nuzzle...
THE LOVE LETTER. Written by Anika Aldamuy Denise. Illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins. Harper. Ages 4-8. $17.99. One snowy day, Hedgehog just can’t help feeling prickly. Then he finds something on the snowy ground. It is a love letter! Suddenly Hedgehog feels cheerful. He has a pleasant time with his friends Bunny and Squirrel, but...
SAMMY CLAWS, THE CHRISTMAS CAT. Written by Lucy Rowland. Illustrated by Paula Bowles. Harper. $10.99. This is a fun book for the holidays written in rhyme that follows the rhyme scheme of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” It is the story of Santa Claus’s cat, Sammy Claws. Sammy “liked nothing better than having a SNOOZE…in...
THE WORD PIRATES. Written by Susan Cooper and illustrated by Steven Kellogg. Holiday House. $18.99. Susan Cooper is a Newbery Medalist and author of The Dark is Rising series. She is also a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement from the Young Adult Services Library Association. In this funny pirate spoof,...
